This workshop is open to paid members of NSPN only.
John Huth once again has volunteered his time to pass on his extensive knowledge of weather and how it applies to kayaking. John's past presentations have been touted by club members as the best they've seen on the subject. This is truly one workshop you won't want to miss!
Here's a bit about what John has to say about what he'll be presenting:
"One of the things we’re taught in sea kayaking is to check weather forecasts in advance, find out about sea swell conditions and get local knowledge. Reliance on outside information is good advice, no doubt, but an over-reliance on outside information can create a barrier between us and our environment. In the most pragmatic terms, the one thing we cannot get from NOAA radio is information on rapidly changing conditions – typically the local and sudden onset of thunderstorms. At the lowest level, this course has elements that will help the sea kayaker evaluate and respond to rapidly changing local conditions through observations and decision making.
At a more aesthetic level, the course will deal with broader issues of weather and waves: the approach of warm and cold fronts, how to read cloud formations, wind. We’ll consider the air circulation around high and low pressure systems, and how to evaluate weather signs. We’ll also look at the veracity of some weather adages (“red sky at night, sailor’s delight,” is not reliable, whereas “mackerel scales and mares tales make lofty ships carry low sails” is reasonably reliable).
Knowledge of likely wave conditions is an important tool in the sea kayaker’s bag of tricks. By knowing wind, fetch, swell, in combination with underwater topography, a sea kayaker can make very good estimates of likely water conditions in areas where they will be traveling.
The course will last approximately 2 and a half hours, with ample time for questions and breaks as needed."
