I will still go out if 10 mph predicted, 15 mph is tolerable. I was out the other day and the wind picked up enough for white caps really made fpr a good workout paddling back against the wind.
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My wife and I are also leisurely paddlers in Eddyline "recreationalâ boats (Equinox & Skylark) and we paddle in the lakes and adjoining rivers in and around the Dallas/Ft Worth area. This is our 2nd year of occasional casual paddling.
We have discovered that we have an enjoyable challenge in winds 10-15 mph, and try to ensure that winds over 10 mph are not forecast for the time/location - we just use online weathersites, I use Wunderground.com, she uses something else, I used to use weather.com.
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When the wind comes up, the experience and ability of the paddlers in your group will become readily apparent. I will never forget leading a group of 8 in the Boundary Waters. On day one we hit Basswood Lake, the largest lake around in a lot of wind. Too much really. Everyone was young and in shape and brave. The did not complain but it was on the edge of what we could manage. Hard to say what the wind was that day. We were in whitecaps and could barely make any headway. Today I would head for shore.
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While weâre talking about wind speed, anyone use a reasonably priced Anemometer? If so, brand? Thanks.
You donât like the âlick your finger and stick it in the windâ method? Cheap⌠
Iâve checked them out in the past, but have since decided itâs just another gadget to remember. Not to mention, the effects of wind arenât always a direct relation to the speed.
Not sure what a reasonable price is for you. But I just bought this wind meter, which also includes air and water temperature capabilities and can calculate wind chill:
I agree with Sparky961 that what really matters is what the water is doing, so the wind meter is not that useful for deciding âgoâ vs âno goâ. However, we often end up discussing the wind predictions before loading for a trip, and the wind predications vary between sites, and then when I try to check actual measured wind speeds on the day we were paddling, I cannot find archived records for the actual spot we kayak, and the nearby locations are often quite different from the predicted.
All that to say that the scientist in me thought the cost for that wind meter was worth it to have actual measurements where we go, so that I can better interpret conditions we might face from the predicted values. Plus it is a cool device, of course, smile.
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You donât have to be a scientist to be a Gizmo Guy.
Alas, I suffer from both.
Since this thread got resurrected - there are a couple of posts above that echo experiences I have had which taught a fast lesson in how much wind is too much.
rstevens, I am glad that your friends made it to shore safely. My husband and I deferred to the opinions of two friends one time and ended up in pretty much the same situation, the only nicer part being a sand beach with no fences to climb and a rock to get the person who had taken a swim out of the wind with a jug of hot tea. While two of us hitched a ride back across the bridge with two locals who spent the entire time talking about how we were that dumb given the winds. Sadly they were right so all we could do was agree. Wind speed was clocked at 29 knots (not mph) with gusts solidly into the 30âs when we landed, one of our party had an anemometer. The swimmerâs boat was also recovered though it was more of a testament to persistence than textbook practice.
Wind direction going away from where we had to go to get back to our launch spot.
ppine, yes part of that day was finding there is a wind speed against which forward progress was not possible. Or at least it would take so long that we would not have the physical endurance to cover the distance.
On a day a couple or so years after that we headed out with a friend and turned a corner to find winds that felt too damned similar to that day for my taste. I called it, though it was indicated I was being a wus by one of the three of us.
We finally found a NOAA channel we could get - most went down that weekend due to an error in newly released software. But one at the outer edge of the reception of my oldest VHF had not loaded it. Turns out the winds were clocking at 40 mph, gusts higher, and very unusual wind speed for Maine in the summer.
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Four weeks ago I paddled from St.Ignace to Mackinaw City, and then back. I left southbound into 7 to 10 knots, which eased to 3 to 5 at mid span, and then paddled north with just a whisper on the beam out of the NE. Solo in a 20 foot expedition canoe with some ballast in the bow. As a Yooper, youâll get that.
Wind in a canoe, my craft of choice, is always of concern. I like long trips, 4 to 6 weeks is just about right, so you can imagine the urge to continue, or the size or length of traverse when the wind catches you out. My thoughts will be perhaps jumbled so bear with me.
First on the list, if there is so much wind it concerns you, DO NOT GO OUT. And I include canoe camping, and especially if you âhave toâ be home on Tuesday for the important meeting, Doctor appointment, school play. If you are not comfortable with the wind conditions, stay where you are on shore. Period. I speak from great experience, water can kill you. Schedules are the most common cause of death.
Some wind can be an aid. Behind you or off to the side the perfect amount, or even on the nose but a bit to one side. If you can play the wind, you need not ever take a correction stroke, no J-stroke, no Gooney, no Canadian, just paddle on one side and the wind will push the bow back onto a straight course with no effort expended except that to overcome the on the nose losses. If going straight down wind, the fastest course and often the least tiring course is gibing, tacking back and forth with the wind held to port or starboard. The wind pushes at the side of the canoe just enough to allow you to never make a correction stroke and the wind is giving a constant aid to speed. Same basic idea if your port is straight into the wind.
If out for a relaxing paddle I always go upwind first, never downwind first. If it is blowing like stink and I cannot make progress into the wind, the shore that I need to return to is behind me, and with a careful turn about, I can be headed downwind and home rapidly.
Close to the shore, and I mean really close. If the wind is either coming over the shore and brush along side, stay in the shadow of the brush, allow the wind to go over you. Surprising to me, even is the wind is coming across the water at you, stay close to the shore and brush, because the wind has to jump up and over the shoreline, there is a pocket of less wind close to the brush on shore. Waves can make this practice not appropriate.
Open boat vs closed. Kayaks are by their nature closed tops, canoes , open. Canoe spray decks can keep the wind from grabbing the inside surfaces of a canoe, open tops will make you life harder. Same idea but a different tactic, tilt the canoe sideways with the smoothly rounded side striking the beam wind, and not climbing into the open boat. Sit or kneel off the centerline. The tilted boat with the side facing the wind high has about half the force on the canoe.
Lastly, when do you paddle? western rivers, Green , Snake, Colorado, Missouri, and Lake Huron all have a similar character, some it is almost a daily rule, stone quiet and zero wind in the earliest AM and windy as s*** in the afternoon, and winding down in the late evening. Paddle in the time before sunrise and be off the water before noon.
Canoes operate in multiple currents and you should take advantage of both currents. Paddles should be feathered going forward, Why push air with your paddle?
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Thanks for the info. Iâd never use a wind meter to decide whether to paddle or not but like you, I want to be able to check the actual wind and gust speeds.
A good example is the inland lake where I live. For the past couple of days forecasters called for winds of 10-13 mph, but those mild speeds donât create whitecaps - or, because of our high water level, more shore erosion.
Especially ANYONE paddling solo, but paddlers in open water in particular need to know the Beaufort wind force scale. It is based on observable conditions so is quite helpful.
Force 5 gets you to wind that should make you stop and think very hard. I am getting old and lazy enough that I usually find it best to think about that on a porch with snacks and a beer. Force 6 is a level of wind where I would be joined by even younger people.
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Good resource. there are also scales out there with kayak specific notes, like this one, which I find helpful for my area:
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Great info shared on this thread. For the Great Lakes, we have a fantastic wind forecast modeling site. Scroll to the LOWER set of maps, pick your Great Lake and click âwindsâ. (The upper maps are current conditions). You can click forward in few-hour increments all the way out to 96 hoursâŚGreat for those days in your office when you wonder if the wind will ever stop. (Welcome to life in Ludington!)
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Long ago we were kayaking across Isle Royale, intending to go from Lake Ritchie to a campsite on Wood Lake via portages to Intermediate and Siskiwit. When we got to Siskiwit we launched into waves and needed to round a point and go broadside to the waves for a mile. At the point size of the waves became apparent, having built up on a 5 mile reach. We debated trying it because the water was bathtub warm, but we backed out (literally - wouldnât risk a U turn). We landed in a cove behind the point and camped on it. Within an hour the wind fell, the mosquitoes rose, and the deet poured. You can get marine forecasts there if you have a radio, but no cell coverage.
Iâm not sure if this link will work and if it doesnât I will delete the post. You may need to have an Instagram account, not sure. Let me know.
This is a video taken by a friend at my usual play spot at West Point in Seattle. The winds were reading 27 kts. gusting to 36 kts at the lighthouse. With the wind direction the fetch is about 9 miles.
Too much wind? Not for wet play.
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Although I have not played with any of these, some of my friends swear by several mobile apps that purport to give pretty accurate and very local real time wind speeds. They draw from multiple sources including NOAA.
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We are lucky to have a NOAA reporting station at the West Point lighthouse. Predictions come from the apps but actual recordings are from the site.
Quite cool. Let me slip one into the shopping cart while the wife is getting eggs! Havenât figured out my ongoing budget for kayak stuff yet, but this wind/water temp could definately make the list.
Today my normal put-in was unavailable due to a downed tree. Weâve had 45 mph gusts for 2 days. So I launched upstream at a put-in used by fishermen; it was windy enough that I got two comments (âhope you got a motor on thatâ and âhave fun!â) and had to wait for a pause in the wind before taking the canoe off the roof. I was also worried that the boat might launch without me while I parked the car. But my trusty Merlin II let me drive upstream in the wind and current and it calmed down towards sunset and turned into a great paddle.
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