Interesting Weather Test Coming Up

[LONG_KEELER]

Thought I might go sailing today (Sunday) and probably Monday and Tuesday too.

The highest wind strength on XC Weather is 8mph for today, and 14mph for Monday.

Coastal forecast is 6 to 8 for later today and up to force 9 at the start of Monday.

What to do ?

Have decided to stay at home and felt the shed and cut the hedge .

 

[MoodySabre]

I don't have a shed - what did it feel like?

 

[Pye_End]

Yep. I am in exactly the same er shed as you.

This is the only week of the year that I can go sailing without feeling guilty that I am deserting the family, and of all forecasts the inshore is F9. Can't find any other forecast with such high wind speeds for the area yet.

The charts for the week look pretty changeable, and if are out by a few miles could lead to day after day of high wind, or not.

Two options: go anyway, and it will be windy. Don't go, and the weather will be perfect.

 

[Cantata]

We were hoping to get out for a few days from Tuesday, too.
The charts on here http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/surface_pressure.html show where they are getting this gale from.

 

[Fantasie 19]

I think you made the right decision - I went and did the tesco's shop as the shed is corrugated....

 

[xyachtdave]

Thought I might go sailing today (Sunday) and probably Monday and Tuesday too.

The highest wind strength on XC Weather is 8mph for today, and 14mph for Monday.

Coastal forecast is 6 to 8 for later today and up to force 9 at the start of Monday.

What to do ?

Have decided to stay at home and felt the shed and cut the hedge .

Long Keeler,

I used to rate XC weather until it was updated about a year ago. It now always understates wind speed by 1 or 2 forces, obviously a bit of a problem if your force 5 beat turns into survival conditions!

Magic seaweed surf site has wind for 5 days in advance and is very accurate, the coloured bands of wind speed makes it very easy to see the general situation. Personally i take the met office inshore waters as worse case scenario and magic seaweed as what we are going to get.

Bank holiday trip to Ramsgate looking like it could be for heros (aka me and my mate Paul) only!

 

[Cantata]

...........Magic seaweed surf site has wind for 5 days in advance and is very accurate, the coloured bands of wind speed makes it very easy to see the general situation. Personally i take the met office inshore waters as worse case scenario and magic seaweed as what we are going to get.........

Well, it's currently showing little wind to speak of for the whole week at the moment here in the SE, so I hope it's right! IWF is still showing possible F9 here tomorrow morning.

 

[Pye_End]

Where have the gales gone for the end of the week?

Just come back from a couple of days out, as was expecting big winds, and they seem to have vanished. Could have gone for 'plan A' after all.

Maybe we are better without all these long range forecasts?

 

[johnalison]

I don't know where you've been but I recorded 38 knots at Titchmarsh yesterday and Walton Lifeboat were showing over 40. On the whole this summer I found passageweather.com to be very helpful and I am very grateful to whoever it was that posted it.

 

[Pye_End]

Yes it was a bit breezy yesterday.

Due to the short weather window between lows, and an inexperienced crew I chose a very pleasant round the island circumnavigation (Sheppy that is). Managed 2.5kn under reefed sprayhood alone. Flat as a pancake running round the back of the island with a pocket handkerchief up and whizzing along a 5kn. Completed the experience today with a lovely sail round the outside - full sail although at times a touch too little wind.

I tend to use the metoff/inshore forecasts (on the assumption that it gives the worst - eg front wind speeds, or even as a guide to gusts speeds), and xcweather (which seem to give more like average speeds, or even rather undercooked average), and take a view between the two. When I left even xcweather had lots of pretty colours, so if they both say so, it had to be bad. Hence coming home. Now no pretty colours where there had been 2 days of them.

In the good old days before the internet I would have gone yesterday and come back Friday come what may.

Thanks for the link. Added to favourites, and will monitor.

 

[aquaholic]

Bank holiday trip to Ramsgate looking like it could be for heros (aka me and my mate Paul) only!

Well I am here dave.....cant find your boat though cant blame you for not coming, had a great sail up this afternoon from Dover until we hit a rather nasty squall just 2 miles from Ramsgate, mind you its taken nearly a week from the Solent in between gales!!

Another vote for Magic Seaweed

 

[xyachtdave]

Well I am here dave.....cant find your boat though cant blame you for not coming, had a great sail up this afternoon from Dover until we hit a rather nasty squall just 2 miles from Ramsgate, mind you its taken nearly a week from the Solent in between gales!!

Another vote for Magic Seaweed

Paul X Yacht Exodus with blue hull, resident at Chatham marina made it down on Friday. He came back today although I have not heard about the trip yet....

My plan was to sail down with Freya, my 8 year old daughter on Friday and come back today, but when I saw the forecast midweek, a family sailing weekend around the foreland seemed a bit daft!

Settled for Queenborough Sat night and heroic bash up the Med in a proper F6/7 on Sunday afternoon.

 

[aquaholic]

Sorry thought it was just you and Paul, I saw Exodus as we came in yesterday and gussed he had gone this morning, hopefully was ok for them although the wind has only just started to settle down here. Glad you had a good sail, is was like a rollercoaster on the pontoons here last night, will be glad to get back to Chatham.