Before setting sail, it is very important to make sure that your journey won’t be impacted by problematic weather conditions. A few weeks back, we provided you with a detailed interview with Simon Rowell, the British Sailing Team’s meteorologist that focused on how to get your own 15 minute weather forecast. Now, we want to help you understand a bit better the direction of the wind and the kind of wind speeds that make it safe to sail or potentially dangerous.
Wind Speed Chart
Let’s first start by looking at the speed of the different wind forces. A chart that will come super handy when the weatherman says “Force 4 wind”.
| F1 | 1 – 5 km/h |
| F2 | 6 – 11 km/h |
| F3 | 12 – 19 km/h |
| F4 | 20 – 28 km/h |
| F5 | 29 – 38 km/h |
| F6 | 39 – 49 km/h |
| F7 | 50 – 61 km/h |
| F8 | 62 – 74 km/h |
| F9 | 75 – 88 km/h |
Wind Direction Chart
Now that you know the speed of the wind, you are ready to move to the next step: wind direction. The next chart,
| North Westerly | Up to F4 – Good sailing conditionsF5 – Seek captain’s adviceF6 and above – poor sailing conditions |
| Norterly | Up to F3 – Good sailing conditionsF4 – F5 – Seek captain’s adviceF6 and above – poor sailing conditions |
| North Easterly | Up to F3 – Good sailing conditionsF4 – Seek captain’s adviceF5 and above – poor sailing conditions |
| Easterly | Up to F3 – Good sailing conditionsF4 – Seek captain’s adviceF5 and above – poor sailing conditions |
| South Easterly | Up to F3 – Good sailing conditionsF4 – Seek captain’s adviceF5 and above – poor sailing conditions |
| Southerly | Up to F4 – Good sailing conditionsF5 – Seek captain’s adviceF6 and above – poor sailing conditions |
| South Westerly | Up to F4 – Good sailing conditionsF5 – Seek captain’s adviceF6 and above – poor sailing conditions |
| Westerly | Up to F4 – Good sailing conditionsF5 – Seek captain’s adviceF6 and above – poor sailing conditions |
Visual Wind Direction Chart
You have no compass? That’s ok. We’ve put together a map that also integrates all of the above! This will help you understand the positions and wind directions based on Malta’s localities.
