We still have some showers around the area however those should all be gone as this cold front moves on to the east. As per usual, this will bring a post-frontal, onshore flow to the area which will mean SW a breeze for the central Sound this afternoon. With a strong westerly coming down the Straits watch for our famous convergence zone to develop this afternoon and maybe into the early evening from Edmonds north to Marysville.
April 19 500MB
April 19 Surface Analysis
April 20 Surface Forecast
April 21 Surface Forecast
April 22 500MB
April 22 Surface Forecast
April 23 Surface Forecast
With a weak ridge of high-pressure trying to build over the
area tomorrow, this will bring strong westerlies to the Straits and a nice
northerly flow down the Sound and should give racers a pretty nice day on the
water. You could start off with 15-20 knots of northerly which will gradually
ease off starting about mid-afternoon.
Current won’t be much of an issue as you can see from tidal
current at West Point.
Saturday
0700 .39knts Ebb
1206 Slack
1530 1.15knts Flood
1818 Slack
Sunday
0748 .40knts Ebb
1236 Slack
1618 1.17knts Flood
1918 Slack
On Saturday you should probably expect the flood to start
maybe 30 minutes early because of the northerly wind flow down Sound so you’ll
really want to watch COG and SOG on the beats. Eventually, it will pay to come
off the starting line and go west as the wind will back from a true northerly
to a more traditional northwesterly. Something to watch for.
Sunday will be a more difficult day as there won’t be
much gradient over the Salish Sea and the area will begin to feel the approach
of the next frontal system due to arrive late Sunday or early Monday. This will
create a light southerly flow over the central Sound on Sunday morning which
will give way to very light conditions by Sunday afternoon before a weak
northerly comes down from the Straits in the late afternoon or early evening.
Have a great weekend and good luck on the big Easter Egg
Hunt!
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)
As you undoubtedly noticed, we had the remains of a weak frontal system move over the area today and it will continue to move inland overnight. As it does, it will continue to weaken and behind the front, a weak ridge of high pressure will start to build along the coastal waters producing an onshore flow. Since the frontal system is weak and the high building along the coast is weak, the timing of these events is not well-defined.
The satellite picture and the Sea/Tac Doppler Radar give us a nice view of the current situation.
April 18 500MB
April 18 Surface Analysis
April 19 500MB
April 19 Surface Forecast
April 20 500MB
April 20 Surface Forecast
April 21 Surface Forecast
The surface charts for today, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday show a consistent progression of these systems. The general rule is that the first day the ridge builds will be the best day for breeze and that matches what we are seeing with the pressure gradient being tighter tomorrow and into tomorrow night and then starting to ease Saturday.
The good news for West Vancouver YC’s Southern Straits Race is that most of the racing will take place on the west side of the Straits where the northwesterly will fill first, be the strongest, and last the longest. The lighter air will be in the starting area while the onshore flow continues to build in the Straits. You should probably start logging the barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction at Sentry Shoal, Sisters(34 knots of SE at 1400hrs), Halibut Bank and Sand Heads to get a feel for how fast things are changing.
The starting area should see 5-10 knots of westerly. This
will hold until about midday when you should expect the wind to build to 10-15
knots of west-northwesterly as you beat across the Straits. Think about
hoisting your first headsail in the port groove so you can do a quicker tack
change as the wind builds.
It’s mid to late afternoon where the models diverge as far
as wind velocity goes. One model has the wind building to 15-25 knots while the
GFS model has it holding at 10-15 knots until midnight when it will build to
15-20 with higher gusts closer to Vancouver Island. This should hold until
about midnight when the gradient should ease and the wind begins to drop. As
the gradient does ease, expect lighter air the closer you get to the finish as
the onshore flow will begin to conflict with the downslope drainage
northeasterly coming down the mountains.
For the Long Course, it looks like the TP 52’s will make it
around in about 19 hours finishing around 0500 hours. On the Medium Course, the
Beneteau 40.7’s should be finishing about the same time. My apologies to the
Short Course boats, I just don’t have any of your polars.
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)
It is certainly like an almost normal April with periods of rain, more snow in the mountains, some sunshine almost immediately followed by cooler cloudy weather and of course, more rain. At least our rainfall deficit should drop from more than three inches to less than two inches.
Today’s charts and satellite picture provide a very good visual as
to why all of this is happening. The front that came through yesterday has left
us with a nice ridge of high-pressure that will drift to the east over the
course of the day as another front takes aim at the Pacific Northwest. This
will give us a nice westerly flow down the Straits with the usual 15-20 knots
of westerly from The Race over towards Whidbey Island. The inland waters will
feature light and variable winds until early Saturday morning when a southerly
flow will begin to develop. By mid-morning Saturday we can expect 15-20-knots
of southerly over the central Sound, perfect for PSSC, just be ready. By
mid-day Saturday this could build to 25 knots of southerly. This will coincide
with frontal passage.
April 12 500MB
April 12 Surface Analysis
April 13 Surface Forecast
April 14 Surface Forecast
April 16 Surface Forecast
Around mid-afternoon, a strong post-frontal flow will begin to
develop with strong westerlies (small-craft advisories in the central and east
Straits) coming down the Straits which will meet up with a strong southerly
flow coming up the Sound. This will, in turn, cause a very normal Puget Sound
Convergence Zone to develop from Edmonds to Marysville. The predominately
southerly flow, which will stay in place for most of the day over Central
Sound, will shift to the southwest by late afternoon.
The post-frontal onshore flow will create light and variable winds
for the central Sound on Sunday as the Olympics will act as a block to this
flow. Early Monday morning the wind along the coast will become a pre-frontal
southeasterly as another front approaches the coast with, wait for it, more
rain. At our gardens are smiling.
We’ll have a special Southern Straits update on this coming
Thursday afternoon.
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)
This is one of our
favorite events all year and it is eerily similar to last year with lots of
doom and gloom forecasts. The question, as always, is when will these fronts
actually impact the race area and that is a very good question.
Doppler at Langley Hill
Today’s surface analysis shows a complex, flattened, series of low-pressure systems ranging from 974MB to 977MB. This front is what we will experience today. The front for tomorrow is attached to a 992MB low directly south of the aforementioned system. The 992MB system is very fast moving and will not weaken until it begins to interact with our coastal buffer zone sometime tomorrow morning. This will put the front over the race area in the late morning to mid-afternoon.
The current Doppler at Langley Hill clearly shows a more intense frontal system headed our way this afternoon and matches up nicely with the satellite picture. We have generally light southeasterly flow over the area now and this will increase as the system approaches starting late this afternoon and into the evening. The barometer is clearly dropping and that is also reflected with the readings from Destruction Island on the coast, where there is 30+knots of wind and the barometer is still dropping so the front is not there yet.
April 5 500MB
April 5 Surface Analysis
April 6 Surface Forecast
April 7 500MB
April 7 Surface Forecast
The first start is
at 1100 hours and there should be about 12-18 knots of pre-frontal
southeasterly. The strongest pre-frontal breeze will be in the eastern part of
Straits and up into the San Juan Islands With the passage of the front now
looking like to be about midday to early afternoon, expect a brief drop in the
breeze as it backs to the south-southwest. As the breeze settles into a more
southwesterly direction, this is when we should see the strongest breeze of the
day. Then as the front moves further away from the Salish Sea the breeze over
the center Sound will slowly drop as the gradient eases. This is a reverse
start so the battle on the upwind leg will be to keep your air clear. Tides
will not be much of a factor.
Tidal Currents at
West Point
0712 .4 knots Ebb
1018 Slack
1524 1.06 knots Flood
1812 Slack
Remember that since
we will have had some rain, the ebb in the morning will probably last longer,
delaying slack water by as much as an hour.
Wind Vs. current at Destruction Island
So you will want to get a clear air start and then hold starboard tack to the breakwater and then work your way up under West Point as there will still be some wind-generated surface current against you. At West Point head across the Sound on port tack. Go all the way to the Bainbridge Island shore to again get out of what current there is. There should be a slight knock as you get to Bainbridge so sail well into it before you tack to starboard and work your way up to the Rock.
It’s also possible
that if the front is delayed after interacting with the coast that we may have
a very east-southeasterly breeze that will allow you to make the mark on one
long port tack.
You’ll probably do a
port pole set however as you get past all the rocks headed north get set up to
gybe and get aimed at West Point. At West Point, the wind may shift slightly to
the SSE and become puffy as the wind starts to come out of the Ship Canal. Get
set-up to do your drop early and start negotiating with the boats around you
for buoy room at Meadow Point. As you sail
past the finish line be sure to sight it and figure out which end is favored.
Perfect sail handling at this mark will pay big dividends. You’ll need to tack
out from the beach fairly quickly so make sure that is all part of your
rounding plan. You should tack back to starboard once you can make the beach
between the bathhouse and the north end of the breakwater. There will be a
knock as you get in close to the beach. Tack when you can lay the favored end.
If it’s the buoy end put a little in the bank because the current from the Ship
Canal will set you out.
The satellite view
I also had a great
question this week once it looked like it might be breezy and we could be in
for some heavy weather. The question was “How do you define heavy weather?” The
answer is that you define what heavy
weather is and that is the point where you and your crew are no longer
comfortable sailing in the existing conditions and there exists the possibility
of hurting someone or doing damage to the vessel. So for tomorrow, we will all
be in life jackets and safety harnesses and if it’s cranking, we may just stay
at the dock. Nothing wrong with that!
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)
Best weekend of the year so far is the good news. If you’re a sailor and you liked last weekend, you’ll love this weekend as it will pretty much be a repeat with light air over the Salish Sea. The surface analysis for today shows a weak ridge of high-pressure extending all the way from SE Alaska to the Mexican Border with a weak low-pressure system (1018MB) just off the coast. By tomorrow that low will be gone and the ridge of high pressure over the Pacific Northwest will strengthen leaving no real pressure gradient over the entire area.
March 29 500MB
March 29 Surface Analysis
March 30 Surface Forecast
march 31 Surface Forecast
April 1 500MB
April 1 Surface Forecast
April 2 Surface Forecast
For most of the area, this will mean we’ll start off with
light southerly breezes that will die off as a northerly flow develops. The
northerly will hold through the weekend keeping temperatures mild and winds
light. It looks like we’ll have another weak frontal system approach the coast
on Monday however don’t expect much rain or wind.
A perfect weekend for some spring cleaning on the boat and
getting ready for the Sloop Tavern Blakely Rock Benefit Race next 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)
The first week of spring was certainly interesting with my brother in LA calling to complain that Seattle was 10 degrees warmer than LA. We also had three days of consecutive high temp records and we are now over 2” behind for rainfall year to date. This will all change starting this afternoon as a cold front moves over the area. Take a look at the satellite picture and the Langley Hill Doppler Radar and you’ll notice a very nice correlation between these two and where the front is located as of 1300 hours today.
March 22 500MB
March 22 Surface Analysis
March 23 Surface Forecast
March 24 500MB
March 24 Surface Forecast
March 25 Surface Forecast
March 26 Surface Forecast
Usually, frontal activity at this point on the day before a race is a good thing, not so much today. As you can see from the surface charts, the low to which this cold front is attached is relatively weak(997MB), not very stable and will become weaker (1003MB) over the next 24 hours as it is dragged off to the northwest and degraded by the coastal buffer zone. This will create a problem for tomorrow as there will be some wind from the south in the morning however as the day drags on it will become lighter and lighter as the pressure gradient expands over the Salish Sea.
Tidal Current at
West Point
0818 .34knts Ebb
1336 Slack
1636 1.00 Flood
1918 Slack
So while we may have wind for the start, it certainly looks like we won’t be able to complete the long course as two models have the Sound pretty well glassing-off by mid-afternoon. Maybe we’ll sail a shortened course. Who knows? There will be some rain around so dress accordingly and enjoy the day.
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)
The Ides of March and clearing over the Salish Sea.
The really interesting weather this week occurred over the Central US where there was a bombogenesis event. To have such an event means that you have a low-pressure system that drops 24MB in 24 hours. This low-pressure system rapidly intensified dropping 24MB in just 13 hours and brought hurricane force winds to most of the central plains along with blowing and drifting snow. The central pressure in that low dropped to 956MB. The lowest pressure we’ve seen in the central pacific so far this winter was 954MB in early December.
March 15 Surface Analysis
March 16 Surface Forecast
March 17 Surface Forecast
March 18 500MB
March 18 Surface Forecast
March 19 Surface Forecast
Unfortunately, we won’t have any where near that this weekend. It will be a lovely weekend to be on the water with temps maybe getting up into the low 60’s with the bad news being that there won’t by much wind for the Islands Race. The surface charts show the problem with a weak ridge of high-pressure setting up over central BC and extending south into the US. This will also act as a nice barrier keeping any low-pressure systems well offshore and directing them into SE Alaska. This pattern will persist into early next week with the 500MB charts showing the jet stream remaining in pretty much the same place. The good news is that this will help bring warmer temps to the Pacific NW just in time for spring!
For the Islands Race at least the current will, as usual, be
going the right way in Colvos which will help the fleet get north to the
turning mark where maybe the race will be finished. From the start you’ll want
to find the axis of the current and ride that as you drag race from hole to
hole. Then it will be a race to get to the Tides Tavern and then on to the
Yacht Club for what is always a great party.
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)
Some weather guru, watching pigs in HI while we watch snow.
While we may have had some rain or snow earlier this week, it looks like we are in for another lovely day on the water this weekend. The problem will be for Scatchet Head racers that there won’t be as much wind as last weekend. As the most recent frontal system has gone past the Pac NW, it has left us with a very weak and wandering ridge of high pressure system (1020MB) that will result in little to no pressure gradient over the area. While there is a weak southerly at West Point this morning, the pressure is rising so it will gradually move around to the east before becoming light and variable. This will persist overnight and then the question becomes when and how much northerly will come down the Sound on Saturday. The answer will be for racers (and the Race Committee) to check the pressure gradient from Bellingham to Seattle and Bellingham to Portland.
As of 1000 hrs PST Friday the gradient looks like this:
Bellingham 1016.8MB
Seattle 1016.9MB
Portland 1016.6MB
Take the difference between the readings of Bellingham to Seattle
and multiply times 5 to get approx wind strength over the north Sound. Any
differential less than 1MB says it’s going to be very light. Take the
difference between Bellingham and Portland and multiply times 10 for the approx
wind over the central and south Sound. The wind will flow from areas of higher
pressure to areas of lower pressure, so that tells the direction. This will be the best way to figure out the
answer to how much and when. Once again, as this a transitional period, the
models are not in agreement. Two models show some semblance of a northerly
starting to fill around noon and then building to a more reasonable 10 knots by
1400-1500 hrs.
March 8 500MB
March 8 Surface Analysis
March 9 Surface Forecast
March 10 500MB
March 10 Surface Forecasat
March 11 Surface Forecast
March 12 Surface Forecast
Once again tides will not be bad. I use the current at
Foulweather Bluff for what will be happening at Scatchet Head. It’s not an
exact match but it is certainly close enough.
0948 .67 Ebb
1312 Slack
1600 1.01 Flood
1930 Slack
Satellite View – Click to enlarge
I also look at Point No Point because of the timing of the flood
tide for the simple reason that the flood starts on the west side of the Sound
first. So, if because of wind direction, there’s a question about which way to
go, head west. There will probably be slightly more wind on that side as well.
Current. At Point No Point
1018 1.38 Ebb
1354 Slack
1554 .49 Flood
1854 Slack
All in all, it should be a nice day on the water, a little cool
but not freezing.
Have fun and be safe.
Ed. Note: Last week after Bruce’s Brief, alert reader Dan Tedrow asked for a list of resources. Check out Bruce’s response by going back to that Brief and scrolling all the way down.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Finally, our favorite series gets going this weekend and as
usual, it looks like this could be a good one. The folks that have been sailing
all winter ( South Sound Series) or got out last weekend for some practice will
benefit as there should be some very nice breeze. For a while this week it
looked like that high pressure (1045MB) that was centered over the mid BC
interior might slight further to the south. Now it looks like it will stay to
the north yet still dump some very cold air down the Fraser River Valley. There
will also be some fairly strong breeze (25-35 knots of northeasterly) in
northern end of the San Juans late Saturday and into early Sunday morning.
March 1 500MB
March 1 Surface Analysis
March 2 Surface Forecast
March 3 Surface Forecasat
March 4 Surface Forecast
While there won’t be much breeze when you get to Shilshole
Saturday morning, eventually the northeasterly out of the Fraser will follow
the path of least resistance and wind its down Admiralty Inlet and into Puget
Sound. It will start out as a light northerly but become northwesterly and
build as the day goes on. How much and when? That is always the question, but
right now you could see 20+ for the beat from Blakely Rock back to the finish.
The models are not in agreement about when the northwesterly will come down the
Sound but it will come.
Tidal Current at West Point
0806 Slack
1100 .53 knts Max Flood
1324 Slack
1512 .26 knts Max Ebb
1742 Slack
So not a lot of tide, the key will be when will the northerly
back to the NW. It will also depend upon where they set the start line which
direction you go at the start. If the line is well south of Meadow Point and
you can take a quick hitch to get in under Meadow Point you can get a slight
lift on starboard as well as some tide relief before you hold a long starboard
tack up the Sound.
If the line is north of Meadow Point and the wind is to left of due north, just make sure you have a nice lane to sail in and head west. As you get to the west, watch the cog and sog, watch for a knock and tack when you are almost laying the top mark. In the reverse start it’s liable to be a bit crowded at the first mark which will make a port approach just a little dicey. Besides, a starboard approach will be greatly appreciated by the foredeck crew as it will give them more time to get everything set up for a nice bear away set.
On the run to Blakely Rock, the breeze will tend to build on the
west side of the Sound first so you’ll probably hold starboard until the breeze
starts to lighten as you approach Bainbridge. Gybe out until you can gybe back
to starboard for your final approach to the west end of Blakely Rock. On the
run also track the true wind speed so you can give the foredeck crew plenty of
warning about a different headsail for the all-important last beat to the
finish. Regardless, you should have them set the headsail in the starboard
groove so you can do a tack change if you need to as you approach Magnolia,
Four Mile Rock. Remember, it can get shallow very quickly as you approach that
imaginary line between Four Mile Rock and West Point. From the aerials earlier
this week it appears there may be some shallower than normal water south of the
line from the lighthouse to the West Point Buoy with shoal water extending
further north of that line and slightly further out from the Point. Be
cautious.
After West Point, if the current is neutral or ebbing hold
starboard tack until you can just lay the area north of the south end of the
Shilshole Breakwater. You get a slight knock as you get close, just keep track
of where the finish line is and don’t over stand the finish.
Please leave your AIS on so I can watch the race. Have a great
race, good luck and be 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)
Plenty going on this weekend not to mention folks getting
out to practice for the opening CYC Center Sound Series Race, Blakely Rock next
weekend.
As you can see from the satellite image and the Langley Hill Radar we have a frontal system moving through the area today with a weakening low-pressure system sliding southeast from the central BC coast to off the mouth of the Columbia River by Sunday morning. This is not a particularly strong system so there will be some post-frontal breeze (westerly 20+knots) in the central and eastern Straits tonight and into tomorrow morning. This will ease and become a southerly-southeasterly breeze(10-15knots) over the Salish Sea for most of the day before it begins to back off towards sunset.
By late Saturday another
fairly strong ridge of high-pressure(1042MB) will begin to build over northern
BC and this will bring east-northeasterly breeze to the northern San Juan
Islands and into the Strait of JdF. Just how much cold air it will bring to the
region depends on just how far south this high-pressure ridge will extend.
February 22 500MB
February 23 Surface Forecast
February 24 500MB
February 24 Surface
February 24 Surface Forecast
February 25 500MB
February 25 Surface Forecast
February 26 Surface Forecast
As always, I’ve included the upper air charts that show the
flow becoming almost straight across the Pacific by Sunday. I mention this
because the jet stream got into the news this last week as a Boeing 787 Dreamliner was clocked at just over 800mph
ground speed over the northeastern US as it picked up a 230mph tailwind from the jet stream which allowed it to arrive almost an hour ahead of schedule into
London.
Satellite Image
So breaking it down by event,
the Jim Depue Regatta can expect a fairly consistent southerly of 10-15 knots
until late Saturday afternoon, should be some great sailing.
The Port Townsend Shipwrights
Regatta should see the same 10-15 knots but more southeasterly as the breeze
flows up Admiralty Inlet.
The Anacortes crowd will see
the same southeasterly with the possibility of gusts near 20 in the morning before
the breeze begins to ease about mid-afternoon.
Sunday will be a very
different picture depending on where you’re sailing. In Seattle for the
Frostbite Series, you’ll start off with a cold, light drainage easterly coming
down from the Cascades which will begin to die about noon as the northerly
works its way down the Sound. This northerly will start off light but may build
to 10-15 knots by mid-afternoon.
With Victoria, this will be
challenging especially in the morning as the breeze coming down the Fraser
River Valley will be fairly strong, bringing 15-25 knots of northeasterly to
the race area. This will begin to ease by about mid-afternoon as a northwesterly
breeze in the Strait of Georgia displaces the northeasterly. This will bring a
northerly of about 10 knots to the race area.
All in all, it looks like
some great sailing this weekend. Just be safe, wear your life jacket, and have
a great time.
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)
