3 weather data points you need to know in advance whether you can row the next day.
Timestamps
00:45 Rowing is weather-dependent
Mostly we want to know in advance and apps are useful. What should you be looking out for?
Easy choices are – will it be sunny or raining? However the really important data is wind speed and wind direction for the time you plan on going rowing.
Also consider air temperature / water temperature plus tide if you row on a tidal waterway.
02:30 Sailing apps are useful
WindFinder and WindGuru both track wind (designed for sailing). They layer information such as a map graph animated to show wind movements over time.
Wind Direction
Where I row if the wind is coming from the East and is above 10 knots speed we can get on the water. This direction blows straight onto our pontoon. Finding the wind shadow on our lake can enable us to row when winds are higher.
Wind Speed
The limits for us are about 12 knots for big boats, less for singles and doubles/pairs. The WindFinder app shows gusting wind speeds as well as the base wind speed. This enables us to interpret the data in a more nuanced way.
Knowing the time of high and low tide is helpful too (for our other boathouse location) because low tide means navigation is more congested and hazardous.
05:50 YR is a new app
This is a Norwegian app – using the same base data points but their own unique algorithm to forecast ahead. Where I live the weather can often move through quicker than forecast. This app is much more accurate than the others and it also gives hourly updates rather than 3 hour increments.
Finally- when you thin the weather is going to be marginal, we found that deciding whether to row when you’re at the rowing club is better than trying to decide the night before.
Decide In The Shed; Not In Bed is our mantra.
Want easy live streams like this? Instant broadcasts to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. Faster Masters uses StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5694205242376192