Veering

Veering is a clockwise change in wind direction in the Northern Hemisphere — for example, a wind that shifts from south-west to west to north-west over time. In the Southern Hemisphere the convention is reversed: a clockwise shift is termed backing, and an anti-clockwise shift is veering. Bowditch (American Practical Navigator) notes that veering winds in the Northern Hemisphere are commonly associated with the passage of a warm front or the approach of an anticyclone. For a watchkeeping officer, recognising a veering tendency in the observed or forecast wind is a valuable indicator of the probable development of the pressure pattern. After a warm front passes, the wind typically veers from south-easterly through southerly to south-westerly in the warm sector. This sequence allows the navigator to anticipate when a cold front may follow and to plan sail trim, course adjustments, or speed changes accordingly. Voyage planning services and synoptic weather charts use veer and back terminology to describe expected wind shifts over a passage. Recording wind direction changes in the deck log at regular intervals — not merely spot observations — allows a coherent picture of the wind's behaviour to emerge and supports post-voyage analysis of weather routing decisions.