Windward
The side closer to where the wind is coming from — upwind. The windward rider sits higher on the wind and yields to the leeward rider on the same tack.
Also known as: upwind, weather side
Windward is the side a wind is coming from. Stand on the beach with a southerly blowing and the south side of any object is its windward side. On the water, the windward rider is the one positioned upwind of another rider on the same tack.
In right-of-way terms, windward is the yielding side. When two boats, kites, wings, or windsurfers travel the same direction on the same tack, the windward rider has the freedom to bear away (turn downwind) and is therefore expected to keep clear of the leeward rider. The mnemonic riders learn first: “windward yields to leeward.”
The term is symmetric to leeward — they describe positions relative to the wind, not absolute compass directions. A southerly wind makes the south coast of an island its windward shore. Tomorrow’s northerly flips it.
Related terms
- Leeward The side away from where the wind is coming — downwind. The leeward rider has right of way over the windward rider on the same tack.
- Tack An upwind turn — the board changes direction by passing through the wind from the front. Also: which side of the wind you're currently sailing.
- Right of way The set of rules that decide who yields when two wind-powered craft cross — starboard over port, leeward over windward, and a handful of kite-specific additions.