Beaufort
BEAUFORT
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Sea like a mirror.
Ripples with the appearance of scales, without foam crests.
Small wavelets, still short, but more pronounced. Crests have a glassy appearance
and do not break.
Perhaps scattered white horses.
Small waves, becoming larger; fairly frequent white horses.
Moderate waves, taking a more pronounced long form; many white horses. Largee waves begin to form; the white foam crests are more extensive everywhere. Sea heaps up
and white foam from breaking waves begins to blow in streaks.
Waves of greater length; edges of crests begin to break into spindrift.
High waves. Dense streaks of foam.
Crests of waves begin to topple, tumble and roll over.
Very high waves with long over-hanging crests. Foam, in great patches, is blown
in dense white streaks. The whole surface of the sea takes on a white appearance.
The tumbling of the sea becomes heavy and shock-like.
Visibility affected.
Small and medium-size ships might be for a time lost to view behind the waves. The sea is completely covered with long white patches.
Everywhere the edges of the wave crests are blown into froth.
Visibility affected.
The air is filled with foam and spray. Sea completely white with
driving spray.
Visibility very seriously affected.