The Wind Rose

Early and Middle Ages mariners had developed navigational tools and methods based on natural position marks such as astronomical indicators - the apparent position and movement of celestial bodies - and meteorological indicators - the strength and direction of winds.

According to some historians, the wind rose has been a constant companion to sailors since the fourth century before Jesus Christ. The Etruscans, it is said, were the first to use the wind rose. Initially simple, made of eight points, the rose became more complex with time. Fifteenth century Portuguese navigators are credited with having improved the rose at the beginning of the golden age of major exploration. These Renaissance men gave us the sixteen-point wind rose.

Since then, navigational tools have evolved dramatically. But the wind rose is still with us, although very different from that of Renaissance days. Nowadays, it indicates the direction of major winds as well as their strength and the percentage of time they blow in a given region during a specific period of observation.