Nav. question sort of. Not another one!

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CalebD

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Jun 27, 2006
1,479
Tartan 27' 1967 Nyack, NY
If you were in the ARC race and you pulled up a NOAA 24 hour wind/wave forecast that looked like this: http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/fax/PWEE89.TIF You were around 19 N Lat and 43 W Long and headed for St. Lucia from the Canary Islands. Look carefully at the map at approx location 15 N lat and 50 W where the letters 'TROF' are found. You are basically headed that direction southwest by west. What do you make of the letters 'TROF' on the chart and what actions would you take? 1) Assume that the guys at NOAA are drinking too much coffee and really want to build a FORT there and forget about it? 2) Assume that this is shorthand for 'trough'; it really sounds the same phonetically, right? There might be some wind and weather with that so whoopie! 3) Assume that this is shorthand for 'tropical formation' and take down the stern rail barbecue and a few other things? 4) Do more research on NOAA shorthand symbols.
 
Jan 22, 2008
519
Sundance Sundance 20 Weekender Ninette, Manitoba, Canada
with the knowledge I gleaned from #4 my answer is

#2 TROF means trough. from the little I know of reading weather maps, I am quessing that the low is moving to the northeast, so I would change course to the southwest or even the SSW to avoid the blow near the low. This action will allow it to blow by ahead of us while we experience calmer conditions. After it has passed by, we can resume sailing west to SL.
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
I would ignore it and continue my course

Trough An elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, usually not associated with a closed circulation, and thus used to distinguish from a closed low. The opposite of ridge. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/glossary.php?word=trof
 

CalebD

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Jun 27, 2006
1,479
Tartan 27' 1967 Nyack, NY
Thanks Ross for the link to the Glossary page

on NOAA. Why didn't I think to search for that? Actually I do know a sailor who is sailing his Bene first 51 in the ARC race and I have been monitoring his position at worldcruising.net and checking the forecasts from the comfort of my home when I came across the 'TROF' shorthand/acronym. Their boat is now around 700 nm ENE of St. Lucia and they have been averaging about 170 nm per day. Some boats have already completed the over 2K miles from the Canary Islands off Morocco. My armchair sailing skills have been ameliorated by this experience.
 
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