Overall, it looks like a decent weekend of sailing, especially in the south and central Sound. Yes, even wind in the South Sound for McAllister Creek.
We have a fairly strong Pacific High (1042MB) in the mid-Pacific with a weak trough of low pressure along the west coast. This will keep a persistent SW flow over the Salish Sea with some rain. It will also be on the cool side. Take a look at the upper level/500MB charts and you’ll notice the jet stream currently comes ashore in Mexico which is why the temps are relatively cool. Notice also that over the week, the jet stream will become more zonal and by Tuesday/Wednesday it will be coming ashore near Westport which will facilitate some warming. That means upper temps finally getting back into the 60s by Tuesday/Wednesday and holding into next weekend.
For the South Sound tomorrow it looks like a SW breeze of 6-10 knots over the race course until about 1530-1630hrs when from Johnson Point to Big Tykle Cove(BTC) the breeze will ease to 2-4 knots. South of BTC the breeze will remain at 4-6 knots to the finish with the puffs clocking from the SW to WSW and W.
For the Central Sound, the breeze will start at 15-20 knots from the SW and gradually ease through the day and back to the SSW. For Sunday expect a SW breeze of 8-14 knots which will ease slightly over the day. The models are not in agreement after about mid-afternoon as a weak onshore flow will develop and one model has a weak NW breeze coming down the Sound by 1500-1600hrs. Just one more thing to watch for on Sunday afternoon.
Tonight, drink a toast to Scott Rohrer, one of the greatest sailors I ever had the privilege to sail with, for, or against.
Have a great weekend!
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)