"Weather Eye to the Sky" Rigging and Trimming Clinic

We mentioned unusual weather in our last newsletter. Before there were weather computers, sailors relied on general weather observations that became accepted indicators of coming weather. We have noticed some of these old tried and true traditional weather observations to be pretty reliable out on Utah Lake. We thought we would include some of these in the next few newsletters.

Mackeral Scales

"Mackerel sky, mackerel sky. Never long wet and never long dry,"
and the nautical weather rhyme,
"Mare's tails and mackerel scales / Make tall ships carry low sails."

Mare's Tails

In the past, people looked at weather and related it to something in their lives. For instance, cloud types are often described by their shapes in the sky. The mare’s tails are wispy cirrus clouds while the mackerel scales are small clumpy altocumulus clouds resembling fish scales in the sky. In the days of large sailing ships, this meant a storm would be approaching soon and the sails should be lowered to protect from the accompanying high winds.

As a testament to these cloud indicators we were clobbered with 20 - 30 mile an hour winds last night. We definately had to reef our sails under Mackeral Scale skies.

RIGGING & TRIMMING CLINIC
September 15, 2012
9 am - 4 pm

Our last clinic for the season is coming up on Saturday, September 15th. Take this opportunity to get out for some great instruction before we have to pull the boats out. Build confidence and skills and be prepared for next year's challenging spring winds. This clinic will be held on our Catalina 27 and will include information on inspecting and tuning standing rigging, tips on trimming on all points of sail, as well as some spinnaker work. Click HERE for more information. Cost is $195.00 and includes lunch from Kneaders.

CRANE DAY

Having a group of friends over to drop the mast is always an exciting time. Sometimes a little too exciting. We would like to encourage you to consider using a crane this year for a safe and controlled mast removal. By getting a group together, the $100/hour crane fee can be greatly reduced. Let us know if you are interested and we'll start making arrangements.

BAD BUG YEAR

Have you found an insect repellant that really works for you? Let us know and we'll share it with others. West Nile Virus is on the increase, so protect yourself. We try to end our time out on the water as soon as the sun touches the top of Lake Mountains. The mosquitoes seem to come out on que as the sun sinks below the horizon.

The end of the season is coming too quickly. Call soon to get in your lessons for this year!

Bonneville School of Sailing
www.bonnevillesailing.com
801.636.5204

Contact Us

(801) 636.5204
Utah Lake State Park
4440 West Center St.
Provo, Utah 84601

M-Sat: 8am - 9pm