Weather – Plan B
Recently I took two local boat trips, one in Salem Sound and the other in Gloucester harbor, in some pretty unsettled weather conditions. To help assess the weather risks, I tuned into a handful of NOAA weather radio stations. Unfortunately, in each case, I heard a lot of information which was either irrelevant or outdated, and sometimes both. I needed specific forecast information for the Sound at 5:50 pm, but what I heard was mostly information on other locales, recorded earlier in the day. Occasionally, the taped broadcast would cite the Sound, but the last update was 2 hours earlier which, considering the rapidly evolving weather situation made the forecast suspect, at best. This lead to some unexpected “educated” guesses and a very uncomfortable cruising experience. Lesson learned – NOAA provides great information, but much of it is outdated or irrelevant in many situations, and it’s best to have some sort of Plan B – phone, tablet, ordinary radio which can help you fill in the gaps. There’s nothing like relevant, timely weather information to make a day on the water measurably more fun.
