What is the difference between horse latitudes and doldrums

The teams have spent the last week hurtling south at breakneck speeds, huge stomach-twisting waves and with buckets of skin—numbing amounts saltwater gushing over the deck. So far, so Volvo Ocean Race. But there's another landmark on the horizon — and it's time for something altogether different. Fickle winds coming and going, tropical rain spilling and stuttering from clouds as wide as cities, extreme thunderstorms cracking and warping the skyline — yep, the boats are heading for the Doldrums, well-known by the world's best sailors as an ocean parking lot around the Equator, and which could cause a complete fleet restart in Leg 2.

Here are seven things you need to know about the area which has tortured mariners for centuries There's no wind here. Winds are famously calm here, with prevailing breeze disappearing altogether at times, making it extremely difficult to navigate through.

It's a place for trade winds to meet other trade winds. Previously, it was known as the Intertropical Front, but in the s experts discovered the significance of wind field convergence, and renamed it. Thus, the phrase 'horse latitudes' was born. The northern and southern Horse Latitudes are sometimes referred to as the "calms of Cancer" and the '"calms of Capricorn," respectively.

Home Ocean Facts What are the horse latitudes? What are the horse latitudes? The horse latitudes are subtropical regions known for calm winds and little precipitation.

Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Matt Rosenberg. Geography Expert. Updated March 17, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Rosenberg, Matt. Trade Winds, Horse Latitudes, and the Doldrums.

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