• 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.

What do they call the wind?

Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
A whole bunch of car models are named after winds. Mostly expensive cars with names used for North African or Mediterranean winds: Zephyr, Scirocco, Ghibli, Khamsin. Then there is the Maserati Bora, named for the north wind, from which word we also get boreal, and I live in a boreal region way up here..... Hallo-o-o! Also Passat is the trade wind in German.

... I forgot: Mistral.
 
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Jan 5, 2017
2,263
Beneteau First 38 Lyall Harbour Saturna Island
I'm sure you'll see a Qualicum this summer John. Can't remember ever being through there without some giving us a push.There are so many inlets along the coast that have daily inflow/ outflow winds, too many to name I think.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I was thinking that the Squamish and the Williwaw might make an appearance. We missed the Williwaw that visited the canyon north of Vancouver last February. I swept through in the night and destroyed some boats and docks at a marina on the North side of English Bay.
 
May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
jssailem,
SV Intuition and I have weathered 5,
1 at sea, 2 at anchor, 2 in port.
BTW, I ain't no part of a chicken!
ggRizzard
 
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May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i have no special name for the wind during sailing season. just know we have lots and lots of it. "the wind comes rolling down the plain" is very real. on lake michigan the average wind speed for the month of july ( our least windy month) is 9 knots. then it starts building till it's out of control in november. thats a tad more than san fan bay during the same time. all the great plains sailors know what i'm taking about. the wind comes rolling across the plain and slams into our favorite lake and away we go. we get gradient winds galore and then thermal excitation on top of that. yeh haw. "more sail"
i'm thinking Capta gets plenty of wind too. i think they call it trade winds.
:)
 
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Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
There were a couple other winds mentioned in the Patrick O'Brian novel series but I don't remember them.
 
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May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
The "Mistral", a cold dry wind which blows from the North along the Rhone Valley on its way to the Mediterranean in France.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
As a kid sailing in the bay, I was always keeping an eye out for the 'cat's paw' winds. Those small zephers that etched paw shapes reaching across the water. That's where the wind is blowing the best for an Opti sailor.

There are also a few places named for the winds, such as Down East, the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.

Why is the Chrysler building in the background of the West Coast half of the picture?

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
As a kid sailing in the bay, I was always keeping an eye out for the 'cat's paw' winds. Those small zephers that etched paw shapes reaching across the water. That's where the wind is blowing the best for an Opti sailor.

There are also a few places named for the winds, such as Down East, the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.


Why is the Chrysler building in the background of the West Coast half of the picture?

-Will (Dragonfly)
:huh::rolleyes:
 
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Jun 8, 2004
2,841
Catalina 320 Dana Point
Sundowners and Santa Anas are common here, while the SA's are bad news to the north they usually result in a beautiful sailing day around Dana Point, no fetch so flat seas. Increasingly common here in summer are what many call "Chubascos", bands of rain squalls blowing up from Mexico. Flat calm between little thunderstorms of high winds and rain, they dot the horizon and sometimes the best winds are sailing straight at them.
 
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