The Clyde Pause

[Dougie the Mate]

Has anyone here heard of a phenomenon known as 'The Clyde Pause'. Some may have noticed that the Firth of Clyde often settles down in the evening even after a day of brisk conditions. I have an old friend who referred to this as 'The Clyde Pause'. Since then we have been even more aware of it.

Any thoughts?



Must use a hat when anti-fouling next time!

[Booby Trapper]

I have noticed this on occasions but I thought that happened most places as the land cools and the see breeze effect dies down. I've also noticed there are two different Clydes. The one south of Wee Cumbrae and the one to the north. On most days these 2 "expanses" of ocean have completely different weather systems.

[jim.r]

Not just a Clyde Phenomenomm seems to happen everywhere, Nick (with his aviation weather knowledge) once explained it to me as being a ground effect thing as the sun disappears. He'll be able to explain it a lot better than me

[Silkie]

Been a couple of discussions of this effect - the first here and another here.

[ubergeekian]

Has anyone here heard of a phenomenon known as 'The Clyde Pause'. Some may have noticed that the Firth of Clyde often settles down in the evening even after a day of brisk conditions. I have an old friend who referred to this as 'The Clyde Pause'. Since then we have been even more aware of it.

We always called it "the evening calm". The best explanation I have seen - as in "the most convincing" - is that as the days ends convection and convective mixing drop off, allowing the surface of the earth to slow things down without upper winds getting them going again.

[Old Troll]

There is also a before daylight in the morning pause which was more prominent than the evening pause. As ye olde ringnet herring fisherman from bygone days of yore this feature was played to advantage after a night of strong winds. A turn of tide also appeared to enhance the effect. Perhaps I have been at the Bowmore again.:oldtroll:

[ash]

On Loch Lomond I often found that the breeze died at 1600 hrs BST + or - 10 minutes or so. There often seemed to be a fierce burst of wind for 10 or 15 minutes before that.

I'm still trying to work out what happens in the inner Clyde - I have already discovered the wind howling down Loch Striven.

On Sunday we left Rhu Marina mid morning and there wasn't a breath - motored slowly to Rosneath Point where a breeze started to fill in so that we could beat towards Cloch Point. Off Gourock the wind started to build quite quickly, coming out of Loch Long. Managed to hold our course under full sail but a few degrees from a hard beat till we could bear off round Cloch, hitting 6.9 knts on a 23' waterline. Both true and apparent wind dropped as we neared Kip, and there was hardly any wind by the time that we dropped the sails.

Ash

[Clyde_Wanderer]

On the flip side, I once stayed over night on HB on the mooring at Fairlie bay, the wind was around F 6-7 from SE (offshore) and howling yet the water was calm and the boat lay still.
It was weird hearing the racket yet not bouncing about.
Had to don ear plugs to get a sleep.
C_W

[Booby Trapper]

It didn't work tonight. I decided the forecast was pretty good for tomorrow and thought the wind would die around teatime tonight so decided to leave Ardrossan and head for Brodick to enjoy a pleasant sail back tomorrow morn. Once I got out of the marina and sheltered behind the break water I decided 2 reefs in the main were in order and a scrap of headsail. 5 miles out with the wind still howling and the seas getting bigger and bigger I decided It would be too bouncy in Brodick Bay so decided to head back. Back safely in the marina around 2030 with the wind still howling. WHERE was the pause?????

See tip of the week.

[Silkie]

Just too steep a gradient to be influenced by any measly inversion/disconnection effect.

[ubergeekian]

On the flip side, I once stayed over night on HB on the mooring at Fairlie bay, the wind was around F 6-7 from SE (offshore) and howling yet the water was calm and the boat lay still.
It was weird hearing the racket yet not bouncing about.
Had to don ear plugs to get a sleep.

I had a night like that in the Sound of Ulva years ago. The forecast for Malin was F12 and they weren't far wrong. It's the only time I have ever kept an anchor watch. Screaming wind all night long and barely a ripple on the water.

[ubergeekian]

It didn't work tonight. I decided the forecast was pretty good for tomorrow and thought the wind would die around teatime tonight so decided to leave Ardrossan and head for Brodick to enjoy a pleasant sail back tomorrow morn. Once I got out of the marina and sheltered behind the break water I decided 2 reefs in the main were in order and a scrap of headsail. 5 miles out with the wind still howling and the seas getting bigger and bigger I decided It would be too bouncy in Brodick Bay so decided to head back. Back safely in the marina around 2030 with the wind still howling. WHERE was the pause?????

I went to the boat on Loch Ken yesterday (ie the same) evening thinking I might go for a wee sail. No way - it was blowing a hooley. The windsurfer boys were screaming along, touching the water every hundred yards or so, and a dinghy was breaking the sound barrier, but it was no place for a gentleman.

[Dougie the Mate]

We went up yesterday for a day sail having heard the forecast for today. It was nice between the squalls but colder than I expected. Went across to Greenock to see the Caribbean Princess doing their lifeboat drills.

We went home by Largs and KIlmarnock and it was fairly blowing off Skelmorlie about 6 o'clock.

[ubergeekian]

We went up yesterday for a day sail having heard the forecast for today. It was nice between the squalls but colder than I expected.

Jolly good for getting antifouling to dry fast, I'm glad to say. There were about eight of us at it in the boatyard. Launching on Friday. Hooray.

[Dougie the Mate]

The weather has been so poor we have not ventured as far as Bute this season. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks.