Had I left yesterday I’d be about 80 miles from one of the stationary weather buoys monitored by NOAA.  Here are current conditions taken from that buoy this morning.

Conditions at 42002 as of

(8:50 am CST)

1450 GMT on 12/10/2008:

Wind Direction (WDIR):   NNW ( 330 deg true )

Speed (WSPD):                  29.1 kts

Wind Gust (GST):             35.0 kts

Wave Height (WVHT):    16.1 ft

Average Period (APD):  7.4 sec

Mean Wave Direction (MWD):   NW ( 323 deg true )

For those of you who are still filling in your nautical dictionary here are a few conversions that I find useful.  1 knot = 1.15 statute miles.  So, the sustained wind speed of 29.1 knots above equals 33.5 mph winds.  Those are sustained winds or constant with gusts to 35 knots or 40.25 mph.  Now here is one I found out last year on my way to South Padre.  The Wave Height is given as 16.1 feet.  What you have to know is that the number here is the average of the highest two thirds of the waves.  So with an average swell of 16.1 feet don’t be at all surprised if once an hour or so a 22 footer rolls through. 

Imagine being on a boat that every 7.4 seconds, the wave period, rises and drops through 15 – 20 feet of elevation while also moving forward at 6 knots.  Sounds kind of like being in the paint can shaker at Home Depot.

Lee Winters
Phone: (281) 336-0855
Satellite Phone: 8816-316-59853

Web: www.SailingForSOS.com
Email: Lee.Winters@SailingForSOS.com