Bay Area Wind Tomorrow - 3/31

jwwaters3 · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 9

Anyone have any thought on which bay area spot would be best for tomorrow. Its looking SW with afternoon flood.

jwwaters3 · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 9

Bolinas?

carl · Joined: 25 Feb 1997 Posts: 2674 Location: SF bay area

If you are a IW member, the live forcasts are back now.
Mike says Doran (Bodega Bay).
Have you actually sailed Bolinas? I've never heard of anyone sailing there.

jwwaters3 · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 9

I never have, nor have I ever seen anyone do it, but have seen some good winds there one a SW day that looked fun. I was also curious if anyone has gone out there, seems like it would be side shore on a SW wind.

windfind · Joined: 18 Mar 1997 Posts: 1901

See photo below.

If you think of Bodega as a flat water speed venue you are in for a treat if you head there for Doran storm sailing tomorrow while the wind howls. You launch at the very end of the sand spit right where the beach meets the rock jetty. There is no surf there and you have direct access to the huge ocean swell that starts just 500 feet from shore. On a day like tomorrow when the swell forecast is 18-24 feet Doran makes the Gorge seem like a speed ditch. There is a rest room for getting your wet suit on and good rigging areas.

Remember that storm winds can be extremely UP AND DOWN and can die fast. If it dies while swimming in huge swell in the open ocean. it will be a LONG cold swim to shore but at least the wind is side onshore. But you will wash up in a big plunging shore break near the entrance of the park. (been there, done that) This potential for a fast die off is especially real on days like tomorrow when the transition to NW clearing winds will occur abruptly in the late afternoon to evening. There is typically a few locals out at Doran on big storms.

I have been there when the winds went from SW 20-30 knot side onshore to NW 20-25 knots straight offshore in 5 minutes. Interesting..... but it is comforting to know that the Coast Guard watch tower looks over the sailing area.

If Doran sounds too interesting tomorrow keep an eye on Half Moon Bay, Alameda and Larkspur for saner sailing.

Mike Godsey
weatherflow.com
iwindsurf.com
ikitesurf.com
sailflow.com
fishweather.com

victor · Joined: 03 Aug 1998 Posts: 581

a long time ago I saw a guy sailing bolinas lagoon. he launched from the sea drift side. don't recall the wind direction.

very shallow in there.

i've never seen anyone sailing on the ocean side.

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

Got 4 days sailing at Bolinas. One on a S storm, back and forth inside the waves, nothing special and a little boring, like a tiny OB day.
3 on cloudy Westerly days, when the winds couldn't decide between going S or staying WNW. Wind coming from basically the last reef at Duxbury. Waves really slow, Patch, and kelpy. Channel was crowded with surfers surfing a windy headwind, but too crowded to attempt.
Sailed the Lagoon on a N.
Mostly, maybe 15 days at early Stinson or NW winds, before it clocks over the Mesa.
Sat? Rainy AM forcast, maybe Berkeley/Alameda/Spur. OB and Stinson, Tomales and Bodega.

churan · Joined: 05 Mar 2008 Posts: 54

bolinas can be good on a south, south west. If there is too much se in the wind forget it.. Bolinas juts out into the offshore storm wind on a south and can pick it up better than ob or stinson. Note sail from the lagoon to seadrift only as the bluff at bolinas stalls the wind. The lagoon gap seems to speed it up. currents tend to make for odd ups and downs so float is key. It is not epic but neither is the couch.