It’s not going to be the nicest weekend but it also won’t be freezing cold. We’ll get most of the rain over by tonight however there will still be a few passing showers around tomorrow. In other words, just another spring-like day in the Pacific NW. The one thing you won’t have to worry about this weekend is too much wind. Tidal currents will be an issue because of the light air. At least for Saturday, you’ll have the big ebb of the day to push you north. Just be ready to take your time at Foul Weather Bluff(FWB), because when the flood starts, the wind will ease, making getting around Marrowstone a challenge.
Tidal Currents Admiralty Inlet Off Of Bush Pt.
0624 Slack
0918 Max Ebb 3.01 knts
1218 Slack
1548 Max Flood 2.87 knts
1948 Slack
Sunday
0624 Slack
0954 Max Ebb 3.07 knts
1254 Slack
1548 Max Flood 2.96 knts
2048 Slack
The sat pic for today and the surface analysis chart show the weak front that’s going over us today as well as the centers of the two low-pressure systems off of the coast. One is off of the Strait of JdF and one off of the Calf-Oregon border. Both are weak systems however with the jet stream remaining well to the south, these systems won’t be moving very fast or very far.
The surface forecast charts for the weekend continue to show a very weak pressure gradient over the Salish Sea. With light conditions for Saturday and 15-20 knots of SSW for Sunday. Saturday will start off with light and variable breeze until about noonish when a light northerly will fill down with the start of the flood tide, the Swihart Effect. You may have 10-12 knts of northerly from Pt No Pt to FWB just not much beyond FWB. There will also be plenty of breeze in the Straits, it just won’t get as far as Pt. Townsend.
Sunday will benefit the big boats and later starters as they will have more breeze and it will be a beat. The early starters will be in less wind and the start of the ebb. By 0900-1000hrs you could have 15-20 knots of SSW breeze. This however will only last until about 1200 hrs when it will start to ease and by 1500 hrs the breeze will be 4-8 knots of SSW from Jeff Head to the finish.
All in all, as it always is, it will be a great, fun weekend. Just be safe, and good luck!
Pacific NW Offshore Race starts May 11th and while it may look like these low-pressure systems may pose a threat, they will remain offshore and provide racers with challenging and frustrating conditions. Maybe a little bit of running for the start off of the Columbia River becoming a close reach and then a beat the rest of the way to Victoria. First finishers in on Saturday afternoon. Luckily this could all change by Thursday, keep your fingers crossed. We will have an update on Monday and then a more detailed forecast for the Skippers meeting on Wednesday.
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)