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Weather

Wind, swell and gusts. San Diego.

Do not just check what it is doing now. Drag the timeline along the bottom and watch what happens at the hour you plan to come home. That is the forecast that matters.

Forecast data and map by Windy. Wind in knots. Tap the layer icons to switch between wind, gusts, waves and rain.

How to read it

  1. Look at gusts, not just wind. The average tells you the day. The gusts tell you what hits you on the beam while you are coming alongside.
  2. Scrub to your return time. A calm morning means very little if it builds to twenty knots by the time you are heading back in.
  3. Check the wave layer separately. Wind waves and swell are different animals. Short steep wind chop on the nose will ruin a day faster than a long swell will.
  4. Compare it against what you can see. The forecast is a model. Your own eyes at the slip are the final word, every time.
A forecast never makes the call for you. It gives you the information to make it yourself, early, while you still have easy options.

Next

Once you have the weather picture, check the water under your keel and run the boat down before you cast off.

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