Advice on Good Weather Conditions

Sibfisher · 03 June 2022, 13:34

Hi Fellow Sibers

I have a Elling KB350 Sib and need a bit of advice on what is Good/Manageable more important calm weather condones to look for when going out offshore fishing.
For example Wind, Surf, Swell, Tide Ect Ect

New to this has only had my KB 350 out on the river and this year want to have a go off shore but not sure what to look for before I venture out.
Any help would be greatfull
Bob

Fenlander · 03 June 2022, 15:22

A few quick thoughts.

You need to look at the marine forecast for the day and consider if it is a settling or increasing trend. Consider the wind direction in relation to being blown back to shore or out to sea if suffering engine failure... and if to shore is it a place possible to land.

Does the wind direction leave you exposed or in shelter where you plan to go. Does the wind look like it will oppose the tide during any part of your trip giving rise to choppy water.

Do the tides for the whole period you'll be out allow enough water to go where you want... and in particular allow easy access back to the recovery point. Will the tides cause water to be shallow and therefore potentially choppy at any time you are out.

What is the tidal flow expected to do throughout the day because it will reverse as the tide turns and can radically change conditions if say wind with tide changes to wind against tide partway through the trip.

Ideally to find your feet a launch location that allows gentle increasing exposure to the elements to experience them in relative safety is a great help.... a slipway in a harbour or even better (usually) an estuary as opposed to a beach launch into a fresh breeze with breaking waves coming at you.

Are you familiar with marine charts? Available online and to me even for sibbing essential to have an overview before you visit any new area.

Others will add more I'm sure.

Brinormeg · 03 June 2022, 17:30

Someone I know was just cremated this past Wednesday after drowning in a relatively shallow inland loch on Orkney while fishing!

So think safety! safety! Safety!

All good advice already which I am glad we listened to prior to our rather short first sea trip.

If in any doubt head back, and just don't be tempted to chance it anyway by going out unless you are sure of conditions. As tempting as it is after planning and setting everything up!

Make sure yourself and passengers are wearing suitable floatation aids correctly.
Also have the appropriate safety equipment for the trip on board.....and make sure everyone knows how to use it.

We recently took our first trip to sea from a small harbour with a large sandy bay to head for if things went wrong.Which they did but we were able to limp back anyway.

We were very cautious and just waited for the perfect day. Very little wind which was blowing to shore along with tide. Not even a 1/2 mile out.

We made sure we had an anchor to hand with enough rope. Radio. Phones. Life jackets. Oars. Etc

Perhaps watch a couple of videos on YouTube to learn how to handle waves if conditions do suddenly change.

If at all possible I would advise to go with someone who has a bit of experience because to be honest it is quite daunting the first time.

Once at sea the biggest thing to strike me was how little and insignificant you suddenly become.

Loads of free apps to look at on tides, weather, winds etc and some fishfinder/plotters also have info.

Can't wait to try again and then I feel the powerboat 2 training is my next stop, although I've already got the book off amazon which is a good read.

Pikey Dave · 03 June 2022, 18:19

My first stop for weather is the Met Office inshore waters forecast and take it from there. Anything 2-3 blowing offshore & I’m in. When it starts getting 4-5 or blowing on shore, I start to do more serious planning & working out fall back plans. 5-6 & it’s drysuits & Geckos and be prepared to turn back. Never go out with a large following sea, it’ll lull you into a false sense of security, and then you turn around to head back and you see what you’ve been surfing on the outbound. It’ll be a slog heading back to base.
Never be afraid to bail out & head back. There’s always another day.

neil.mccrirrick · 03 June 2022, 18:37

Sound advice only thing I’d add is heading out into a prevailing wind is the way to go if unsure. You will always find return easier with the wind on your back

Pikey Dave · 03 June 2022, 18:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil.mccrirrick

Sound advice only thing I’d add is heading out into a prevailing wind is the way to go if unsure. You will always find return easier with the wind on your back

Yup, that’s what I mean with not going out with a following sea. You explained it better than I did[emoji848]

909 · 04 June 2022, 04:53

Windfinder.com

essex · 04 June 2022, 18:25

I find 5mph gusting to 10mph at sea is lovely sibbing weather but it only occurs once a week if that. I use predict wind app and get excited if the swell forecast is 0.1m

Jojosrib · 05 June 2022, 04:04

Good advice on this thread, so not a lot to add except. There’s nothing like a great day at sea……and there’s also nothing like a bad one. If in doubt don’t go out.

Sibfisher · 05 June 2022, 13:00

Thanks for all the feedbacks very informative and to me a bit confusing at the moment but with the information given will keep a eye on weather channels for best times.
What is mente by never go out with a large following sea ?

As said only been out on the river that as been good as fom my house can see the condones before setting off.

The perpetrations so far:- Orca 9.8 4 stroke, serviced with new oil (Engin/Gearbox, New Plugs Run Sweet.
Seago Life vest serviced new gas cylinder & Reaming kit 2025
First aid kit
Basic tool kit and few spares Plugs Ect
1.5 Kg Bruce Anchor with 2.5mts 6mm chain and rope
Small fire extinguisher
Puncher kit
Set of flares
12v Battery pack for the Lowrance Hook2 5 HDI Downscan plus for if needed a Sevylor 12V high pressure pump.

If you can think of anything else please say or is this too much.

Attached below is Navionics chart that shows the estuary of the River Minho the area I will be, the concrete launching ramp a bit up the river at Esqueiro on the Portuguese side any advice would be great full

https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=e...y=ovp~Fdkcu%40

paintman · 05 June 2022, 13:10

If you can give an idea of where you're going to be using it you might get some pointers as to the fishing.
I see you put Portugal as I was composing this!
Ask locals you see fishing. But be prepared that they won't tell you their best spots.

Good pair of binoculars to see where they're going can pay dividends.
Look for features on your chart - lumps & bumps in particular as these will often hold fish.
Fish over them with short drifts & once you've passed over the feature go back to where you started that drift & repeat. If no result then move to the next.

I view 'offshore' as being out of sight of land & if you're fishing deep wrecks or sharking then that may be the case.
But there are usually plenty of spots much closer in ('inshore') & most of my bassing is within 100 yards of the shore.

ETA. 'Following sea'. You are going with the wind & wave & this is usually easy & pleasant. Return journey will be into wind & wave - possibly exacerbated by the tide direction - & could be very rough & wet & possibly unsafe leaving you unable to make progress back to your start point & with trying to find an alternative landing point.

Quick google suggests you need a licence for sea fishing in Portugal. Might want to look into that before you go.
https://fishingbooker.com/blog/fishing-in-portugal/

Sibfisher · 05 June 2022, 17:01

Hi Paintman

As for where I will be using it to start I will be somewhere around the area I have put, I made a mistake when I said Offshore I should have said Inshore as I cant see myself going too far out being a novice and all.

I am based in Spain on the border of Portugal/Galicia at the moment that is the nearest good ramp I have found to launch from.

As for paper work I have all my papers being international waters have a licence and registration for my Sib to use on this river plus Insurance, Sea fishing licence plus a licence to fish the River Minho and also a licence to be able to fish from my sib.

Unlike UK you need a licence for everything, Expensive and a lot of running around the good news just have to renew next time.

As for asking the locals they are all tite lip and tell you nothing so it will be a matter of find it for myself.
When I do get out there I will use my Lowrance hook2 hdi downscan that I have loaded with a C-Map chart of the area that I got when purchasing the Lowrance free promotion and this as the same are I posted on Navionics so just got to learn the ins and outs of it.

Being retired I am lucky to be able to choose when I go out this is why I wanted advice on the the best weather condition to look for before I venture out. (Not into rough seas or bad weather)

Thanks Again

Blankton · 11 June 2022, 21:40

Interesting thread.

Generally an offshore wind will flatten the sea and an onshore wind will stir thing up.

The main thing I use is a surfing app called magic seaweed. This has a forecast for swell, which I think is the single most important factor to consider.

There are two aspects to the swell - the duration of the swell and the height. In my experience the duration is the most important parameter. A 4 or 5 second swell is not very nice, even if its only 0.5ft high, it slaps against the boat both while steaming out and when fishing. A longer swell interval - 15s is much more acceptable, even if its 1ft+. You will ride over the swell, rather than hit each peak.

What area will you be fishing?

Sibfisher · 13 June 2022, 12:13

Hi Blankton
Thanks for the advice and detail diagrams being new to this still getting my head around it, so the main things to look for is an off shore wind (How strong of a wind would this be), and to look for a swell interval of 15s or more you say even if it is 1f+ how much of a + would you say is too much.

In the diagrams I am a bit confused what I am looking for being a num num can tell me what I am looking for good conditions not understanding it as this being my first time.

When I go to install magic seaweed app it comes up with MSW surf forecast is this correct as when look at it does not come up with what you have in the diagrams below.

When I do finally go out on my sib I have a Lowrance hook2 plus on my phone have the Navionics app

I will be going out inshore around Galicia/Portugal where the river Minho comes out.
Attached below is Navionics chart that shows the estuary of the River Minho the area I will be.

https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=e...y=yso~Flf_u%40

Thanks for all your help and sorry if it sounds a bit confusing.

Max... · 13 June 2022, 12:48

Hi Sibfisher - I'd strongly recommend getting a copy of Dag Pike's classic book:

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/dag-pi...les-42877.html

Old but still the best book IMHO for anyone with a passing interest in SIBs (and RIBs) but it has a truly excellent section of handling our sort of boats in various seas - I'm re-reading it again this week for the umpteenth time in many years.

No-one can really advise you on what conditions are bearable for you - the sea changes all the time and IME rarely matches the forecast for long if at all. Nothing else on this earth is as changing and variable.

Having said that the main thing is to get out there and learn - choose the calmest weather and work your way up - confidence and ability to counter far more than you dared will come in quick time. You'll have fun on the calm days but you'll learn a heck of a lot more on the rough ones. And they can be even more fun much of the time.

And not sure if it's been mentioned but if you're new to boats sign up for a PB2 two day course - it will teach you so much and give you a ton of confidence plus it's a lot of fun and you'll have a qualification that is recognised in many countries if you ever want to hire a boat or use one on certain waterways.

As Dag says in the book in my favourite line:

Quote:

"With experience, you learn to read the waves when you are driving an inflatable and one of the more pleasant sensations is feeling on intimate terms with the sea and the waves, using the boat skilfully to be compatible with the elements rather than trying to fight against them."

chriswjallen · 13 June 2022, 13:35

Hi Max and All
Took your advice and bought a pre owned copy on eBay for £3.39. There are a couple more on there if anyone else is interested
Looking forward to reading it
Chris

Blankton · 13 June 2022, 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sibfisher

Hi Blankton
Thanks for the advice and detail diagrams being new to this still getting my head around it, so the main things to look for is an off shore wind (How strong of a wind would this be), and to look for a swell interval of 15s or more you say even if it is 1f+ how much of a + would you say is too much.

In the diagrams I am a bit confused what I am looking for being a num num can tell me what I am looking for good conditions not understanding it as this being my first time.

When I go to install magic seaweed app it comes up with MSW surf forecast is this correct as when look at it does not come up with what you have in the diagrams below.

When I do finally go out on my sib I have a Lowrance hook2 plus on my phone have the Navionics app

I will be going out inshore around Galicia/Portugal where the river Minho comes out.
Attached below is Navionics chart that shows the estuary of the River Minho the area I will be.

https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=e...y=yso~Flf_u%40

Thanks for all your help and sorry if it sounds a bit confusing.

Magic seaweed is a surfing app, so surf forecast is probably its full name. You click on the overview tab and that should show information similar to my screenshot above.

I don't have that area on my navionics, so I can't see a detailed chart. However Google satellite view suggests a very shallow sandy estuary. These type of estuaries can (in my limited experience) have quite fast tide races and potentially 'bars' at the river mouth. It looks very bassy with all those sand banks, but also looks like it could get quite tasty! Tide state and tide will also play into this.

A quick Google search found this: https://www.yachtingworld.com/features/running-aground-lessons-learned-nightmare-scenario-122579

Around there I suspect a lot of boating might be up river, with relatively few days that it would be sensible to exit the estuary into the open coast in a sib. Its difficult to say what are good conditions are for that area in terms of a fixed number for swell, windspeed etc. It might be best to visit the area a couple of times and watch when other boats are going out and equate this to the swell conditions to build up a bit of a picture.

Max... · 13 June 2022, 15:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by chriswjallen

Hi Max and All
Took your advice and bought a pre owned copy on eBay for £3.39. There are a couple more on there if anyone else is interested
Looking forward to reading it
Chris

Awesome, that's a bargain. I love the book - a real bible and just so easy to read and enjoy, Dag Pike has the credentials to back it up.

BTW - looking for the link I posted above for the book I had also mentioned it on a couple of other topics and these might be of interest to the OP and others anyway:

SIB in heavy seas - ~4ft waves - how to navigate safely with speed ??

Took my 14' out in 25mph winds in the Pacific, RIB needed?

GuyC · 13 June 2022, 15:22

Regarding the inshore / offshore wind. If you launch and then travel at 15 kts with a 15 kt wind behind you, you will make progress in an oasis of calm because the wind that you will feel will be zero.

When you come to turn round and assuming you'd like to travel at the same speed, you will find yourself battling against 30 kts of apparent wind and getting home will be a completely different ball game than going out. Even 5 kt boat speed would give you a 20 kt wind speed to go against.

In addition waves tend to move with the wind so the homeward leg above will be against the wind and against the waves.

As a result, it is always worth considering on the way out a quick U-turn and then spend a minute heading back towards home. This will give you an indication of the conditions you'll experience later.

The only thing I'd add to the list would be a PLB - personal locator beacon which will send out a distress call should you get yourself into significant trouble. I'd also be tempted to get rid of the flares for an LED one unless your legislation requires you to carry pyrotechnic flares.

https://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/

https://www.odeoflare.com/products/odeo-distress-flare/

Fenlander · 13 June 2022, 17:39

>>>always worth considering on the way out a quick U-turn and then spend a minute heading back towards home. This will give you an indication of the conditions you'll experience later.

100%.. particularly with a SIB where making progress into wind and waves can make a long haul on the way back. I always do this as the Mrs says just go a bit further on the outward leg.