Scott discusses a serious wind event the Katabatic wind. The relationship between the sailor and the wind is a complex one, as are relationships. Scott covers all the types of wind while extending the metaphor to his most heart-breaking relationship.

Wind is everywhere and nowhere. Wind is the circulatory system of the earth, and its nervous system, too. Energy and information flow through it. It brings warmth and water, enriches and strips away the soil, aerates the globe. Wind shapes the lives of animals, humans among them. Trade follows the path of the wind. Wind made the difference in wars between the Greeks and Persians, the Mongols, and the Japanese. Wind helped to destroy the Spanish Armada. And wind is no less determining of our inner lives: the föhn, mistral, sirocco, Santa Ana, and other “ill winds” of the world are correlated with disease, suicide, and even murder.