Wind Effects on Movement

The combination of the ship type and its crew quality defines the maximum speed that a ship can sail … and this maximum is in turn limited by the actual wind speed. The force of the wind may fail to fill the sails of the vessel, or the wind’s violence may force the ship to furl sails for the safety of the ship. As a result, the best winds are “breezes,” particularly the moderate breeze.

The Wind Effects Table shows the movement of different types of ships (based on size and how well they handle), depending on the ship’s attitude to the wind:

These attitudes are as follows: “Re” – Reaching; “Ru” – Running; “C” – Close-hauled; and “H” – Heading into the wind. These are described in detail on the ship’s attitude page.

To determine the effect of wind force on a ship, cross-index the wind against the type of ship, under the attitude column that applies. The result is the ship’s total movement allowance for determining the number of its actions during the movement notation phase. Where the total movement is less than zero, that indicates the number of hexes the ship will drift with the wind.

Note that lighter ships (yare A & B) will drift much more easily than medium-sized ships (yare C), whereas heavy ships (yare D & E) will not automatically drift; nor will heavy large ramships and galleys. During gales & storms, this drift occurs when the ship moves into the indicated attitude and presumes the crew is working with great effort to keep the ship from foundering.

See Also,
Naval Combat
Wind