windward
n.the side of a ship or island that faces the wind. It is the side that is directly hit by the wind as it blows.
n.the side of a vessel or landmass that is exposed to the wind. In nautical contexts, it refers to the direction from which the wind is blowing.
“The crew stayed on the windward side of the ship.”
“The sailors decided to anchor on the leeward side of the island to avoid the strong windward waves.”
“Navigating the narrow channel required the captain to keep the vessel close to the windward shore, where the current was less turbulent and the visibility was better.”
“Total rainfall of nearly 3ft (1 meter) was expected on the higher windward slopes, turning rivers into raging torrents and threatening mudslides.”
“A maximum storm total of 30–35 inches (76–89 centimeters) of rainfall was expected over the windward Big Island.”
From wind + -ward.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.