That Darn Wind

Wind is one of those challenges. It’s almost always there, pushing us one way or another. A fact of life when you’re on the water. While the ideal paddling situation is probably glassy water with no current, it rarely happens the way. Wind is a fact of being on the water. We have to work with it.

There is a wind scale known as the Beaufort Scale. It’s a scale that runs from 0–12, 0 being under 1 mph of wind and 12 being a hurricane.  (The chart below is from the NOAA website.) As a beginner, you should only be going out in Beaufort 0–2 winds (0–7 mph). More than that, and you’ll have a lot of trouble going against the wind.

Even a light wind will push you. Consider that your body is a nice solid thing for the wind to push against, sort of a squishy sail. Even in the lightest of winds this will have an effect. As an experiment, try not paddling and just stand on your board. Pay attention to how the wind pushes you. You should notice yourself moving pretty quickly. (Current will move you too, so consider that also.)

If the wind is pushing you, then that should guide your paddling route. The best way to go is against the wind. That way you get a good workout in the first leg, and you can ride it on the way back when you’re tired. As a beginner, do not go with the wind on the way out unless you are sure you can make it back to your launch point. Instructors hear story after story of beginners getting pushed far past their launch point and have to get assistance.

The video below is a good guide to what the water will look like at different wind levels. Remember unless you’re experienced, stay below 7 mph. If you see any whitecaps, don’t go out.

Force	Speed (mph)	Description	Specifications for sea Specifications for land
0	0–1	Calm	Sea like a mirror. Calm; smoke rises vertically.
1	1–3	Light air	Ripples with the appearance of scales are formed, but without foam crests. Direction of wind shown by smoke drift, but not by wind vanes.
2	4–7	Light breeze	Small wavelets, still short, but more pronounced. Crests have a glassy appearance and do not break. Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; ordinary vanes moved by wind.
3	8–12	Gentle breeze	Large wavelets. Crests begin to break. Foam of glassy appearance. Perhaps scattered white horses. Leaves and small twigs in constant motion; wind extends light flag.
4	13–18	Moderate breeze	Small waves, becoming larger; fairly frequent white horses. Raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved.
5	19–24	Fresh breeze	Moderate waves, taking a more pronounced long form; many white horses are formed. Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters.
6	25–31	Strong breeze	Large waves begin to form; the white foam crests are more extensive everywhere. Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telegraph wires; umbrellas used with difficulty.
7	32–38	Near gale	Sea heaps up and white foam from breaking waves begins to be blown in streaks along the direction of the wind. Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt when walking against the wind.
8	39–46	Gale	Moderately high waves of greater length; edges of crests begin to break into spindrift. The foam is blown in well-marked streaks along the direction of the wind. Breaks twigs off trees; generally impedes progress.
9	47–54	Severe gale	High waves. Dense streaks of foam along the direction of the wind. Crests of waves begin to topple, tumble and roll over. Spray may affect visibility. Slight structural damage occurs (chimney-pots and slates removed)
10	55–63	Storm	Very high waves with long overhanging crests. The resulting foam, in great patches, is blown in dense white streaks along the direction of the wind. On the whole the surface of the sea takes on a white appearance. The tumbling of the sea becomes heavy and shock-like. Visibility affected. Seldom experienced inland; trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs.
11	64–72	Violent storm	Exceptionally high waves (small and medium-size ships might be for a time lost to view behind the waves). The sea is completely covered with long white patches of foam lying along the direction of the wind. Everywhere the edges of the wave crests are blown into froth. Visibility affected. Very rarely experienced; accompanied by wide-spread damage.
12	72–82	Hurricane	The air is filled with foam and spray. Sea completely white with driving spray; visibility very seriously affected.