sea conditions.

[m chappelow]

Best being in harbour wishing you were out at sea ,that being out at sea wishing you were back in harbour,

[Poly]

It's worth bearing in mind that the wave heights in the sea state presumably relate to the "significant wave height" this is a statistical measure where roughly 1 in 100 waves will be 1.5x the stated size... and there is a reasonable chance of encountering a save double the height.

I wouldn't base my decision entirely on the forecast any more than I would when the forecast is good and it looks nasty when you turn up. Only you can make the decision on your experience, competence, the capacities of the boat, engine and other equipment, and your personal attitude to risk. If the sea state is even at the nice end of 'moderate' then in a 4m sib its not going to be a particularly fun or comfortable trip for most people. If the worst were to happen then finding your boat won't be trivial in those seas, and finding a person in the water even harder.

[captnjack]

Originally Posted by rik_elliott

A decent sized sib will manage a force 4 to 5 no problems, and probably high end moderate sea state. You won't though.

Agree, above about F4 its just too hard on me even though the boat's got loads more in her.

[stevessub]

Adam, was thinking about going out at tynemouth in the harbour area. might just play in the harbour

[Max...]

Expect all advice to be ignored by new members as is common on the forum lately! SIBs have a very poor hold on the sea and move very quickly in a F3/4 when your engine fails, posted earlier but just to ask again:

"...guessing you have a good anchor, LJs, flares, VHF etc and someone who knows when/where you are out/back." Have you done PB2?

?

[theboysmiffy]

Originally Posted by stevessub

Adam, was thinking about going out at tynemouth in the harbour area. might just play in the harbour

You can launch at the beach/slip next to the sailing club. We always launch there, then go up the river or out of the piers to the coast. Gets a bit messy in the piers with the river and sea meeting. We will probably be there next weekend, might see you out.

Adam

[stevessub]

yes thats the same beach as ive been using, im also out next weekend hoping to view the airshow from the sea, just played in the river today, had a laugh with an inflatable ring.

[theboysmiffy]

We had the same idea to watch the airshow. Are you going to cruise down to the Wear?

[azzurro]

Most inflatables are design cathegory rated as "C". This is Beaufort wind 6 and 2 meter waves. I believe this is a contradiction as Beaufort 6 means "big waves dangerous for small ships", so I guess that rate is to let them be sold as "safety boats for bigger ships".

The closer to the coast, the more dangerous is the sea. Breaking waves can make you capsize. Water inside will make your boat heavier and slower (even though, a little water will make it more stable).
When looking for a shelter you have to govern against wind and waves: so you need a good engine, but you cannot full open throttle it for top speed. Waves must be passed by on a diagonal direction.
If you govern on favour of wind and waves, in the best case you will end up in a beach with 2 meter breaking waves.

My boat is 4 meters 20hp. I never go boating when wind is stronger than 16 knots.
I always check both windguru and local forecast (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología - AEMET. Gobierno de España in Spain for maps) for wind speed, waves height and wind direction, and also hour of the day as a nice morning can be a horrible afternoon. My internet mobile phone is perfect for planning: and my family and friends know that it is not me who decides to go boating, but weather does.

When I see a little foam on top of inside sea waves (such as "small sheep"), that makes me think of beer, so I better govern my boat to the pub...

[Poly]

Originally Posted by azzurro

Most inflatables are design cathegory rated as "C". This is Beaufort wind 6 and 2 meter waves. I believe this is a contradiction as Beaufort 6 means "big waves dangerous for small ships",

That's interesting I've never seen a version of the Beaufort Scale which cast "judgement" on what was safe for different vessels - merely a range of wind speeds and the land and sea observations you might expect.

so I guess that rate is to let them be sold as "safety boats for bigger ships".

almost certainly not. Firstly the RCD doesn't apply to vessels used commercially. Secondly where vessels are required to have "safety boats" these usually have to be Solas approved - which it is unlikely any "off-the-shelf" SIB sold to the domestic market it.

However - it would certainly be niave to say the boat is designed for F6 and 2m waves so I should go out in that! There is an article in the most recent Rib international questioning the validity of some RCD Cat C labelling for precisely this reason. However I think (according to my understanding) that both you and the author of that article have missed the point of the RCD. (1) It is about European harmonisation so goods flow freely without each country making their own local rules - don't assume it has anything really to do with the safety of boats (2) a boat which is Cat C labelled doesn't have to be fun/comfortable/sensible to use in those conditions - it simply needs to stay roughly the right way up, not sink and not fall to pieces. A SIB driven carefully in those conditions should achieve that - but the crew may be scared to death, battered, bruised, sea sick and totally exhausted by the time they get back.

When I see a little foam on top of inside sea waves (such as "small sheep"), that makes me think of beer, so I better govern my boat to the pub...

In the UK these are referred to as "white horses" although I think your description is probably better!

[willk]

Originally Posted by Polwart

That's interesting I've never seen a version of the Beaufort Scale which cast "judgement" on what was safe for different vessels - merely a range of wind speeds and the land and sea observations you might expect.

And yet it is often used for just that purpose - I'm thinking of our Small Craft Warning which is issued if a F6 or higher is forecast. The NACs have a similar arrangement with the Small Craft Advisory.

[azzurro]

Originally Posted by Polwart

That's interesting I've never seen a version of the Beaufort Scale which cast "judgement" on what was safe for different vessels - merely a range of wind speeds and the land and sea observations you might expect.


almost certainly not. Firstly the RCD doesn't apply to vessels used commercially. Secondly where vessels are required to have "safety boats" these usually have to be Solas approved - which it is unlikely any "off-the-shelf" SIB sold to the domestic market it.

However - it would certainly be niave to say the boat is designed for F6 and 2m waves so I should go out in that! There is an article in the most recent Rib international questioning the validity of some RCD Cat C labelling for precisely this reason. However I think (according to my understanding) that both you and the author of that article have missed the point of the RCD. (1) It is about European harmonisation so goods flow freely without each country making their own local rules - don't assume it has anything really to do with the safety of boats (2) a boat which is Cat C labelled doesn't have to be fun/comfortable/sensible to use in those conditions - it simply needs to stay roughly the right way up, not sink and not fall to pieces. A SIB driven carefully in those conditions should achieve that - but the crew may be scared to death, battered, bruised, sea sick and totally exhausted by the time they get back.

In the UK these are referred to as "white horses" although I think your description is probably better!

Hi Polwart,

I have a scale with intermediate specifications in Spanish, that's where I took it from.

Waves height is more related to Douglas rather than Beaufort (which is wind scale), but waves observation may give you a clue of the wind speed more than "No insects flying, no birds flying" and things like that! And what about name in Spanish for Beaufort 5,6,7 ("Fresquito, Fresco, Frescachón" which I believe stands in English for "Chilly, Fresh, Cool").

I must also point that waves become bigger later than wind arises, so you can have problems with wind, and later with waves, and do not expect the sea to be a mirror when the wind stops.

Also, waves behaviour is different in Mediterranean Sea, as Med waves are smaller but shorter so they break more easily. And we do not have tides.

I've just started my season this Sunday, tying my buoy to the mooring block (I had to dive to look for a good one). I can't wait to go boating, but always considering weather. My family and friends sometimes do not feel like going boating, but if the weather is fine, they now that is the plan. And same, if they feel like but weather is not, just forget about the boat. Weather rules.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by willk

And yet it is often used for just that purpose - I'm thinking of our Small Craft Warning which is issued if a F6 or higher is forecast. The NACs have a similar arrangement with the Small Craft Advisory.

[pedant mode] Its a warning / advisory not a judgement - e.g. your local ILB (even a D-class SIB) is likely to launch - so it can't be fundamentally "dangerous"; and the ALB which is still a "small ship" is unlikely to flinch.

Originally Posted by azzurro

And what about name in Spanish for Beaufort 5,6,7 ("Fresquito, Fresco, Frescachón" which I believe stands in English for "Chilly, Fresh, Cool").

Ah yes we call F6 a "strong breeze" - if you took average man on the street out in a F6 he would describe it as a howling gale!