• Sailing is all about the Weather.

    Big into the exploration of Atlantic Hurricanes since Katrina came uninvited into his world, James (Jim) Gurley (JamesG161) has followed every Tropical Storm birthed in Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean waters since. Being a boater, he knows that we often need more time to prepare than we get from the TV weather folk. Jim relies on the science of storm development to share early warning info with friends and fellow boaters.

    Early in 2018, Jim and John Shepard, (JSSailem) started to chat about the weather data available. John asked Jim to help forecast Pacific NW storms, and this morphed into discussions on weather forecasting.

    For John, sailing in the PNW is sometimes hit and miss. One day is ugly, then a string of beautiful days but no wind, followed by a series of blue-sky days and 12 knot breezes. Being ready for those great sailing days means you need to look to the Pacific Ocean and what is brewing. John has been into Pacific NW Weather since the 1970’s when his first PNW November storm hit bringing more than 40 days and 40 nights of continual rain.

    Together we want to share information, new APPs, safety, and thoughts about letting the weather help you. Identify some of the resources for sailors and help prepare you for your next sailboat outing.

    It is far better to go out on the water knowing what to expect in weather terms, than to be out on the water and see dark ominous clouds suddenly appear, unprepared.

Metric this and Metric that.... Where are my "Imperial Measurements"?

jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
21,975
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) may take a small step toward the metric system. NWS has received input from off-shore sailors (blue-water boaters) who would prefer having information provided in units of meters in National Marine Center products, especially for the high seas. Providing wave information in meters for the high seas would also align with international partners.

The U.S. National Weather Service is soliciting comments through October 16, 2024, on a “Proposal to Replace the Imperial Unit ‘Feet’ with the Metric Unit ‘Meter’ in National Marine Center High Seas Text and Graphical Products.” Both the Pacific and Atlantic Regions are soliciting comments. Graphical products in this change would include Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific 24-hour wind and wave forecasts; Atlantic and Pacific wind/wave analyses; National Hurricane Center analysis and forecasts; and Honolulu wind/wave analysis and 24-hr., 48-hr., and 72-hr. forecast charts.

It should be noted that this proposal does NOT affect NWS coastal waters forecasts within 60nm of the coastline.

Mariners can submit their comments to the U.S. National Weather Service HERE.
 
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shemandr

shemandr

.
Jan 1, 2006
7,332
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
I'm not an off shore sailer so I will refrain from comment to NWS.
I would say that a foot being a smaller unit than a meter is better to describe wave heights. For example a 8 foot wave is different from a 2 meter wave or a three meter wave. If the answer to that is decimal fractions of meters, like a 2.5 meter wave, I think something is lost in the interpolation. I never liked the metric description of boat length either. For example the S2 10.3 which is 33.75 feet long. Why do I have to do the arithmetic? I suppose it's a matter of what one is used to. But conforming to international standards is not important to me. Now what size is a 11 millimeter box wrench? What temperature is 11 degrees celsius? Do I need a coat? How far is 11 Kilometers? Is that walking distance? If I'm driving 11 Kilometers per hour, am I speeding?
 
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Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

.
Oct 19, 2017
7,795
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
shemandr said:
Why do I have to do the arithmetic? I suppose it's a matter of what one is used to.
Click to expand
It sounds like you answered your own question. Think universal standards.

Imagine what it's like to be British; euros, dollars, British crowns, and pounds, weights in pounds, kilos, and stones. They post miles per hour and kilometers per hour. Do you want a pint with that leter of coke? Maybe you want a keel with 10,000 troy ounces of palladium, or would you rather get it in kilograms, maybe in avoirdupois ounces?

We sailors should be use to this mishmash of measures with sailing at 8.055 mph or 7 knots, for leagues across seas fathoms deep at headings in degrees or compass points?

-Will
 
BigEasy

BigEasy

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Jun 21, 2004
2,646
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
We have been transitioning to the metric system before I learned metric conversions, In 9th grade general math class, some 57 years ago. What a total joke! I would hate to have to change the decals on the side of my boat to
11.43!
 
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mermike

mermike

.
Nov 21, 2012
663
Yamaha 33 Port Ludlow, WA
My boat was built with all metric fasterners but that didn't stop previous owners, or me for that matter, from using SAE when that's what was available. No, I didn't mix the two, but 10-32 was easier to come by than 5 mm for the cabinet hardware. It's a slippery slope. Why can't we all just get along...and go metric?
 
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