Weather Windows

[DeepFrz]

There are weather courses available on the internet or, I'm sure, near you. Learn how to read weather maps and check out all the local and internet weather forecasts for your area. Check the forecasts every day and see how the weather is in respect to what was forecast. It helps to print off some forecasts so that you can look back and see how they turned out. I'm a pilot and once you get some learning you can often call the local met station at the airport and ask if you can come in for a briefing. All of this will help you to learn what to look out for. You need wind but not to much wind. Wind off the land is generally not to bad if you are coastal cruising because the wave fetch wont be great so the water wont pile up on you. I hope this helps. Oh, there are also many, many books that will help you learn. Choose a course and they will most likely suggest a weather book.

[Ocean Diamond 2]

Originally Posted by rossad

Hey whats the 3 metre 30 knot rule
May i ask?
Ross

Hi Rossad,

We and a few in our local crusing club go by an idea that if conditions are predicted to be worse than 3m or 30 kt's then we sit tight. No sense in overworking the crew and risking the old Val de Mar.

Derek

[impi]

Originally Posted by Sabbatical II

Hi All

After getting it wrong last week when the actual weather didn't equal what was forecast, I'm interested to know what all you conservative sailors look for as far as weather windows. My problem was that a forecast change came through about 12 hours earlier than predicted and I couldn't make our local (Swansea, NSW) bar before the tide turned. The weather change was funelling a 35 knots N/E wind straight into the channel, so 5 miles from Swansea, I swallowed my pride, did a u-turn and enjoyed an absolute sleigh ride back to Pittwater.

So tell me, what are you looking for in weather windows for a daysail and also for longer hops and how much do you factor in for the actual weather being different to the forecast?

Hi Sabbatical 11 ... a lot of good advice here and just to add we look closely at the barometer readings which Ana records daily a week before any departure of distance. The best thing you did was to swallow your pride and do a u-turn ... something many do not do and the consequences can be ... sad!

[Sabbatical II]

Originally Posted by Melani

Hey Greg,
That boat of yours could handle almost anything.
Derek

Hi Derek, it's more the sailors I was concerned about. See you on the lake.

[rossad]

Wise ..... Melani, seems like a good cruising club

[gts1544]

Sabbatical II, I don't have a lot of experience with marine weather, however as a retired airline pilot, I have had to deal with weather forecasts all of my life. In my experience the biggest mistake is viewing the forecast as a snapshot in time, rather than an ongoing dynamic entity which has to be viewed with suspicion and corroborated with the reports to see how its timeline is holding up, ie; what was forecast to occur at a particular location vs when did it actually occur, if at all. Bear in mind that bad flying weather (low ceilings and reduced visibility) indicate a more stable weather pattern and are easier to predict than the more violent, less stable weather which concerns mariners. Obviously, the further into the future one peers, the less accurate the forecast. It helps to get an overall picture of the impending weather severals days in advance and then track it to see how it is progressing. I am sure that there are many others, but the Dashew's have written an excellent book on marine weather, the exact title of which escapes me at the moment. Best of luck and congratulations on the use of good judgement! gts1544