Bringing strong winds to Pt. Isabel and the Olympic Circle. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com Pt. Isabel/Marina Bay is one of the great places to kite or sail in the Bay Area. You can actually cruise around a large uninhabited island. Take a hike across and driftwood strewn sand spit and then relaunch and…
Where does the heat come from and why does it end with a blow. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com So I was at Stevenson late yesterday afternoon waiting for the faint east winds to turn to cooling mild west winds enjoying the shade, great food and drink when I realized I had a blog…
UNDER CONSTRUCTION The answer lies with wavy jet stream. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com At the Hatchery this 2016 summer season 2 topics beyond the endless chatter about sail sizes are common. Most common are: 1. Why aren’t we getting the consistent 4.2 sail size winds typical of summer. It seems the average winds are either weaker than normal…
Subtle synoptic changes have major impact on Bay Area wind distribution. by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com If you work the waters north of the Bay Bridge you have seen plenty of strong if sometimes gusty days this season. But if you are a coast or Coyote and 3rd. Ave. water person you have had many weak or…
Año Nuevo clearing sets the stage for winds to the south. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com If you only sail inside the bay the frequent appearance of the phrase “Año Nuevo clearing” may see very cryptic. But is you kite or sail the coast from Waddell south that phrase sets your heart pounding. Most years…
Sure the Gorge winds are often gusty but some times they are over the top gusty…Why? by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Take a look at the forecast for yesterday Aug. 2, 2016 to the right. Exactly what does the forecast mean when it talks about strong wind aloft, turbulence, waves and gusty UP AND DOWN winds? And how…
Timing is everything! by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com I avoid forecasting for the Gorge for a number of reasons. The two biggest reasons are that it takes about 2-4 years of forecasting in a new area to learn how to interpret all the model output and empirical data to do decent forecasts. The second…
Blame it on the winds aloft! by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com For old timers the strong WSW winds of recent weeks north of the Bay Bridge see like a blast from the past. And if you have been a kiter or windsurfer for less than 15 years on the coast or Peninsula it probably seems…
The video for today July 10 shows what a major North Pacific High looks like on a typical April and July and September day. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com In April the NPH is often huge and is often interacting with storm systems in the Gulf of Alaska and along the coast of the Pacific Northwest….
Combo of late season storms and early season tropical storms favors NNW ocean winds & southerly eddy flow. by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Take a look at the wind graph to the right for June 13. The channel sensor is blowing 24 knots at 4:56 PM so you would expect hoards of kiters and windsurfers on…