We are new to sailing and new to the Chesapeake. So far the winds have been somewhat underwhelming. Five to ten, afternoon thunderstorm warnings, an hour or more of calm in the middle of the day, etc., etc. Is this the pattern? From your experience, what will the coming months/seasons bring? Is there a source of cumulative wind data?
Chesapeake winds?
- Thread starter Bob15098
- Start date
- Status
Chesapeake Winds
We Chesapeake sailors (I'm just a few miles south of you in Deale) are about to enter the annual period of what I call "the doldrums." The pattern you describe above is going to be pretty typical from now until September. This doesn't mean that there will not be some pretty good winds and sailing weather from now til then, only that the winds tend to be light. The early spring (April to late June) and the fall (Sept to early December) bring some of the finest sailing weather on the bay found anywhere. Don't be despirited about the current weather pattern as it always changes and sometimes even for the better....(smile). There is some archival info available at the Thomas Point weather site and othe NOAA WX sites.
We Chesapeake sailors (I'm just a few miles south of you in Deale) are about to enter the annual period of what I call "the doldrums." The pattern you describe above is going to be pretty typical from now until September. This doesn't mean that there will not be some pretty good winds and sailing weather from now til then, only that the winds tend to be light. The early spring (April to late June) and the fall (Sept to early December) bring some of the finest sailing weather on the bay found anywhere. Don't be despirited about the current weather pattern as it always changes and sometimes even for the better....(smile). There is some archival info available at the Thomas Point weather site and othe NOAA WX sites.
Warren is right...April to June and Sept on will find more consistant winds on the bay. More importantly, after Labor day most power-boaters have packed up and gone home leaving the bay to us sailors.
Solomons Island
I feel the trick is to be ready to go when it blows. It was honking all night last night. My favorite time to sail the Chesapeake is the fall, the water is still warm, the air is cooler and the wind blows. Until then all we can do is watch the weather and hope for breeze and be ready to go. Ps don’t plan any trip... If you are going somewhere it's not going to blow
I feel the trick is to be ready to go when it blows. It was honking all night last night. My favorite time to sail the Chesapeake is the fall, the water is still warm, the air is cooler and the wind blows. Until then all we can do is watch the weather and hope for breeze and be ready to go. Ps don’t plan any trip... If you are going somewhere it's not going to blow
Chesapeake
It was blowing pretty good on Sunday afternoon. It was in the mid teens. July and August can be very dead. Thank god for biminis...
It was blowing pretty good on Sunday afternoon. It was in the mid teens. July and August can be very dead. Thank god for biminis...
Not all bad...
Of course the spring and fall will have better, more consistent winds. But, even during the summer on the hot, muggy days a sea breeze will develop from the south. Depending on the general weather system, the sea breeze will start to fill around noon and be established by 2. You can smell the salt in these breezes or is it dead fish? The hotter the inshore temperature, the stronger the breeze. These breezes will last into the evening and are great. they tend to clock to the southwest as the day progresses. I'd recommend you read a paperback by Stuart Walker called 'The Sailor's Wind' (I believe). I found it at Fawcett's and he writes specifically about the bay wind systems. It's pretty technical and dry but informative. Where are you in Mayo? I'm in Selby Bay.
Of course the spring and fall will have better, more consistent winds. But, even during the summer on the hot, muggy days a sea breeze will develop from the south. Depending on the general weather system, the sea breeze will start to fill around noon and be established by 2. You can smell the salt in these breezes or is it dead fish? The hotter the inshore temperature, the stronger the breeze. These breezes will last into the evening and are great. they tend to clock to the southwest as the day progresses. I'd recommend you read a paperback by Stuart Walker called 'The Sailor's Wind' (I believe). I found it at Fawcett's and he writes specifically about the bay wind systems. It's pretty technical and dry but informative. Where are you in Mayo? I'm in Selby Bay.
Give it a chance
There would not be nearly so many sailboats and racing events (international, national, local) hosted on the Bay if wind conditions were generally underwhelming. We've sailed the Bay 20 years. Yes, the hottest times of year tend to have less constant winds and even turn still for a while, and my advice for you on that is three-fold: 1) Make sure you have a good engine and prop on your sailboat in fine working order. When winds die, we quite happily turn our sailboat in to a "trawler" and cruise at 7 knots under power, especially if we need to make a destination. Although we prefer to sail, there's a lot of people out there that do nothing but power-boat all the time (gosh!) You can do either if so equipped. Main thing is enjoy the Bay. 2) In the Annapolis area, winds in the hot months often pipe up in the late afternoon and evening, like they did yesterday and Sunday afternoon. Plan to sail accordingly especially since it stays light until late. 3) The further south we go on the Bay, the better chance we have of finding wind since the Bay is more open. One of the best seasons we've had was the one we spent out of Deltaville (Rappahanock River area).
There would not be nearly so many sailboats and racing events (international, national, local) hosted on the Bay if wind conditions were generally underwhelming. We've sailed the Bay 20 years. Yes, the hottest times of year tend to have less constant winds and even turn still for a while, and my advice for you on that is three-fold: 1) Make sure you have a good engine and prop on your sailboat in fine working order. When winds die, we quite happily turn our sailboat in to a "trawler" and cruise at 7 knots under power, especially if we need to make a destination. Although we prefer to sail, there's a lot of people out there that do nothing but power-boat all the time (gosh!) You can do either if so equipped. Main thing is enjoy the Bay. 2) In the Annapolis area, winds in the hot months often pipe up in the late afternoon and evening, like they did yesterday and Sunday afternoon. Plan to sail accordingly especially since it stays light until late. 3) The further south we go on the Bay, the better chance we have of finding wind since the Bay is more open. One of the best seasons we've had was the one we spent out of Deltaville (Rappahanock River area).
Winds
Welcome to the "wind in your face in both directions" club! We have all had this stuff happen to us. It is amazing that our fore-fathers ever got the country off the ground using sailing vessels. Don't give a lot of credability to those weather forcasts on WX 1 or 2. While they can tell you that you are presently experiencing gale force winds their predicting the same gale force winds 15 minutes prior are about 45% accurate. Learn to look around and get a feel for the weather. In a survey of a weather forcaster, a monkey and a sailor out on the water, the forcaster was right only 45% of the time the monkey scored higher with 50% and the sailor on the water scored 75%. It should be noted that the sailor was 100% accurate in forcasting the next 15 minutes of weather. 15 minutes is a long time to get ready for a blow!!! Bill Roosa
Welcome to the "wind in your face in both directions" club! We have all had this stuff happen to us. It is amazing that our fore-fathers ever got the country off the ground using sailing vessels. Don't give a lot of credability to those weather forcasts on WX 1 or 2. While they can tell you that you are presently experiencing gale force winds their predicting the same gale force winds 15 minutes prior are about 45% accurate. Learn to look around and get a feel for the weather. In a survey of a weather forcaster, a monkey and a sailor out on the water, the forcaster was right only 45% of the time the monkey scored higher with 50% and the sailor on the water scored 75%. It should be noted that the sailor was 100% accurate in forcasting the next 15 minutes of weather. 15 minutes is a long time to get ready for a blow!!! Bill Roosa
Thanks
Thanks for your response to our questions. You all have been very helpful. We have an 1984 MacGregor 25' and are sailing out of Holiday Hill on the Rhode River. The MacGregor 25' seems to be a great little boat to learn on....So far. Bob & Peggy
Thanks for your response to our questions. You all have been very helpful. We have an 1984 MacGregor 25' and are sailing out of Holiday Hill on the Rhode River. The MacGregor 25' seems to be a great little boat to learn on....So far. Bob & Peggy
- Status