Re: [Paddlewise] Canadian weather

> At 06:53 PM 12/17/99 -0800, Mike wrote:
> >As some may remember from my post last winter, I am tentatively planning a
> >long west coast of Vancouver Island trip for next summer.<snip>
> >unusually bad year, or my previous scenario was unrealisticly rosy,<snip>>
> >Any long-term local knowledge of the area's weather (May to September)<snip>

A few minor addenda to Doug Lloyd's excellent synopsis of his approach to doping
out Vancouver Island sea conditions and weather:

Doug wrote:

> Sea State Conditions
> Sea state values are added to the Forecast for the various boundary areas.
> A particular location may experience significantly different conditions.
> The sea state values are traditionally a combination of wind wave and swell
> heights, unless otherwise noted. A given sea state value is averaged from
> significant wave heights, which are taken from observed or calculated
> heights of the highest one third of the waves. Announced values can be
> higher than the average height of all waves. This also causes much
> confusion and derision amongst paddlesport enthusiasts who may not observe
> what is being reported. 

> Swells are just "larger" wind waves produced from distant systems far away
> from the local conditions being superimposed upon by locally generated wind
> waves. Average paddling-season swells run 1 to 3 meters. September may
> often experience 1/2 to 1 meter swells when prevalent NW winds abate. May
> (and June too, I suppose) paddling North of Brooks Peninsula is not
> encouraged, due to a combination of large swell, significant local wind
> wave heights, and wet weather.

Two comments:

1. I want to emphasize that "significant wave heights" has a technical meaning
different from what normal English would suppose.  Thus, while many of the waves
encountered will approximate the height quoted, *expect the occasional larger
wave.*

2. For my tastes, swell (absent boomer-prompting reefs) is a piece of cake
relative to the "seas" generated by local wind.  Such "seas" are normally
composed of very confused steeper and shorter period stuff -- which seem to give
me way more trouble than true swell -- true swell being longer wavelength, not
as steep, and not confused.  (I love paddling in swell -- and don't like
confused seas much at all!)

> You can determine a rough guesstimate of wind wave heights by dividing the
> average steady wind by 10. Thus, a 30 knot wind would possibly produce a 3
> metre sea. This presupposes a steady blow of 6 to 8 hours over open water.
> Calculations can be modified up or down, depending upon durations higher or
> lower. 

This sounds about right, but a caveat is in order:  the wind which generates
"wind waves" may not be the wind a paddler experiences locally.  I've had a
bunch of times when the lighthouses were reporting seas much rougher than the
local wind would justify -- and when I have gotten outside to take a look, the
lighthouse folks were invariably correct!

Take your 'brolly. Michael!

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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