Scotland and weather

moluag

moluag

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I have been scanning the forcasts for weeks waiting for a decent weather window to go up to the west coast where i keep my 25ft Tomahawk,anyone based near Oban who can give me an update on what its been like as the forcasts have shown it as being very windy.
 
Can not specifically answer your question, but have made a number of passages right through the Minch and into the Irish Sea over the last few years (two this year, south in April and north in June). My generalisation is that you have to be there and see what actually comes rather than plan by forecasts. On a number of occassions I have headed for secure shelter when strong head winds were forecast only to miss out on light or zero winds where I could have comfortably sailed or motor sailed for 12 hours or more in the direction I wanted.
On a lesser number of ocassions I have set out with a reasonable forecast only to decide a bolt hole would make more sense.
I know this can happen almost anywhere, but it seemed to be far more prevelent along the west coast of Scotland, which isn't really surprising given the surrounding topography.
 
Wind

We live and keep our boat 12 miles South of Oban.

It has been a pretty windy Summer, with winds of F6 or above on - I would guess - five or more days out of seven since the beginning of August. There is a lot of sheltered water though and provided you go with the wind a F6 is no big deal even in a Tomahawk.

However - it has also been incredibly wet, and very very unsettled and changeable with a lot of mega gusyness. When a typical forecast is NW 5-7 veering W 4-5 then SE 5-7 later passage planning is tricky. And did I mention IT HAS BEEN WET . . . . Scotland has had its wettest Summer since 1914, which is pretty amazing considering that June was dry!

And - at Eskdalemuir in Dumfriess-shire August was the third wettest month ever recorded, including all the Winter months!

It simply has to get better . . . Magic Seaweed is promising a bit of a break from next Tuesday onwards, but I wouldn't count on it.
 
webcraft said:
We live and keep our boat 12 miles South of Oban.

It has been a pretty windy Summer, with winds of F6 or above on - I would guess - five or more days out of seven since the beginning of August. There is a lot of sheltered water though and provided you go with the wind a F6 is no big deal even in a Tomahawk.

However - it has also been incredibly wet, and very very unsettled and changeable with a lot of mega gusyness. When a typical forecast is NW 5-7 veering W 4-5 then SE 5-7 later passage planning is tricky. And did I mention IT HAS BEEN WET . . . . Scotland has had its wettest Summer since 1914, which is pretty amazing considering that June was dry!

And - at Eskdalemuir in Dumfriess-shire August was the third wettest month ever recorded, including all the Winter months!

It simply has to get better . . . Magic Seaweed is promising a bit of a break from next Tuesday onwards, but I wouldn't count on it.
Click to expand...

Having finally decided to move the boat to Scotland and enjoy the finest cruising grounds in the British Isles on the back of three p***ss poor summers down south you are not being very encouaging;)r
 
moluag said:
I have been scanning the forcasts for weeks waiting for a decent weather window to go up to the west coast where i keep my 25ft Tomahawk,anyone based near Oban who can give me an update on what its been like as the forcasts have shown it as being very windy.
Click to expand...

Left Oban yesterday. Weather was ****. Weather has been **** for a while. Forecast is for more ****. Apart from that, it's great
 
webcraft said:
Scotland has had its wettest Summer since 1914, which is pretty amazing considering that June was dry!
Click to expand...

Not all of Scotland surely, don't have figures but subjectively Orkney has had one of the best summers for years, though not so good the last couple of weeks.
 
We summer at Dunstaffnage, and have been out about 6 times for up to a week this summer.
On all except one trip the weather was FAR better than the forecast. We even managed to get becalmed in a supposed F5-6 !

I have been sunburned in the supposed rain, carried full sail in a supposed F6-7, carried the spinnaker for 30 miles in a northerly direction during a supposed northerly, etc.

But I have also got thoroughly drenched in heavy rain when the forecast was rain.

In general the weather hasn't been as good as last, but nothing like as bad as forecast.
 
Around the Clyde area, since July I reckon, It has been miserable to put it mildly. The seagulls and ducks are complaining bitterly!
 
Just sailed back from Largs to troon in winds touching 38kts...mind you it was from the NW and with only the very smallest of working jib up I scooted along at 8kts....great fun!! :-)
 
starboard said:
Just sailed back from Largs to troon in winds touching 38kts...mind you it was from the NW and with only the very smallest of working jib up I scooted along at 8kts....great fun!! :-)
Click to expand...

If that was Fri I was going the other way from Ardrossan to Largs. We certainly weren't doing 8 knots.
Just got back from 2 very wet and windy days sailing. And guess what direction the wind was when we were heading back to Ardrossan?????
 
Clyde Weather Today

You can actually see the other side of the Clyde ( Ascog Bay ) from Largs this morning, also a nice F4/5 west wind. August / Sept have been really terrible - constant rain and some high winds. Barely used our boat in the last 6 weeks. That said we did get great value from it in June / July.
 
Scottish Weather

Just back home after a couple weeks up the west coast. It has been bad. Very bad and I've been holidaying aboard since a nipper.

Every morning it has been " an atlantic depression will move NE'ly across Scotland to arrive Norway by this time tomorrow. A new Atlantic depression........ " "SW 5-7 occ 8"

Tell me what's worse than hearing "...an Atlantic depression will move across Scotland..."

I'll tell you...

"An deep Atlantic depression will be slow moving across Scotland...."

Donald
 
moluag said:
I have been scanning the forcasts for weeks waiting for a decent weather window to go up to the west coast where i keep my 25ft Tomahawk,anyone based near Oban who can give me an update on what its been like as the forcasts have shown it as being very windy.
Click to expand...

I kept my boat at Crinan for years. After some bad experiences I never planned trips for September - I found much better weather, if a little colder and darker, in October.
 
srm said:
Not all of Scotland surely, don't have figures but subjectively Orkney has had one of the best summers for years, though not so good the last couple of weeks.
Click to expand...
I was in Lerwick over the weekend, and the Shelties were all boast - politely - about what a great summer they'd had. I'm checking car+trailer prices for next year ...
 
Clyde Weather

We arrived back from our Tarbert muster at 17:00:06.

On Saturday the sea state was SO! confused and rough that every yacht had some members of the crew feeling a little green (including myself) and two had someone actually sick. There were only five boats set sail due to the forecast for the Sunday (F8_Rough) and by the time we had all arrived at the Cumbrae Gap the decision was made to call in to Rothesay instead.

On Sunday the sea state had calmed down a little to a moderate but was against us on the way back with an occasional wave slamming us down quite hard and throwing many gallons into the cockpit.....and this on a Maxi....which is a good yacht in heavy weather and tends just to punch her way through.

Overall a good experience....but not an enjoyable sail.

If your yacht is in good order, well rigged for rough weather and you have a hardy crew then go for it....but expect a hard sail back...anything else will be a pleasant bonus.
 
On your marks . . .

.
F7-F9 tomorrow with maybe some F10 N of Ardnamurchan and sea state possibly High for a time, grim stuff for early September.

BUT

Weds through to the end of the week a big high pressure should be sitting over us. If you are going to snatch a quick trip this week looks like the time to do it.

- W
 
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