The Beaufort Scale

In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars, Francis Beaufort (1774-1857) rose through the ranks from merchant sailor to captain. While commanding the HMS Woolwich in 1806, he devised a popular system for categorizing wind speeds called the Beaufort Scale. The scale, first employed on January 13, 1806, ranges from flat, calm seas (0) to hurricanes (12). Beaufort provided heuristics for the fresh breeze needed to carry topsails (5) or the storm that would blow any sails (11). He continued to log the weather and develop the scale for many years before it was adopted by the Royal Navy. The scale has been adapted to describe the behavior of steamships, smoke, and wave crests.

The importance of winds in sailing is captured in songs such as Blow Ye Winds In The Morning and Southerly Wind. Beaufort also gives his name to the Canadian-Arctic sea mentioned in Stan Rogers’s Northwest Passage.