Barometer checks?

[RJJ]

Hi. Many of us have enjoyed sharing / reading tales of sailing in force 8 and more, some of which may be true ?

When was the last time you sailed in a force 8?

Observation: most of the tales indicate unexpected bad weather in coastal passages or Channel crossings. I don't think a single post mentions the barometer, which surprises me.

Question: do folks not record the barometer hourly as an indicator of changing weather? As in, there's some rule of thumb IIRC that a 1mb drop per hour indicates F6 expected; 2mb per hour force 8, or something.

Thanks

 

[pvb]

Instrument systems now often have barometer readouts, I think my Garmin instruments have this (although it's ages since I used them!). And newer battery monitors are incorporating barographs with trend info; my Pico monitor has this.

 

[RJJ]

Instrument systems now often have barometer readouts, I think my Garmin instruments have this (although it's ages since I used them!). And newer battery monitors are incorporating barographs with trend info; my Pico monitor has this.

Sure, but not really the question. I just have a brass thing with a dial, that works.

Just that so many people had a story to tell about unforeseen unforecast gales etc, and not one skipper told us what the barometer was doing. I'm still in the habit of writing down the baro every hour.

 

[ctva]

With current forecasts, barometers are now a nice to have and more an ornament that we tap when we pass. Ours is an electronic one but sometimes I still tap it... ?

 

[Robin]

Hi. Many of us have enjoyed sharing / reading tales of sailing in force 8 and more, some of which may be true ?

When was the last time you sailed in a force 8?

Observation: most of the tales indicate unexpected bad weather in coastal passages or Channel crossings. I don't think a single post mentions the barometer, which surprises me.

Question: do folks not record the barometer hourly as an indicator of changing weather? As in, there's some rule of thumb IIRC that a 1mb drop per hour indicates F6 expected; 2mb per hour force 8, or something.

Thanks

I related a gale tale in the other thread. we had sat out 2 gales on our way home from southern Brittany. We heeded the forecasts and stayed put then a leg later we were leaving L'Aberwrach' on next leg and got a gale warning 'imminent' from Ushant Traffic control. It was contrary to UK forecast just30 minutes earlier and Meteo France earlier too, so I called Ushant Traffic on VHF and asked if I had heard it right, to be told yes and arriving very soon too, so we went back in and sat out another 2 days in the upper river . When we did eventually leave the French and UK forecasts both said the same NW going SW 4 but 5-6 at first. outside we found Wf4 and had all plain sail. within an hour we were surfing dead downwind with 50kts over the deck whilst recording 10kts boatspeed and still more over the ground whilst the current went our way. What we were unaware of was a gale warning from Jersey Radio for winds up to 50kts plus as a secondary low formed and moved along our path east. Did I look at the barometer and record it? - NO and unsure if it would have predicted anything we could have used usefully. We had 100nm to go to St Peter Port and that offered our best shelter anyway, turning back into head wind and foul tide was no option.

What is really needed is a crystal ball or a decent boat like we had.

BTW my tale WAS true not exaggerated nor an entry in a pi$$ing contest or even an answer to a YM exam question.

 

[Gary Fox]

I related a gale tale in the other thread. we had sat out 2 gales on our way home from southern Brittany. We heeded the forecasts and stayed put then a leg later we were leaving L'Aberwrach' on next leg and got a gale warning 'imminent' from Ushant Traffic control. It was contrary to UK forecast just30 minutes earlier and Meteo France earlier too, so I called Ushant Traffic on VHF and asked if I had heard it right, to be told yes and arriving very soon too, so we went back in and sat out another 2 days in the upper river . When we did eventually leave the French and UK forecasts both said the same NW going SW 4 but 5-6 at first. outside we found Wf4 and had all plain sail. within an hour we were surfing dead downwind with 50kts over the deck whilst recording 10kts boatspeed and still more over the ground whilst the current went our way. What we were unaware of was a gale warning from Jersey Radio for winds up to 50kts plus as a secondary low formed and moved along our path east. Did I look at the barometer and record it? - NO and unsure if it would have predicted anything we could have used usefully. We had 100nm to go to St Peter Port and that offered our best shelter anyway, turning back into head wind and foul tide was no option.

What is really needed is a crystal ball or a decent boat like we had.

BTW my tale WAS true not exaggerated nor an entry in a pi$$ing contest or even an answer to a YM exam question.

You get some funny weather in that neck of the woods, I have also been caught out by unforecast carp, and was lucky to make it into L'Aberwrach
I just wouldn't be bothering with the baro, crossing the channel etc, as a primary source of weather forecasting, but I always confirm that the pressure is doing what the internet says it ought to be doing

However: Going across the sea, out of range of forecasts, I would be watching the baro like a hawk.

 

[Skylark]

Observation: most of the tales indicate unexpected bad weather in coastal passages or Channel crossings. I don't think a single post mentions the barometer, which surprises me.

Over the last few years, since I retired, I’ve sailed on a number of boats, other than my own. I’m now in the habit of including my pocket barometer as an integral part of my sailing kit ?

 

[Stemar]

I have a weather station on board, but I rarely look at it, least of all for the pressure. If I'm going out, I'll have checked the forecast online for the next few days and, these days, I reckon that's more likely to be accurate than my guesstimate based on changes of pressure.

Pottering around the Solent and probably never further than Weymouth, I'm not going to be more than a couple of hours from a safe haven, so being aware of what the sky's telling me will give me plenty of warning of an unforecast nasty. I'm not going to say it's never going to happen but, while the Met Office may get their timing wrong or be a couple of forces out, it's very rare for them to tell me I'm going to have the kind of day I want to be out in and then find a gale.

If I were crossing oceans, it would be a different matter, but one of the bits of kit I'd want for that would be the ability to download forecasts and gribs. One data point changing is only going to tell me I'm in the poo, not warn me far enough in advance to be able to dodge a bit or know which way to go to minimise the depth of said poo.

 

[johnalison]

I have a barometer on the bulkhead. Most of the time it serves its purpose as a balnance to its companion brass clock, but it does work, and we normally record the figure hourly in the log when offshore.

I also have a barometer watch by Casio, though I haven't renewed its battery for a year or two. It displays a barograph and is remarkably sensitive and accurate. I found that its chief use was not for making weather forecasts as such, but if cross-checked against a forecast chart would tell me if the weather system was moving faster or slower than the actual forecast.

 

[mjcoon]

Over the last few years, since I retired, I’ve sailed on a number of boats, other than my own. I’m now in the habit of including my pocket barometer as an integral part of my sailing kit ?

At least that would not cause the confusion in the, possibly apocryphal, story of the crew member who denied having anything magnetic on his person that might be disturbing the steering compass. Turned out he had a pocket compass "But it is made of brass!"...

 

[Never Grumble]

Question: do folks not record the barometer hourly as an indicator of changing weather? As in, there's some rule of thumb IIRC that a 1mb drop per hour indicates F6 expected; 2mb per hour force 8, or something.

Yes I do in the ships log, an old naval habit. I wonder how many use a log book?

 

[jbweston]

I have an electronic barograph at the chart table. Had it for years. Mine is a Clipper Meteoman. I recalibrate it from time to time using the sea level pressure (QNH) reported by at whatever is the the nearest airport.

When at sea I record the pressure hourly in my log along with wind strength and direction etc .

 

[prv]

I’m aware that self-sufficient weather prediction is not one of my strengths. I get my forecasts from the Met Office and WindGuru, and the brass clock and barometer on the bulkhead are almost entirely decorative.

Enjoy your harrumph

Pete

 

[westhinder]

Electronic barometer that also gives a graph of the evolution. But I will admit I pay it more attention on longer passages, not so much when daysailing.

 

[RichardS]

I have an electronic weather station which continually displays the pressure graph over the last 24 hours. However, I usually ignore that and let the machine do all the thinking as its main display simply tells me what the weather is going to be and that's what I want to know.

Richard

 

[Babylon]

Yes I do in the ships log, an old naval habit. I wonder how many use a log book?

That sounds like an excellent question with which to start a new mid-winter Covid-stops-play thread!