WEATHERCLASS
Why sailing round the
10
TOP
TIPS
Beaulieu
Start/Finish
1. Do your homework and
accelerated wind
work out tidal flows well
Lymington
in advance and develop a
island makes sense
tidal strategy.
Cowes
light wind 2. Monitor the weather in the
Ryde sands preceding week.
3. Look at the Island Sailing
Club (ISC) website http://www.
strong tide Yarmouth
islandsc.org.uk or the JP
Bembridge
Morgan Round the Island
Bembridge
Race website. From the
The Needles
Ledge
Tuesday onwards I will be
(high cliffs
)
posting a weather forecast
on the website and you can
register for text updates.
4. On Friday evening (19
St. Catherines Pt
June) there’s a weather
briefing at the ISC clubhouse.
Tactics on the way down to St Tide times:
This will be posted on the web
Catherine’s often involve deciding HW Portsmouth 1005 BST
shortly afterwards.
whether to sail further offshore to LW Portsmouth 1520 BST
5. Check the shipping
fi nd a decent breeze or to get in The tide turns to the east at St
forecast/inshore waters
closer and cheat the tide.
tide rips/overfalls
accelerated wind
Catherine’s at around 1400 BST
forecast via web, radio 4 (FM
92.9) or VHF. There will also
be weather forecasts on BBC
Radio Solent (FM 96.1).
before the sea breeze starts to Water. Few, if any, clouds form about the weather and the
6. Carefully read the sailing
come in from the south. This over the land and a light and development of local winds.
instructions. Know the course
comes on to the south coast of late sea breeze is the best we Fast moving low clouds tell
and know which is the correct
finishing line for your class.
the island, then tends to bend, can hope for. It will come from of strong wind aloft that may
7. Read and understand the
so it’s southwest in the western the southeast in the eastern soon be near the surface, while
basic racing rules.
Solent and southeast in the Solent and southwest in the towering cumulus indicate
8. Continually monitor the
eastern part, before increasing western, with a big hole where gusts and possible squalls. wind around the course and
and becoming southwesterly they meet. Along the south These can be particularly nasty watch other yachts.
over the whole area. coast the wind will stay light as a squall with rain and strong
9. Take care around St
This obviously gives mainly southerly. wind arrives quickly; the
Catherine’s as the wind will
some shifting wind and will A morning wind from any approaching cloud gives the
accelerate and a tide rip will
vary where you are on the other direction is unusual warning, so watch for the wind
be present.
racecourse. Clouds will form and means we’re under the and rain arriving together.
10. Avoid the wreck near
the Needles.
over the land and this is the influence of a large synoptic Think carefully when you’re
first sign that a sea breeze may feature that will determine the close to the coast; sailing near
develop. Without any help wind’s strength and direction. cliffs can shut the wind off
from the synoptic situation, the A southeasterly tends to be even when blowing onshore indication of what to expect.
sea breeze rarely increases to accelerated through the eastern as the wind lifts off the water. The Round the Island race is
more than a Force 3 or 4. Solent and visibility will stay There will also be acceleration great fun and a family day out.
Cumulus clouds over the Isle moderate or poor throughout in the western Solent, around There are a lot of other yachts
of Wight may indicate the start the day. The windiest parts St Catherine’s and also around, so a bit of caution is
of a sea breeze and once they are usually where the wind is approaching the finish. With a necessary, particularly at the
clear are an indication that the accelerated past St Catherine’s southwesterly, get too close to start and around the corners.
southwesterly sea breeze is and also near the finish as the the Island shore and you will Each year one or two yachts
starting to dominate through wind accelerates past Cowes; lose the wind, but too far of seem to forget the basic rules
the eastern Solent as well as we can also expect a lift on and you are in the tide. of port and starboard, so a
the western. port tack here (in a SW wind) With so many other yachts good lookout needs to be
The direction of a light early as the wind blows down the on the course watching kept at all times. Most of all
morning breeze tells us a great Medina. Near St Catherine’s, them will also give a good though, have fun. ■
deal about the rest of the day. a nasty tide rip can develop
If the direction is between when the wind is against the
north and east we’ll struggle tide. It’s best to stay offshore
About the author
for the sea breeze to develop. or, if you’re brave, to pass
Chris Tibbs has a Master’s Degree in Meteorology and trained as a
This is the general direction, close to the rocks and out of
forecaster with the Met Office. He helped to mastermind six world
because locally the wind will the tide, but you must sail
speed passage records and has logged over 250,000 miles at sea,
including three circumnavigations and two Whitbread RTW races.
follow rivers and valleys and, very close – and, of course,
As mentioned in our News section on page 18, Chris will also
for example, the wind could an untimely gust and a broach
be providing daily weather briefi ngs for the build-up to the Race in
be NE in the Hamble River could easily ruin your day.
conjunction with Raymarine. Details at
www.raymarine.co.uk/rti.
but NW once in Southampton Clouds tell us a huge amount
July 09 Sailing Today 109
ST147 Wclass
RTG.indd 103 13/5/09 13:42:22
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