Ask any five sailors what the wind speed at any moment is and, after some gnarly facial contortions that ape deep cranial activity, you'll get responses like these; "it's dead", "breeze is a shade shy of a few knots", "I feel pressure...", "it's blowin' a buck-eighty," or the ever hopeful "it's breezin' up."

Of course, instruments can display True Wind Speed and Apparent Wind Speed*. But, do all crew uniformly understand the nuances these phrases represent? Can we codify and repeat the ideal settings of sails, rig, and gear to optimize performance to each small speed increment the instruments show? Probably no. What to do?

Make it simple with Modes:
    1. Light breeze - 0-8 knots True Wind Speed
    2. Moderate breeze - 9-14 knots True Wind Speed
    3. Heavy breeze - 15+ knots True Wind Speed

Using True Wind Speed as the gauge it's easy to group wind speed ranges into simple categories that are easy for anyone onboard to grasp. Each wind speed category then helps define a mode to which sails, rig, and gear are set to optimize their performance.

Race car drivers shift gears around corners, down straightaways, and over changing terrain. Similarly, alert sailboat crews shift modes around the course as wind and sea state changes.

Define settings that are right for boats ranging from your frostbite dinghy to a maxi yacht in terms of modes. Mark mode settings on the deck, spars, and running rigging with distinctively colored tape and Sharpie pens** so each is uniformly understood by you and everyone onboard. Keep notes.

For good measure, jot mode settings in your boat notes.

*True Wind Speed = TWS
Apparent Wind Speed = AWS

**Try mode colors yellow, orange, blue. Why? They won't be mistaken for red, green, and white used elsewhere around the boat.

Go simple. Go modal.