Weather: How often is it windy?

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How often is it windy?

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Weather
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Printed Date: 16 Apr 24 at 4:53pm
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Topic: How often is it windy?

Posted By: x1testpilot
Subject: How often is it windy?
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 8:13am

Has anybody collected together weather stats so one can easily see how many days are light medium or windy sailing days?

Discussing the X1 with a few people, we seem to agree that at least in South England, inland waters perhaps 80% of the time the wind is light - although we probably remember the windier conditions more. So my real contention is that on inland waters is most sailing days are in light winds.

What do you think? What percentage of sailing days (including those you don't even bother going out in) would you classify as light medium and heavy? Say where you are talking about - obviously places on the sea or with sea breezes would be windier.

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Replies:

Posted By: SoggyBadger
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 8:42am

I'd imagine the Met Office has those sorts of stats.

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Best wishes from deep in the woods

SB

Posted By: x1testpilot
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 9:39am

Originally posted by SoggyBadger

I'd imagine the Met Office has those sorts of stats.

Do you know how to access them?

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Posted By: sargesail
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 9:45am

Not often enough!

Posted By: Medway Maniac
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 10:17am

I read somewhere - may even have been on the Met Office site (somewhere!) - that the average windspeed in UK is 10mph (or was it knots?).

But it varies hugely from season to season. Wednesday series usually see a couple of drifters where people creep home, but last season we had trapezing winds every week on the Medway, and not just downstream away from the buildings.

Most dinghy classes have evolved such that they are about right in average conditions in my experience, and work remarkably well over the range, when you consider that because of the square law, a change from 10 to 11mph implies a 20% increase in heeling moment.

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Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 10:23am

When I designed the PlusPlus I did some research with what I could find out on line (rather less than there is now I suspect), and from what I could find out not only do you get windy years and quiet years, you get windy decades and quiet decades.

Posted By: Medway Maniac
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 10:38am

Alright, here is a map:

http://www.bwea.com/images/misc/noabl_c.gif - http://www.bwea.com/images/misc/noabl_c.gif

and here you can enter your 4-figure grid ref to find out your local avg windspeed:

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/windspeed/default.aspx - http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/windspeed/default.aspx

Speeds are in m/s (1 m/s = ca. 2.2 mph)

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Posted By: Jack Sparrow
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 1:47pm

You can try here too...

http://www.windfinder.com/windstats/windstatistic_weymouth.htm - http://www.windfinder.com/windstats/windstatistic_weymouth.htm

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Posted By: marke
Date Posted: 10 Mar 12 at 2:44pm

Most of the Met Office data - from which all the various sources listed above are derived - are data collected at 10m and are average daily/monthly data. Apart from being able to (possibly) spot areas that are windier than others - these are not much value for analysing sailing conditions for lots of reasons

- windspeed at the centre of effort of your sail is going to be a lot different than 10m wind speeds - you can correct down to the surface for different heights but that will only be valid on the largest lakes/ open sea.

- daily average wind speed is lowered significantly by nighttime reduction due to thermal effects

- orography

- etc etc.

I know of a bunch of people researching near surface wind speeds - "can of worms" doesn't even get close!.

Mark

P.S Jim is right about windy years/decades - the big global circulation effects (ENSO etc. have an effect)

Posted By: rogue
Date Posted: 12 Mar 12 at 9:28am

Originally posted by JimC

When I designed the PlusPlus I did some research with what I could find out on line (rather less than there is now I suspect), and from what I could find out not only do you get windy years and quiet years, you get windy decades and quiet decades.

it's true, last year was a windy year iirc. I certainly got plenty of planing sessions in after work on my board. Contrasted to the year prior, where I spent a lot time crouched inboard for my evening sailing and rarely bothered with the board.

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Posted By: Presuming Ed
Date Posted: 12 Mar 12 at 9:48am

Chichester harbour - with archives - here: http://www.cambermet.co.uk/%28S%28akxmxb45rkajvs3cdq1g5223%29%29/default.aspx - http://www.cambermet.co.uk/(S(akxmxb45rkajvs3cdq1g5223))/default.aspx

Data every 5 minutes, if anybody fancies a project....

Posted By: getafix
Date Posted: 08 Jun 12 at 4:05pm

TODAY !!!!

Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 08 Jun 12 at 6:27pm

Looked like great day for a Minisail - shame I'm nowhere near the boat.

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