Massachusetts Coast Windsurfing
New England can offer great windsurfing if you know where and when to
look for wind. This short guide should be of some help for
understanding the weather patterns and choosing the right spots to
sail. The document is a work in progress, so anyone is welcome to send suggestions to me or add
more sites!
Weather
Check out these weather
sources for current observations and forecasts.
The weather in New England is well known for it potential for rapid
change. It is very difficult to predict even by professional
forecasters, which means that local sailors must often depend a lot on
their instinct and experience. That task is made simpler if we
consider that most sailable days come from either one of 3 types of
weather:
Type I: Low pressure coming from the midwest.
This weather pattern happens when a low pressure system from the
midwest tracks along the great lakes and passes over northern New
England or the St Lawrence valley. These low pressure systems are
usually weak in the summer, which means that Type I conditions are
typically encountered from mid-september to early June.
Usually the approach of the system is marked by an increase in SW
flow. This SW wind is typically at its best within the 12 hours prior
to the passage of the cold front associated with the perturbation. The
nice thing about this SW flow is that it can be very warm, sometimes
resulting in > 50 F temperatures in the middle of winter. The SW flow
can result in winds in the 3.5 range in late fall and early spring.
More typically one is likely to encounter 4.0 - 5.5 weather. The South
Shore (i.e. Duxbury, Buzzards Bay and the Cape) is best at this point.
After the cold front the wind shifts to the NW. If the perturbation is
strong enough the NW wind can be quite good (although always very
gusty) for about 24 hours after the frontal passage, otherwise the
sailing is either marginal or good for just a few hours. The North
Shore (Nahant and Plum Island) often gets the best wind in those
conditions.
A high pressure system typically follows the perturbation. At that
point it is advisable to go back to work as the wind will be dead for
a few days.
Type II: High pressure off the Atlantic coast.
A high pressure system locks in place off the Atlantic Coast.
The center of that system is often close to Bermuda, hence its name
Bermuda High. That type of system can bring good wind from early June
to late September exclusively on the South facing part of Cape Cod
(Kalmus to Chatam). The rest of the coasts usually shuts off. The
Bermuda High, which can last many consecutive days, brings us the only
sailable weather in the summer. If a cold front is approaching at the
same time it can really crank, otherwise expect anything from 4.5 to
6.5.
Type III: Nor'easter
Low pressure starts forming offshore from Cape Hatteras and
rapidly tracks along the East Coast. Since the storm is usually
offshore the most powerful winds come from the northeast (hence its
local name Nor'easter). Nor'easters bring us our most powerful winds
(excluding hurricanes) and can sometimes reach hurricane strength!
Nor'easter season starts late September and lasts until late May, the
best months being October, November, april, and May. 3.0 to 4.0 winds
are the norm for those storms. A good drysuit is essential, as the
temperature is often in the 40's and lower 50's .
comments and suggestions are welcome.
Compiled by Pierre St Hilaire (pierre@media-lab.media.mit.edu).
Edited and translated to HTML by Ron Weiss
(rweiss@lcs.mit.edu)