Wind Warning

The weather forecast from several internet sources for Bodega Bay for today was for very small swells and light winds so I expected to have a leisurely afternoon crabbing there.  When I arrived about 1 pm there was a light north wind which was predicted to shift to the south in a couple of hours, perfect for my return to shore.  However, as I was placing my traps the north wind gradually increased.  By the time I started pulling my traps at about 3 pm the wind had increased substantially.  Each time I retrieved a trap, by the time I sorted the crabs and stowed the gear the wind pushed me further south (away from shore).  By the time I finished with my last trap it took me about 30 minutes just to get back to where the trap had been placed.  As I paddled toward shore it seemed that I was doing little more than treading water.  It took me over an hour to get even with the end of the jetty and I wasn't sure that I had enough strength to make it to the beach.  Fortunately there was another crabber's buoy that I grabbed so I could rest for a few minutes.  Even so it took another half hour of paddling to get to the beach.  Tonight I checked the weather data which showed that the wind had been about 20 mph for several hours during the afternoon.  The lesson for me was that even in a relatively safe location it is crucial to pay close attention to conditions to avoid getting into a dangerous situation.  I did have my VHF radio so I could have called the Coast Guard as a last resort.   Otherwise I might have ended up somewhere off Tomales Point.  Btw, I got 2 legal male dungees and one big male rocky.

Thanks for the reminder, it happens, glad that you made it in OK.  It can happen anywhere but I've heard enough stories about the Bodega/Doran areas that it seems to happen there more often than some other places.

Enjot the crab.

If in doubt leave the traps and come back on a calmer day.
It's just a crab.

Glad you made it out ok. And you had a meal ta boot. Besides the wind report. I am curious as to what the tide was ? when i am fishing at moss landing. i check tides. But, i will always paddle out a short distance getting my bearings from a shore landmark and study my drift. I have had where the water was flat calm but the tide was moving me pretty well from shore. So would adjust until tide turned. 

The north winds along California's coast this time of year typically build through the afternoon.  The reason they may have forecast a south may have been because there's an 'eddy' effect from all of the north wind offshore - this is a common phenomenon along the SW-facing coast, where headlands, points, capes and other features block north wind along shore, but it's ripping North to South within a couple miles offshore, so "makeup" air goes south to north to fill in those sheltered areas.

I've dealt with this many times out of Shelter Cove, Cape Mendocino, and, to a lesser extent, Trinidad.  Being there to learn the patterns and how things do not always go as forecast, I learned that literally ANYTHING could happen.  At the first GS gathering in early March of 2007 half a dozen of us paddled into a stiff north wind, trolling for salmon for over an hour while not covering more than a mile or so into the wind - we figured to turn with the wind and head back with it at our backs.  Then the wind shifted - it came from the south for the next hour as we worked to get back to where we started.

Please don't take this the wrong way - the forecast is important and should be everyone's first tool, but relying on the forecast conditions to materialize is a mistake.  Always be ready to have to work hard against conditions that were not part of the forecast. 

I'm glad it worked out for you.   

Please don't take this the wrong way - the forecast is important and should be everyone's first tool, but relying on the forecast conditions to materialize is a mistake.  Always be ready to have to work hard against conditions that were not part of the forecast. 

I'm glad it worked out for you.   

I am new to kayaking in the ocean so I am looking to learn what I can. How would you go about "not relying" on the forecast conditions materializing?

I look at what the weather is supposed to be. Once I am there it is what it is. I've driven from Sac to the coast and fished for two hours before because of the weather. You just never know till you are there. It may be forecast to be very windy, you don't go and someone else does and reports the wind never came up. Again, you just never know. If it is supposed to be windy I stay home and don't chance the 3.5 hour drive.

I do two checks for Sonoma county coast. One is the off shore Bodega bay buoy. It will give current conditions ten miles out. If it is blowing 30 knots at the buoy that wind is almost sure to get to shore. The other check is the Bodega Marine lab buoy know as BOON, It is located just west of  the marine lab on Bodega Head. It gives an accurate close to shore report on current wind conditions.

Only problem with that is the 3.5 hour drive. Conditions could change if I decide to drive down. I check the night before and if it possibly going to be bad I just stay home.

I look at what the weather is supposed to be. Once I am there it is what it is. I've driven from Sac to the coast and fished for two hours before because of the weather. You just never know till you are there. It may be forecast to be very windy, you don't go and someone else does and reports the wind never came up. Again, you just never know. If it is supposed to be windy I stay home and don't chance the 3.5 hour drive.

That makes sense. I thought it was about how to not rely that the weather won't change once you're otw. One thing I took away from my mile and a half paddle into the wind at HMB was, next time I won't push my luck when the wind comes up. If it starts to blow me away from my launch point, it's time to head back. I am aware that you really just never know. I was on the Napa River Thursday in the afternoon. The wind started to kick up and I thought I would have a nice wind at my back as I paddled back to the launch. The wind always blows from the south in the afternoon. By the time I headed back, it was dead calm. You just never know. What you can do about it, I don't know either.

Please don't take this the wrong way - the forecast is important and should be everyone's first tool, but relying on the forecast conditions to materialize is a mistake.  Always be ready to have to work hard against conditions that were not part of the forecast. 

I'm glad it worked out for you.   

I new to kayaking in the ocean so I am looking to learn what I can. How would you go about "not relying" on the forecast?

I know you new.    

It's not about NOT RELYING on the forecast.  It's about using the forecast as your primary tool, but then being sure to NOT RELY on the forecast conditions to materialize, like what happened in this post.  It may be a matter of semantics, but for me it's everything.  Read carefully.   

Ok, if it helps. How do you go about not relying on the forecast conditions to materialize? I'm not worried about semantics. I am hoping you would add some detail. I thought you were suggesting some course of action or thought process etc you employ. Is it as simple as being quick to recognize that forecast conditions are not materializing so action can be taken as early as possible? Was there something I misread?

Only problem with that is the 3.5 hour drive. Conditions could change if I decide to drive down. I check the night before and if it possibly going to be bad I just stay home.

+1


A forecast is just that.  Isn't there a series of jokes about weathermen and forecasts....

The ocean is very fickle and changes all the time, as soon as it looks or feels unsafe, call it a day.  As time goes by and you have more experience, the level you call it will change.  There are so many factors to take into account that there is no hard and fast rule to follow.  For some guys its fog, for others its swell, or wind or what the birds are doing...  And for some its just a feeling in the gut that says "this game is over, time to go home".

Personally, wind is OK until open water whitecaps are present and unavoidable.  This does not mean I don't mind the wind at 20kts (I don't like it one bit), but It wont drive me off the water as long as I am catching some fish

Many of us if not all of the experienced guys have spent the day on the beach or in a bar after the forecast was wrong, and sometimes it looks marginal and ends up FLAT all day, so... The drive is at your own risk, but launching into poor conditions for a few fish is a bad idea and staying out past your abilities (without making an effort to come in) is dumb.   

These unpredictable conditions are why most of us go out with a partner, someone to keep you at your level of ability, but also to make the call when hubris gets in the way...  AND to provide assistance when (not if, like motorcycle riding) something goes wrong.  Kayak fishing in the ocean is not a passtime for the foolish, overly proud, or fool hearty. 

I appreciate the OP sharing this rough experience and know that you (Traildad) are just looking for some additional guidance in these matters, so... 
Don't go by yourself but go with a more experienced person who will be patient with you for a morning.
Do the above for a year or two.
Don't plan on fishing past 1pm, when the wind holds past that its a blessing and cant be counted on.
Pay close attention to every detail every time you are on the water, things like the way water beads up on the ocean can tell you about humidity and impending precip, birds can tell you about bait or high winds and general atmospheric stability, the fog layer can tell you how fast the offshore winds are approaching or if they are at all, and many other things I am certainly forgetting....

I hope this helps as this is all I can lend to the discussion without just saying "it takes time and experience"  But that's the crux of it...

Jim

Ok, if it helps. How do you go about not relying on the forecast conditions to materialize? I'm not worried about semantics. I am hoping you would add some detail. I thought you were suggesting some course of action or thought process etc you employ. Is it as simple as being quick to recognize that forecast conditions are not materializing so action can be taken as early as possible? Was there something I misread?

I think all Eric is saying is to check out the forecast before you go, but if it looks shitty when you get there then don't launch.  If you are out and it looks like it might get shitty, then get your ass back to shore. IE: Use common sense.

And carry a radio.