Wind conditions

[thelastreject]

Hi guys,

Is there a place that has a listing for wind conditions and different types of yaks.
For instance, I have my scout (as a beginner) but I'm not sure what wind conditions I will be comfortable with.

I was thinking of only going out when the conditions are less than 5 knots until I got more comfortable. Is this overly cautious?

[laneends]

Thats fine, as it can easily be worse than forcasted
http://www.bom.gov.au/marine/wind.shtml ... el&tz=AEDT
http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/meteye/?loc=NSW_FA001
[urlhttp://wind.willyweather.com.au/vic/melbourne/altona.html][/url]

Keep in mind the further wind crosses water (eg onshore) the choppier it will be.

[sawtell]

There is a place.

It's called in your head.
That is the only thing that can tell you if you are comfortable in the conditions in your kayak.

Start with no wind, and work it out from there.

[Rhys]

Where do you want to head out?

Certain locations in the bay are shelterd from the wind and can be calmer or choppier then the reports. Portsea to Blairgowrie for example can still be pretty good even when its a fair SW wind becuase its off shore and protected. Likewise with a SE wind Rosebud West to Dromana etc are protected. If its a Northerly its the opposite, the wind makes chop which can turn it to crap, but it depends on the wind speed.

But wind below 10 knots and seas below .5m are a good start.

[bruyaka]

Hey there Dave welcome . Don't be embarrassed for asking ANY question , I wish more people would . There are only stupid answers not stupid questions . I'll bet there are many people reading the replies to your enquiries as the more opinions you can get will help you form your own . Good luck on coming trips .

[Seasherpa]

One other thing to consider is that there are downsides to offshore winds too. Altona today was a classic example the wind turned NW and strengthened. At the ramp packing up the water looked like glass with only a ripple A girl in a yak came and launched and in the few minutes I was talking to Rhino she drifted from Millers ramp to the pier. When things go wrong in an onshore you and the yak are drifting to the beach when its an offshore your yak is blowing out into the bay and often at a rate much quicker than what the water conditions would make you believe.

Edit: The girl was fine and not in any trouble I was just using the example of her drift rate. She did notice the wind pick up and came back in though. If in doubt...

[Jerryx4]

scared!