weatherly

American  

[weth-er-lee] / ˈwɛð ər li /

adjective

Nautical.

1. (of a ship or boat) making very little leeway when close-hauled.

---

weatherly British  

/ ˈwɛðəlɪ /

adjective

1. (of a sailing vessel) making very little leeway when close-hauled, even in a stiff breeze

---

Other Word Forms

• weatherliness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of weatherly

First recorded in 1645–55; weather + -ly

Example Sentences

With the cutter no longer sailing alongside her, the catamaran once more took rank as a fast-sailing and weatherly craft, and soon worked out to the spot where the Minerva rode at anchor.

From Dick Leslie's Luck A Story of Shipwreck and Adventure by Piffard, Harold

We therefore decided to extend her two flat sides nine inches below her bottom, so as to form two keels; and, thus provided, we believed she would prove to be fairly weatherly.

From The First Mate The Story of a Strange Cruise by Hodgson, Edward S.

For more than an hour the issue was in gravest doubt; then hope began to revive as the good ship's weatherly qualities became manifest, and it was plain to all that we were drawing clear.

From The Log of a Sea-Waif Being Recollections of the First Four Years of My Sea Life by Bullen, Frank T.

Lucy—brigantine; 520 tons; oak-built, coppered, and copper-fastened throughout; has only been to sea twice; excellent sea-boat, very fast and weatherly; fully found in every respect, and quite ready for sea.

From The Voyage of the Aurora by Collingwood, Harry

Built with a view of encountering the short steep seas of Poole Bar, she was typical of the weatherly boats that have justly earned a splendid reputation for seaworthiness.

From With Beatty off Jutland A Romance of the Great Sea Fight by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)