Swell forecast for San Pablo bay

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Waynepj4

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Joined
Oct 13, 2008
RO Number
30904
Messages
398
Where can I get a swell forecast for San Pablo bay? I can find wind speed but not swell height and so forth.

Any thoughts?
 
Isn't mostly wind chop you have to deal with in San Pablo Bay and therefore tide direction relative to wind direction being the primary issue? (I guess I am defining swell as the rollers you see in the ocean). Strong wind against peak tidal flow = uncomfortable ride! Since the winds are generally/usually from the west, the window for the least amount of chop would be peak flood.

I am not aware of a resource for forecasting San Pablo conditions.
 
So when the tide is rising, going from low to high in San Pablo bay..that's the best time to cross? I think I got it.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Waynepj4

So when the tide is rising, going from low to high in San Pablo bay..that's the best time to cross? I think I got it.

Click to expand...


It depends on which direction you are going. You are correct if you are headed east, and the wind is from the west. That would be ideal.
 
quote:
Originally posted by goplay

quote:
Originally posted by Waynepj4

So when the tide is rising, going from low to high in San Pablo bay..that's the best time to cross? I think I got it.

Click to expand...


It depends on which direction you are going. You are correct if you are headed east, and the wind is from the west. That would be ideal.

Click to expand...

Apparently I had it totally backwards. I was thinking about heading west from Martinez to Sausalito for instance. Isnt flood tide when the tide is coming into the bay and delta, meaning the delta is going from low tide to high tide or am I mistaken?
 
That's right, a flood tide is coming into the Bay i.e. east. Depending on the wind you may or may not want to be heading west.
 
When the tide is flooding, the current stronger going east towards the Delta. An ebb tide is when the water is going west towards the Golden Gate and the current is stronger going west. If the current is strongly going towards the gate and the winds are blowing towards the east, the conditions will be much more difficult. If you time your crossing when the current is not be influenced by tide in or tide out, you will only have the winds to deal with.

One note: in the spring, the current going west is always strong due to rain and snow melt runoff.
 
Got it. Make sure wind and current are headed in the same direction for a smoother ride.
 
Depends on how fast your boat goes. I almost always try to time going withthe tides as I can pick up a couple knots. I usually cruise between 10 and 14 knots so an extra couple knots is nice. That said I do try to avoid heading West after noon. The winds usually aren't bad in the morning but make sure to check the forecast.
 
KGD

you gots a bigger boat, LOL

Wayne so do you, LOL

I have seen the crocket bridge worse than the potato patch!

its is really bad when you have have full moon!!
 
Yup, tides are more extreme when the moon is fullest. Higher highs and lower lows. Tide tables will reflect this.
 
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