Discussion
Telltales
To watch the wind direction without proper wind instruments, it is extremely
helpful to rig a telltale, a piece of string or strip of light cloth tied high in the
rigging, out of the way of other structures on the boat. Strips of plastic bag or
cassette tape also make good telltales. Telltales show the apparent wind angle
instantaneously. It is always better to use them than to guess the wind direction
from the feel of it. Telltales are commonplace on sailboats, less so on
powerboats. But on any boat, if you must watch the wind direction carefully, the
first thing to do is rig a telltale. Its an instrument you can rely on.
A mechanical windvane generically called a windex (in honor of the Davis
Instruments version, a very popular brand of the tool) is effectively a calibrated
telltale, with the apparent wind angles of 30 and 150 clearly marked as reference
points (the user can adjust these two points to best match the sailing characteristics
of the boat).