Crossing The Bight for us is all about the weather. Our fleet are all sailing short handed which means both the crew and possibly the relationships will be put to the test. Lack of restful sleep and the almost certain unexpected interesting events will put pressure on our mental and physical state. Now of course we are not climbing Everest or jumping from a balloon from outer space (how mad was that guy BTW?) however, nobody in all my reading and research has said that this is just like a sail to Rottnest or a 5 day boat hire in the Whitsundays. So to minimize the stress, we are diligently following all weather predictions in an attempt to select the right time to set sail from Middle Island.
As a document of our musings and perhaps a record that could assist others, I am creating this preamble. This will outline the weather patterns as they develop and the resulting predictions that flow from these patterns.
### Image from Australian Bureau of Meteorology
metEye maps archive -Screenshot cut with preview and re-sized to 800x600-annotation added.
SUNDAY 2nd February 2014
A high is developing in The Bight with a cold front approaching from the South. At Duke of Orleans Bay we are expecting a strong (20 - 30 Knot) easterly flow to develop over Monday and Tuesday. This will be replaced with a light NE flow on Wednesday. We will use these mild conditions to sail to Middle Island.
MONDAY 3rd February 2014
Strong Easterly flow developed during the day peaking around midnight with gusts at or slightly in excess of 30 knots. Tuesday is expected to also produce similar, although slightly milder conditions that will give way to a North Easterly flow on Wednesday morning. It is this change that we will use to sail to Middle Island.
TUESDAY 4th February 2014
The Easterly flow continued and indeed strengthened with gusts in the 30 to 35 Knot range. This Flow moderated at around 1800 and a more North Easterly flow arrived. Overnight the winds calmed as predicted and should provide a good passage to Middle Island.
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