Some years ago, I was out enjoying the Mediterranean waters with some friends. It was a beautiful day with flat seas and calm winds. We spent the morning diving and spearfishing. On our way back in, the ocean had grown so calm and flat that we decided to take advantage of the unusual conditions and do a little water skiing.

With water so flat that it could have been a lake, we covered about four miles of ground on skis and wakeboards that day. With some energy still left, air in the tanks, and a dive spot underneath us, we decided to go for one last dive. 

We geared up and flipped over the side of the boat, quickly leaving the shimmering, glassy surface above us. About 20 minutes into the dive, we heard the revving of the boat engine above us, a warning sign from our driver that we needed to surface immediately.

My first thought was that it must be a mistake. With such a beautiful day, what could possibly be the problem? The persistent roar of the engine told me there was something amiss, so we begrudgingly began our ascent to investigate.

What we found on the surface took me by surprise. Our beautiful day was gone. The seas were rough, the wind was haling, and all hell had broken loose. We scampered aboard and pointed the boat for home as fast as we could. 

The Way Back

The ride back was miserable. The cold rain was pelting us, the boat was taking a beating, and so were we. As I grasped the wheel and navigated the waves as best I could, I glanced over to see my two passengers being tossed around and not too happy. 

The rain was so hard that my buddy had re-donned his mask for the ride back home. As we smashed into oncoming waves, parts of my boat began flying off and sailing past us. At one point, my horn broke loose and splashed into the sea. Luckily, nothing major came off that day, just a few bolts from the bow and, sadly, my horn. But the event did leave me with the burning question, “what had we missed?

Mistakes We’ve Made

Obviously, our big mistake was that we neglected to check the weather that morning. We saw the clear skies and flat seas and made a wrong assumption that we had nothing to worry about. 

Furthermore, in our jubilation, we missed the warning signs that something was coming. When the seas turned to glass that afternoon, and the winds died completely, we should have been taking note.

We have technology at our fingertips. The weather channel plays 24/7; our smartphones give us up-to-the-minute weather details; and if you don’t have a smartphone, then you can always call your grandparents (or someone else’s).

Older people live for the weather. But that day, we didn’t use any of those tools. We looked to the sky, saw blue, and dove in.

That day, of course, hasn’t been our only bad weather day at sea, nor will it be our last – I’m sure. 

Every boater who spends enough time on the water will encounter some nasty weather at some point in his or her boating career. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but most of the time, with a little planning, it is avoidable. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way that help me avoid days that like that one.

The basics of weather:

Land heats up and cools down faster than water. As the sun rises and heats the ground during the day, hot air begins to rise. The cooler sea air rushes in to fill its place and creates what sailors refer to as the sea breeze. With the absence of other weather patterns, this heating and cooling effect forms a predictable wind pattern to most local coastal regions. This also explains why calm mornings often turn into windy afternoons.

Fronts bring with them turbulent weather, and boaters should take note of fronts. Cold fronts (indicated by blue lines with triangles on the weather map) tend to bring more severe weather than warm fronts. As a cold front moves in, the cold air is heavier and denser than warm air, pushing the warm air up higher into the atmosphere. As the warm air rises, it cools down quickly and can form ice crystals and water.

As the heavy ice and water molecules fall back to earth, they create static electricity which can lead to thunderstorms and heavy wind. In the northern hemisphere, these fronts move from west to east. As the front reaches the coast, the heavy wind will generally kick up from the south or southeast preceding the front. As the front passes, the wind will clock around to the northwest in what is called a clearing wind, typically bringing with it clear skies and good conditions.

Sailor sayings:

Applying the basics that we know about the weather, we can better understand some of the sayings that old salts like to throw around:

Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.

When watching the sunset in the evening (while presumably looking west – which is where the sun sets most nights), you may notice a red glow in the sky. This can be caused by a high-pressure system (think heat) moving dry air and dust particles with it, causing the evening sky to turn red.

Since we already know that these patterns move from west to east, it’s a fair assumption to make that the high-pressure system is heading toward you. These systems tend to bring good winds for sailing with few storms. Hence the sailors delight.

If, on the other hand, you notice the red sky to the east in the morning (where on most good days the sun will be rising), it means that the warm front has already passed you, and on the tails of the warm front will most likely come a cold front to fill its place. Cold fronts bring with them rain, wind, and thunderstorms.

Rainbow in the morning, need for a warning

When you see a rainbow in the morning, off to the west, with the rising sun behind it, you know there is moisture to the west. Since weather patterns move from west to east, the humidity is coming your way. On the other hand, if you spot that beautiful rainbow in the east in the evening, then you know that the rain has pasted you and the following day has a strong chance of being a good one.

Circle around the moon, rain or snow soon

A ring around the moon is from dust particles that have been pushed up from a warm front. On the heels of that warm front often comes a cold front, meaning that rain may be on its way in the next few days. If the moon is bright and crisp, then the low-pressure system has already moved the high-pressure system out of the way and rain will follow soon.

Flowers smell best just before a rain

Animals and plants are very attuned to weather systems. Just before a low-pressure system approaches, plants release waste that often creates a smell similar to compost. Birds also respond to weather changes. Falling pressure drives birds to fly lower, and eventually take refuge. If you note birds flying high in the sky, it’s fairly safe to assume fair weather is at play.

Weather Sailing Tips – Conclusion

These are just a few of the tricks that boaters can use to help gauge the weather. And remember, good weather means happy guests and fewer missing nuts and bolts: Always a good thing.