A young boy's diary shows how an ocean voyage is constantly affected by the strength of the winds, in an informative guide to sailing, nautical terminology, and an introduction to the wind scale developed by Francis Beaufort in 1810.

Serving as a midshipman in the 1800s and sailing from Naples to the Caribbean, a young boy has the experience of a lifetime as the journey is changed constantly by the strength of the winds, in an informative guide to sailing, nautical terminology, and an introduction to the wind scale developed by Francis Beaufort in 1810.

In 1810, a British naval officer and surveyor named Francis Beaufort developed a scale to give sailors a common language for describing the wind. From 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane), stunning artwork and jaunty prose show what life at sea must have been like for a young boy serving as a midshipman in the 1800s. As William sails from Naples to the Caribbean, we learn intriguing historical information and nautical terminology, and witness how the wind affected day-to-day life on a ship. Detailed illustrations show the wind at work, and readers will be engrossed and fascinated as they watch the storm develop in magnificent full-color paintings.