The most iconic feature of the Shipping Forecast is undoubtedly the Beaufort Scale, a wind measuring system ranging from Force 0 (the sea like a mirror) to Force 12 (Hurricane-strength winds). With a simple number you have a clear picture of conditions and that’s the beauty of this system, developed in the early 1800s by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufort.
After being shipwrecked at the age of 15 due to a faulty chart, Francis Beaufort devoted his career to better advancing nautical knowledge. Working his way up through the hierachy of the Royal Navy, while other officers pursued leisurely activities while off duty, Francis spent his spare time collecting hydrographic data; measuring depths, pinpointing latitudes and longitudes, taking bearings of uncharted headlands.
