Every so often a small low pressure system will center directly over Buffalo, NY. When this happens we usually find ourselves in a weird situation having WSW wind on Lake Erie and ENE wind on Lake Ontario at the exact same time. It can be very difficult to predict where the wind will blow, and weather models usually show quite different forecasts. Wind direction and magnitude can change quickly, and good wind typically does not last long. But if you can pinpoint when and where the wind will be then you can sometimes score a nice session...with some assistance from 'luck'.
Such was the case today. I had been following this low for a couple days, and yesterday it was looking like there might be a session to be had today. Lake Ontario looked the best, so I got my stuff ready before heading to bed, and I set my alarm clock for 5am. As I studied the models prior to first light my mind oscillated between going back to bed and driving to Lake Ontario in the dark and the rain. The forecasts did not look all that good on the south shore of Lake Ontario compared to the north shore, but the NAM and WRF models showed potential at 8am. It appeared that the rain would also let up around 7am, so I decided to take a chance.
I cooked my usual scrabbled egg whites with a side of blueberries and a whole grain English muffin with raw honey. I drank a half cup of the dark roast Starbucks coffee that I brewed. At 6:15am I was on the road, and thankfully it was not still dark, but it was raining. The sensor near my planned launch location only showed 10mph of wind at 6:15am. Maybe I should have gone back to bed. I arrived on location and put on my drysuit in the rain as the wind started building quickly. I was about to get in the water when Mark arrived. We chatted just a minute and I then proceeded into the water to get my ass kicked by 35mph winds. I came in to adjust, and ultimately decided to re-rig a 3.7m sail.
The wind only blew about an hour and a half, but what an awesome score. Sometimes you get lucky. The waves jacked up quickly with that magnitude of wind, and I was finally able to sheet in and jibe after rigging smaller. There was a ton of debris in the water probably washing out from 12 Mile Creek just upwind. This is a record high water level for Lake Ontario. There was barely 3 feet of beach to launch from at the bottom of the little hill at this new launch we found. Local towns are flooded, so we cannot get into the usual launches, but we found this new way and it worked out. By 9:45am I was home and able to put in a nearly full day of work. If only the wind would cooperate this way every day.
Such was the case today. I had been following this low for a couple days, and yesterday it was looking like there might be a session to be had today. Lake Ontario looked the best, so I got my stuff ready before heading to bed, and I set my alarm clock for 5am. As I studied the models prior to first light my mind oscillated between going back to bed and driving to Lake Ontario in the dark and the rain. The forecasts did not look all that good on the south shore of Lake Ontario compared to the north shore, but the NAM and WRF models showed potential at 8am. It appeared that the rain would also let up around 7am, so I decided to take a chance.
I cooked my usual scrabbled egg whites with a side of blueberries and a whole grain English muffin with raw honey. I drank a half cup of the dark roast Starbucks coffee that I brewed. At 6:15am I was on the road, and thankfully it was not still dark, but it was raining. The sensor near my planned launch location only showed 10mph of wind at 6:15am. Maybe I should have gone back to bed. I arrived on location and put on my drysuit in the rain as the wind started building quickly. I was about to get in the water when Mark arrived. We chatted just a minute and I then proceeded into the water to get my ass kicked by 35mph winds. I came in to adjust, and ultimately decided to re-rig a 3.7m sail.
The wind only blew about an hour and a half, but what an awesome score. Sometimes you get lucky. The waves jacked up quickly with that magnitude of wind, and I was finally able to sheet in and jibe after rigging smaller. There was a ton of debris in the water probably washing out from 12 Mile Creek just upwind. This is a record high water level for Lake Ontario. There was barely 3 feet of beach to launch from at the bottom of the little hill at this new launch we found. Local towns are flooded, so we cannot get into the usual launches, but we found this new way and it worked out. By 9:45am I was home and able to put in a nearly full day of work. If only the wind would cooperate this way every day.
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