Port Wing for SW?

dave t · Post by **dave t** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 8:41 am

Questions for the local Superior sailors.
Does Port Wing still rock with SW winds? The latest forecast says 20 - 25 kts but now it is SW. That is a long long way to go from the south metro and I would hate to be tempted to do something crazy like sail a mile out in off-shore winds because I drove 3 1/2 hours to get there and "dammit I'm sailin'".
Does the "Experimental" map do a very good job on the lake or are the marine forcasts the best to go by?

Chip · Post by **Chip** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 8:56 am

Southwest is no good for Port Wing. The wind is SW and rain now, but when the cold front goes through it will swing around to the NW. Also, the nearshore forcast is broken down more than usual - the first paragraph does not cover Port Wing.

I have little doubt that we will see NW rather than SW late today when the front comes thorough. The cold temperatures that are going to flood the state would not happen without NW flow. When I see the fornt come through Duluth I am considering packing up and heading to Port Wing.

Chip · Post by **Chip** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 9:00 am

I would go more by the marine forcast as I know that they take into consideration the micro-climate issues associated with the lake. I do not know how much the experimental brings such issues into play.

(PS - don't drive 3 1/2 hours on my opinion...)

Dave Z · Post by **Dave Z** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 9:35 am

Holy $%^t....... I might have to ask the boss if I can make the trip......

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT

THIS AFTERNOON
SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT INCREASING AND BECOMING NW
GALES TO 35 KT LATE. SHOWERS LIKELY. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT BUILDING TO 3
TO 5 FT LATE.

TONIGHT
NW GALES TO 35 KT EARLY DECREASING AND BACKING TO W WIND
TO 30 KT. SHOWERS IN THE EVENING. WAVES BUILDING TO 7 TO 10 FT.

SAT
W WIND TO 30 KT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES BUILDING TO 9 TO
12 FT.

SAT NIGHT
SW WIND TO 30 KT DECREASING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER
MIDNIGHT. WAVES SUBSIDING TO 7 TO 10 FT.

SUN
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT BECOMING W TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. WAVES SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 8
FT.

SUN NIGHT
NW WIND TO 30 KT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES BUILDING
TO 8 TO 11 FT.

Chip · Post by **Chip** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 10:11 am

NW is ideal but West is also sailable.. looks like I might need to go to work Monday and rest..

dave t · Post by **dave t** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 10:29 am

thanks Chip. I'm pretty sure I'll be there Saturday but I can't today.
Dave, any chance of you going up Saturday?

Bill S. · Post by **Bill S.** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 11:23 am

Dave T. and Dave Z., I'm in for Saturday if the forecast holds. Hey, Chip, what's your local perspective at the moment? Still looking like a possible big wave session at Port Wing tomorrow? Thanks, Bill

Chip · Post by **Chip** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 11:39 am

Sorry but I’m skeptical about tomorrow. The near shore and offshore forecast do not agree on wind direction tomorrow. Near shore is calling for SW winds with possible small craft advisory. Offshore is calling for West at 30 Kts. Assuming we are somewhere in between, a WSW wind at 20 won’t be worth the drive you guys are facing.. My strategy is to watch the “more local conditions” on the NWS Duluth page and look at velocities and directions from around the region, check sky harbor and check devils island. If sky harbor and devils agree, then Port Wing has to be going off…

The long and short is that we can already see the wind we are in fore behind the front today… Tomorrow is a long time away and may be questionable..

Dave Z · Post by **Dave Z** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:43 pm

No hope for me tomorrow but I might give it a shot for Sunday. I'll be keeping an eye on it......

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 2:48 pm

The rain is just ending here in Duluth and I am contemplating when to head up there. The forecast is variable W to SW. I've always been tempted to sail from the park at the tip of Wisconsin, in a SW. It is called "Little Sand Bay" and the neat thing is that there is a sand bar extending from the mainland across to Sand Island. It's depth is 4-10', and could have some exciting breaking waves. As I haven't been there via roads I'm not sure where best to launch from. Sounds like an adventure to me. Let's hope the winds hold for some sunny weather this weekend! Apple Fest is going on in Bayfield if you have a non-sailor with you.[/url]

Jan · Post by **Jan** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 7:46 pm

Hi Fellas, where can I find Port Wing? And, the Tott Lot, another famous Duluth destination, where is that? I am hoping to get at least a few Superior sessions in before winter.
Jan

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 9:16 pm

After the rain past through things really calmed down here in Duluth. I'm not so sure things are still on the agenda. Will want to check in the morning. The NWS is still holding onto a big forecast for Northern Wisconsin:

PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND-SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD
BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR
1000 PM CDT FRI OCT 1 2004

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT...

.OVERNIGHT...W WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. PARTLY CLOUDY. WAVES 4 TO 6 FT.
.SAT...W WINDS UP TO 30 KT. PARTLY SUNNY. WAVES 7 TO 9 FT.
.SAT NIGHT...SW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DECREASING TO 10 TO 15 KT LATE.
MOSTLY CLEAR. WAVES 4 TO 6 FT.
.SUN...W WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
WAVES 3 TO 5 FT.

To answer your questions Jan, the "Tot Lot" is the first beach out on Park Point, here in Duluth. It is labeled as "lakeside" in the description listed on the LAKES map of Duluth. It is on Lake Superior and is best sailed in northerly or northeast winds. Port Wing is a small remote town in northern Wisconsin and is on the south shore of Lake Superior. Best winds there are westerly or northwest. Both locations are beautiful sand beaches on some pretty frigid water. There are several postings throughout LAKAWA regarding sailing on the big lake-and are some good reading.

LAKAWA

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