Editing Sailing (section)

=== Wind and currents ===
[[File:Corrientes-oceanicas.png|thumb|The [[ocean current]]s]]
Winds and oceanic currents are both the result of the sun powering their respective fluid media. Wind powers the sailing craft and the ocean bears the craft on its course, as currents may alter the course of a sailing vessel on the ocean or a river.
*''Wind'' – On a global scale, vessels making long voyages must take [[atmospheric circulation]] into account, which causes zones of [[westerlies]], [[easterlies]], [[trade wind]]s and high-pressure zones with light winds, sometimes called [[horse latitude]]s, in between.<ref name="The Climate System: General Circulation and Climate Zones">{{cite web|author=Yochanan Kushnir|date=2000|title=The Climate System: General Circulation and Climate Zones|url=http://eesc.columbia.edu/courses/ees/climate/lectures/gen_circ/index.html|access-date=13 March 2012|archive-date=22 August 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040822022845/http://eesc.columbia.edu/courses/ees/climate/lectures/gen_circ/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sailors predict wind direction and strength with knowledge of [[High-pressure area|high-]] and [[low-pressure area]]s, and the [[weather front]]s that accompany them. Along coastal areas, sailors contend with [[Diurnal temperature variation|diurnal change]]s in wind direction—flowing off the shore at night and onto the shore during the day.<ref name=Meteorology>
{{cite book|last1=Ahrens|first1=C. Donald|title=Meteorology Today|last2=Henson|first2=Robert|date=1 January 2015|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=9781305480629|edition=11|pages=656}}</ref> Local temporary wind shifts are called ''lifts'', when they improve the sailing craft's ability travel along its ''[[rhumb line]]'' in the direction of the next waypoint. Unfavorable wind shifts are called ''headers''.<ref name=Royce>
{{cite book|last=Royce|first=Patrick M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mtqgsWaWciMC&pg=PA97|title=Royce's Sailing Illustrated|date=2015|publisher=ProStar Publications|isbn=978-0-911284-07-2|edition=11|volume=2|page=}}</ref>{{rp|97}}
*''Currents'' – On a global scale, vessels making long voyages must take major [[ocean current]] circulation into account.<ref name=NNOAACurrents>
{{cite web|last=National Ocean Service|date=25 March 2008|title=Surface Ocean Currents|url=http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/currents/05currents1.html|website=noaa.gov|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref> Major oceanic currents, like the [[Gulf Stream]] in the Atlantic Ocean and the [[Kuroshio Current]] in the Pacific Ocean require planning for the effect that they will have on a transiting vessel's track. Likewise, tides affect a vessel's track, especially in areas with large tidal ranges,<ref name=Cruising/> like the [[Bay of Fundy]] or along [[Southeast Alaska]], or where the tide flows through [[strait]]s, like [[Deception Pass]] in [[Puget Sound]].<ref>{{cite web|date=December 2012|title=2.5 Tides and Currents|url=http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/preparedness/GRP/NorthCentralPugetSound/NCPS-AllChapters.pdf|access-date=23 March 2016|work=North Central Puget Sound Geographic Response Plan|publisher=Washington Department of Ecology|pages=2–4}}</ref> Mariners use [[Tide table|tide and current tables]] to inform their navigation.<ref name = Offshore/> Before the advent of motors, it was advantageous for sailing vessels to enter or leave port or to pass through a strait with the tide.<ref name=Findlay/>