With how much wind can you sail out

The winter of 2021-2022 saw a lot of storms. In particular, the triplet storm with storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin made a big impact. These three took several lives and caused enormous damage. Moreover, it was the first time since measurements were taken that there were 6 consecutive days of storms in the Netherlands. But at what point does wind become a storm, and exactly how hard does it blow?

Wind force is expressed by the Beaufort scale. It ranges from force zero to force twelve, and describes the average wind speed of the past 10 minutes. KNMI speaks of storm when the average wind speed of the past hour was 9 Beaufort or more. Wind force 9 is 75 to 88 kilometers per hour.

Beaufort scale

For boaters, wind strength matters even more than for people on land. So it is important to know the forecasts, as well as the wind warnings locally. KNMI issues these and these are online.

When is there too much wind?

This question cannot be answered unequivocally. When there is too much wind depends, among other things, on the area where you are sailing, the exact wind strength and direction, the type of boat and the experience of the crew. A few things do strike us, however. For sailboats, between wind force zero and two, there is not much to do. Wind force three to five is ideal. On big water, like the IJsselmeer and the Wadden Sea, at wind force 5 it starts to get a little more turbulent. This depends very much on how far from the coast you are. Depending on the direction of the wind, the waters in Zeeland can also get a bit stormy. From wind force 6, this is actually the case on all waters. Sailing boats usually can no longer sail on full sail, and motorboats get really bothered by rolling on the waves. From wind force 6 on, the competence of the crew starts to come into play more. Even on sheltered waters, things like mooring then become more difficult.

From wind force 7 on big water or wind force 8 on sheltered water, the crew must ask themselves whether sailing out is still responsible. In some cases, when the vessel and crew are perfectly capable of doing so, this is not a problem. In more cases, it is probably no longer a good idea.

What are the rules?

Up to how much wind you may sail out is not specifically defined in laws. However, a skipper should always maintain "good seamanship." If you sail out as an inexperienced crew with a pleasure boat in wind force 12, then if things go wrong, good seamanship will certainly be questioned.

Conclusion

In short, there is no single answer to the question of when there is too much wind to sail. However, there are clues. Subscribers with the package assistance complete can get free telephone advice from us about the circumstances at that time.