Transcript Weather and Kayaking

Weather and
Kayaking
Andree Hurley
Kayak Instruction Excellence
onwatersports.com
Weather Changes
…all day, every day
Pulpito Calm
Pulpito OK
Remain Flexible
 Sobering, but your life is worth more than your schedule
 Plan enough extra days into your trip so you can afford
layover days
 Extra days? Take day trips by kayak, circumnavigate an
island, go hiking, fishing, photography
 Weathered in? Skip the kayaking - add to the above by
reading a book, playing some games
Be Prepared
 My drysuit is my best friend!
 Dress for the water
 Dress for the weather - layer
 Hats - fuzzy rubber scull cap
 Wide brimmed sun hat
 Water - drink a lot, cold or hot
What if?
 What
 What
 What
 What
 What
 What
if
if
if
if
if
if
the weather changes?
the wind comes up?
fog comes in?
it gets too hot?
it gets too cold?
it starts to rain, snow, hail?
Be Aware
Always be on the lookout!
Did the breeze shift?
Are there more little ripples?
Waves/swells before the wind?
Did that point disappear?
Does the sky on the horizon look different?
Clouds? Particles?
 What are other boats doing?
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Have Alternate Plans
 Where is the closest takeout?
 Will it require a surf landing?
 Can we see it when we get there?
 Is it rocky, steep, sandy?
So, what can we do?
 Check the weather, beginning a week in advance
 Newspaper, television, online
 NOAA - National Oceanic Atmospheric Association
The Web
Weather Underground
NOAA
NOAA
NOAA
NOAA
Ferry Weather
Ferry Weather
Gather Instruments
 VHF Radio
 Several weather stations
 Channel 16
 Ability to communicate with others
 Kestral
 Barometer, Dew-point, Wind speed, Temperature
 GPS
 Garmin, etc.
What is really important?
 Is the pressure dropping?
 Low pressure, worse weather
 Is wind predicted?
 Big waves, swells
 Will there be rain, or thundershowers
 Lightning, stay off the water
 Foggy?
 Get out the compass as you won’t be able to see
 Sunny?
 Nice, but what about sunburn and heat stroke?
Hydrocycle
Renner Hazards
Renner Book NW Weather
Lilly
Miller
Sun
Everyone loves a sunny day
What if it is ninety degrees all day?
Drink a lot of water, wear a hat, splash yourself
Watch for signs of heat problems
Cold
Clothing
Fog
A couple of stories
Baja
Flat calm, follow the shore, little archway
San Juan Island, Jones Island
Five a.m. thick fog
Wait or go? We went
Compass Course
Dead reckoning
Aim off
Low Pressure
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What are low pressure systems (depressions)
- Weather is getting worse
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http://nodehillenvironmental.typepad.com/take_the_weather_with_you/low_pressure_systems/index.html
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Low pressure systems are formed when cold and warm air battle away in the atmosphere. Warm air wins at the front of the
system creating a warm front and pushes the cold air back forming a cold front behind it.
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Winds in the upper atmosphere push depressions in an easterly direction. Depressions which affect the UK usually come across
the Atlantic from America. When a depression passes over you get weather associated with the warm front first followed by the
cold front.
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Air travels around a depression in an anti-clockwise direction parallel to isobars. These are lines which join points of equal
pressure which is measured in millibars (mb). The closer the isobars are together, the stronger the winds.
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Expect wind, rain
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Listen to the radio to see what the millibars are in other areas
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Low pressure systems spin counter clockwise - visualize what is happening where
Wind
 Fetch
 Swells
 Periods, seconds between swells
 Height
 Swells wrap
 Breaking Waves
 Off shore reef
 Shore slope
 (steep, long and shallow)
 The lee vs. windward shore
 Beaufort Wind Scale
Pulpito Windy
Beaufort Wind Scale
QuickTime™ and a
H.263 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Rain
 Wet, wet , wet
 Everything is wet
 Dress carefully
 Set up tarps
 Keep tents closed
when packed and up
Now What? Extrapolate!
 You are on the beach, ready to go
 Day one, or you just woke up at camp.
 You checked the weather last night
 Now you look around and check your
instruments
 How does this current information compare
with what you know?
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