Windsurfing in the estuary at Ynyslas
I’ve just got back from a nice little windsurf session in the estuary here at Ynyslas. Ivor, our local katabatic wind was up to his usual tricks with a decent NE wind funbelling down through the valley at up to 25 knots. And this was despite the fact that the forecast was for winds of 5-6 knots. Lovely.
The wind wasn’t quite up to its usual strength, but it is still pretty early in the year so I think Ovir was just warming up. Hopefully we’ll get some really good winds in the spring.
With the sun shining it was pretty warm out there as well. I had my 5/3mm wetsuit on and boots and a hood but if anything I was a little too hot whilst on the water.
There was something going on at the visitor centre car park though. Four police cras were in attendance and the car park was closed off with ‘Crime Scene’ tape all around it and a police officer at either end preventing anyone from entering it. Anyone know what’s happened?
Ynyslas Estuary
Just got back from a lovely windsurf session in the estuary at Ynyslas. Its that time of year when Ivor, our local katabatic wind is on top form and with a gentle NE wind forecast and sunny skies he was up to his usual tricks. Funneling down the valley at 30-35 knots making for perect windsurfing conditions in the estuary.
Ivor usually peaks at around 8.30 and today was no exception. The Weather Station recorded a maximum gust of 30.6 knots at exactly 8.30am. The weather station isn’t directly in Ivor’s path though as the wind is very localised so it would have been an extra 10 knots or so on top of that in the estuary.
I was on the water before 8am and had a 5 star session. Well powered up the whole time and making some super fast speed runs on the flat water to the lee of the sand banks. I forgot my GPS though so don’t know wuite how fast I was going, but on kit that isn’t built for speed it certainly felt fast.
Back to work now, but this is exactly why I live ‘A Simple Life of Luxury’ as a Freelance Website Designer in Wales as it allows me to indulge in spontaneous windsurf sessions whenever the conditions allows.
Once I got off the water I took a few photos of Nick with my new camera. He went out kitesurfing for 5 minutes but then decided it was too windy to be out there on his own.
Along with the rest of the country we have been enjoying some gorgeous spring weather recently. Clear blue skies all day long and some of the most amazing sunsets and sunrises with spectacular oranges, pinks and purples. It has been quite cold too, especially at night which leads to a local phenomenon of a katabatic wind, affectionately known as Ivor here in Ynyslas and Borth.
It works in a similar fashion to a sea-breeze in the summer, but in the opposite direction and with more force. At night the temperatures in the hills can drop significantly, often reaching minus numbers and maybe even down to minus 8-10ºC. The sea however remains at a fairly constant temperature and is currently around 9ºC. That is a huge temperature difference. The sea warms the air above it which then rises, and cooler air from inland moves in to take its place, creating an offshore wind. As the sun rises in the mornings, it rays reflect off the surface of the sea further raising the temperature of the air above it which drives the wind even faster. This is the exact opposite to the summer sea-breeze effect, but the larger temperature difference increases the effect making the winds stronger.
On top of this, Ivor, the katabatic wind has gravity on its side (unlike the sea-breezes in the summer). The cold air in the hills sinks into the valleys and flows along them just like a river would. Gravity, coupled with topographic funneling in association with winds driven by a temperature gradient can produce some pretty startling effects here, with winds in excess of 20 knots when everywhere else is calm. If this also occurs on a day when there is a general E-NE wind direction then we often gets winds in the 30-40 knot range. More than enough for most people and perfect for those of us who windsurf and Kitesurf.
