before the wind

(navigation) In a direction approximating that toward which the wind is blowing; applies particularly to the situation where the wind is aft, and the craft is being aided by it.

Driven ahead, hurried, as in The bikers are moving before the wind, so it's hard to tell who will come in first. The literal meaning of this term is nautical, referring to a ship sailing in the same direction as the wind and being propelled forward. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.

With the wind blowing more or less from astern.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.