Westerly JWSP Whidbey Sunday

[Chris Klohn]

Classic West Beach setup for this Sunday on Whidbey. Forecast westerly gales of 30-40+ expected for most of the day. If the local forecast starts to look uncertain this is where to go.

[Chris Klohn]

No change to the stellar forecast for West Beach on Sunday. This will be the real deal based on the current models. Phenomenal setup for an all day westerly gale wind event and some large swell / breaking waves. Make sure the local forecast is really, really good to pass this one up

[Chris Klohn]

Timing for the ramp up to Gale force westerlies now delayed a few hours.........this is a good thing! The chance of burning valuable wind time in the overnight hours has just dropped substantially. W 15-25 knots increasing to W 25-35 knots in the late morning. Excellent setup to drive down at 7am and be on the water at 9am for the building wind.

The local forecast has the NW wind coming through in the early hours and then backing off throughout the day. Keep a close eye on this one. You don't want to settle for a mid morning tanking NW wind at Acadia when you could have had a mid morning building Westerly Gale at JWSP. 2 hour drive +/- depending on the stoke level in your right foot

Cheers,

Chris

[Faceplant]

Wish I could make it! Heading to Whitehorse. Fun....not.

[spinmaster3000]

Seems like a valid reason to take the new car south to fill the tank!

Where's the best spot to go? Right where the road meets the coast just south of the Air Force base? Anyone else planning to go?

[Chris Klohn]

That's the spot. Just make sure to check the actuals first. The Gale warning has been backed off to W20G30 all day and the TAF isn't supporting the push straight through to JWSP as of the 5pm models. This is due to a convergence zone set to develop over Admiralty inlet where the SW winds meet the NW winds now. In short, good for the local NW and not so good for Whidbey. Stay flexible, things can change quickly down there. I'll watch it tonight again and post a quick summary around 5am.

Cheers,

Chris

[spinmaster3000]

Hi Chris,

That sounds good. I'll look for your update in the morning. I'm down for either, but will definitely head to JWSP if it's on!

Cheers,
Jeff.

[Chris Klohn]

Sounds good Jeff.

[Chris Klohn]

Hi Jeff,

My bet would be to stay local today. The Strait of Georgia looks good and has been building steadily since late last night. Winds are averaging NW 30mph @ Sand Heads as of 5:15am. If something happens and the winds back off locally Whidbey should be good all day. However, I personally wouldn't start the trip after 10am with the drive and limited daylight.

The pressure gradient throughout Juan de Fuca Strait has just started to build. The wind has filled in all the way to West Beach as of 5am. It's currently 20mph gusting to 25mph. The slight forecast downgrade last night has now been bumped back up to a gale watch of W25-35 knots. The winds are supposed to rise mid morning and peak early afternoon on Whidbey.

I would not leave the local wind for a trip to Whidbey unless it tanks today. If you wanted to do a Whidbey trip you couldn't pick a better two days then Monday, Tuesday next week. SE 35-45+ mph on Monday at Useless Bay and then SW-W 40-50+ mph at West Beach Tuesday............insane!!

[spinmaster3000]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the advice. I'm thankful that we have this forum on which to share this kind of info as I don't yet have a good understanding of what will make a good day at a given spot and what will leave you skunked.

I'm not sure I can get away Monday or Tuesday, but will stay local today.

Thanks and see you on the water soon!

Cheers,
Jeff.