Bristol Nomads Windsurfing Club

[LukeStur]

First I wanted to say a big thank you and well done - it is a fantastic effort to get the weather station up and running.

Could you let us know where the weather station is situated in relation to weston beach.

Have you had much feedback via the data page http://www.bristolnomads.org.uk/weather_station/data/Wind_Data.html ?

I will try and post some data next time I am at weston, although I haven't got a windometer so it may be a bit of an estimate.

Have you got a rough idea so far as to how much it may be out by? In the last week or two I haven't seen it register more than 10knots of wind and 15knot gusts, when I'm sure it must have been windier.

Living in Bath it is easy to be put off risking the hour's drive when you only see 8knots showing on your website. I would rather it overstated the wind than understated it to encourage me to take the risk.

For example the last 2 times I have been to weston (31st Aug and 2nd Sept) have been absolutely fantastic when at times on the way there it looked like there wasn't going to be any wind.

Anyway - I don't want to critisice, I really appreciate the service.

[Liddlerich]

It does read quite low. It was reading about 18 kts last week when I went to the beach (it looked a lot windier than that). When I got there it was blowing it nuts off.

Interestingly there was a guy down at the beach with a hand held wind thingy and it too was reading 18 - 20 kts. Based on that he had rigged his 5.7m. I said he should take it back to the shop and get a refund because it was way windier than that. I rigged my 4.4m which was about right for me and I had a brilliant session. Not sure how he got on.

[Viv Powell]

Sorry it took me so long to reply to this.

I have got some data back from people on the beach (many thanks to all who have filled in the form - please keep it coming! ). The Weather Station definitely reads lower than what is going on at the beach. We did mention this in the newsletter a couple of months ago, which you obviously read but forgot .

I am pretty sure that I can put some adjustment into the weather staion readings, but I don't know if it is a global step or if it is cleverer than that. At the moment I really don't have enough data to be able to adjust it with any confidence.

For obvious reasons I'd rather not disclose exactly where the staion is, but i'm pretty sure that it is more sheltered than the beach.

[dro]

Fortunately we are coping in Cydweli even though the wsm weather station reading low
Is'nt that amazing?

LT

[MartinF]

The weather staion is reading VERY low at the moment. In fact, it's still reading Oct 28 - about 2 knots NE.

Don't rely on this until it gets fixed!

[Viv Powell]

The weather station is up and running again - typical that it would stop while Brian was away.

[Sue]

At WSM today. Didn't have an offical wind reading machine with me but I reckon it was 20mph on the beach ie 17 knots (from 4.00pm onwards). The Nomads wind machine said max of 8.7knts, so reading v low.

[Ian Long]

Sue, do you know what direction the wind was blowing? Unfortunately the station isn't mounted by the beach, so will be sheltered more in some directions that others. Thanks.

[Sue]

Hi Ian
It was a westerly.

I was also there yesterday evening and it must have been about 15mph W, yet the Nomad's wind machine said Easterly and about 3 knts.

Sue

[MartinF]

The weather station has definitely been struggling recently: All through Sat & Sun, it was reading 2.7knots, Easterly.

I called Brian to ask him to check whether anything was obstructing the anemometer, but - with the Grand Prix followed by the England being slaughtered by Germany on tv - he wasn't in any hurry to check there & then

However, when I checked tonight, it had changed to Northerly, force 0. So maybe something has changed? Only wind, and time, will tell.