Hot weather sailing.

[noelH]

For those living in the South. Those suffering under the Heat Dome.  Do you sail under hotter than hot conditions?  L. Superior tends to be on the cold side.  Even when temps are +80F onshore the conditions just a mile or two offshore can be pleasantly cool to cold.  E to NE are usually always cold no matter what month of the sailing season.

Our normal wind patterns have been really messed up this season. Direction, magnitude, and velocity.  Yesterday's cold front from the NW (winter winds) cleared out the trace of high elevation fire haze. Mostly cloudy sky. Those blotchy layered puff balls of clouds with a few patches and lines of blue here and there. Pretty clouds.  Some dark slate grey bottoms with sunlit highlights up their sides. Very beautiful day to sail the dark blue grey waters. Got cold even wearing the Baltic gilet. Had to add the rain gear to cut the wind and add an insulation layer. Back into the Bay late in the afternoon was able to remove the rain gear. Wind had dropped to F2-3. Water temp in the Bay is relatively warm.

Never have sailed anywhere warm.  Based on the "drifter" days on L. Superior.  The only time it is really warm to hot. Don't think I would enjoy the heat unless there was at least a F4 wind.

[pgandw]

In my neck of the Carolina woods (and swamps), July and August are when the fronts mostly disappear, and you have an afternoon sea breeze with morning calms.  As you get into August, and the water gets really warm, the sea breeze isn't as strong.  It's pretty miserable - 90 deg temps with 90% humidity.

But if you get into your head that July, August, and late Jan to early Feb are the "off" months, there is some great sailing in the "on" months.  March through June are typically the strongest winds (except for the fairly rare Sept or Oct hurricane).  Mostly need to reef the main when sailing.  October and November (often December into early Jan, too) are glorious and warm with decent winds, just short days and long nights.  When air temps are below 60, and water temps below 70, it's time to wear my life vest while sailing, both for warmth and safety.

Fronts move through coastal North Carolina on a regular basis (except for July and August), then reform as a low pressure center off Cape Hatteras to start their trek north.  Some are very strong, others not so much.  The strong fronts create wind-induced "tides" which change water level as much as 3ft in my creek on the north side of Albemarle Sound.  A north wind blows the water out for a few days dries the swamp mud enough for me to cut back the worst of the vine growth.

It's hard to believe the Canadian smoke is drifting all the way down to North Carolina, but it is.  Today is the worst since early June.

Fred W
Yeopim Creek, Albemarle Sound, NC

[Wayne Howard]

For me, July and August are non-sailing months and definitely no overnight trips. The seabreeze in Pensacola dies down after sunset and it gets stifling. And jumping in the water doesn't really help as Pensacola Bay and the Gulf are currently running 85°F.

Here at Canyon Lake in Central Texas, it's worse. Fiberglass will tan your butt in seconds and there is only one or two boat ramps open due to low lake levels from the drought. There are 23 boat ramps built onto the shoreline. The lake is currently 14 feet below normal pool level.

[Riley Smith]

No, this time is akin to hell in the Southland. My weather station said 103F w/ 95%! I'm thinking it reads a couple of degrees high, although I haven't actually checked, but needless to say, that's BRUTAL. I never have any FUN during this time, and since that's the whole idea BEHIND having a catboat, it don't get used very much THEN. Yeah, yeah, I'll have to admit it wasn't READY until now, but that's BESIDE the point!!! Trailer lights due tomorrow. I'm still motorless but there's always Sonya's paddle hanging on the garage for all to see. That's dusty and archived and maybe will get a giggle.

[Doug SC]

Yesterday the high was 92 with a moderate smoke warning from the Canadian wildfires. We put my Potter 19 in at the sailing club about 2 and sailed until 6 on Lake Murray, SC. Then went for a swim. Built a fire and cooked hotdogs over it at dark. We went to bed late. I slept on the boat with the front hatch up and the companionway open as where both screened ports. slept in the v-berth without a sheet over me. I woke an hour later feeling cold and closed the front hatch. Two friends slept in tents, and one in his car with windows opened with screens in them. Noone slept hot. Surprisingly the Mosquitos didn't join the party.

Today got up to 97F about 2. we spent the morning paddleboarding, practicing self and assisted sea kayak capsize rescues. Which had us doing a lot of swimming. Ate lunch and chased it with cold watermelon and talk around the table on the covered patio under an overhead fan. Headed home about 3PM.

I am bone tired and probably got more sun than I need, but it was hot but never really oppressive until about the time we left. The shade and the fan made it comfortable under the patio.

[Travis Chapman]

I'm not that far south living here in Maryland, but as a Lake Erie guy who came to school down here and learned what humidity in summer was, I appreciate it's just a not-fun part of the year

When we moved back stateside from Guam my reaction was "You know hun, Maryland summers aren't much different than the island was: very hot, very humid, very little relief." Here we are living it. My normal practice is to forego sailing in July and August and back load trips even into late November. Not worth not feeling like it's fun out there.

Last year I had to make an exception though. After sitting out the 2021 season, the one opening I had was in August. I felt that hot sailing was better than not sailing. I spent two nights out on our local lake (Codorus State Park in PA) and while not the most comfortable, it was generally OK. Second day I anchored in a shaded inlet and stayed under cover while reading and enjoying a lot of iced tea. Had enough breeze that a light sheet was fine for sleeping (I use a sleeping bag liner too). Wet wipes to stay clean amd get off the sweat and sunscreen at the end of the day. There was enough breeze to enjoy the sailing and the evening was perfectly pleasant.

It's not quite like the burners we've gotten these past few weeks, but I could see myself making the same choice again if pressed. Cooler of water, electrolytes to mix in for taste, good food, sunscreen and patience.

[Frank B.]

Simple answer is no I don't.  Bay Springs lake has a population explosion the occurs after Memorial day and lasts until Labor day.  Mostly power boats, pontoons and jet skis.  It is often very hot and windless.  So I let them have it.  Once football season starts, school is back in, and the hunters are dusting off their guns, the Lake is mine, often all to myself.  So fall through spring but not summer.

[Captain Kidd]

Worst part of hot weather sailing for me, on the Hunter at least, is set-up, launching, retrieving and take down. If it's a bob and bake day, no wind, at least you can swim. But the other is just plain work.

[Doug SC]

A real upside of having joined a sailing club is my boat stored on site with the mast up which greatly reduces the time dealing with the boat before and after sailing.

[Norm L.]

Having 3 of my 4 boats in a marina slip 100 yards from the house made it easy for sailing, sitting in the cockpit with a warm or cold beverage, or just lying in the cabin reading a book and listening to the marina stutter beat of halyards against masts.

But rarely this time of year. August and/or September onboard preparing it for an approaching tropical storm or hurricane and checking on it during the bad weather. The happily rare downside around here of being in the water.

[Brian N.]

Long Island NY, North Shore sailing (Long Island Sound between NY and CT) July and August are prime sailing with normal air temperatures in the 80's and a reliable breeze from the west 5 - 10 knots (usually). Sure, we get a couple of windless hotter days but that is when the power boats and PWC take over, so I don't bother to go out.

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[noelH]

Yesterday's forecast was more or less correct... eventually.  Zilch for wind in the AM, but by noon a steady 7-10kt with gust maybe to 12kt NE veering E (onshore) breeze kicked in.  Hoisting the main at ~1300 is a bit of a late start.  But getting desperate for some tiller time.  Only 5th day sailing for the month.  Not sure if this is just a flukey summer or if the Canadian forest fires are influencing wind patterns or ? 

Haze due to the forest fires and warmer moist air over the cooler L. Superior surface resulting in water level haze.  Flat grayish world. Dark grey water. Light grey air.  Visibility was down at time to less than 2nm.  Sailing N up the center of the Bay felt like out in open water.  Larger sailboats ghosted into and out of view. Happy things cleared up by late afternoon. Solid F3 winds in the Bay.  Rounding Long Is. point to get out of the Bay the wind was a breeze at best.  Usually NE to E winds results in larger seas in the S. Channel. It pinches down to less than 2nm between Madeline and Long Is. Sometimes the current and swell off Long Is point allow "surfing" Vela. Hit 8kts once on a boat with less than 15ft waterline.  Not yesterday. Came about thinking a long, slow slog back to the Marina. Nope. Inside the Bay the wind was nice.

Outside of weird atmospheric conditions. Nice day. Air temps in the mid-60sF and mild sunlight made for very comfortable conditions.  Wind was ok.  Enough to keep Vela moving at +80% of hull speed in the Bay. And I almost got rammed by a "sea" creature. No Killer Whales on L. Superior. Just some larger fish.

[rfrance0718]

On Lake Erie we still get wind in August. Fronts still roll by, then a couple of days with medium wind, then maybe light air until the next front. The water is still refreshing, but the algae blooms start to collect. All and all, still cooler than Columbus, 100 miles to the South.

I sailed one day at the Apostles 2 weeks ago. Cloudy with 8 to 10 mph breeze, shutting off after a couple of hours.

At Flathead we sailed on mountain thermals. Gusts over 30 on Monday, then gusts to 25 on Tuesday, then light northerly morning thermals Wed, thu, and Fri.