Once in a while you’ll meet someone who has spent their whole life around the ocean, and these people tend to have a sort of sixth sense when it comes to judging weather patterns on the open water. They can feel it in their bones when a storm is on the way (and despite the fact that you scoff in the bright morning sun when they make these proclamations, by afternoon it’s pouring). Or maybe they can smell a good fishing spot a mile away. In truth they’re probably pulling your leg with the bones and the smelling and what not. It’s much more likely that they are so familiar with the telltale markers of the wind and sea that they know when a certain weather pattern is moving in. As a sailor, this nifty insight could be much more useful than say, a weather tracking app on your iPhone. And yet, if you have only begun your adventures on the high seas, you simply might not have the “nose” for it. So here are just a few ways you can learn to gauge the conditions on the water before you set sail.
- Become familiar with weather patterns. You can find past data on weather patterns for almost any region of the world by simply checking the archives of the local news station or library (look for past weather reports). You may even be able to find statistic for rainfall and temperature by year, season, month, or even day. This information will help you to determine what the general weather conditions might be like for the time of year in the area you plan to sail. Of course, living in a place for a while will also help you to become acclimated and aware of precursors to changing weather.
- Ask the locals. Even people who live on the water but don’t necessarily sail can likely offer a wealth of information to anyone who asks the right questions. Utilize their knowledge to find out if they’re due for a stormy year or if you’re in for smooth sailing.
- Use your apps. Every piece of information you can gather is going to help you when you’re out on the water, so don’t let a little good-natured ribbing from more experienced sailors stop you from using every tool at your disposal. Smart phone apps can be used to check current and forecast weather in and around your area, as well as provide GPS coordinates to use for navigation.
- Go old-school. For centuries sailors have predicted the weather with manual instruments like barometers, thermometers, and the Beaufort scale (for measuring wind speed). You, too, can use these instruments to predict the weather. Of course, you can also find electronic versions of most of these tools nowadays and many are more accurate than the manual models of old (which can be somewhat imprecise, to say the least). But as a fallback, it couldn’t hurt to have these items aboard your craft (as long as you know how to use them).
- Be alert…and realistic. In some places, the weather can turn nasty in the blink of an eye, and you need to be prepared to high-tail it out of there. So keep a sharp eye on distant cloud banks, the temperature and barometric pressure, and of course, wind and water activity. You may want to go on despite a storm moving in, but be realistic about your skill level. If you’re a novice, you’ll need to head back to land. And if you’re an expert, you’ll no doubt know better than to sail into a storm.
Jamie Pollock writes for Coupon Croc where you can find discount codes for the best in dining and entertainment. Checkout the Thomson discount codes for your travel needs.
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