This past Friday was cause for celebration for Due North Rum Club members as they, with the help of Aubrey Cullum and Jerome Putter, completed the installation of a Dwyer Mark II Wind Speed indicator at ABYC.

This Wind Speed Indicator is 100% pneumatic and operates on the time proven principle of aircraft speed indicators. In operation, wind aligns the Mark II weather vane pointing the pick up tube into the wind. Wind pressure enters and is transmitted through plastic connecting tubing to red fluid inside the indicator. Fluid level rises and falls in response to changing wind speed. Scale calibrations on the indicator show the wind speed corresponding to various fluid levels.

The weather vane was installed on the apex of the club roof by Jerome Putter and his gallant men who then routed the flexible tubing down and into the clubhouse bar area where the indicator unit was installed by Warwick Owen and Neville Ross.

Those ‘sailors’ reliant on electronic equipment will also benefit from instruction in how to read the wind direction on the unit:

1. Bring binoculars
2. Go outside and train them on the weather vane
3. The weather vane will be pointing towards the direction the wind is coming from
4. No batteries required

In the absence of a set of binoculars observing the wind socks from the deck with a suitable refreshment in hand will suffice.

Enthusiastic people such as Aubrey, Warwick, Neville and Jerome are what makes one feel part of a nautical friendly club such as ABYC.