weather gage

 

It was a rough night last night. This morning is still blustery; the weather map shows about 19 knots at the sailing club, which is perfect Laser country, 25 knots down in Plymouth, which I confess might tempt Calstar to stay in harbour unless the destination were downwind and urgent (and even then I'd think twice), and 32 knots off Lands End, which are absolutely not the conditions I want to see when we're rounding it in early June.

And we won't, because if it's doing that, we are absolutely staying in harbour until it stops doing that.

The charts from weather station on Rame Head, just outside Plymouth Sound, record that the wind was blowing 45 knots at 0200 this morning, but gusting to 70. I think that would dissuade me from even trying to launch the Laser on the lake.

Unless there was a race to be won, of course. In which case, that's what I have a radial rig for.

Talking of Lasers, the long range forecast, in the form of a newsletter from the Club, suggests that if all goes to plan (when does it ever, especially with the current circus of clowns in charge?) then the powers that be might lift the lockdown restrictions a little on March 29th and let us back out on the lake. If so, that'll make for my perfect birthday present a couple of days later on April 1st, thank-you very much. I was planning to work the day as usual, but that might persuade me to bunk off for the day and go for a sail instead. 

Especially if it's still blowing 20 knots down at the lake. I'd even take 25 knots; the lake, unlike the waters outside Plymouth right now, doesn't give you 6.5m waves to deal with into the bargain just because there's a little bit of wind blowing.

In other news, and planting tongue very firmly in cheek as I write this, it appears us youngsters are catching up with the oldsters; Nikki and I have both been invited for the first of our two Covid jabs on Saturday.

That said, as of the end of this month I'll finally be closer to 70 than I am to 30. So I guess in the eyes of many that probably qualifies me as an oldster myself.