SailGP debut in Singapore Nor'easters: Explained Storm watch list |
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New Zealand comes out on top at SailGP in Singapore - Australia still leads championship standings |
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Photo courtesy of SailGP digital editor, Miranda Blazeby, via sailgp.com |
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It was anybody's race off the southeastern coast of Singapore this past weekend, where SailGP was hosted for the first time on Jan 14-15. While two-time defending champion Australia was coming into the event at the top of the series standings, New Zealand and France weren't far behind - and the light-air climatology of the course meant that no team had an inherent advantage going into the weekend. No sea breeze developed on day 1, but it did on day 2 - and on both days, passing showers introduced even more variability to the wind regime. On Saturday, New Zealand and USA came in first place in the day's two races while Australia claimed second in both, successfully defending their standing for one more day. But in fresher wind on Sunday, racing was dominated by New Zealand, Denmark, and Switzerland, allowing the Kiwis to pull ahead in the weekend's standings. Outside of the weather, New Zealand was deducted points after making contact with USA before racing, adding more intrigue to the event. “Coming into this weekend on the back of those penalty points and just seeing the way the team came together under a bit of adversity is super pleasing for us as a group,” noted Peter Burling of New Zealand, according to Scuttlebutt. “It’s two from two against the Aussies now in the finals, we’re more than happy to keep chipping away." In the meantime, Great Britain was able to push into third place in the championship standings, displacing France, while Australia and New Zealand remain in first and second place, respectively. The next rounds of racing will take place in Sydney on Feb 18-19; Christchurch on Mar 18-19; and finally San Francisco for the Grand Final on May 6-7. With places 4 thru 7 within 10 points of each other, the overall prize is still very much up for contention. Click here for a video of the event highlights! |
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Every fall, sailors run south to escape them while skiers trek north to find them. Nor'easters are powerful storms whose centers clip the northeastern U.S. a few times each winter, and which have significant weather ramifactions from the Canadian Maritimes to the Caribbean. While these storms can develop a few different ways, the strongest tend to spin up in the Gulf of Mexico, cross the southeastern U.S., then streak up the East Coast. Initially fueled by moisture and heat in the Gulf of Mexico, the storm then pulls in wintry cold air from the interior U.S., and the resulting sharp temperature gradient fuels fast development. Some strengthen quickly enough to be deemed a "bomb cyclone", when the central pressure of the system drops 24 millibars in 24 hours, taking it from a weak disturbance to a powerful storm in just a day. Snow can develop in the southern Appalachians as the center of the system tracks up the coast, then spread thru the mid-Atlantic and New England. Depending on the exact speed and track of the storm, feet of snow can fall across wide swaths of the Eastern Seaboard. Ahead of the storm center, northeast winds (for which this storm is named) tend to batter the New England and mid-Atlantic coast. Freezing ocean water can inundate exposed shorelines, including the historic North End of Boston. In the wake of the storm a strong, frigid northwest wind promotes lake- and ocean-effect snow wherever there is unfrozen water to be found. The strong northwest wind behind the storm and its trailing cold front usually extends easily down the length of the East Coast, and can blow through the Bahamas and into the northern Caribbean (as can be observed in the satellite image above). The powerful system also creates massive waves in its vicinity, and tends to emanate an unusual northwest or north swell down into the Leeward Islands. Last week, one such NW swell event impacted the northern Caribbean, creating high surf in usually protected ports and bays. Over the next week, a few nor'easters are expected to batter New England, and there are almost certainly more to come as the winter wears on! |
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Get on our storm watch list today! Clients on our storm watch list can customize their package to their needs. If your anchorage is only threatened by a certain swell direction; if you want to avoid 30 kts at all costs; or if onshore winds and astronomical high tide threaten your docks - we can create a forecast package that will make sure you receive enough warning to prepare. Our storm watch list is in effect year-round, and we are in the office 7/365. Contact us today to hear about our offerings and to sign up! "We so appreciate your weather coverage! It is so helpful for marina preparations and staffing, and you are always spot on!" - A long-time client, after receiving regular updates on Hurricane Ian |
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Look for our spring newsletter with weather and sailing topics, race news, and upcoming info. |
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