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The Beaufort Wind Scale |
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Beaufort Force |
Wind Speed (knots) |
Beaufort Name |
Sea State |
Wave Height (feet) |
0 |
0 |
Calm |
Sea smooth and mirror-like. |
0 |
1 |
1-3 |
Light Air |
Scale-like ripples without foam crests. |
0.25 |
2 |
4-6 |
Light Breeze |
Small, short wavelets. Crests have a glassy appearance, do not break, and do not have foam crests. |
0.75 |
3 |
7-10 |
Gentle Breeze |
Large wavelets; some crests begin to break; foam has glassy appearance. Occasional white foam crests. |
2 |
4 |
11-16 |
Moderate Breeze |
Small waves, become longer; fairly frequent white foam crests. |
4 |
5 |
17-21 |
Fresh Breeze |
Moderate waves, taking a more pronounced long form. Many white foam crests;
there may be some spray. |
6 |
6 |
22-27 |
Strong Breeze |
Large waves begin to form; white foam crests are more extensive everywhere;
there may be some spray. |
10 |
7 |
28-33 |
Near Gale |
Sea heaps up and white foam from breaking waves begins to be blown in streaks
along the direction of the wind; spindrift begins. |
14 |
8 |
34-40 |
Gale |
Moderately high waves of greater length; edges of crests break into spindrift;
foam is blown in well-marked streaks along the direction of the wind. |
18 |
9 |
41-47 |
Strong 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 reduce visibility. |
23 |
10 |
48-55 |
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 is white in appearance. The tumbling of the sea becomes heavy and shock-like. Visibility is reduced. |
29 |
11 |
58-63 |
Violent Storm |
Exceptionally high waves that may obscure small and medium-sized ships. 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 is reduced. |
37 |
12 |
64+ |
Hurricane |
The air is filled with foam and spray. Sea completely white with driving spray; visibility is very much reduced. |
45 |
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Even a cursory glance at the scale should be sobering for a novice kayaker. While landlubbers don't often think of a 15-mile/hour (13-knot) wind as terribly strong, such a wind can bring waves of over 3 feet if given sufficient time and fetch.
The bottom line, then, is to know what to expect on the ocean, and to know your limits. A good rule of thumb is to never paddle without someone more experienced if you have never practiced rescues in those conditions.
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Over time, you will begin to mentally picture the sea state simply by looking at the marine weather forecast. Combine that with good judgement, and you'll always be safe paddling on the ocean.
The author is an instructor and guide at Charles River Canoe & Kayak in Newton, Mass,
and is the editor of NESK. He has surfed in 20-knot winds with 7-foot waves.
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