Talk:Trade winds/Archives/2012

Colour change needed
The map shows prevailing westerly winds with blue arrows and a reference in blue text; and shows the prevailing trade winds with yellow arrows and a reference in yellow text. The blue arrows and text are fine by the yellow is far too difficult to see and read. Please change it to a different colour. Orange would be a good choice to contrast against the blue; dark red would be even better, as would dark green.

71.198.146.98 (talk) 04:50, 21 August 2011 (UTC)

P.S. The Map is Wrong
The map shows prevailing westerlies between the 49th parallels and the poles, while trade winds are shown between the Equator and the 49th parallels.

In fact, the trade winds operate BOTH between the poles and 60 degrees AND between the Equator and 30 degrees. The prevailing westerlies operate between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.

For some bizarre reason, the map has irrelevant notations for hurricane and cyclone. Those should be removed, since the map has nothing to do with hurricanes/cyclones/typhoons.

71.198.146.98 (talk) 05:04, 21 August 2011 (UTC)

What makes it worse, is that the notations for hurricanes and cyclones are in the wrong place; they originate between the equator and 30 degrees zone, at 10-15 degrees mostly, not IN the 30 degrees zone.

82.170.114.168 (talk) 22:15, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Throwing food overboard?
I have a lot of difficulty believing that sailors on a long voyage would throw edible meat overboard. I have no source, but if no one objects, I'm going to change this to eating the horses, which is what I've read elsewhere, on the grounds that it's just far more plausible.

kraemer 21:25, 4 July 2006 (UTC)


 * I most certainly object. The throwing of horses overboard is well documented - the reason is that they required water, which was at a premium if a ship became becalmed. It has also been posited that a reason for throwing the horses overboard was to lighten the load of the ship, an important factor when winds are at a premium. As to eating the horses, you must appreciate that the meat would become inedible in very short order. With no ability to cool the meat, and without a means to salt or otherwise preserve it, meat would spoil very rapidly in the equatorial environment. I consider this and this to be reliable sources on the matter. D e nni  &#9775;  23:24, 4 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Maybe someone could better illustrate the winds with images 125.236.172.71 01:52, 22 January 2007 (UTC)B2Dnz

This is about tradewinds which were the providential guidance to those ancient ships which sailed without any technology and electric/electronics.One would know better about them if they know who were those people who ventured in an wilderness like the endless Atlantic Indian and Pacific oceans.They are Columbus ,Vasco de Gama,Captian Cook and Megallen.If not for these winds we would have not known the  world that surrounds us  at all.They need to be studied in the same environment like C/V/C/M. to understand them better. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.2.144.235 (talk) 08:36, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

Minor Corrections
I fixed a misspelled word in the 2nd paragraph of the first section, "expected" was spelled "expcted".