Frequently Asked Questions

Perth, Western Australia.

The windward rail of a ship is the one the wind is hitting first. The lee rail is generally the sheltered side. A lee shore is the stretch of shoreline that is to the lee side of the ship, meaning the wind is blowing the ship towards the land.

Lee shores are dangerous because, if left to drift, a vessel will be pushed onto shore by the wind, possibly running aground. Sailboats are limited to the angle they can travel into the wind, and square-rigged craft (tall ships) can point only slightly to windward. So it is possible for a ship to be trapped against a lee shore. Without modern engine power, only kedging with anchors and rowboats would drag it off. A lee shore poses a much higher risk in a storm due to the stronger wind and waves. Numerous shipwrecks were caused by vessels sailing too close to the lee shore and being blown onto sandbars, rocks, or reefs.

The terrors of a lee shore were frequently mentioned in the novels written by Patrick O'Brian, which have been acclaimed for nautical accuracy. In "The Thirteen Gun Salute", Captain Jack Aubrey’s ship the HMS Diane comes within a few feet of being driven onto a sheer and merciless cliff on a lee shore, that would surely have caused the ship to go down. 

[after https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_shore, 2023 0913]

Pay attention! Keep watch! Look out!

(and read the magnificent Aubrey-Maturin series of books by Patrick O'Brian).