Weather gage

The phrase "to have the weather gage" (or "gauge") describes the favorable position of a sailing vessel relative to another with respect to the wind. The term is from the Age of Sail, and is now antiquated. It is any position upwind of the other vessel. An upwind vessel is able to maneuver at will toward any downwind point, since in doing so the relative wind moves aft. A vessel downwind of another, however, in attempting to attack upwind, is constrained to trim sail as the relative wind moves forward and cannot point too far into the wind for fear of being headed. In sailing warfare, when beating to windward, the vessel heels under the sideward pressure of the wind. This is restricts gunnery, as cannon on the windward side are now elevated, while the leeward gun ports aim into the sea, or in heavy weather may be awash. A ship with the weather gage, turning downwind to attack, may alter course at will in order to bring starboard and port guns to appropriate elevations. The term has had a literary rebirth in the popular seafaring novels of C.S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian and Alexander Kent.

Related Topics:
Gage - Gauge - Sailing vessel - Wind - Age of Sail - Windward - Gunnery - Leeward - Starboard - Port - C.S. Forester - Patrick O'Brian - Alexander Kent

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In today's modern sailing craft the significance of the weather gage is much diminished except during racing. Whereas a ship of the line in the Napoleonic Wars struggled to make any progress better than 90 degrees to the wind, a modern America's Cup racer can point within 30 degrees of it; yet such competitors still seek the weather gage, as this allows them to blanket the opposition's sails preventing them from exploiting the wind to its fuill.

Related Topics:
Napoleonic Wars - America's Cup

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