Any such thing as a real-time sea-state web-cam?

Greenheart

Greenheart

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 Dec 2010
Messages
10,384
Visit site
I'm told there's some ferocious weather in the Channel tonight.

It'd be interesting - and possibly useful - if we could log on to Solent/ Lyme Bay/ Western Approaches web-cams, showing the sea state, live, ideally from a navigation mark, whose up-and-down movement could be shown as wave height, alongside Beaufort readings & wind direction.

Not in the dark, obviously...but if the picture's clear, it'd be a useful reference for planning a day's sail, and much more entertaining.

Does such a thing exist already?
 
There's a useful webcam at entrance to River Dart, South Devon which looks out over Start Bay, see www.nci-frowardpoint.org.uk and I think there are other NCI stations with cameras, see the NCI website. Gust of 49 kts recorded in last hour at Froward Point and blowing a gale.
 
Csail said:
How much does it cost to set up and run a live webcam?
Cardiff bay one is good.
Click to expand...

there are some really neat Wireless externally controleable pan and tilt webcams available these days. All thats needed at the camera is 220v for the power supply. Alternatively a solar panel and a 12v supply would do it provided that the camera could hook in to someones WiFi network.

A weatherproof housing is the biggest challenge.

I set one up at the local gliding club. Camera around £100, housing another £200. Cost to run it. Peanuts considering it just hooks on to the club wifi signal.

Members can log in with a standard browser, take control of the camera if they have a java runtime and pan around 270 degrees of the horizon, look down onto the BBQ area and up into the sky.

left alone the camera sends an update to a web page every couple of minutes and can be programmed to traverse to several fixed points to snap shots for the website.
 
Thank you gentlemen, these are exactly what I was hoping for. As Alec Guiness said about his radar set in All At Sea, it's much more entertaining than television!

Of course...it'll make little things like work, very hard to get back to...

I'd like to see the view from a tethered (rather than fixed) navigation mark - giving the sense of movement when it's rough. :)
 
I think my point is that a camera at sea-level (or just a few feet above it, as one hopefully always is, in a boat) would make for a more involving view. And if the camera is mounted on something afloat, the image's impact is likely to be greater.

I'd imagine gyroscopes can prevent an unattended moving camera from pointing mainly at the sky?

And, surely a webcam doesn't require more amps/volts than are possible at a remote station.
 
the other point with a camera fixed to a buoy is that the viewable horizon will be quite limited.


At 8 ft above SL, you have a horizon of just over three miles.


I'd rather be a few feet higher and gain perspective.
 
Very true; but the camera's ability to show anything at great distance in watchable detail, is itself very limited. And during imperfect visibility, only the 'near ground' is relevant anyway.

I was thinking of how it might give as real a sense of being there, as possible.
 
prv said:
Ask the Bramblemet guys!

Pete
Click to expand...

Bramblemet (and its pals) are on fixed marks, not floating ones which is what Mad Dan seems to be demanding. And they only push out a relatively small amount of data, not full time HD video. Oh, and someone now has to pay for gyroscopic mounts as well.

Somehow don't see ABP or Trinity House stumping up for it.
 
Last edited:
Twister_Ken said:
Bramblemet (and its pals) are on fixed marks, not floating ones which is what Mad Dan seems to be demanding.
Click to expand...

Don't think it makes any difference for power and signal, which is what I was responding to. Unless you're suggesting there's a mains lead and a phone line buried under the Brambles? :)

The points about data volumes and gimbaled mounts are valid, of course, but since when did any of Dan's schemes have to be grounded in reality? :D

Pete
 
National Day Buoy Centre

For an idea of sea conditions look at the National Data Buoy Centre website at:

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

and zoom in on Station 62305 - Greenwich Lightship . Currently showing:

Conditions at 62305 as of
1600 GMT on 12/01/2011:

Wind Direction (WDIR):
SSW ( 210 deg true )

Wind Speed (WSPD):
28.9 kts

Wave Height (WVHT):
5.2 ft

Average Period (APD):
7 sec

Atmospheric Pressure (PRES):
29.73 in

Pressure Tendency (PTDY):
-0.07 in ( Falling )

Air Temperature (ATMP):
55.0 °F

Water Temperature (WTMP):
57.4 °F

Dew Point (DEWP):
52.0 °F

Visibility (VIS):
2.0 nmi
 
Last edited:
Cheers, Seajet...but I think maybe I've earned the sobriquet. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'm grateful and glad to find that we needn't actually be in the Solent and other cruising grounds, to see how its looking down there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top