How many more with strong wind on my back?
How many less with wind in my face?
The answers to all three questions are blowing in the wind. If wind is nil then the speed I travel is my
wind speed—about twelve miles per hour. But
if headwind is twelve miles per hour then my wind speed is twenty-four, if I
continue at twelve, which I could not possibly maintain. Since the force of wind varies with the cube
of its speed, the force is eight times as great in such a headwind as it is
with no wind. I must gear down as if on
a hill and go much slower. Wind is not
the only resistance to travel, but as headwind increases, it rapidly becomes
the dominating factor.
Until today, I have seldom felt any headwind, and sometimes I
felt no wind at all while traveling at twelve miles per hour—a pleasant
tailwind. Fortunately, the weather
forecast for wind has been quite accurate.
It is given hourly about 24 hours in advance. This morning it said “Wind SSW 19 mph" all day
long. Since I would be traveling west, simple
vector geometry says I would receive about 70% of that wind in my face. This is not the kind of forecast I wanted to
see.
Headwind has a demoralizing effect beyond its simple push in
the wrong direction. It weakens the
spirit that slows me more than just its direct thrust. So it was all day of riding from Chipley to
DeFuniak Springs.
Yesterday’s heavy rain has left the lowland flooded with many
road closures as pictured above. It did
not affect my travel, but in the café this morning, some regulars were missing
as they wait for the water to subside.
Naomi came riding eastward today. She seems traveling with less stuff than I carry, and she’s going farther. Having started in New Orleans, she will go to the Atlantic Coast, then turn northward for Canada. Young and traveling alone—see, I’m not the only one.
Hello there Sharon of the wind and rain... nice to see the smile of a fellow traveler! I hope you have more smooth sailing and not through water. A tail wind sounds perfect. I love the little blue flowers at the top, they look like my favorite wild growing childhood flowers in our backyard, except mine were a lighter blue I think. I was never sure what to call them, but I called them morning glories as a child, though I knew they were not. They looked glorious, small and bright after rain, and I think they opened in the morning. Like we do. Greetings from the bright blue of Santa Barbara here, even bluer because I am in my mom's room. Thanks for sharing your adventure!
ReplyDeleteYes, I called a blue flower morning glory also, at our home in Pasadena, but it too probably was not. It climbed on the trellis beside the house.
DeleteKeeping pace with you for a moment, along the road you travel by with the 'wind and the rain'... to say hi! I enjoy reading your posts, Sharon. Stay safe and have a happy ride back to Pasadena. You take some of the most interesting pics.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you here, Mandy. I have read some of your Facebook posts and the links to other things you write. You are very prolific and I can't keep up with all of it, but I admire the writing you do.
DeleteSmiles and (((HUGS))) ... have a safe trip, Sharon. We each have our own busy schedules and things that occupy us, but seeing your post in my mail is a real delight. You might not see me around often, but still thinking of you on your trip. Stay well and have a safe journey. I admire your spirit for adventure. :)
DeleteYou may know that math is not my strong point, and I dare say you were tripping into algebra, trigonometry, and maybe some calculus in those wind vector calculations. May Kathabella can confirm just what it was you were speaking in math type jargon. I dare say that I followed it nonetheless, and at times was just ahead of you.
ReplyDeleteSo, the next time you are stranded in some lone hotel room sitting out a rainstorm, tornado, or hurricane, here's a little assignment for the sailor in you (you are well past being simple rail meat, I presume). Work out a simple formula for calculating apparent wind direction when going to weather, and also when running on a deep broad reach. Or tell me how to deduce it.
Secondly, explain how a sailboat can travel faster than the wind. Your assignment is due on Friday, unless of course you run into unlikely (but hoped for) good weather. May the wind be at your back and your wheels be pointed west.
I have also wondered how a sailboat can travel faster than the wind when tacking into it, but can't travel as fast as the wind when it driven by a tailwind. Someone else will have to do that calculation.
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