The Winds 133 
vive, and even large vessels may suffer damage. A navigator 
finding himself in a position directly in the path of the center 
of the storm steers a course with the wind. This maneuver 
brings him into the “safe” semicircle. Steering into the wind 
would mean slower progress and also would bring the ship 
into the “dangerous” semicircle, the more tempestuous half 
of a cyclone. 
Official U.S. Navy Photo 
Waterspout extending down from clouds to reach water surface. 
WATERSPOUTS 
At high levels in the air there are usually winds blowin 
in a direction opposite to that of the trades, called the 
countertrades. Should these countertrades be at about cloud 
