2010 Fresh River Voyage of Discovery : Learning Pages : River Science: Wind Speed

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Of all the weather phenomena our students study, the speed and direction of the wind have the most immediate effects on our ship. Not surprising, considered that the Half Moon is a sailing vessel! In 1609, Hudson's progress along the narrow river was often at the mercy of favorable winds. On this voyage, we are monitoring wind speed as a component of our Deck Log and AMVER SEAS reports.

We use hand-held anemometers to accurately measure the wind's speed. As the wind blows through and spins an anemometer's fan, the electronic instrument records the wind's highest and average speeds.

When we study wind speed in depth for research projects, we often simultaneously compare wind speeds on deck and at the mast tops. Our findings during these experiments indicate that the wind is consistently stronger at higher elevations.

When at sea, it's also possible to measure wind speed with reasonable accuracy even without the use of precise instruments. The Beaufort scale estimates wind speed by categorizing observable water conditions into 12 "sea states," ranging from 0 (dead calm) to 12 (hurricane).

When we study wind speed in depth for research projects, we often simultaneously compare wind speeds on deck and at the mast tops. Our findings during these experiments indicate that the wind is consistently stronger at higher elevations.

This would have come as no surprise to the shipwrights who constructed the original d'Halve Maen in 1608; after all, top sails are designed specifically to harness those higher, more powerful gusts.

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