Finding the right words for a goodbye is hard. A fair winds and following seas poem gives you something real to say, whether you are standing at a memorial, closing a retirement speech, or writing a card for someone who is leaving.
Many might wonder about its origin, well, the phrase comes from naval tradition, when the sailors used it to wish each other safe passage before a long voyage at sea.
This post covers original poems organised by occasion, the meaning and origin of the phrase, how to use it in real life, and answers to the most common questions.
If you have a specific moment coming up and are not sure where to start, go straight to the poems by occasion section.
What “Fair Winds and Following Seas” Means and Where It Comes From
Two words from sailing. One phrase that’s outlasted the ships.
The Naval Origin
Earlier sailors didn’t have GPS. They had wind and water, and both could kill them.
When a ship had fair winds, the breeze was moving in the right direction, filling the sails, pushing the vessel forward.
When it had a following sea, the waves were rolling the same way the ship was headed instead of crashing against the hull. Put those two conditions together, and the voyage became manageable. Maybe even peaceful.
So when sailors said “fair winds and following seas” to someone leaving, they weren’t just being polite. They were wishing them the best possible version of a hard journey.
The fair winds and following seas navy tradition made it official over time. You’ll hear it at commissioning ceremonies, retirement parades, changes of command, and memorials.
That’s where most people first encounter it, standing in a room that’s too quiet, trying to hold it together.
How the Meaning Evolved Over Time
At some point, the phrase outgrew the ocean entirely.
The fair winds and following seas’ meaning shifted as people started using it at civilian funerals, retirement dinners, and going-away parties, anywhere a real goodbye needed to happen and the usual words felt thin.
The sea became a stand-in for life. The voyage became whatever someone was heading into next.
What kept the phrase alive isn’t the nautical history. It’s the tone.
It doesn’t say goodbye.
It says: I hope what comes next is gentler than what you’ve been through. That’s a wish worth saying out loud, whether the person you’re saying it to ever set foot on a ship or not.
Fair Winds and Following Seas Poems by Occasion
Not every goodbye feels the same, and the words you choose should reflect that.
A retirement send-off carries a different weight than a military memorial. A deployment farewell feels different from a colleague moving on.
Each poem below is written for a specific moment so you can find the one that actually fits yours, read it as it is, or use it as a starting point for something more personal.
For a Military Funeral or Memorial
You stood where others wouldn’t.
You held what others couldn’t carry.
Now the watch is done
and the sea is calm
and everything you gave
still moves in the people you left standing.
Fair winds, shipmate
.Following seas
.We have the watch from here.
For a Retirement Ceremony
You gave years that can’t be counted
and mornings that started before anyone else was awake.
You showed people what it looks like
to show up when it’s hard.
Now the tide turns in your favour.
No more orders
.No more proving.
Just open water ahead
and every right to enjoy it.
Fair winds and following seas.
You’ve earned them.
For a Farewell or Going-Away Send-Off
You’re leaving a space
that won’t fill easily.
The kind of space only certain people make
just by being reliably, quietly themselves.
We won’t say this place will be the same.
It won’t.But we’ll say this:
wherever you’re headed
the wind is with you.
Fair winds and following seas.
Go well.
For a Deployment or Change of Command
The horizon you’re sailing toward
is one most people never see.
That takes something.
You have it.
We won’t ask you to be careful.
We’ll ask you to come back.
Until then, know this:
Fair winds carry you out
and following seas will bring you home.
Short Version: For Cards, Toasts, and Speeches
Sometimes you don’t need a full poem. You need one thing said well. Use any of these as a standalone line, a card closing, or the last sentence of a toast.
Fair winds and following seas. The rest you’ll handle.
May the wind stay behind you and the water stay calm. You’ve done the hard part.
Fair winds, following seas, and people who’ll remember you long after you’ve gone.
The voyage ahead is yours now. Fair winds and following seas.
Fair Winds and Following Seas: Relevancy in Real Life
Knowing the phrase is one thing. Knowing where to put it is another.
For a eulogy, use it at the end. The room already knows who this person was by the closing. They need a landing point, not more words.
A simple line like “fair winds and following seas, old friend” is enough. If you’re reading one of the poems above, place it right before the final blessing and stop talking. Let it sit.
For a retirement speech or toast, build around what the person actually did, then close with the phrase as the payoff. It lands harder after something true about the person, not before.
For a card, headstone, or plaque, keep it simple. “Fair winds and following seas” as a closing line does more than a paragraph of well-wishes ever could. On a headstone, pair it with a name and a date and leave it there.
A Personal Reflection
Not every phrase earns its place. This one did.
I wrote my first tribute for my grandfather. He wasn’t military, never served on a ship. But he loved the water quietly and completely, without needing to explain it to anyone.
When he died, I went looking for something to read at the service. Everything felt borrowed. Then I came across “fair winds and following seas” and something clicked.
It wasn’t the history that got me. It was what the phrase doesn’t do. It doesn’t collapse into sadness or reach for comfort so hard that it feels false. It just wishes someone well on whatever comes next.
I’ve used it in tributes since then, and it lands differently every time. At a naval retirement it sounds like tradition. At a civilian funeral it sounds like poetry. At a going-away party it sounds like the warmest possible send-off.
What it never sounds like is generic. You just have to mean it.
Variations You’ll Also See
Same phrase, slightly different forms. Here is what to know.
“Fair Winds and a Following Sea”: Singular vs. Plural
You will come across both versions. “Fair winds and following seas” is the plural form and the one most people recognise today. “Fair winds and a following sea” is the singular, and it shows up mostly in older naval writing and formal ceremony language.
The meaning is identical. The difference is purely grammatical, and in practice nobody at a memorial or retirement ceremony is going to notice which one you use.
Which Version is Traditionally Correct?
Neither version has a single definitive origin. The Naval Historical Centre confirmed the phrase evolved through usage over time, not from one fixed source.
Use whichever feels natural out loud. “Following seas” flows better in modern speech.
“A following sea” sounds slightly more formal. Both mean the same thing.
If you are having something engraved, go with “fair winds and following seas.” It is the version most people will recognise immediately.
Closing Thoughts
A fair winds and following seas poem does something most farewell words cannot. It holds grief and celebration at the same time without forcing either one.
You now have poems for every occasion, the meaning behind the phrase, and practical ways to use it. Everything you need is here.
If you used this phrase at a retirement, a memorial, or a send-off, I would love to hear about it in the comments. And if you found a poem that felt right, share it with someone who needs it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the saying “fair winds and following seas” mean?
It is a nautical blessing that wishes someone safe and smooth travels. Today, people use it at funerals, retirements, and farewells to wish someone well on whatever comes next in life.
Can a civilian say fair winds and following seas?
Yes, absolutely. The phrase is not limited to the military or navy. Anyone can use it at a memorial, retirement, going-away party, or in a card to someone they care about.
Where did the phrase “fair winds and following seas” originate?
It grew out of naval tradition over centuries of seafaring. The Naval Historical Centre confirmed it evolved through usage over time rather than coming from one single source or document.
What is Edward Lear’s most famous poem?
Edward Lear is best known for “The Owl and the Pussycat,” published in 1871. It is a nonsense poem written for a young girl and remains one of the most recognised and loved poems in the English language.
