WEATHER AND BOATING United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary has significantly reduced the number of Search and Rescue missions required to be performed by the men and women of the Coast Guard in response to Boaters in trouble on the water due to inclement weather through educating our fellow citizens about the hazards weather brings to safe boating. Many lives have been saved by boaters practicing the principles they have learned in the Boating Skills and Seamanship course. The following excerpts on several weather conditions are taken from the Boating Skills and Seamanship course materials presented by the Coast Guard Auxiliary Division 10 (5SR) Flotillas here in the Greater Wilmington area. For more information on course offerings please contact Donna Sauer, the Division 10 Public Education Staff Officer at (910) 270-9830. donnaacga@ail.com Boaters have a special need to know about WEATHER. On land, the effects of storms can be devastating. At sea, they can be even worse. High winds, lightning, rough seas, and poor visibility are some of the things that accompany storms. Your recreational outing can end in disaster. But it need not. The first step in avoiding weather problems is, “Know before you go.” If bad weather is in the offing don’t go. This means that you need to know where to get good weather information before you go out on the water. At least as important as knowing what weather to expect on your trip is knowing how to tell when the weather is changing. Is the weather what you expected? Are there signs that it is changing? WEATHER INFORMATION Television, from both national and local stations, has weather reporting and forecasting programs throughout the day and night. Likewise, radio, both FM and AM, broadcast almost continuous local weather information. In the case of both TV and radio, stations near the coasts and large inland waterways often have local marine weather broadcasts. The National Weather Service continuously broadcasts weather information over its network of FM weather stations. Its forecasts focus on specific locales and give marine weather conditions where applicable. NWS updates its forecasts as soon as new information is available. If severe weather develops, NWS immediately broadcasts the information. You can receive NWS broadcasts on inexpensive, narrow-band FM receiving sets. These sets use either household electrical current or batteries. The broadcasts are also available on the weather channels of your VHF-FM marine radio. You should be able to receive NWS broadcasts on one or more of their broadcasting frequencies. If you have a VHF-FM radio or a narrow-band receiving set aboard your vessel, you can receive the latest information while you cruise. WIND Fog, heavy rain, sleet, and snow create problems for boaters by reducing their visibility. In reduced visibility, you may become disoriented and unable to return to port. You become more vulnerable to collisions and to grounding. Although these problems are serious, they are mild in comparison with those created by wind. Wind is a basic problem in thunderstorms, tornadoes, waterspouts, tropical storms, gales, hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions. But wind does not have to be this strong to create dangerous boating problems. Even fairly mild winds can create rough boating conditions by their effects on water. Winds do not have to be of hurricane force to create a surge. Most northeast storms along the north Atlantic coast create surges and cause severe property and ecological damage. In strong winds, the water levels of bays and sound rise beyond those of normal tides. Moored boats may rise as far as their mooring lines will permit and will sink if the water rises above the pilings to which they are tied and be impaled on them as the water level falls. Boats in covered slips may be crushed against the roofs. The most common wind related problem faced by boaters is rough water. Large waves may overturn or swamp small boats. Breaking waves can make small boats yaw and broach or pitchpole. Most waves are caused by wind and continue to grow from it. Up to a point, the longer the wind blows, the higher the waves become. Too, the greater the interrupted expanse, the higher the waves. Eventually, the waves reach a maximum height for the fetch, wind speed, and duration of the wind. FRONTS Cold fronts move at speeds of 10 to 30 knots depending on the time of year. They are two to three times as fast in winter as in summer. If a cold front is moving fast, the zone between it and the warm air mass in front of it will narrow and the changes will be abrupt. Thus if a cold front is moving fast, there will probably be a line of strong winds in front of it called a SQUALL LINE. Wind speeds in squall lines are often as high as 30 - 60 miles per hour. Gusts may be as high as 80 - 100 miles per hour. Squall lines present dangerous boating conditions. Behind them is heavy rain, followed by clearing. WARNING….If a cold front is approaching, or has arrived, use extreme caution. This includes not boating or returning to port. FOG Fog is a cloud in contact with the earth’s surface. It consists of water droplets or ice crystals which form when air is cooled to the dew point. Fog is the most frequent cause of limited visibility. It is also the most common weather hazard. The speed with which fog can form makes it especially hazardous. It is not unusual for visibility to drop to less than one mile in a few minutes. Advection Fog occurs in coastal waters and is caused by warm, moist air from the land blowing over cold water. It is a concern for boating since it moves rapidly in dense “banks” that can overtake and surprise unwary boaters. WARNING……Advectation fog can reduce visibility to a few feet in a matter of minutes. It occurs most frequently in cold seasons. FOG PRECAUTIONS…..Mark your position prior to entering the fog area, reduce speed, assign lookouts to both look AND listen, consider anchoring if out of shipping channels, give appropriate (bell and/or whistle) sound signals. THUNDERSTORMS Thunderstorms may accompany cold fronts. Thunderstorms can also occur in non- frontal weather. Summer thunderstorms are usually this type. Regardless of its cause, a thunderstorm is probably the storm most feared by boaters. The winds, heavy rains and lightning in thunderstorms are dangerous. The National Weather Service calls a thunderstorm “severe” if its winds are 50 knots or greater. It is also severe if it has hail that is three quarters of an inch or larger. And if it has a tornado in it, it is severe. On most summer days, after-noon cumulus clouds are capable of turning into thunderheads and thunderstorms if there is enough moisture in the air. Keep an eye on them. You may be able to run for safety before there’s any danger. In hazy weather, you may not see the thunderheads forming since haze limits the visibility. On such hot, muggy, hazy afternoons, you should be alert for static on your AM radio, the sound of distant thunder, or the flicker of lightning. Stay close to port so you can run in if necessary. If you are sailing and do not have auxiliary power, be especially alert. The winds may die shortly before the storm begins. This is no time to be becalmed. If there is a threat of bad weather, have all hands don their life jackets, batten your hatches, and tie down all loose equipment. Once the storm hits, try to take the first (and heaviest) gusts of wind on your bow, not abeam. Heading into the wind is the most seaworthy position for most small boats. Approach waves at a 45 degree angle, this will keep your propeller under water. It also reduces pounding and provides a safer and more comfortable ride. Stay low in the boat. Don’t make yourself the tallest target. Keep away from all metal objects. Lightning does not have to strike a boat directly for strong electrical charges to be aboard. If it strikes the water near your boat, it may affect the metal parts on the boat. If you would like to know more about weather and many other aspects of Boating Safety, consider joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary. We have excellent courses available to you that will help you become one of America’s Life Saving Volunteers. For more information on joining, contact: Division 10 Staff Officer Personnel Services Diane Chaney (910) 270-3538 or email here at gfchaney@bcinet.net ...Boat Smart; Boat Safe; Take Control... $$