Weather to go or not..

Chops and swells, wind direction, ebbs and flows, tides and moons. Boy, do I pay alot more attention now to the physical reality of these terms than I ever thought I would. Even if it's sunny, if the wind is up alot of boaters will not go (including me).

When our boating group were trying to decide about heading out there was confusion because of conflicting weather reports from various sources. After some opinions on the better weather forecasting sites, I spent some time searching the internet and I have since found www.wunderground.com and specifically wundermap.com which details specific areas along the coast and what conditions are happening there.

It gives exact up to the minute info on wind, air temperature, and wave height at various weather stations and marker buoys. Halibut Banks station #16 (between Nanaimo and Sunshine Coast) is important if you are crossing the Straight. ( I really like the wave height as I now know what a 4ft trough feels like and if I can avoid it I will)! The wind map will be of interest to experienced sailors.

Of course you can only utilize the info if you are able to use your computer, but at least you can check your destination just before you leave home if you don't have a laptop or choose not to bring it with you. And you can always use marina computers or internet cafes as you travel.

As always use VHF channel 02 (and others depending on your location) to monitor weather systems. But definitely check out Wundermap, it uses satelite imagery, shows rain falling, and the map can be moved with your mouse to other areas you may be travelling to.



Kalena