Small craft advisory

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Waynepj4

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30904
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Does a small craft advisory mean FYI it's windy today or does it mean do not fo out today?

I had planned on taking some folks to angel island today only to see small craft advisory oh my iPhone. Thoughts?

821 AM PDT SUN AUG 29 2010
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

TODAY
SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT INCREASING TO 15 TO 25 KT BY LATE MORNING. OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 30 KT THIS AFTERNOON. STRONGEST WINDS NEAR ANGEL ISLAND AND THE GOLDEN GATE.
 
Do no go out, the key is in the forecast "by late morning". Everything minor emergency happens faster when the weather kicks up. Plus your guests will thank you.
 
WOW...A Boater that doesnt know what a small craft advisory means...You my friend need a Boating Safety Course..
 
I took the course and don't fo out when there is weather warnings yet I still see boaters going out and coming back in with no problems. So what's that about?
quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

Here is some useful info to get you started. Every new boat owner and their spouse should become educated in basic boating safety! This makes boating more fun and may someday save the life of a loved one or yourself.

http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/boating_safety_courses_.aspx

Click to expand...
 
It depends on where you are. Where there is a small craft advisory, you have to expect high winds mostly in the slot and in the San Pablo Bay.
I can leave safely Sausalito and go to Angel Island with no problems. Also it should be no problem along the city front.
 
Coming out of Oakland we boated to mccovey cove, along sf waterfront a bit and back. I was reluctant to go to angel island due to the advisory but saw a lot of sailboats out there off I. The distance. The reason why I raised the topic is because the advisory didn't seem to warn of any really danger but I scrubbed my trip to angel island because of it.

quote:
Originally posted by Arnold

It depends on where you are. Where there is a small craft advisory, you have to expect high winds mostly in the slot and in the San Pablo Bay.
I can leave safely Sausalito and go to Angel Island with no problems. Also it should be no problem along the city front.

Click to expand...
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MEANS THAT WIND SPEEDS OF 21 TO 33 KNOTS
ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE HAZARDOUS WAVE CONDITIONS TO SMALL CRAFT.
INEXPERIENCED MARINERS... ESPECIALLY THOSE OPERATING SMALLER
VESSELS SHOULD AVOID NAVIGATING IN THESE CONDITIONS.

Basically you should consider how these conditions will effect the waters you are going to be navigating in. Experience and vessel size/condition are very important considerations under these conditions. It is good that you are checking the forecast as many do not. You should also consider how the conditions could impact your vessel if you have engine or other problems. Just because others are out there doesn't necessarily mean it is OK to go out or that they are not putting themselves at risk.

Generally when there is a small craft advisory the conditions between Treasure Island, The Golden Gate and Angel Island will be very rough with at least 3 to 4 foot wind waves and often more than that. This can also be mixed with swell so you can have waves coming from different directions which can be really dangerous. It is hard to get from the SF water front to Angel Island or back without taking waves on the beam for a good portion of the journey. At best this will mean a very wet trip and it could be much worse depending on the boat/boater's experience.

Unfortunately small craft advisories are very common in the SF Bay. The good thing is that Alameda to the SF waterfront is generally pretty protected but wind direction can also change that. If you are uncomfortable or unsure, the best decision is always to avoid putting yourself and crew into those conditions, which you did. If you aren't sure what the dangers are when there is a small craft advisory you are best avoiding those areas. Conditions on the SF Bay can change very quickly so you should alway check the forecast and keep in mind there is often more wind than what is predicted.

Hope you enjoy being in the Bay.

Kris
 
Another cautionary note: should you decide to go out and then conditions worsen OR you begin feeling uncomfortable in the situation, turn around and return to the dock! Better safe then sorry. As you gain experience and become more comfortable with what your boat and you can handle, and what your Admiral feels about the situation, you can better know what works for you in your situation. But always be conservative in your decisions!

Have a fun, safe season.
 
The interesting thing is Im comfortable in rough condidtions. Ive faced rough seas in San Pablo and Suisun Bay. On both occasions I was by myself and just went slow and took the pounding.

With guests its a TOTALLY different story. THough I can rough out tough seas my goal is not to terrify my guests..and so when taking friends/family out I need smooth conditions. That being said I think shortening the trip to McCovey Cove and SF waterfront was a good idea.

quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

Another cautionary note: should you decide to go out and then conditions worsen OR you begin feeling uncomfortable in the situation, turn around and return to the dock! Better safe then sorry. As you gain experience and become more comfortable with what your boat and you can handle, and what your Admiral feels about the situation, you can better know what works for you in your situation. But always be conservative in your decisions!

Have a fun, safe season.

Click to expand...
 
Once I found my boat could handle the rough water, I too enjoyed it! My main problem with windy weather was that docking got a bit dicey. Concern for passengers should always be a high priority. I also would imagine what I would do if the engine failed or I started taking on water, etc. And I wore an inflatable PFD in snotty conditions.

What would you do in these situations? Always good to have a plan of action just in case.....
 
If you ask me, and no one did, you made the right choice. Being in rough conditions by yourself as a boater is fine. Subjecting non-boating guests to it is not. Boating should be an enjoyable experience. Smart move.
 
As I told two friends one time when we were 10-15 miles out of Santa Cruz chasing salmon. We had a good day, a limit of fish but had stayed out longer than expected and the wind and waves came up strong. I have a 24ft Trophy and it was handling the conditions fine. One of my friends asked me if the boat was ok in water like that and I told him the boat was fine, just worry about the skipper. In rough weather, even in a large boat, if the guy steering the boat doesn't have some idea of what he is doing, even a large boat can get sideways. The error however was mine as I was the one that stayed out longer than I should have just to get one more fish for our limits. One last note. If you are too far out to anchor and weather gets nasty and your engine fails, I hope everyone carries a drogue or chute to throw off the bow so your bow is always kept into the winds and waves, well in most cases anyway. Plus we use ours if we are bottom fishing and the drift is more than we like, it slows you down

DBH
 
On my small Delta boat, I kept an anchor rigged with rode on the deck where it could quickly be deployed. The bow anchor with windless was way too slow to deploy in an emergency. One time I ran out of gas. We immediately deployed the anchor off of the side to prevent the boat from being blown onto the rip-rap of a levee. Then we had time to get the bow anchor deployed; add some fuel from a jerry can and safely get underway.

Knowing ahead what to do first saved the day and maybe the boat that day. I knew what to do because I imagined similar situations and thought out a game plan ahead of time.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

One time I ran out of gas.
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Didn't they teach that in the boating safety class?

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

;)
 
You are sooooo right! And I never did that again in the additional 20+ yrs of boating. Nothing like an aww sh$t to reinforce the skipper.
 
Ha!! Nobody gets cut any slack on this board!!

I like the way you think things through in advance, Liz. Wish we could have boated together more before you decided to give your boat away! You're welcome aboard FlyWright anytime!!

I also like DBH's recommendation for a drogue. I had one on my last boat for fishing, but sold it with the boat. Now I need to buy another before heading out into the blue waters beyond the delta.
 
No reason for anyone to cut me any more slack then anybody else. I knew my gas gauge was notoriously inaccurate and was supposed to be keeping track of the running time to know when it was time to refuel. We were having so much fun running from one spot to another looking for that big keeper stripper, that I lost track of time.....
 
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