WEATHERCLASS
Sea Breezes
These are likely in settled conditions
when the land temperature exceeds
the daytime sea temperature.
Rules of thumb
If the early morning breeze is under 10kn
and from:
NW Expect a good SW’ly sea breeze of 10-
15kn (F4) with clouds building over the land.
NE The sea breeze will be light and arrive
late, usually from SE through the eastern
Solent and the SW in the western Solent.
Between the two the wind will be light.
SW The wind will increase through the day.
This is not a true sea breeze and it may well
increase to over 20kn (F5-6).
SE The wind will stay in this direction, often
Newtown Creek at the end of the day.
increasing late morning and dying in the
Opposite page: Close racing on the Solent.
afternoon and early evening.
Below left: A hazy southeasterly.
clear blue. South and southeast is also the the eastern Solent from the SE and a light
direction that can bring thunderstorms. southwesterly sea breeze beginning in
Hot humid air from France and originally the western Solent and where they meet
Spain brings bands of showers and in the middle the wind goes very light
thunderstorms, which not only look and variable. It doesn’t really matter how
dramatic but can also bring gale force warm the day gets, a proper sea breeze
gusts and torrential rain, which may be never really happens and it can be a
so heavy that visibility will be severely frustrating day all round.
reduced, making it interesting if there’s Cruising or racing, the Solent is a great
much traffic around. Ships in the Solent area of sheltered water and there are few
are often constrained by their draught and days when it is too windy for yachts not
there’s a moveable exclusion zone for the to go out. With the strong tides, the waters
largest ships. can become remarkably choppy and
The best of the Solent days is when the Needles Channel can be dangerous
we get a sea breeze – for this to happen when entering or leaving the Solent with
we need a fine night with just a light a strong southwesterly over an ebbing
It’s particularly bad with a southwesterly northwesterly breeze blowing in the spring tide.
wind and an ebb tide; not only is the morning. As the day warms up, watch for
tide strongest near Cowes, but the wind cumulus clouds forming on the mainland SO MUCH TO EXPLORE
will usually accelerate an extra 5kn or so shore. As they build, the wind will drop Of all the anchorages and harbours in the
between Egypt Point (a little W of Cowes) away to nothing before it starts to blow Solent my favourite is Newtown Creek,
and Cowes itself. It’s great for watching from the southwest. Sometimes this will although it can get a little busy in the
the racing boats, but does make sail be a perfect text book sea breeze with a summer. There are a huge number of birds
handling more difficult. light wind blowing onto all the coasts, and part of the creek is bordered by a
The weather isn’t covered in the but usually it starts in the western Solent nature reserve where landing is prohibited.
shipping forecast, because sea area Wight and works its way across the whole area. However, a short dinghy ride and walk
is for the south of the Island and across That’s due to the shape of the land and brings you to the New Inn in Shalfleet
to France. The inshore waters covers eventually the mainland, being so much if you want to eat or drink ashore. Large
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis, an area where larger than the island, takes control, tides and quirky winds can make the
the weather near, say, Portland Bill or St giving a southwesterly across the entire Solent more of a testing sailing area than
Catherine’s Point, may be very different Solent. On a day like this, the sea breeze it appears on the chart, but exploring it is
from the weather near Cowes or in will pick up to a Force 3-5, but it doesn’t well worth the effort. ■
Southampton Water. always happen this way. If the wind from
Whilst we may expect predominantly a depression is already giving a light SW
southwesterlies, over the last few summers breeze in the morning, the afternoon wind
we’ve had an increasing number of may go much higher – to a Force 5 or 6.
About the author
easterly and southeasterlies to contend Often described as a sea breeze, it isn’t
Chris Tibbs has a Master’s Degree in
with. Whether this is a trend or just a really that, although it comes from the
Meteorology and trained as a forecaster with
short term anomaly it’s too soon to tell. right direction and will get quite strong.
the Met Office. He helped to mastermind
A southeasterly brings hazy conditions We do however get days when the
six world speed passage records and has
logged over 250,000 miles at sea, including
with moderate or poor visibility. Dust and sea breeze never really gets going. The
three circumnavigations and two Whitbread
pollution keep it hazy and although it can early morning breeze may be from the
RTW races.
be very warm you rarely see a sky of deep northeast, a light sea breeze starting in
September 09 Sailing Today 115
ST149 Wclass
RTG.indd 103 16/7/09 15:18:24
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