How to Read a Wind Rose

This article was co-authored by Nitzan Levy. Captain Nitzan Levy is a Sailor, Social Entrepreneur, and the Founder of Sailors NYC, a recreational sailors’ club based in Jersey City, New Jersey that specializes in cruising boats and a variety of community programs. Capt. Levy has over 20 years of sailing experience and has sailed in many places around the world including: the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, The Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean. Capt. Levy is a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Master of vessels up to 50 Tons with Auxiliary Sail and Assistance Towing Endorsements. Capt. Levy is also a NauticEd Level V Captain Rank Chief Instructor, an American National Standards Assessor, an SLC instructor, an ASA (American Sailing Association) Certified Instructor Bareboat Chartering, and an Israeli licensed skipper on Boats for International Voyages.

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A wind rose is a circular diagram used to record data about wind speeds and frequencies over a specified period of time, which is handy if you want to know the average wind speeds for an area. When looking at a wind rose, you'll see it's constructed with spokes coming out from a center point that show the wind direction; each of the spokes are color-coded along their length to indicate the speed of the wind. The concentric circles on the wind rose look like a target, and each circle provides a measurement to help you figure out how long the wind blew at a certain speed.