The wind you actually feel while moving — a combination of the true wind and the headwind generated by your own speed.
Apparent wind is a concept that confuses many beginners but is essential for understanding wind sports. If the true wind is 15 knots from the right, and you're sailing forward at 10 knots, the wind you feel (apparent wind) comes from further ahead and feels stronger than 15 knots.
The faster you go, the more the apparent wind shifts forward. This is why fast sailboats and windsurfers seem to sail almost into the wind — they're sailing into the apparent wind, not the true wind.
For kitesurfers and windsurfers, understanding apparent wind explains why you can go faster than the wind speed, and why sailing at certain angles feels more powerful. Foilers experience extreme apparent wind shifts because they can accelerate so quickly.
Example usage
"The true wind was only 12 knots but on a beam reach at 20 knots of boat speed, the apparent wind was over 23 knots."
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