weather/wave forcast

[wachsmad]

How many of you determine your trips out by just the 0-20 mile forcast (wind and waves) or do always base it off the 20-250 mile forcast or both? I always look at both. Been caught in the nasty 7 to 11 out in the gulf stream. Good weather when arrived but things got bad in a hurry about noon. Weather and wind direction had changed within an hour or less. 23 foot cat.

[Skipjack/VA]

Always look at BOTH forecasts. I generally go with the worst case scenario forecast - Offshore waters extending to the continental shelf. And never ignore late afternoon "severe thunderstorm" possibilites. Been caught in quite a few. RIGHT Guys? [smile]

[TommyTuna]

look at everything, but remember the offshore waters forecast covers many thousands of square miles - it could be flat calm in the Baltimore Canyon and 25 knots in the Hatteras Canyon area. They sometimes hedge a little by saying north portion, south portion, east or west blahblahblah but it is too broad an area to get excited over.

No matter what you still have to cross the inshore out 20 miles portion twice [tongue]

[jimmy k]

Thats why I alwasy look at the bouys & get real time data & compare that to the forecast....

[Capt Crunch]

I look at them all then flip a coin, consult the I Ching, look at my horoscope, consult my wife's mood ring and then take a look at the buoyweather.com forecast at

http://buoyweather.com/wxnav.jsp?region=NE&program=nww3BW1&grb=wna&latitude=37.5&longitude=-75.5&zone=-4&units=e

which seems to be the most relaible out of everything I've used, whether I'm offshore, inshore or anywhere else. YMMV.

[Darren]

252-223-7437

[Heaver]

I never use any one forecasting system alone, but opt to use these three.

I like to compare realtime data from the buoys with the forecast, then look at the intellicast wind forcast. If any of the three systems looks ugly I get wary. Any of the two look ugly and I'll stay in the bay or inshore.

It works for me most of the time. Still, things can go wrong - a trip to the south tower for amberjack with the boss from work aboard. It was an easy cruise there, seas got nasty on the way back, took 4.5 hours in 6' - 7' short duration seas. We took a pounding that day!! That days catch of big amberjacks was nice though....

Intellicast windcasts
http://www.intellicast.com/IcastPage/LoadPage.aspx?loc=kric&seg=Sail&prodgrp=Forecasts&product=WINDcast&prodnav=d1_00&pid=none

Buoy weather
http://buoyweather.com/wxnav.jsp?region=NE&program=nww3BW1&grb=wna&latitude=37.5&longitude=-75.5&zone=-4&units=e

NOAA
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/shmrn.php?mz=anz085

Lou

[wachsmad]

Thanks for those weather sites. I just thought I would throw that out there. I was thinking about running out of Hatteras this weekend but the Noaa weather report given me cold feet. Will keep an eye on the reports. Just dont want to get beat up first time out this year or go down and not be able to go out. I'm sure we have all been there.

[Darren]

Just call the number and tell them where you are fishing. you will get a much more precise and accurate forecast and also a feel for how solid they think their forecast is.

[Sea_Slueth]

Darren that number does not work.

I use the dial a bouy line as well.
228 688-1948.

Just follow the prompts.

Diamond Shoals is station 41025......

have a pen ready to write the stuff down....

[Darren]

Hmm, I wonder when NOAA went to changing their numbers. That was to get to an actual forecaster down there. I used it back at Christmas and it worked fine.

[Darren]

OK, I got it right now. 252-223-5737 #7. That gives you a live forcaster.

[Sea_Slueth]

Darren, very cool. I called the number and was amazed I got a live NOAA guy.

He's located in Moorehead, NC. Gave me the forecast and worked up a model for next week.
Pretty neat stuff.

[Darren]

Yep, just tell him where you are fishing and they tend to be pretty accurate within 2 days or so. They will also tell you just how confident they are in that forecast, which helps a lot for me on how much to trust it. I wish I could find the same type deal for the Va Coastal forecast but I haven't had any luck so far.