Offshore wind
Also: offshore wind, land wind
An offshore wind blows from the land out over the water. Near the shore everything looks calm, further out the waves get bigger, and the light packraft is pushed out.
- 1Wind from land out over the water
- 2Waves grow with distance from shore
- 3the boat drifts away
Packrafts are light, sit high on the water and have hardly any draught. That makes them very sensitive to wind. Against strong wind you hardly make any headway. Luc Mehl describes wind as a frequent factor in open-water accidents.
Warning: In offshore wind, stay close to the shore and never head out onto a lake unless you're sure you can paddle back against the wind.
Sources and further reading
Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.