trade-winds
Equatorial sailing currents
Trade-winds are the steady winds that blow toward the equator from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.
They were crucial to sailing commerce, as ships could rely on their consistency for transoceanic voyages: Merchant vessels rode the trade-winds across the Atlantic.
The name comes from an obsolete sense of trade meaning "path" or "track," not commerce—though the winds certainly facilitated it.
State of inactivity
- coriolisInertial force from rotation
- easterliesWinds from the east
- tropicalOf hot, humid regions
- subtropicalClimate near the tropics
equatorial · monsoon · convergence · anticyclone · barometric · humidity · precipitation · cyclone
Fixed, not fluctuating
- consistentNot varying or contradicting
- persistentContinuing despite difficulty
- constantFixed, unvarying quantity
- predictableAble to be foreseen
dependable · unwavering · regular · perpetual · continuous · unvarying · reliable · seasonal
Fast ship or trimmer
- schoonerMulti-masted sailing craft
- galleonLarge historical sailing ship
- marinersThose who work ships
- navigationDetermining position and course
seafaring · passage · voyage · frigate · ketch · square-rigger · windward · leeward
Tropical Atlantic region
- sugarCrystalline carbohydrate sweetener
- plantationLarge-scale farming operation
- merchantOne who sells wares
- IndiesColonial-era island regions
exploration · commerce · empire · transatlantic · commodities · tobacco · rum · mercantile
doldrums
State of inactivity
- coriolisInertial force from rotation
- easterliesWinds from the east
- tropicalOf hot, humid regions
subtropical · equatorial · monsoon · convergence · anticyclone · barometric · humidity · precipitation · cyclone · atmosphere
steady
Fixed, not fluctuating
- consistentNot varying or contradicting
- persistentContinuing despite difficulty
- constantFixed, unvarying quantity
predictable · dependable · unwavering · regular · perpetual · continuous · unvarying · reliable · seasonal · prevailing
clipper
Fast ship or trimmer
navigation · seafaring · passage · voyage · frigate · ketch · square-rigger · windward · leeward · tall ship
Caribbean
Tropical Atlantic region
- sugarCrystalline carbohydrate sweetener
- plantationLarge-scale farming operation
- merchantOne who sells wares
Indies · exploration · commerce · empire · transatlantic · commodities · tobacco · rum · mercantile · colonialism
trade-windswesterlies
Winds from the sunset
roaring forties · polar winds · doldrums · horse latitudes · monsoons
trade, trades, traded, trading, trader, traders, wind, winds, windy