Wind Naming

[Burst Boiler]

Ok, so I've been doing a bit of reading (dangerous, I know). The names of the various winds around the med and their sources are fascinating. Levante, Scirroco,Bora. Only two of which are types of Volkswagen.

Anyway, is it about time to start naming local winds? For example, the one that blasts you coming round Ardlamont into Kilbrannan. Or the one that funnels down from Loch Eck and out the nozzle of the Holy Loch in a North Easterly.

Please note, Bawbag has already been claimed by a "hurricane" a few years ago. But there must be huge scope for borderline offensive/humorous efforts. Over to the panel.

[claymore]

Excellent suggestion do we need to list the specific areas where we know there is a consistent wind, before we start hanging handles onto them?
The ones you have listed would act as good examples and I might add the fekker that always pipes up as you are leaving the bottom (sorry) end of Kerrera Sound, similarly the one that always seems to lurk at the entrance to Lochaline.

[cpedw]

It's not exactly poetry but I can do alliteration:
[quote="claymore"] the fekker that always pipes up as you are leaving the bottom (sorry) end of Kerrera Sound[/quote] Gylen Ghoulie or Feochan Fecker?

[quote="claymore"] the one that always seems to lurk at the entrance to Lochaline.[/quote] Morvern Marauder or Ardtornish Arse?

[claymore]

I seem to remember experiencing a tad of a gust which added a certain je ne sais quoi to departing from Rothesay
The Rothesay Rectal perhaps?

[Burst Boiler]

Rothesay is a fascinating one since its effectively the same source as the chaos at the top of Kilbrannan. In the right (or wrong) conditions, the wind comes over the dip in the Kintyre peninsula north of carradale and funnels up Kilbrannan, then runs through the two valleys on Bute to come out at Port Bannatyne and Rothesay. The Rothesay blast then whips round Toward point causing chaos at the corner, works north before funneling through the Spango valley. This then reappears in Gourock Bay to knock you on your arse if headed for the gareloch or jwd. It then seems to disappear over the top of Helensburgh making for loch Lomond and then into the forth valley to complete the journey from west to east. So a single name for a fresh W to SW would encompass the local conditions in a few places.

[marisca]

My problem of late has been a paucity of wind. My impression is of often leaving Gourock in a westerly, looking forward to easing sheets at the Cloch and then sitting with the sails slatting. Rothesay Bay does seem to have its own breeze which vanishes whether heading past Ardbeg or Bogany Points. The stretch between Ardlamont and Lochranza can be a windless slop and the top of the Kyles is often a drift. The MoK (I've gone round it backwards) can cancel the wind with the tide and so it goes on. However, the highlight of 2020 was a circumnavigation of Arran where I broad-reached, kicking up a quarter wave, from Brodick Bay round to north of Carradale before the wind noticed me and turned contrary.
The thing about the Mediterranean winds is they can be relied on and that is not a feature of any of the examples so far.

[Burst Boiler]

You are spot on that the classic med winds like the mistral either either don't depend on "weather" as such, or if they do, like the meltemi, the weather pattern will persist once established. I think any local wind here cant depend on a depression since these move off too quickly. On the other hand, high pressure systems can and do occasionally hang around for a while once established. Trouble here is that the high can occur in a range of places.

I think we need to give this a bit more thought. Having said that, the southerly gusts that roll down from the mountains on Arran and blast through the lochranza anchorage at 3am do seem to be relatively weather independent - something to do with cold mountain air sinking at night.

[Burst Boiler]

Maybe its going to be easier to name local wind phenomenon rather than "winds" as such. I think the issue at cloch (or the gantocks) in a westerly seems due to air coming out of holy loch and turning south, meeting wind from toward moving north. They seem to cancel around there.

Something similar happens in the sound of mull at salen.

[claymore]

That's to do with Witches