Wind Direction and Speed?

[Herb]

I was wondering if anybody knows of a site which provides historical wind direction and speed information. I am considering a short trip along SC in May and so I am trying to find out what to expect. I found the average wind speed from NCDC site, but not direction.

If the wind direction is listed as just SW, does this mean it is blowing to the SW or from the SW?

Thanks for any guidance,
Herb

[Neil Gordon]

>>I was wondering if anybody knows of a site which provides historical wind direction and speed information.<<

No, but if you have a cruising guide that lists marinas, etc., give them a call and ask.

>>If the wind direction is listed as just SW, does this mean it is blowing to the SW or from the SW?<<

Wind direction is where the wind is coming from. Wind vanes always point into the wind. Note that exactly the opposite applies to current, which is referred to as the direction it's going.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[D. Stump, Hanalei]

Herb,
As I understand it, wind direction is always reported as FROM the direction it is blowing. So, a SW designation means that the wind is coming FROM the South West.

As far as historical data, don't know where you can get that, except that if you look at the weather patterns across the U.S. land mass, the weather generally travels West to East. Along the SC coast, because of variations in the jet stream, the weather pattern is more commonly from the SW to the NE. So, if you are headed North along the coast, you could end up with a beam reach or broad reach on the port tack, or maybe even end up running before the wind. Of course, a storm changes all of this which makes being the Navigator so much fun!
Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30

[Matt Cawthorne]

Herb,
The information that you are looking for is contained in the pilot charts. It contains the 100 year average for the month and is presented in such a way as to tell you the percentage of time that the wind is reported to be from any given direction and it's average strength when it does come from that direction. For what it is worth I would not worry much about the probabilities when on a short trip. On my trip to Bermuda last year the Pilot charts indicated that I would have a close or beam reach for something like 60% of the trip. As it turned out we had less than 1 hour of beam/close reaching in 12 days of open ocean sailing. So much for averages.

Matt

I was wondering if anybody knows of a site which provides historical wind direction and speed information. I am considering a short trip along SC in May and so I am trying to find out what to expect. I found the average wind speed from NCDC site, but not direction.

If the wind direction is listed as just SW, does this mean it is blowing to the SW or from the SW?

Thanks for any guidance,
Herb

mcawthor@bellatlantic.net

[Jerry Axler]

I was wondering if anybody knows of a site which provides historical wind direction and speed information. I am considering a short trip along SC in May and so I am trying to find out what to expect. I found the average wind speed from NCDC site, but not direction.

If the wind direction is listed as just SW, does this mean it is blowing to the SW or from the SW?

Thanks for any guidance,
Herb

Wind is always reported as the direction FROM which it is blowing. You can get the historical info you wish from pilot books and from sailing directions in various cruising guides. Your local library or Commercial bookseller(Borders,Barnes&Noble Etc.)are good free sources.On a short trip such as the one you are planning is particularly subject to Mr. Murphy's laws and those average conditions will probably not apply.
Good luck.

Jerry

[John Baker]

I was wondering if anybody knows of a site which provides historical wind direction and speed information. I am considering a short trip along SC in May and so I am trying to find out what to expect. I found the average wind speed from NCDC site, but not direction.

If the wind direction is listed as just SW, does this mean it is blowing to the SW or from the SW?

Thanks for any guidance,
Herb

Dear Herb:
There are a number of weather sites. http://www.nws.mbay.net/marine.html
Has a lot of information regarding wind and wave action in the San Francisco Bay area. Perhaps there are similar sites for the SC area.
Happy hunting.
John Baker
"Solana" CD31 #31



poblana@juno.com

[Alex Warren,Charleston SC]

I agree that historical wind direction may not be of much help on the day you are sailing. If you have a lap top to take with you,there is a website that gives actual wind (and other weather conditions) from various buoys offshore in the SE. The site is www.nws.fsu.edu/buoy/se.html. Hope this helps!



Sailalex@aol.com