|
Beaufort
number
|
Knots |
MPH |
Appearance
on Water |
Average
Sail Size |
| 0 |
under
1 |
under 1
|
Water like a
mirror.
|
Perfect for
wakeboarding or water skiing. |
| 1 |
1-3
Knots |
1 - 3 MPH
|
Dull areas on
water (not glassy) |
Stick to golf or
mountain biking |
| 2 |
4-6
Knots |
4 - 6 MPH
|
Small wavelets |
Classic
longboard or formula style board with jumbo sail, 10m.+ |
| 3 |
7-10
Knots |
8 - 12 MPH
|
small wavelets;
maybe a couple whitecaps. |
Classic
longboard or formula style board with large sail
7.0-10.0m. |
| 4 |
11-16
Knots |
13 - 18 MPH
|
Small waves;
whitecaps |
Big Slalom or
wide freeride board
with a 6.0-7.0 sail. |
| 5 |
17-21
Knots |
19 - 24 MPH
|
Medium waves;
whitecaps |
8'6"-9'0" board
with a 5.0-6.0 sail. |
| 6 |
22-27
Knots |
25 - 31 MPH
|
Large waves,
whitecaps everywhere, a little spray off the water |
This is a
typical great gorge sailing day. 4.0-4.5 sail and gorge/wave board
(7'11" - 8'6"). |
| 7 |
28-33
Knots |
32 - 38 MPH
|
Large waves,
whitecaps everywhere, spray off the water |
This is an epic
day in the gorge. 3.0-3.5 sails, small gorge board, many happy
sailors. |
| 8 |
34-40
Knots |
39 - 46 MPH
|
Big swells of
greater length, streaks of white spray from the water |
Use the smallest
sail you've got, 2.8-3.0. For many sailors this is too
much wind. |
| 9 |
41-47
Knots |
47 - 54 MPH
|
Huge swells,
spray everywhere, walking is difficult. |
Only sailable by
very experienced sailors with the smallest sails
available. |
| 10 |
48-55
Knots |
55 -63 MPH
|
Huge waves, hard
to see, spray everywhere |
Dangerous
conditions. Virtually too much for everyone. |
