Well, Blow me Down...

A salutary reminder that the power of decimalisation should not be underestimated emerges from the Beaufort Wind Scale. The original scale is of twelve points:

ForceWind speed (knots)Description
00 - 1 Calm
12 - 3 Light air
24 - 6 Light breeze
37 - 10Gentle breeze
411 - 14Moderate wind
515 - 18Fresh wind
619 - 24Strong wind
725 - 30High wind
831 - 36Fresh gale
937 - 42Strong gale
1043 - 48Severe gale
1149 - 56Storm
1257+Hurricane

I am told that the decimalised scale has only ten points, having deleted 'High wind' and 'Hurricane". Sailors, and indeed all of us, must be grateful that the decimalists have abolished hurricanes; it must be a little unnerving, however, to jump straight from a strong wind to a gale!
Don Hammond, Dozenal Journal No.4, Spring 1986