Talk:Lee shore

Self-contradictory
This article is self-contradictory, but I don't know the resolution to the contradiction, since I showed up here looking for the definition. According to the Leeward and Windward articles, and multiple other sources, Windward is towards the source of wind from the point of reference, and Leeward is away from the wind source from the point of reference.

The diagram shows a boat approaching an island from the south with winds from the east. Therefor the west is leeward and east is windward (from said boat). However, this article claims that the lee shore is leeward from an approaching boat. If that were the case, then the diagram is reversed, and the lee shore would be green and the windward shore would be red.

However, consulting with other sources confirms that the diagram is correct -- the lee shore of a landmass is blown upon by wind, while the windward shore is sheltered.

Since I am no nautical expert, I'm not editing the definition, but the definition needs revision nonetheless. Instead of saying that the lee and windward shores are leeward and windward of an approaching boat, we should say that a windward shore is windward of a boat, and a lee shore is leeward of a boat. The terms only apply literally in the case of a boat which is upwind or downwind of a landmass, not to a boat which is on a line from a landmass perpendicular to the direction of wind.

Metheus (talk) 16:46, 10 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I took a shot at clarifying things. Let me know what you think.  scot (talk) 21:21, 10 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Nice, much clearer. Metheus (talk) 04:32, 14 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Hi! I came here to check that this was mentioned. It still seems contradictory to me. The image in the lead section says the windward shore is a different location of shore on land. And then in the first section 'Use of the terms...' the image and text seem to define it as a matter of perspective - where both terms refer to the same section of shoreline but you use the phrase "windward shore" if you're on land, and "leeward shore" if you're on the boat.Twomatters (talk) 07:06, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

In Music
The 'In Music' heading should be deleted or revised. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.175.35.51 (talk) 06:24, 28 March 2010 (UTC)


 * I removed the unsourced opinion and tagged the factual part Tedickey (talk) 14:43, 28 March 2010 (UTC)

The contradiction problem
Although the article is clear of itself, I have added a paragraph to draw attention to the confusion that arises from the difference between the everyday parlance of "lee" as the sheltered side of something, and the nautical usage with regard to land masses only, which can be very puzzling to readers, though not, I think, to sailors once they have experienced the lee effect. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.159.59.41 (talk) 13:53, 4 August 2010 (UTC)

Weather shore or windward shore?
The diagrams and the opening sentence refer to a "windward shore", but the rest of the lede refers not to a "windward shore", but to a "weather shore". Is this a mistake, or vandalism? If it is correct, the term "weather shore" should be put into the opening sentence as a synonym, to prevent confusion. Duoduoduo (talk) 17:36, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

Leeward shore
This article is not correct, nor are the graphics.

A leeward shore with regard to an island is the shore which is in the lee of the island. The downwind shore, so to speak.

It's the reference point which is critical. On a boat the windward rail is the one the wind is hitting first, or the one most upwind. It's the same with an island. The side of the island most to windward is the windward shore. The windward shore is a lee shore for vessels traveling offshore, and that shore is to leeward of the vessel, but that does not make it the leeward shore of the island. A lee shore is a different term than a leeward shore, though they are often confused.

"leeward: the side of something that is sheltered from the wind"

"By definition. "Windward" is the side of an island where the predominant wind travels from the sea onto the island. "Leeward" is the side of an island where the predominant wind travels from the interior of the island to the sea."

I'm in school for the Master 3000-ton license and we discussed this today. This Wikipedia article has caused much confusion.

Definitions of leeward:

adj leeward: on the side away from the wind "on the leeward side of the island"

adv leeward: toward [in the direction of] the wind "they were sailing leeward"

n leeward: the side of something that is sheltered from the wind

n leeward: the direction in which the wind is blowing

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.191.58.135 (talk) 21:20, 11 November 2013 (UTC)

Also not an expert, so requesting clarification (I have not made the edit). The second paragraph refers to an island in the figure, but there is no such island. Also, the figure that is provided shows the leeward and windward sides of the lake, but the attached caption refers to lee, which is not the same as leeward. Should the caption be adapted ? In my opinion, three figures are needed for complete clarity : an isolated boat, showing leeward and windward; a lake, showing windward and leeward sides of the lake and a lee shore from the perspective of the boat; an island showing the leeward and windward shores and a lee shore from the perspective of the boat. This would help a lot. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.148.146.11 (talk) 05:07, 12 January 2015 (UTC)

In a Nutshell
OK, I think the article is very badly written - not necessarily incorrect, just misleading because the bulk of each paragraph seems to deal more with the thing opposite to that which is described in its title/heading.

Let's start with the definitions of terms(as outlined above):

Lee(shelter); Leeward & then..... Weather/Wind(exposure); Windward

.....and then explain how the terms "seem" to contradict when looked at from opposite perspectives: ie. the perspective of standing on a boat looking ashore; and the perspective of standing on a shore looking out to sea.

Perhaps explaining things with reference to terms such as "onshore" and "offshore" may also help.

Quite simply:
1. When the wind is blowing onshore, the shore is to the leeward side of a vessel at sea, and so, from the sailor's perspective, is thus termed a Leeshore.

BUT a Leeshore IS NOT a Leeward shore(ie. the shore on the leeward side of an island) - this is where terms "seem" to contradict.

2. When the wind is blowing offshore, the shore is to the windward side of a vessel at sea, and so, from the sailor's perspective, is thus termed a Weathershore.

BUT a Weathershore IS NOT a Windward shore(ie. the shore on the windward side of an island)

Leeshore and Weathershore are sailor's terms used to describe the conditions/direction of the wind at the shore, as viewed from, and in relationship with their boat. The paired terms(Leeshore/Weathershore vs Leeward/Windward) seem to contradict but in fact don't - the paired terms simply have separate meanings(which happen to be opposite due to perspective!!!)

This is my understanding of it, and hereby offer my own explanation which I feel is simpler and more concise - I can't provide any citations, and don't feel inclined to change the article itself, but should anyone come to this "talk" page like I did, looking for more clarity, I hope this helps. J.W.

Top lime-green diagram is terrible and wrong
That lime-green diagram (as at 18 Feb 2021) shows the wind from the right, but the captions "windward shore" and "leeward shore" at top and bottom! Also looks like some kid used MS Paint to draw it. Terrible, and incorrect. Agreed that the article should clearly distinguish lee shore from point of view of someone on a vessel, as opposed to lee shore from point of view of someone on land, but this diagram just makes it worse. 58.160.36.228 (talk) 10:11, 18 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Agreed! Please someone delete the foul thing!!Twomatters (talk) 07:08, 30 August 2022 (UTC)
 * I'm going to delete it. If anyone wants it back, they can offer a good reason here. Twomatters (talk) 07:13, 30 August 2022 (UTC)