Understanding the Weather in the Pacific Northwest

Understanding Northwest Weather is one of the biggest challenges when cruising in this area. It can make the difference between a good trip, or a trip where the crew is not sure they ever want to boat again!

Waggoner Cruising Guide Editor, Mark Bunzel, will take you through a proven technique for understanding the weather and making effective go or no-go decisions. He will take you through the many weather resources available on the Internet, cellular telephone or the WX transmissions on the VHF radio. He will share with you his Weather Checklist for recording the weather and which items are the ones critical to you for interpreting safe cruising conditions. Together, you will plan a trip and gather the weather information to predict what the conditions will be like. Mark will also discuss how the tides and currents for a days cruise need to reviewed together with the weather to identify safe cruising conditions. The Lunar Cycle will also be discussed and how it can factor into the days cruising conditions.

Power boat cruisers avoid the wind and sailors love the wind—to a point! Both will be reviewed.

After taking this course you will have a good understanding of NW weather and how you can determine the best conditions for your cruise.