Southwinds Sailing June 2004 - Southwinds Magazine

WEST FLORIDA SAILINGCedar Key to Cape SableRacing News & CalendarCruisingUpcoming Events CalendarWest Florida News for SailorsSailing Services DirectoryCedar Key10TampaSt. Petersburg8Fort MyersSAILING IN JUNEBy Dave EllisSummer has arrived. Suddenly there arevery few regattas to attend. Racing isenjoyed in the evening, hopefully afterany thunderstorms pass by on their wayto the Gulf.The Gulf water temperature isapproaching 80 degrees. The afternoonair approaches 90. The Bermuda Highwith its easterly flow across Florida pushesany cumulus clouds that form fromthe rising heat toward our west coast.Sometime during the day the seabreeze, from the west, will stop and thenovercome that easterly. As the easterlywind dies, it will become very shifty,probably in the late morning. Watch forthe sky in the low horizon to the west toturn brown. That is the land pollutiongetting to the west and then collectinglow and coming back at you. Oh joy.When the little black flies, love bugsin June, start collecting on your sails,look to the west for the new, freshbreeze. On Tampa Bay near St. Pete itwill come in at about 210 degrees. InClearwater it will be more like 290. Ittends to go directly toward what it conceivesas being the shore, the major heaton the land.There are puffy clouds to the eastthat are driving this sea breeze effect.How can you tell if that big, badlookingpuffy cloud is headed your way?Look at the bottom of it. If there is a “rollWest Florida June WeatherAVERAGE TEMPERATURESSt. Petersburg 74 o lo - 89 o hiNaples 72 o lo - 90 o hiGULF WATER TEMPERATURESt. Petersburg 84 oNaples 85 oFor real-time eastern Gulfweather, winds and marineforecasts, go tohttp://comps.marine.usf.educloud” that looks like an elongated, verygrey hot dog and it is perpendicular toyou so you see the whole roll cloud, it isaiming straight at you.If you see that cloud and there is an,ahem, appendage sticking out of oneside, then what you are seeing is oneend of that cloud’s roll. It is going thataway.If the cloud looks sort of hazy andmisty at the bottom with no roll, it isgoing the other way.If it is just all pretty and well formed,especially if it seems to be collapsing inon itself, it is probably staying in oneplace and raining itself out. Watch outfor other clouds forming quickly nearby,maybe over you!5 36Key WestNaplesCapeSableJune Prevailing WindsSee page 62 for Windrose legendEvents CalendarJune 1 – Hurricane Season Begins.June 1 through November 30.June 2 – Full MoonJune 7-8 – Juan Levique Day andMerchant Expo in John’s Pass Village,Madeira Beach. Honors the day thatJohn Levique discovered a hurricanehad created St. John’s Pass in 1848.(727) 393-1947June 20 – Father’s DayJune 21 – Summer Solstice. Longestday of the year, and the days startgetting shorter.June 20-21 - Summer Sailstice. Gosailing and celebrate. See “ShortTacks” page 20 for more details.June 26-July 4 – Pirates Days Celebration.Treasure Island CommunityCenterJuly 2 – Full Moon – July 4 IndependenceDay - Fireworks.