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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Naming Ships
From: John Titterton
Date: 2003 Jan 24, 22:32 +0200
From: John Titterton
Date: 2003 Jan 24, 22:32 +0200
Vic, Gary, Philip and others, Thanks for the replies. I note that all (most?) persons who answered my query appear to be in the northern hemisphere. The term "backing" has always appeared to be used when noting that the wind has moved in an anticlockwise direction and thus the weather will be deteriorating (preceding a low pressure cell). However, in the southern hemisphere, the opposite is expected when the wind changes anticlockwise. When I started researching the term, all the British publications say the wind direction is changing in an anticlockwise direction, full stop. But Bowditch claims that the direction is opposite (clockwise) in the southern hemisphere. I have now checked a few more US publications and they too claim that the direction is different in the northern hemisphere to that in the southern hemisphere. Who is correct? John Titterton Cape Town -----Original Message----- From: Navigation Mailing List [mailto:NAVIGATION-L@LISTSERV.WEBKAHUNA.COM] On Behalf Of Philip Ouvry Sent: 24 January 2003 20:58 To: NAVIGATION-L@LISTSERV.WEBKAHUNA.COM Subject: Re: Naming Ships Incidentally veering is when the wind changes in a clockwise direction, ie north to northeast. Backing is the reverse, ie north to northwest. Best wishes. Philip Ouvry
