Got your smaller kites? Wind is coming ...

"Tonight...East winds 15 to 20 knots becoming 20 to 25 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet near shore and up to 6 to 8 feet in the gulf stream. Intracoastal waters rough in exposed areas.

Saturday...East winds 20 to 25 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet near shore and up to 6 to 8 feet in the gulf stream. Intracoastal waters rough in exposed areas.

Saturday Night...East winds 20 to 25 knots becoming 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet near shore and up to 6 to 8 feet in the gulf stream. Intracoastal waters rough in exposed areas.

Sunday...East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas.

Sunday Night...East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas.

Monday...East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas.

Monday Night And Tuesday...East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas."
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/marine/

Where's the wind coming from?

"Synopsis
A ridge of surface high pressure will strengthen across the western Atlantic Ocean through early next week...maintaining a very strong flow of easterly winds across the local waters. The threat for shower activity will be highest in the Atlantic waters...but will be a slight chance at best...as an upper-level ridge of high pressure is forecast to remain in place over the region."

http://weather.unisys.com/surface/sfc_con_pres.gif
From: http://weather.unisys.com/
It's all about pressure differential, say between that big high over Bermuda and lower pressures out in the Gulf of Mexico. or at http://dadecosurf.com/images/tanal.1.gif

The greater the differential, the stronger the winds as in ...

http://www.sailflow.com/cgi-bin/mapp...ime_id=1517103
http://www.sailflow.com/images/legends/30.forecast.gif
From: http://www.sailflow.com/

Smathers this weekend.
 

Smathers was crankin Friday, Sat, and Sunday with 20-24 east winds. Riding was best in the mornings and very early afternoon, since the new moon sucked all the water out by 3 pm. It was like someone just pulled the plug in the bathtub. At low tide, you could walk out to the posts and still be in thigh deep water. Winds forecast to continue thru tomorrow and back off on Tuesday. Besides the locals, there were riders from Jupiter, Orlando, Illinois, and France. With gusty conditions and kickers out past the jetty, everyone got a good workout. Sorely missed was Greg, who was in Missouri???!!!! Riders new to the area were eager to talk to the locals to find out the conditions and local etiquette. It was a great weekend.

Frank

Thanks Frank & Smathers Crew
 

Frank - I was in KW for a wedding up from South America, first time kiting at Smathers -- I read the do/don'ts & checked the pics that are posted on the FKA forum & hit up a few of the folks standing around the launch area before heading out, really helpful tips & assistance getting kite up/down in that little launch. Must say I felt quite welcome by the local crew & wanted to say thanks -- same thing for the guys up at Whale Harbor (Other Side & 7) two good sessions on the way down & up the keys.

~ Saludos Aron

Aron, glad you had a good experience in the Florida Keys. Everything went great despite the gusty conditions, which could have had dire consequences without everyone cooperating and looking out for each other. Just the way it should be. Everyone comes away with new friends and great sessions. I can't speak for Islamorada, but the core group at Smathers is a great bunch of guys - and gals. Thanks for your positive input.

Nice session tonight! Squalls miles to the north and south but blue skys and white benign clouds in the middle where I was. Nice wind too, about 18 to 25 kts. and head high+ swells. Great when things work out, could have just as easily been shut down by squalls.

Anyone else get some quality water time?

Got a session in with Greg for about an hour in Fort Pierce. The condition were similar up here. I heard there were some folks out earlier in the day. :-)

Evening winds?

Seems that may be want is on tap for the next few days per the NWS forecast. Had some lows around 6 mph but gusts to about 18 mph with average winds around 14 mph at the Dania Pier last night. It looks like it started to fill in after 5 pm or so. Still daylight then for a while anyway.

Another nice all be it real short session tonight. Waves and good wind around 20 to 25 kts. Got squalled out in short order though, less than 45 minutes. Still, it was good to get out and I shot some GoPro video. Stayed tuned for that. How else got some wind time today?

Ok. Someone get their funk on and do the wind dance. Another little fart pushing thru on Wed/Thurs but its all west :(.

We need some wind!

Not sure what your looking at. Here's what I see.

Maybe 15 knots by dark on tuesday.
20 knots se-s all day wednesday.
Some time thursday comes the west wind.
20-25 knots from the north on friday.

Wind is forecast on the way to the SE later on tomorrow, Wednesday and back again Friday. Maybe some squalls too so be sure to look for them in the forecast and on the water. Wind is back, soon.

Oh yeah. Its looking better now. Not what I saw yesterday. This is going to be a slow moving front thats going to give us the full spectrum of the wind with a closeout from the NE just in time for the weekend.

SE 23 kts. in Delray and no squalls in sight, yet. Expect to see some possibly dangerous ones today but for now it is clear ... and at the office. Next time.

Ah heck. Now it all went to crap again. Hope you got your riding in today.

Yes, maybe 8 tacks worth after 4:30 pm? Wasn't the shortest session ever but well on the way. I opted to use a 7 m as it has particularly light bar pressure for my messed up wrists. Don't need to wear all the obnoxious splints with this setup. When I checked the wind online it looked doable, at the lower end. Got there, the first few tacks went fine, with a moderate level of power. Had nice seas too around 6 to 8 ft. outside. Eventually though I was having trouble riding upwind, at least as far as I wanted to go. I finally headed in, wind waited a bit decided it was lulling further and called it a day. It was still good to get out, all be it for a short ride. Who else got some today? Starting early was the way to go.

Useable wind in the forecast for tomorrow ...


Synopsis...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST THIS EVENING. A SURFACE LOW MAY DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TODAY GENERATING A NORTH TO NORTHEAST SWELL THAT COULD BEGIN TO AFFECT THE LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS BY SUNDAY NIGHT.

$$ .GULF STREAM HAZARDS...WINDS AROUND 20 KNOTS.

THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF THE WEST WALL OF THE GULF STREAM AS OF DEC 04, 2009 AT 1200 UTC...

3 NAUTICAL MILES NORTHEAST OF FOWEY ROCKS. 5 NAUTICAL MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF PORT EVERGLADES. 4 NAUTICAL MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF LAKE WORTH. 5 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF JUPITER INLET.

THIS DATA COURTESY OF THE NAVAL OCEANOGRAPHIC OFFICE.
Tonight...North winds 17 to 22 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet near shore and up to 3 to 5 feet in the gulf stream. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. Slight chance of showers.

Sunday...Northeast winds 12 to 17 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. Slight chance of showers.

Sunday Night...East winds 12 to 17 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. North swell 2 feet. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. Chance of showers.
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick...fl&zmx=1&zmy=1


Sounds like what they used to call NE 15 to 20 kts., maybe. Rain at 20% suggests not a lot of squalls left.

If you get over there tomorrow what we had here today, it will be a lot more that 15 to 20. It was smoking in the Tampa Clearwater area today. Close to 30 at times and steady 23 to 25 kts. Hope you get it tomorrow on the east coast, have fun.

Yes. May get ridable for Sunday. This week has been the most squirly forecast. Normaly, these frontal forecasts are pretty solid. This one, every time you check the next forecast it changes....significantly. Plus, whens the last time you saw a forcast like the one below for Deerfield to Ocean Reef.....12-17 knots......13-18 knots. They are distinguishing between 1 knot????

.TONIGHT...NORTH WINDS 17 TO 22 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET.
INTRACOASTAL WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
.SUNDAY...NORTHEAST WINDS 13 TO 18 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET.
INTRACOASTAL WATERS CHOPPY IN EXPOSED AREAS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...EAST WINDS 12 TO 17 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET
SUBSIDING TO 2 FEET OR LESS. EAST SWELL 2 FEET. INTRACOASTAL WATERS
A MODERATE CHOP. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

Yes, mainly off SE Florida though, still doing 5 kt. increments elsewhere. No clue why? Maybe they're giving us what we've been asking for, more accurate forecasts?

Glad you guys in Tampa had a great wind day!

What do you think. Enough east in the forecast for the Whale. I always hate dead on NE forecast for the keys becuase its a hit or miss situation. A little too much N in the NE and its shutdown. A little more E in the NE and its lit. Anyone gamble?

South Palm Beach this AM is ESE 15-20kts w/some fun 2-4ft wind chop and the radar is clear (for the time being)

Forecast to pick up thru out the day http://www.fmvperformance.com/forum_...lt/goodjob.gif

Where to kite @ palm beach/Del Ray, visiting
 

Intermediate Kiter visiting, and looking for good locations to kite around palm beach Sunday with this wind. Prefer to get some local knowledge before heading out. Thanks in advance.

You will likely find other riders close to Palm Beach in Jupiter to the north or Delray Beach to the south. There are waves in both spots, perhaps around 3 to 4 ft. maybe a bit more off Jupiter currently. More about each riding area in this forum in the stickies.

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=2086
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=349

Be sure to check in on weather conditions at:
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=6734

Great wind weekend and out of no where. Well almost from the advanced forecast, was a great set of conditions. Who got some riding time in? Was able to hit it both days for a while.

Nah. Got the short end of the stick. For some reason NOAA got stuck on the forecast for the Keys. It never went past Friday AM and I didnt notice. It switched from 15-20 to near 15. My last few experiences with near 15 have been pretty cruddy. Low and behold Im out midday Saturday and the wind is honkin. By that time it was too late and Sunday was out of the question.

Big mistake for so close to season end. Glad someone got to ride.

I had a great session at Whale Harbor yesterday, its seems that everybody rode so hard on Saturday and Sunday morning that I had the place all to myself at 2pm and rode until the wind dropped around 4pm!!!

Rode annes ,whale and curry Sat and sun annes is good again today

Glad some got some time in across the Keys. Had some waves on Saturday off Palm Beach Cty., smaller on Sunday but less chopped up due to the wind shift to side shore. It was blowing 24 kts. at points Sunday. Hope we get some more before things are turned off for the summer. Strange wind year we've been having.

Al lI know is I didnt get nearly enough riding in this season. It was exhausting looking for wind. Im gonna have to fork out some dough for a FS Silver Arrow 19 or Zephyr to get some summertime riding. I will laugh if we get consistent 15-20 knot easterlies all summer.

knock on wood....knock knock....Wind comin this weekend again. Fri/Sat 15-20 E-SE

Wind the last two days in early June too???! It was gusting around 20 kts. last night, clear sunny conditions as well. Wonder if it will happen again tonight?

Wind looks like its back for a few days.

What is the current process for riding at Matheson, now that there are new regulations in place? I don't want to rush out of work to get out there only to find that I'm not able to ride...any information that I should be aware of would be great.


Thanks.

Breeze is here, unusual for June. Seems to be in the low to mid teens currently. As hot and clear as it seems to be we may get some thermals to boost things even higher as the day goes on. The breeze is related to a tropical wave, hope things stay calm in the hurricane department as always.

Here's the forecast:

Today...East winds 14 to 17 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. Chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Tonight...East winds 14 to 19 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Wednesday...East winds 14 to 19 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas. Chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night...East winds 14 to 19 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Thursday...East winds 13 to 18 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas. Chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Thursday Night...East winds 14 to 17 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. Chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Friday...East winds 11 to 14 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. Chance of showers and thunderstorms.
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick...fl&zmx=1&zmy=1

I would guess there will be some squalls moving through at points so check the normal weather resources and keep an eye open at the launch.


ps - I will ask Kent to make a post about Matheson. Just hung up with him and posted an update to: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?p=45802#post45802

Sweet few days! Been cookin on a 10 meter in solid 20 knots all day. What an unexpected but nice surpirise for the end of June. I had my gear all packed away for the summer.

That was a really nice week last week. Wind everyday since Tuesday. I think the Keys got 1 or 2 extra days of wind through the weekend.

I hope everybody got a chance to get at least a day off and ride. I recall 2 years ago we got a good first week of June, last year it shut down for good in May. Maybe a sign of a few good summer days to get us through the off-season.

Glad you got some good sessions in. I waited until quiting time and was pretty much skunked through the whole time. Could have gone out but with beach winds going from 7.5 to 12 mph near onshore with 3 to 4 ft. seas, it was doable at times but not necessarily a lot of fun. The further south you went, the better conditions were. Even going from Boca Raton to Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday brought the winds up into a more useable range. As far south as the lower Keys, things really improved substantially.

NICE wind tonight, waves were pretty fun too. Who else got some? Looks like more on the way too.

Smokin' in the Keys today.....again.

Solid 20 knots all day. Never seen it be solid all day in the summer. Even had a few systems move through during the day that pushed it to 25-30 solid for about 20 minutes a piece. Wierd, no real squal line, just a few slightly grey clouds and it went from 20 to 25-30 knots just like that.

Had a week of solid riding in June and now this. Guess its making up for our crappy season. Wierd kiting in hot 20 knot winds.

Key West
 

The wind has been amazing down here this Summer, easily the best Summer season in years, lets hope this continues .....

Greg