Fremantle Doctor

Currently down under just south of Perth, in Fremantle, Western Australia in the build up the ISAF World Championships, where countries try and qualify for the Olympic Games in 2012. Great Britain is obviously already guaranteed they're slots as we are the host nation, however not all of the British Sailing Team have been selected yet - this will surely be a place for those wanting to go to make their mark

I have been down here in Fremantle for a week and when we landed it was a relatively cool 15 Celsius at night and only 23-24 Celsius during the day, some coaches were heading to the shops to buy jumpers. However, we the had 32-34 Celsius and 20 plus degrees at night for a few days followed by the wettest day in December for 30 years yesterday here in Perth

Thunderstorms and torrential rain put stop to day 4 of racing for the Match racers and day 2 of racing for some of the other classes, however today we are getting back to 'normal'!

Wrapped for the rain and storms 

Fremantle as a venue is famous for being windy, with the wind here named the 'Fremantle Doctor' - why you may ask?

The standard answer is because it is a  breeze winds that appears to generate from Fremantle and bring welcome respite to the hot summer temperatures. I believe the doctor part was established due to the fact that the sea breeze comes in blows away a lot of the flies that potentially transferred more disease- though I can't remember where I read this officially

But, today for racing the Fremantle Doctor is in and I am off to provide the British Team with some further updates on the conditions and expected wind strengths for the day
Check back tomorrow for a better explanation of the Fremantle Doctor

Third and final day at J-Cup.

SYNOPTIC SITUATION
High pressure has finally moved in from SW and this is maintaining a moderate W airflow over the area. Initial overcast conditions will quickly lift to leave predominantly clear skies by 1100 and therefore a decreasing W wind
A local sea breeze will attempt to develop (100-140) but is likely to be unsuccessful resulting in a decreasing offshore wind

 Air temperature: 20-22 Celsius

Weather: Broken to overcast low level cloud lifting and clearing by 1100 to scattered cloud - mainly over the land

Time	Wind Direction	Wind Speed (KT)	Comments
0900-1100	270-290	04-07	Overcast cloud lifting to scattered- shifty offshore conditions
1100-1300	270-290 becoming 240-290	04-09	Scattered cloud – puffy conditions as town heats up
1300-1500	240-290	01-06	Surface wind decreasing as local sea breeze attempts to develop
1500-1700	240-290	01-06

Day Two of the J-Cup: Guernsey - the sun is coming out!

The low pressure that provided all the wet weather of yesterday has slipped E but continues to maintain a moderate to gentle N backing NW airflow over the area. This will provide offshore shifty conditions with a small probability of conditions becoming calm as a sea breeze attempts to develop

Air temperature 19-20 Celsius

Weather: Cloudy becoming scattered cumulus, predominantly clear skies

Time	Wind Direction	Wind Speed (KT)
0900-1100	350-010	05-09
1100-1300	310-350	03-09
1300-1500	310-350, locally calm, becoming 090-140	04-07
1500-1700	090-140 becoming 310-350	02-06

Sea breeze will be fairly weak and the development may actually just result in lighter offshore NW conditions, with slower moving pressure

J-Cup Guernsey- Tuesday

 Not the best start to the regatta in terms if sunshine. But definitely goo in terms of the wind

Synoptic Situation

Low pressure over France maintains a strong ENE airflow over the area. The associated frontal systems are fairly slow moving and not expected to clear through until 1400-1500

Air temperature: 16-18 Celsius

Weather: Moderate to heavy rain until 1400-1500, then isolated slight rain. Clouds breaking early evening

Time	Wind Direction	Wind speed (KT)
0900-1100	040-060	15-18 G  24
1100-1300	040-060	24-26 G 30
1300-1500	040-060	20-24 G 28
1500-1700	020-040	18-20 G 25

Outlook

Wednesday sees skies clear and a light N airflow dominate. Looking for thermal influence to increase the wind

330-360 02-05 becoming 060-100 05-08

Round the Island final weather update

Having carried out the weather briefing at the Island Sailing club, on behalf of Raymarine, I thought I had best do one final update of the expected conditions for the Round the Island race.

Currently we are experiencing some reasonable slight to moderate rain and drizzle , this will quickly clear leaving initially poor visibility conditions that will steadily improve

Cloud cover is expected to break from 0900-1000 and become fairly clear by midday. With this we should see an increase in wind speeds as a thermal enhancement develops, peaking at 24-27 KT in the gusts.

Overall the directional trends are limited which puts more emphasis on the tidal aspect off the race

Have fun and see you all soon

Sail for Gold Launch time

Having a little breather post forecast as we watch the sailors launch on the fourth day of the regatta.

Slightly lighter breeze so looks like a full days racing with a W going SW 10-15 KT looking like it will build late afternoon.

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June- a busy month and hopefully the start of Summer

June seems to be the start of what is often called the 'silly season' in terms of events and the rapidly approaching summer

For me as part of Weatherwhiz it is definitely getting busy as I keep and eagle eye on the weather for the forthcoming festivals and I am focus is turned towards two fairly big events in my calender for the year, the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta happening at the Olympic venue in Weymouth and Portland this week and the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race which is in its 80th Year.

Two very different in events in fairly quick succession but this is why I love my work.

To go from working with some of the elite sailing athletes in the Olympic world (some of whom who will no doubt be partaking in the Round the Island) looking at very small gain features over short periods of time to pitching to 1000s of sailors who skill, knowledge aims all vary in a race that can last in excess of 12 hours is quite challenging

While Skandia Sail for Gold looks set for changeable conditions with initially easterly regime over the weekend slowly fading allowing weak sea breezes and potential delays mid before we head into hopefully a building SW at the end, it is a little too early to have a punt at what the weather conditions will be like for the Round the Island

Check back in a week and there will be some first snippets of what to expect.

As for the IOW Festival it is still looking like a dry and sunny one not perhaps as warm as first thought but definitely looking at 15-18 Celsius

World weather and the coming bank holiday

With the SB3 Worlds coming to a very tight finish down to the last race on the last day, Weatherwhiz is proud to have supported such a highly competitive event and is looking forward to future class events.

However, the world of weather quickly moves on and is back in the forefront of the news. From the damaging winds over Scotland on Monday to the Volcanic Ash Cloud and which way will it move.
The unsettled and changeable conditions of the week will make this very difficult to predict and if you have any flight travel plans all I can say is be prepared!

Around the World there have been a few other weather stories with Tornados continuing to cause a huge amount of damage in Oklahoma in the mid west USA.

Here in the UK I am sure we are all looking forward to the bank holiday weekend and what the weather has in store for us. Will it be like 2009 when the beaches were flooded with people as we had some record temperatures?

Unfortunately, I think this is unlikely as we will experience a moderate to strong SW to W airflow over the weekend with cloudy and possibly drizzly conditions on Saturday, becoming slight drier and brighter as the weekend progresses. 

Why not pop back on Friday morning to get an update on the conditions expected.

Final Countdown - SB3 Worlds look set to end with testing offshore conditions

Welcome back to the last of the daily weather blogs for the Zhik SB3 World Championships in Torquay, with conditions returning to the offshore regime of earlier in the week



Weatherwhiz has enjoyed providing the SB3 fleet with a daily forecast and hopes that for many of you it has been helpful and you will return to our site to see what else we are up to.  With the Nationals set to be held in the Solent don't forget to check the Weatherwhiz site in August to see what is on offer

Friday 20th May 2011
Synoptic Situation: High pressure continues to slowly build from the WSW maintaining a moderate building to strong WSW airflow

Air temperature: 14-15 Celsius
Weather: Clear skies with cumulus developing

Expected Conditions
0900-1100   230-250 08-12
1100-1300   230-250 08-12 building 12-16
1300-1500   230-250 12-16 becoming 230-260 12-16 G 18
1500-1700   230-260 12-16 G 18

Max wind strength: gusts to 18-20 KT after 1300


Have fun!

Conditions get tricky on the 4th day of the SB3 Worlds

Welcome back to the daily weather blog for the Zhik SB3 World Championships in Torquay, with the forth day of the Worlds and a change in conditions 

With GOLD fleet racing well under way and a change in conditions today increase your chances by upgrading your forecast with access to the more detailed forecast and get an added heads up with the Venue Guide  - simply click here and fill out your name, email address and your requirements

Thursday 19th May 2011
Synoptic Situation: High pressure builds post cold front from yesterday. This is maintaining a light NW backing WNW airflow. While temperatures are looking low at only 15- 16 Celsius, with plenty of sunshine it is looking like a Sea breeze day

Air temperature: 15-16 Celsius
Weather: Clear skies with cumulus developing

Expected Conditions
0900-1100   330-360 04-07 becoming VRB, mainly 020-060, 01-05
1100-1300   VRB, mainly 020-060 01-05 becoming 110-140 05-08
1300-1500   110-140 05-08 becoming 160-180 07-11
1500-1700   160-180 07-11 becoming 250-280 

Max wind strength: gusts to 11-12 KT after 1600


Have fun!

Day Three and the last of the WSW moderate to strong winds

Welcome back to the daily weather blog for the Zhik SB3 World Championships in Torquay, with the third day of racing and the final day before the GOLD-SILVER split 

With GOLD fleet racing just around the corner and a change in conditions expected on Thursday increase your chances by upgrading your forecast with access to the more detailed forecast and get an added heads up with the Venue Guide  - simply click here and fill out your name, email address and your requirements

Wednesday 18th May 2011
Synoptic Situation: The high pressure system that has been dominating the S of the UK has slipped away allowing conditions low pressure conditions to dominate with a weak cold front expected expected between 1500-1600

Air temperature: 16-18 Celsius
Weather: Broken to overcast cloud with outbreaks of slight rain

Expected Conditions
0900-1100   220-250 15-18 
1100-1300   220-250 15-18 
1300-1500   220-250 15-18 veering 250-270 12-16
1500-1700   250-270 12-16 veering 260-290 14-18

Max wind strength: gusts to 20-22 KT until 1500-1600


Have fun!

Another lively day expected- Day Two SB3 Worlds

Welcome back to the daily weather blog for the Zhik SB3 World Championships in Torquay


I suspect you are all getting to grips slowly but surely with these tricky shifty offshore WNW conditions,  but don't forget you can always upgrade your forecast with access to the more detailed forecast and get an added heads up with the Venue Guide ahead of the changing conditions later in the week - simply click here and fill out your name, email address and service request.
Tuesday 17th May 2011
Synoptic Situation: High pressure extends over the S of the UK this is maintaining a moderate to fresh WNW airflow over the area 
Air temperature: 15-16 Celsius
Weather: Scattered to broken low level cloud with increasing high level cirrus

Expected Conditions
0900-1100   250-280 12-16 gusting 18
1100-1300   250-280 12-16 becoming 10-14 
1300-1500   250-280 10-14
1500-1700   250-280 10-14 becoming 240-270 08-14

Max wind strength: gusts to 18-20 KT until 1100-1200


Have fun!

Day One of the Zhik SB3 World Championships

Welcome all SB3 sailors to the first of the free daily forecast for the forthcoming race days for the World Championships.

Don't forget you can always upgrade your forecast with access to the more detailed forecast and get an added heads up with the Venue Guide ahead of the changing conditions later in the week - simply click here and fill out your name, email address and service request.





Monday 16th May 2011
Synoptic Situation: High pressure extends over the S of the UK this is maintaining a moderate to fresh WNW airflow over the area 
Air temperature: 16-17 Celsius
Weather: Initially overcast with some breaks developing by 1100-1200

Expected Conditions
0900-1100   270-290 07-10 becoming 260-290 12-17
1100-1300   260-290 12-17 gusting 20
1300-1500   260-290 12-17
1500-1700   260-290 12-17 becoming 250-270 14-18



Max wind strength: gusts to 20-22 KT


Have fun!

Moooooorning to the SB3 Pre-Worlds

Welcome all SB3 sailors to the first of the free daily forecast for the forthcoming race days for both the Pre-Worlds and World Championships.

Don't forget there is still time to sign up for the more detailed forecast for your forthcoming World Championships and get an added heads up with the Venue Guide - simply click here and fill out your name, email address and service request.

Thursday 12th May 2011
Synoptic Situation: High pressure extends from the W to maintain a WNW veering NW airflow over the area
Weather: Partly cloudy 
Air temperature: 14-15 Celsius


Expected Conditions
0900-1100   270-290 07-10 becoming 260-280 09-13
1100-1300   260-280 08-13
1300-1500   260-280 08-13
1500-1700   260-280 08-13

Have fun!

Forecast Sneak Preview for Zhik SB3 World Championships

Welcome to a sneak preview of the potential conditions in the week ahead of the Zhik SB3 World Championships
From Thursday 12th May you will be able to find a daily forecast here for free, for the duration of the Pre-worlds and World Championships on race days
The free forecast will be in the following format shown below - a peak at Tuesdays weather for those getting down to Torbay early.

For greater detail, including the following additional features please click here to go to the website and find out more,
1. Venue Guide
2. Course area specific forecasts
3. Outlook throughout the event
4. Daily summary of conditions

Tuesday-10th May 2011
SYNOPTIC SITUATION: Low pressure is expected to sit the NW of the UK leaving Torbay on the S flank of the system. This will maintain a gentle to moderate SW airflow over the area

Air temperature: 16-17 Celsius
Weather: Partly cloudy - small cumulus developing

0900-1100   240-260 07-10
1100-1300   240 -260 07-10 becoming 220-240 10-12
1300-1500   220-240 10-12 becoming 07-10
1500-1700   220-240 07-10 becoming 250-270 04-07

Max wind strength: 14 KT
Min wind strength: 04 KT
Tide: HW: 1148   LW: 1728

Wednesday
Air temperature: 11-13 Celsius
Weather: Partly cloudy
Wind: 270-300 10-15

Thursday

Air temperature: 13-15 Celsius

Weather: Partly cloudy

Wind: 270-300 10-15 becoming 15-18

Friday

Air temperature: 13-15 Celsius

Weather: Cloudy

Wind: 280-310 15-18

Happy preparation!

Heat lows, light winds and tricky Hyeres conditions

It has been a very tricky week here in Hyeres not just for the sailors but also for me as a forecaster. As a venue it is probably one the hardest to forecast for and for the sailors to interpret. It is often said that no two days are the same but here that can really seem like the case - just when you think you have sussed it you haven't.

This morning we were greeted to a beautiful mill pond and an outlook for the day that didn't look promising with generally less than 06 KT from the E and possibly even some showers.

By 1000 the wind had filled in and then built to a peak of 10-12 KT on some courses, not quite what was planned but considerably better. This allowed the racing to be completed in some reasonable conditions ahead of the final medal race tomorrow. I am sure many were please about this as some races drifted to a close yesterday in <05 KT with wind direction varying for 090-170.

Why is Hyeres so testing? Predominantly it is due to its location, rather than a nice piece of straight coastline which makes sea breeze development relatively simple it is complicated by the Peninsula and the islands offshore.
Coupled with that the region to the NW of the area heats up very quickly and create a low pressure system- commonly called a 'heat low', an example below. This effects the gradient wind which drives the surface conditions. Here in Hyeres it acts to enhance E to ESE conditions but in the process makes for often unstable conditions until established.

Bonjour- Happy Easter

I departed the UK on Good Friday to arrive on the South coast of France at Hyeres to cold and cloudy and now torrential rain conditions! That rarity of a lovely Bank Holiday for Great Britain and I am sadly missing out - enjoy people

I am currently out in Hyeres for another in series of  ISAF World Cup Olympic Classes Sailing Regattas supporting Skandia Team GBR in the 13 month build up to the Olympic Games
Racing starts tomorrow and today we are seeing the end of some very strong E winds (made for an interesting landing) and some fairly heavy rain that has limited peoples training programmes

Conditions are looking like they will be gradient driven (no thermal influence) for the first couple of days as temperatures attempt to recover and build into the end of weak. Initially moderate E conditions will steadily decrease through the week resulting in sea breeze developments.

Hyeres as a venue is a fairly tricky for sea breeze developments as you can see from the surrounding land causing issues in the quadrant developments. It essentially results in two separate sea breeze developments, a local sea breeze form ESE and the dominant WSW sea breeze that moves in over the peninsula

You can check out the event website http://sof.ffvoile.net/ for the results

The Olympic Classes European racing scene is underway........results at www.trofeoprincesasofia.org

It has been an interesting and very busy few days for me, including an long trip down in the ‘fun bus' ,  but I got here and set up in sunny Palma, Mallorca, ahead of the first of five major Olympic classes regattas to held across Europe. Over the coming 4 months some if not all of the Skandia Team GBR British Sailing Team will travel first to Palma, where I am currently, then to Hyeres, in the south of France, Medemblik in the Netherlands, Weymouth for Sail for Gold back in the UK and then potentially Kiel, in Germany.

Since February many of the team have already been out in Palma, including myself, for some ‘warm weather’ training- especially given the UK temperatures this year. This is so the sailors can maximise their training with slightly longer daylight hours and considerably warmer sea temperatures- only dropping down to 12 Celsius as opposed to the incredibly low 4.5 Celsius recorded in the Solent this year. 

The added benefit as always is getting to know the venue more, experiencing different wind and sea conditions. Palma is classically thought of as a sea breeze venue but over the last few years we have experienced more gradient  driven conditions including a some serious thunderstorms and even a funnel cloud (picture to follow)

Typically a light wind venue and small sea state, you can easily be caught out by the shallow low pressure systems providing gale force winds and massive sea states.

Has spring sprung

Over the last week we have been experiencing so much milder conditions with overnight temperatures not really changing a huge amount from day time temperatures.
Looking around and about the garden and fields a like we are starting to see a few daffodils poking their green stalks out of the ground. If like me you are a keen gardener you may be beginning to think about getting some early planting in with the thought that maybe the last frost has been and gone.

But as we have seen all too often here in the UK the cold may well come back to bite us. This weekend we will see the transition of a cold front for many in northern England and Scotland possibly some wintry showers. More importantly though air temperatures are expected to fall to between -4 degrees and zero so we can expect a few more ground frosts in this forthcoming month of March.