Let Island Activities Commence!!!!

[rgilfert]

Just got a call from WAM.....the boat has been launched, it's running fine and is tied up in my slip awaiting us. WaaaaWhoooo....finally!

[Webbsatwinni]

Great news! Enjoy the trip to the new house!

[Island Girl]

Be careful out there... It looks like a three day blow coming!

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Yeah, what IG said. The wind can drop as the sun sets, but not always. Friday evening might be ok. Early morning might be less wavy as well, but not always. I assume you have a breakwater, which helps so much, but you will want to have a long line on board just in case it is rough enough to warrant tying to land in order to keep the boat from smashing into your dock.

Good luck Rog and welcome back to the island!

[Webbsatwinni]

And tie the boat well overnight! This weekend looks to be windy.

[Island Girl]

The forecast of very high NW winds and temps below freezing overnight tonight drove us off the island this morning. The boat was tied well and breakwater protected.... But you never know about some freak thing happening. The water that will be coming over the breakwater could get into the boat and we would rely on the bilge pump. The water spray and freezing temps.... Risky

The greatest fear, however, is power loss. Three days of no power in chilly temps would not be fun! It is ok in the middle of the summer when Cooking outside is easy.

If you have not been on the island in high wind... This might not be the weekend to be your first.

IG

[Webbsatwinni]

We go out every chance we get and decided not to this weekend for those reasons, be careful!

[rgilfert]

Thanks for all of your input.....as an "islander novice" it is very much appreciated. We are on a brief vacation in VA this week and won't be home until Sat evening...but I had planned to go to the lake on Sun....based upon your input I will postpone my "camp opening" visit until Mon or Tues. Is there a rule-of-thumb regarding wind speeds on the lake when you would suggest not going out to the island? I've never correlated wind velocity with wave height before.....but it would be valuable info to understand now that we're islanders! Thanks again!

[codeman671]

We are heading up this afternoon. Always up for an adventure, but then again we are not dealing with Broads side waves. Just a quick shot across them to get to the island.

[Island Girl]

Originally Posted by rgilfert

Is there a rule-of-thumb regarding wind speeds on the lake when you would suggest not going out to the island? I've never correlated wind velocity with wave height before.....but it would be valuable info to understand now that we're islanders! Thanks again!

It would depend on the size and type of your boat, your experience and your location. You are about 1/4 mile from me. I tend to stay off the water when the wind is reported to be 13mph or greater. That may not be the actual wind. I just correlate what accuweather says to what the conditions look like and base my actions from there. I have a flaky shift so cannot react as fast as one could with more reliable mechanics.

Others go out in greater wind speeds with more capable boats. The problems include the big rolling waves that could crash over the bow of the boat if you are heading north, and the following sea throwing water over the transom if you are traveling south. Then there is the issue of landing the boat... with the wind pushing the stern sideways into the shore. If you are experienced this just takes your skill and judgement and usually some help to throw a line to the dock. Personally I think outboards are easier to land than I/Os. (just a gut feel here)

If you have a smallish bowrider, then you risk being swamped (been there) and that is very scary. If you have a pontoon boat... (eek!)

Once at the dock there is the issue of properly tying up. You need sturdy lines and cleats. No wimpy stuff for the broads side of Rattlesnake.

The wind pushes the boat away from the dock. When the lines get taught, then the boat slams back into the dock. You need something to keep that from happening. In medium to light winds, whips work well. If there are more violent winds then you need to tie both sides of the boat to something strong. Visit your neighbors for suggestions.

Tuesday looks the best for a camp opening!

We look forward to meeting you...

[Dog's Ear]

We drove up this morning from CT to open camp. The winds were so bad we are staying on the main land tonight and hopefully go over in the morning. There were huge whitecaps in 19 mile bay this afternoon!

[Webbsatwinni]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

It would depend on the size and type of your boat

Brody: You're gonna need a bigger boat.

[Webbsatwinni]

My favorite weather site to see if its going to be ok is wunderground and for the island, I search Gilford not Alton.

There is a useful part on there that shows wind forecast throughout the day (see below) that we use to decide what times to come and go. WNW looks to make the worst waves on the broads side of Rattlesnake (Not a weather man, just need to give the family the smoothest ride possible).

Here is the link to the Gilford weather,

http://www.wunderground.com/US/NH/Gilford.html