Skysail

Feedback is welcome
Click on www.skysailtraining.co.uk Training

for on line Colregs test and CEVNI test and to buy

Weather, Colregs, VHF and more navigation skills
charts

Test Yourself - Online Exam

RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster
ICC / BSAC Seamanship
Met - Weather Exam / Assessment
Meteorology
Weather at Sea
1 of 20
Mouse click or Page Down to start
© SKYSAILTRAINING 2012
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

SKYSAIL SKILLS CHARTS Training

http://www.btinternet.com/~keith.bater/navigation_skills_charts.htm
Extracts from Skysail Skills Charts on the essential navigation subjects
– all summarised on A4 laminated charts. For full details click link above

Day Skipper VHF

Weather Chartwork

2 of 20
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Before the Meteorology tests Training

• Here is the full weather presentation if

you need it (2MB):
http://www.btinternet.com/~keith.bater/weather_for_yachtmast
er_day_skipper_course.pdf

3 of 20
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Forecasts Training

Where would you find weather forecasts?

On land At sea
 TV  BBC radio
 National radio  Coastguard VHF
 Local radio  Metfax to PC
 Newspapers  Navtex
 Teletext  Barometer
 Web  Observation
 Barometer  Mobile phone
 Mobile phone
4 of 20
Day Skipper Weather
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Forecasts Training

What is the sequence of the Shipping

Forecast?
Gale warnings
General Synopsis at time of issue
Wind now - direction and force
Wind later
Sea state
Weather - fair, rain, etc
Visibility
5 of 20
Day Skipper Weather
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Shipping Forecast Terms Training

What do the following mean?

Imminent Within 6 hours
of the time of issue of
Soon 6 to 12 hours
the forecast
Later After 12 hours

Very poor < 1000 metres visibility

Poor < 2 Miles Wave height m
Moderate 2 - 5 Miles Moderate 1.25 – 2.5
Good > 5 Miles Rough 2.5 – 4.0

Fair No precipitation Very rough 4.0 – 6.0

6 of 20
Day Skipper Weather
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Wave height Training

What factors affect wave height?

1 Wind speed and duration

2 Tide speed and direction
wind against tide gives higher waves
3 Depth of water
4 Fetch - the distance over which the wind blows
5 Swell - the wave pattern before the current weather

7 of 20
Day Skipper Weather
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Wind Training

How do you define the following?

Direction Direction from which wind blows

Cyclonic Rapid changes in wind direction
(Possibly at the centre of a depression)
Veering Changing direction clockwise
Backing Changing direction anticlockwise

8 of 20
Day Skipper Weather
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Pressure / Wind / Waves Training

What is likely if the pressure has changed by

6 millibars in the last 3 hours?

A gale
(whether the change is rising or falling)
From these descriptions estimate what the
Beaufort wind force is:
a) Moderate waves, many white crests.
Force 5 17-21 knots
b) Sea heaps up, spray, breaking waves, foam
blows in streaks. Force 7 28-33 knots
9 of 20
Day Skipper Weather
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Fronts / Buys Ballot Training

Occluded
Front

How do you define

Advancing
Cool air
cold air

the following? Warm

Front
Cold Front
Warm air

Occluded Front An occluded front is formed when the faster moving

cold front overtakes and merges with the warm
front. Typical weather is cloudy, with light rain and
poor visibility

Buys Ballot’s Law in the Northern Hemisphere, if you stand with

your back to the wind, the area of low pressure is
to your left and the high pressure to the right.
10 of 20
Day Skipper Weather
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Depressions Training

What is the weather and wind at A, B, C, D?

D
Light Rain
Wind backs

H
Fair
Light winds
L Heavy rain
A Poor visibility
Wind increases
Clear, bright
Showers
Good visibility
Wind veers and Broken cloud
increases Showers
Very poor visibility
C Wind steady
B
Cumulonimbus
Heavy rain
Thunder Lightning 11 of 20
Day Skipper Weather Squalls
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Depressions Training

What is the weather at A, B, C, D, E, F, H?

A Cirrus, fair

Fair Cirrostratus
Light winds
Altostratus
Light Rain
H B Wind backs
Pressure falls
Clear, bright.
Cumulus Showers
L
Nimbostratus
Good visibility
except in showers. C Heavy rain
Poor visibility
Wind veers sharply
and increases.
Wind increases Warm
Pressure rises
Broken cloud
Alto cumulus
front
F D Showers
Very poor visibility
Wind veers, steady
Cold Cumulonimbus
Pressure is steady

front E
Heavy rain
Lightning Thunder
Warm
Squalls sector 12 of 20
Yachtmaster Meteorology © K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Clouds Training

What type of clouds and

what do they signify?
Cirrus - can indicate an approaching
depression

Cumulonimbus - thundercloud,
squally, lightning. Cold front.

Cumulus - fair weather

13 of 20
Yachtmaster Meteorology © K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Sea Breezes Training

What is a sea breeze?

What causes it?

Sea breezes are caused by unequal heating of land and sea surfaces. During the
day, especially in summer, solar radiation heats the land surface to become
warmer than the sea surface which stays cold all summer. The temperature
difference rises to a maximum around mid afternoon. The warm air rises over the
land and cool air from the sea is drawn in, setting up an onshore wind. As the
heating effect increases, the sea breeze strengthens, and may reach 15 knots (F4).
A land breeze develops at night as the land cools relative to the sea and an
opposite but weaker circulation sets up. 14 of 20
Yachtmaster Meteorology © K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Sea Fog Training

It occurs when warm air flows over

1.What causes sea fog?
a cold sea surface (advection flow).

2.Inwhich season is it Spring / early summer when

most frequent? the sea is still cold.

3.Will there be wind? Yes

4.What makes it clear? A change in wind direction

or sea temperature
15 of 20
Yachtmaster Meteorology © K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Land Fog Training

1.What causes land fog? It occurs when land cools

overnight by radiation of heat.
The air cools and moisture
condenses to form fog.
2.In which season is it most Late Autumn / Winter when
frequent? pressure is high and there
is no cloud.

No. Land fog can form in

3.Will there be wind? valleys and drift out to sea.

The heat of the sun the

4.What makes it clear? following morning.
16 of 20
Yachtmaster Meteorology © K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Coastal Winds Training

With the gradient wind as shown, what

will the wind be on the coast lines?
Winds diverge.
Coastal wind is weaker

Winds converge.
Coastal wind is stronger

17 of 20
Yachtmaster Meteorology © K M Bater 2012
 Skysail
Depression
Training

PASSAGE OF A DEPRESSION
Cirrus
Cold Front Cirrocumulus
Warm Cirrostratus
Cumulonimbus
Altocumulus Sector Altostratus
Cold Air
Warm Air Nimbostratus

20,000 ft
Fractostratus
Cumulus
Stratocumulus
Cumulus
Cool Air
West East

200 M
300 M 600 M

Veering sharply
WIND Strong gusts Steady Veering Backing & increasing WIND
Squalls
Rising, then
PRESSURE Rising quickly Steady Steady Falling PRESSURE
steady
Sunny, squally Heavy rain, Light Becoming heavier and
RAIN Drizzle RAIN
showers thunder, hail rain prolonged
Good except Poor
VISIBILITY Poor in rain Poor Deteriorating VISIBILITY
in showers Fog
18 of 20
TEMP Cold Falls Warm Warm Rising TEMP
© K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Pressure Systems Training

What is the likely wind at A, B, C ?

Variable, light
A
L B L
L NW, strong

H
Deep depression
D
L SW, light
H
C
SSE, strong 19 of 20
Yachtmaster Meteorology © K M Bater 2012
 Skysail

Training

END
Warm front
Cold front

Warm
Yachtmaster Meteorology
sector 20 of 20
© K M Bater 2012