You have to admit that it’s great to see boats getting out and doing more long-distance racing and cruising. Zvi, Sonic and Riva have all made it back from TransPac with plenty of great stories. Jubilee sailed back to Portland after having done the Pac NW Offshore Race from Ilwaco to Port Angeles and then cruised the Salish Sea. This week Pasargada cut the dock lines and took off to SF for the start of an extended cruise south. Well done to all of these boats for setting a great example for us.
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August 20 Surface Analysis
August 20 Surface Forecast 
August 21 Surface Forecast 
August 22 500 MB 
August 22 Surface Forecast 
August 23 Surface Forecast 
August 24 500 MB 
August 24 Surface Forecast
The weather picture for Salish Sea is pretty much the same as it has been recently. The main difference is that the Pacific High has finally started to set up in a more “normal” position (45N 148W) at a more normal pressure(1034MB), and it is almost round. These would tend to indicate more stability in the high however the long-range forecasts are not in agreement about this. Generally speaking, we will probably continue with the same weather we’ve been having. Not all bad, we could however use some more precip. It does appear that we are probably done with the extreme heat events for this summer.
The pattern of wind in the Straits in the late afternoon and into the early evening with possibility of Small Craft Advisories late Saturday and late Sunday. Wind over the rest of Sound will remain light with exception of mid to late Sunday afternoon when we could have 10-15 knots of northerly fill down the central part of the Sound.
Enjoy the weekend, go boating and stay safe.
Bruce has raced and cruised the Pacific Northwest his entire life. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Washington in Biological Oceanography and learned meteorology “to keep from getting kicked around on the race course.” Bruce spent nearly two decades as Associate Publisher for Northwest Yachting Magazine, retiring in mid-2015, and was the chairman of the board of trustees for the Northwest Marine Trade Association in 2014. (photo of Bruce driving Playstation is a bit dated, but cool)