Thanks for that reminder. As I am coming to a certain age and inflexion point, I find myself pondering “change” a lot…
sing
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Yesterday evening it had turned NNE and I thought the cold front that had just come through might be pushing the trajectory more east, like we normally see. But this morning it’s back on course for NS. It’s an odd trajectory, perhaps because we haven’t had much of a jet stream all summer.
I’ve seen some vids from Hampton beach already and it looks great for surfing this morning. Have fun and stay safe.
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Unfortunately, MassBay is already getting blown out. We have 20 knot plus winds messing up the waves ~ 6’ and building.
No surfing today or tomorrow. It would be just be, at best, a cardio workout and, at worse, “survival” as the day goes on.
sing
Hurricanes, they just don’t care what we want!
My Dad’s family was in the 1926 Miami hurricane when he was 3, and he still remembers it. Lost their house and a family on their block died. Everyone ended up in the one house left standing on the block. As a result, I learned how to plot a hurricane on a map at an early age. He really disliked storms, and I wanted to get out of school so wanted them to come my way. I remember the street being flooded in front of our house and mosquito fish swimming around after Donna hit FL in 1960.
Non-weather impact of Hurricane Lee:
sing
Have fun Sing - looks like you might get a few more days out of it.
https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/caribbean-east-coast-get-another-run-swell-hurricane-lee/186577
Move the track of Lee 300-miles to the west, and boy would there be different headlines this morning. New York City would get hammered (think super Storm Sandy) and there would be major flooding along most of the southern New England coast. Fortunately, hurricanes usually get pushed out to sea before hitting southern New England, so we dodge a lot of bullets. Last really big one was Carol in 1954 with a 14-foot storm surge that wiped out whole communities on the south coast. Before that was the '38 Hurricane with with 17 foot storm surge.
So what is the deal with wind and waves. How does the wind reduce the quality of surf waves?
Much have been written about this. Here is a good primer:
General understanding is the beginning, but keep in mind that knowledge of your underwater topography and out of water land structures is also important. These impact the wave quality, despite what the “data” is coming from the local NOAA buoy.
I described in the video below the approach I took on a marginal quality wave day to get some better waves and riding - “Cool front that brought thunderstorms, rain and wind last night also stirred up some wind waves locally. Buoy registered 4.5’ @ 6/7 seconds. A stiff diagonal, onshore north wind that made for messy, unorganized waves. Paddled 3 miles up the beach where a point blocked the north. Waves were cleaner and peeling to the left. The only surfers I saw were the four here at the point. Sat and observed on the outside. Got waved on by one of the surfers and the surf session was on!”
sing
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Kind of what I expected with Lee’s progressive track into Nova Scotia and Bay of Fundy. We got some decent waves this morning at 3.3’ @11 seconds. This is good enough for waveskiing but I don’t think it’s going to last much beyond lunch time.
Decision – do I go with the waveski, or stick to the ReVision which can better milk longer rides out of smaller waves…? Ok. Time to starting loading up and figuring what to ride.
Cowabunga!
sing
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Couldn’t decide which ride so i brought both. But I went with the Revision
Instead of going to the sandy south shore beach break. Decided to to go with the rocky north shore rocky break now that the Boston Harbor Tunnel renovation is completed.
Hit the offshore reef break in anticipation of solitude wave riding. Instead, 3 boardies were already out there. Nevertheless, we shared well the two peaks - one on either side of the rip.
Great waves. More to share. Mahalo!
sing
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MassBay clearly got blocked out by the Cape from the bigger Lee swells, given the reports from up and down the east coast. Nice story and surf footage in Surfer.com. I have to admit my agreement with the striking opening statement: "As for a macro, real-world perspective, stronger and more frequent storms are likely an indication of a changing climate and our collective, self-imposed destruction of our home and planet, along with our long, slow, painful demise as a species.
But for now, at least the surf’s been good."
https://www.surfer.com/trending-news/hurricane-lee-epic-surf-new-york
Nigel is out there and soon-to-be Ophelia is in the wing. We’re only half way through the Atlantic hurricane season…
sing
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This is a relatively short but really GOOD video primer on how waves are “shaped” by wind, tide and bottom contour.
BTW, the ability “read the water” is also important in whitewater and flyfishing. Didn’t find consistent success trout fishing until I learned to “read” the water.
sing
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Nice, good intro to the waves.
Onshore/offshore meaning has always bothered me, maybe because well before I became aware of the term (after starting ocean paddling), I was aware of what a north wind, east wind, etc. was.
So, if a ‘west wind’ is from the west, shouldn’t an ‘offshore wind’ be from offshore? Nope.
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Nice. I learned a lot about the Bay where I paddle from going with my brother when he’s looking for a fishing partner. He has a large depth finder and GPS. Under power, we can cover greater distances in a shorter time, so its easier to see where waves are being generated and where they are not. Since fish favor certain sides of a shoal during a tide, its important to be on the prime spots during the tide window. The influence of current and wind as it meets the shoal is clearly visible on the surface of the water. From a higher vatage point in the power boat, he points out the ruffled “eyebrows” that form around the shoal. Since we’re typically working against the tide, the size of the fishing weight, the engine power applied and the speed of the boat indicates the force of the tide. The strength of the ripples telegraph the outline of the Bay’s floor.
While returning to the launch during a low tide, he suddenly slowed and I saw on the depth finder that we were in two feet of water at the mouth of a major river. That area is always subject to higher waves, because the depth changes from 25 or 30 feet to 2 or 3 feet. Knowledge of the many channels and shoals give a paddler a better understanding of how to read and anticipate the influence of currents and wind, and places to avoid.
One feature that always intrigues me is seeing the tide lines meet. You can see the line moving in real time, as the detritus collects in the grip of opposing forces, with the fresh water outflow climbing over the heavier salt water sliding along the bottom from the ocean. That creates a distinct demarcation line for fresh, brackish and salt species, such as jellyfish. Depending on rain and weather, jellyfish are rarely seen above very far above the Bay Bridge that stretches the several miles between Kent Island and Annapolis. There may not be beauty as in Pretty Puctures, but its the action that restores the Bay and gives it life.
The rotation of the earth actually creates a heavier concentration of salt water on the Eastern Shore. Some believe it contributes to cleaner water on the East side of the Bay as well as the cleaner, bluer shell of crabs caught in places like the Wye River. Some also suggest that the meat from Eastern Shore crabs taste cleaner and sweeter for that reason. If you kayak on the Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore is worth exploration.
Thanks for the video, @sing. I see there are otber similar videos. The diversity is one reason to explore and travel the many tributaries, and the best way to experience it is by kayak. One day, I might travel the trail that John Smith followed during his time in the New World.
The fish are there, if you can find someone who knows where they’re hiding.
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