MAY 2, 2023 AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

 

MAY 2, 2023

AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

With the rain we have had recently, the thought of our Tuesday evening sail was dubious at best. Both Predict wind and Windy called for a break in the rain from 5pm until about 8, so I decided to at least give it a try.  The same predictions called for a 10-15 knot breeze.  As the afternoon progressed, I observed the ocean from the beach which showed a steady southerly breeze. The sea-state looked like 15-17 knot winds and not much wave action.  I was going to learn how quickly conditions can change!

As crew arrived, we watched as a few boats left the harbor for the sail.  We left the harbor at about 5:10 and I was impressed with the steepness of the waves at the harbor entrance.  Though the waves were steep, they were not breaking.  The winds had increased to 20-23 knots so we hoisted our main with a reef in.  It was a crazy ocean with 6 foot waves and a very short period of maybe 6 seconds: not an evening for a pleasure sail! Despite these conditions, we still had three other diehard boats out for the “fun”.  I wanted to start the race from SC2 because of the southerly direction of the wind, but SC2 was missing.  I also had misgivings about trying to retrieve a start-line buoy in such conditions.  I got on the radio with the other 3 boats and each said they were ok with no race.  One comment offered was “we could be at the bar in five minutes”!  One boat chimed in from the harbor saying they were on their way out to see what was happening.  To add an explanation point to our decision to abandon race, rain started splashing us in the face with impending dark clouds overhead.  We “headed for the barn” as we passed the last boat coming out.  It did not take long for them to join us returning to the slip.

I appreciate the die-hard boats and crew that braved the conditions this evening: Sweetheart, Zoop, Watts Moore and Avatar.

 With the memory of our awesome sail last Tuesday with flat seas and a steady 10-15 knot Easterly.  The conditions of the ocean on this evening were like sailing in an alternate universe.

UNUSUAL CONDITIONS:  WHY?

I like Paul Tara’s (Zoop) explanation of what caused these unusual conditions.

“Sea State.  Confused sea states like last night’s (Tuesday’s) are rarely experienced by sailors in Santa Cruz.  They are usually the result of frontal passages, with rapidly changing wind strength and direction.  These occur during the winter months, when the Harbor is usually shoaled and boats can’t transit, or are accompanied by gales, when recreational sailing is precluded. Yesterday (Tuesday), the wind started out NW in the wake of the low that had passed the day before.  Then, it shifted to the SW and built as the day wore on, eventually settling in at SSW, per the forecast. Although it was backing when we were out, there was still a fair amount of west in it as we entered the Harbor.  This contributed because it wasn’t a true southerly and thus had greater fetch. Wednesday morning, the low is offshore of Monterey, and the wind has now backed all the way to a moderate southeasterly with a relatively calm sea state.  By the time the low is off Morrow Bay, the breeze will have gone around to the NNW.”

_)               _)

Though Predict Wind and Windy were not exactly right in their predictions, I’m glad we went out just for the education.  The only thing that “drove us back to the harbor (and the bar)” was the sea-state.  We were all bundled up for the chilly conditions and the rain was not severe. 

I hope to see you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice