Dylan Collingbourne
27 Sept 2025
"BEastie Tour in Harwich with a steady 10-12 knots with cross tide meaning you should be asking "Am I making progress well to the next mark?"
Key Weather Details
Wind: 9 knots gusting 12 from S
Water State: Offshore breeze with cross tide through the day will produce flat water
HW will be 15:49 with a height of 3.98m (coming off springs = strong tidal flow).
Highs of 16 degrees with sunny intervals in the morning and then sunshine in the afternoon. Pollen in low and UV is medium.
Other Notes: Earliest first race will be 12:30 and 4 races planned, it is likely that majority of the day you will be sailing on a flood tide with potentially the last race being race on slack and/or ebb tide.
For a detailed understanding of what each wind model means - have a look here. Arome is typically the most reliable but unfortunately is not reading for RHYC
Day Breakdown
Saturday:
Morning | Early afternoon | Late afternoon |
6 knots gusting 11 SSE (160 degrees) 14-15 degrees Flat water Sunny intervals | 10 knots gusting 12 S (180 degrees) 16 degrees Flat water even though approaching HW Sunny intervals | 10 knots gusting 14 SSE (150 degrees) 16 degrees Flat water Sunny |
Tactical Considerations
The forecast is looking medium conditions, where we would maximise boat speed early on and then think tactically with the cross tide. With the current forecast, we are looking at almost a direct cross tide across the course with the starting line in the most tide, therefore we want to start down tide off the startline in order to sail the less distance across the course.
A key thought would be, "am I sailing towards the next mark?" This is especially key on the downwind legs!
Over the day, there is a small right (10-20 degrees) in the middle of the afternoon which will then clock back left to the prevailing SSE at 150-160 degrees.
Make sure you have a read over the Sailing Instructions before attending so you are aware of the format of racing and the local byelaws