Finally, better weather returns!

[Jackdaw]

The last month here has been crap. Hot, often no wind, thunderstorms, etc etc. We’ve had a month of Thursday races canceled. But from Monday it has been perfect. 78F, sunny, breeze 8-10+. We’ve been out every day, having fun, scrubbing the bottom, spending their night.

fast and clean!

After dinner and drinks last night.

And tomorrow’s 18:00 race looks like this!!

 

[kappykaplan]

Lookin' good, Clay!

 

[Jackdaw]

Lookin' good, Clay!

Hope so! We love racing in the upper teens!

 

[Davidasailor26]

It's finally cooler and drier here too. Unfortunately our Thursday evening race forecast looks like this:

With a start time just after 1800, this looks like another Windless Thursday Forecast.

 

[Daveinet]

You could almost believe the wind direction arrows are happy arrows. They point up when when the wind is good and point down when the wind is bad.

 

[Jackdaw]

You could almost believe the wind direction arrows are happy arrows. They point up when when the wind is good and point down when the wind is bad.

Usually the most unhappiness happens when there is a major wind shift. This usually occurs when one frontal system usurps another, creating a convergence ( near dead zone) in the time which this is going on.

 

[AWalker]

We are in the middle of the opposite equivalent of an east coast winter. Sailing season doesnt start for another two months here.

 

[AlastairLC]

Which wind app is that?

 

[cb32863]

Which wind app is that?

Wind Alert/Sail Flow
Though I do find it a bit more "optimistic" than others. But, predicting wind is a difficult thing.

 

[Jackdaw]

Wind Alert/Sail Flow
Though I do find it a bit more "optimistic" than others. But, predicting wind is a difficult thing.

The best part of the app is the ability get real-time comparisons of predicted vs actual. It requires a close reporting station.. on Minnetonka the MYC weather station is happily on the shore of our racetrack. You can normally expect any divergence to continue on its slope relative to the prediction. Here is today; you can see the sustained and gust line building and tracking with the prediction. So looks good; high degree of confidence in the forecast.

 

[Davidasailor26]

It requires a close reporting station

Unfortunately that close-by weather station must also have accurate measurement data. There used to be a NOAA measurement buoy right where we race, but that was removed for replacement a year ago. We're still waiting on the replacement. There's another station close by but it never reads more than just a few knots. Weather Underground has a personal weather station nearby that's accurate, but their data doesn't flow into WindAlert.

 

[AlastairLC]

Thanks. I just checked it out. It doesn’t get close to my location. I’ve been using Windfinder.com, which evidently does.

 

[Roland5048]

The last month here has been crap. Hot, often no wind, thunderstorms, etc etc.

What were you doing here in Fl?

 

[BlowMeAway]

Looks like a decent forecast for cocktail cruising this weekend on Cayuga. We don’t race...intentionally, but breaking in some new crew is always easier at these wind speeds and a few confused puffs. It appears to be a straight up the lake broad reach. Yahooooo! Lots of tacks coming back.

 

[Whatfiero1]

Hot no wind middle of summer here on southern Chesapeake. But fall sailing is coming I love racing in the low 20s

 

[Jackdaw]

Well it showed up just as WindAlert forecast. Upper teens sustained, and gusts in the upper 20s. We saw sustained 9+ knots downwind in a big puff. Not everyone faired well.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Usually the most unhappiness happens when there is a major wind shift. This usually occurs when one frontal system usurps another, creating a convergence ( near dead zone) in the time which this is going on.

You mean like our forecast for this evening's race?

Ugh. Unhappiness is one word for that.