Weather Gauge
Weather Gauge
WEATHER GAUGE. In the days of fighting sail, maneuvering to obtain and to hold the weather gauge was of prime importance in naval engagements because it allowed the ship that possessed it to dictate the terms of the engagement. A ship was said to have the weather gage, or "the advantage of the wind," when she could steer straight for an opponent while the latter would have to tack into the wind.
revised by Harold E. Selesky
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windward , wind·ward / ˈwindwərd/ • adj. & adv. facing the wind or on the side facing the wind: [as adj.] the windward side of the boat. Contrasted with leeward… Sail , sail
sail / sāl/ • n. 1. a piece of material extended on a mast to catch the wind and propel a boat, ship, or other vessel: all the sails were unfurl… Social Sciences and the Law , luff / ləf/ chiefly Sailing • n. the edge of a fore-and-aft sail next to the mast or stay. • v. [tr.] 1. steer (a sailing vessel) nearer the wind to… Beaufort Wind Scale , In 1805, to standardize nautical observations, Sir Francis Beaufort , an Irish hydrographer and member of the British Admiralty, created a scale for… windlass , windlass •Callas, callous, callus, Dallas, Pallas, phallus •Nablus • manless •hapless, mapless •atlas, fatless, hatless •braless, parlous •armless •… Wind Tunnel , wind tun·nel / wind/ • n. a tunnel-like apparatus for producing an airstream of known velocity past models of aircraft, buildings, etc., in order to…
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Weather Gauge