Stilled wind, deep haze. The doldrums.

More about Stilled wind, deep haze. The doldrums.

"Sea Calm" from "The Weary Blues," by Langston Hughes, published in 1926.
"How still,
How strangely still
The water is today,
It is not good
For water
To be so still that way."

About the doldrums:
From Jonno Turner at The Ocean Race archive, November 2017:
1 ... The Doldrums is a low pressure area from 5°N to 5°S of the Equator. Winds are famously calm here, with prevailing breeze disappearing altogether at times, making it extremely difficult to navigate through.
3 .... The Doldrums holds a distinct place in maritime history, having developed a reputation as a potentially deadly zone which could strand ships for weeks on end, causing them to run out of food and drinking water. In those days, with supplies running low, and scurvy setting in, delirium, starvation, and cabin fever could all set in – and getting through this mysterious patch of Atlantic Ocean quickly wasn’t just a matter of first or last place, but life and death.
5 ... The Doldrums is known for being frustratingly slow, but it’s not just about stagnant calm winds. Often, it can move erratically between different weather patterns including violent thunder and electric storms.

You can read the whole here: https://archive.theoceanrace.com/en/news/10308_Seven-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-Doldrums.html