​Nautical decorations are one of the most popular and enduring design trends. Obviously a common theme for beach- and lake-front homes, nautical decor can even be found in our country’s heartland, where people dream of toes in the sand and the sound of waves breaking on the beach.
 
Do you love adding a touch of the ocean to your home? Then why not choose one of our beautiful nautical weathervanes to grace your roofline or garden? Whether topping the gazebo by your boat dock or flying proudly atop your home’s cupola, nautical weathervanes are a great way to display your love of the water.

​Men have been fascinated by the sea since time immemorial. The allure of the sea is so great that Disney even wrote a song about! Ancient civilizations worshipped various sea deities, believing something so unpredictable and fierce must be controlled by the gods. In fact, the very first weathervane was shaped like the Greek sea-god Triton. It was erected in 48 BC on the Tower of the Winds in Athens, Greece. While the weathervane has been lost, the Tower still stands today.
 
Weathervanes have long been a part of nautical culture, since sailors depended on the wind to tell them about the weather and to steer their vessels. Vikings, the most notorious seafarers, used handcrafted, banner-style, bronze weathervanes on their ships. These richly gilded, quadrant-shaped vanes didn’t operate like weathervanes on land: since the ships were always in motion, these nautical weathervanes couldn’t give the wind’s true direction. Viking navigators would combine both vessel and wind directions to calculate the true direction of the wind, allowing them to sail across the Atlantic Ocean long before Columbus.
 
One of the most impressive nautical weathervanes resides in Montague, Michigan. Shaped like a ship and arrow and measuring 48 feet tall, 4,300 pounds, this weathervane is said to be the largest standard-design weathervane. The ship depicted is the famous Ella Ellenwood, a schooner that ran aground in Lake Michigan, just north of Milwaukee, in October 1901, causing the crew to abandon ship. The following spring, the nameplate of the vessel washed up in the ship’s home port of White Lake, on the complete other side of Lake Michigan!

​From mermaids to lighthouses, our selection of nautical weathervanes has everything a sea-loving heart could desire. Built from durable copper, our weathervanes are available in both polished and patina finishes. Call us today at 866-400-1776 to add one of our beautiful nautical weathervanes to your home!