Mounting a Wireless Masthead Anemometer – Because I Rarely Look Up at the Burgee

One thing I’ve discovered while learning to sail on the River Thames is that sailors are supposed to constantly glance up at the burgee or wind indicator at the top of the mast. Apparently this tells you everything about the wind direction and how well your sails are set.

There is just one small problem.

I rarely remember to look up, and we have a masthead float.

Instead, I tend to look where the boat is going, where the bank is, where the next buoy is, and occasionally where my helm is sitting to make sure we haven’t capsized yet. The result is that the burgee can flap around heroically above my head while I remain blissfully unaware of what it is trying to tell me.

So I started thinking about a slightly more tech-friendly solution.

The Idea

The plan is to mount a small wireless wind anemometer on top of the masthead float and place a digital display at the foot of the mast. That way, instead of craning my neck like an owl every few seconds, I can simply glance down and see:

• Wind speed

• Wind direction

• Gust changes

This is essentially bringing the sort of instruments you see on yachts down to a simple dinghy scale.

Why the Masthead?

The top of the mast is actually the best place to measure wind because:

• The airflow is cleaner and less disturbed by sails

• It represents the true wind direction more accurately

• The sensor is away from crew movement

In my case the masthead float provides a convenient mounting point and also helps keep the boat from turning turtle if we capsize — something that beginner sailors (like me) try quite hard to avoid.

Wireless Makes It Easy

Older systems required wires running down the mast, which is fine on a yacht but a nuisance on a dinghy that is regularly rigged and de-rigged.

Modern wireless sensors solve this problem:

• Sensor powered by small solar panel and battery

• Signal sent wirelessly to a cockpit display

• No cables to disconnect when lowering the mast

For a training boat like our RS Toura, simplicity is everything.

What It Helps With

Having a digital wind display is surprisingly useful for learning:

1️⃣ Understanding gusts
You start to see exactly when the wind jumps from 6 knots to 12 knots.

2️⃣ Sail trim learning
You can correlate boat speed and sail position with wind strength.

3️⃣ Teaching beginners
Instead of saying “it feels windy” you can say “we’re sailing in about 10 knots”.

It turns sailing from guesswork into something a bit more measurable and scientific — which appeals to the science teacher in me.

Will I Still Look at the Burgee?

Probably… No is the real answer - it will be a waste of time fitting one.

So until that good habit forms, having a digital wind display at eye level might just stop me sailing along happily while the burgee is desperately pointing the other way.

And if it encourages a few more data-driven sailors on the Thames, then the experiment will have been worth it.