The wind powers everything a sailor does and this book will help you to understand it. As a result you will be more prepared for your race, able to anticipate changes in the wind better and know what to do when they come. The first edition of this book was published in 1986, and it has been the go-to wind book for dinghy champions ever since. This new-look fourth edition is fully updated for modern forecasting and analyses a revised set of popular racing venues around the world: unveiling what to expect from the weather at over 25 regatta locations, it will get you ahead of the competition and powering up the leaderboard.
If you are doing an RYA course or are simply seeking to gain a greater understanding of the weather, this edition of the RYA Weather Handbook (which covers the Northern and Southern Hemispheres) is full of practical and useful information, on aspects such as theory, weather charts, clouds, predicting the wind, and the technology used in sourcing meteorological information. This edition provides more information than ever before about where to obtain forecasts, the growing use of technology in forecasting weather and obtaining up-to-date information and in particular monitoring the tell-tale signs around you for any indication that the weather may not be doing what was forecast. The areas that have been substantially updated and enhanced with additional content are: Tropical weather (hurricanes, cyclones and sailing in the tropics) Climate change New technology The illustrations have also been completely modernised and the look and feel of the layout has benefitted from an overall redesign, making even the most complicated subject easily understandable. This book takes advantage of Google's accessibility features (https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6006564?hl=en-GB).
There is way too much weather information out there on the Internet, and the trick is to find the key weather you need to go sailing safely and quickly. This purpose of this book is to help sailors find and use the important weather information in the endless universe of weather information.Whether you are planning a day sail on a lake, or a voyage across an ocean, knowing what the weather is going to do is as important as knowing how to trim your sails or set your anchor. Hopefully, this book will help you learn how to find and understand the weather you need as a sailor.
"Amateur weather forecasters (which includes just about everyone) will find this volume an informative and entertaining account of the why and how of the weather." — The Nation In simple language, Eric Sloane explains the whys and wherefores of weather and weather forecasting — and does it in a style that's universally appealing. With humor and common sense shining through in a book that's also lively and informative, Sloane shows readers how to predict the weather by "reading" such natural phenomena as winds, skies, and animal sounds. This beautifully illustrated and practical treasure trove of climate lore will enlighten outdoorsmen, farmers, sailors, and anyone else who has ever wondered what a large halo around the moon means, why birds "sit it out" before a storm, and whether or not to take an umbrella when leaving the house.
The weather affects everyone at sea, whether you are pottering along the coast, motoring from port to port or sailing to another continent. This book explains the basic principles that govern the weather from a practical, on the water, sailor's point of view. It goes through global, regional and then local weather patterns so you understand what is happening, how this might change and why. Armed with this knowledge and understanding you will be more confident to make decisions about when and when not to venture out to sea and what to expect if things change while you are out there. Simon Rowell shares his experience as a round-the world skipper and world-class weather forecaster. He explains the basic physics creatively and puts it in context with real situations to enable you to apply weather theory to practical sailing scenarios. Hundreds of illustrations aid the communication of what can be a complex subject, enabling you to better understand the weather and increase your enjoyment and safety when out on the water. This book is part of Fernhurst Books' Skipper's Library series of practical books for the cruising sailor.
In Heavy Weather Avoidance, Chen and Chesneau merge the seamanship of a master mariner and the forecast expertise of a senior meteorologist, providing readers with double-barrel exposure to what actually goes on in the atmosphere and on the sea's surface. Mariners and recreational sailors are more concerned about the implications of volatile weather rather than its fluid dynamics. From start to finish the authors have cut to the chase, creating a readable text brimming with useful graphics. It's focused on the root cause of how and why bad weather develops and where it's likely to go. There's enough theory provided for a reader to get a feel for how air mass energy transfer works, but just as the theoretical aspect takes on a mission of its own, there's a shift to more practical self-forecasting and storm avoidance wisdom. Captain Ma-Li Chen shares his well-tested routing strategy and describes how it factors in the use of the 500 Mb chart.
Learn to “see” the forecast in the hidden weather signs all around you—from the New York Times–bestselling author of How to Read a Tree and The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs In The Secret World of Weather, bestselling author Tristan Gooley turns his gaze up to the sky, bringing his signature brand of close observation and eye-opening deduction to the fascinating world of weather. Every cloud, every change in temperature, every raindrop, every sunbeam, every breeze reveals something about our weather—if you know what to look for. Before you know it, you’ll be able to forecast impending storms, sunny days, and everything in between, all without needing to consult your smartphone. But The Secret World of Weather goes far beyond mere weather prediction, changing the very way we think about weather itself. Weather is not something that blankets an area; rather, it changes constantly as you walk through woods or turn down a street. The weather is never identical on two sides of a tree—or even beneath it. Take, for example, Gooley’s remarkable discovery that breezes accelerate beneath a tree. To Gooley, this is “weather,” a tiny microclimate that explains why people sit beneath a tree to cool down—not only for the shade but, subconsciously, for cooler breeze. And so Gooley shows us not only what the weather will be like five days from now, but also what to expect about the weather around every corner. By carefully observing the subtle interplay of wind, cloud, fog, temperature, rain and many other phenomena, we not only form a deeper understanding of weather patterns, but also unlock secrets about our environment. Weather forms our landscape, and landscape forms our weather. Everything we see in the sky reflects where we are. When we learn to read weather’s signs, Gooley shows us, the weather becomes our map, revealing to us how it has made our towns, cities, woods, and hills what they are. You’ll never see your surroundings the same way again.
A history of weather forecasting, and an animated portrait of the nineteenth-century pioneers who made it possible By the 1800s, a century of feverish discovery had launched the major branches of science. Physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy made the natural world explicable through experiment, observation, and categorization. And yet one scientific field remained in its infancy. Despite millennia of observation, mankind still had no understanding of the forces behind the weather. A century after the death of Newton, the laws that governed the heavens were entirely unknown, and weather forecasting was the stuff of folklore and superstition. Peter Moore's The Weather Experiment is the account of a group of naturalists, engineers, and artists who conquered the elements. It describes their travels and experiments, their breakthroughs and bankruptcies, with picaresque vigor. It takes readers from Irish bogs to a thunderstorm in Guanabara Bay to the basket of a hydrogen balloon 8,500 feet over Paris. And it captures the particular bent of mind—combining the Romantic love of Nature and the Enlightenment love of Reason—that allowed humanity to finally decipher the skies.
Introducing key principles that influence the weather, this guide gives sailors the tools to forecast from observations and the available information. Wind, clouds and weather patterns are all covered, arming mariners with the knowledge required to predict the weather accurately. Illustrated with charts and beautiful photographs, this book is a must for anyone who ventures onto the water, whatever your boat, experience or sailing location.
