Madwaysouth: on their way to Nouakchott

Hi Geoff,
you guys are making incredible progress. I must say you are doing great.

The SW for today (22nd) has decreased a little and turns a little more to the west, which is better. Still a huge advantage to stay close to to ocean: the may start a little slow but the chance is always big that dring the afternoon the wind picks up and gives you during a period of time pressure in the sails. The furth south you go the biger the risk for showers become. Along with that the gusts can become more severe as well. In the vicinity of a convective cell (cumulonimbus) you can have hazardous gusts as a consequence of the strong dwondraughts within that cell. So watch out when you see somm really dark clouds, possibly with an anvil.
Especially the second day (23) i could suggest not to have an early start, as the probably is unworkable, but becomes probably pretty good during the afternoon.
All the best and take care.

Day1: 22 August-ESTimatedPosition: 18.7W16
Wind: 230-250°8-13kt (average wind). After 09utc turning to 250-270° and increasing to 12-17kt, after 18utc backing to 180-200° and gradually decreasing to 5-10kt!!!
Temperatures: night min: 24/26°C - Day max: 33-35°C (these are screen temperatures, out there in the sun temperatures can easily exceed those values with 10 or 15 degrees during the day!)
Weather: sunny start, increasing towering clouds, increasing risk for a showery outbreak. Gusty!!!

Day2: 23 August-ESTPosition: N17.5W16
Wind: weak from variable directions (average wind), after 12utc gradually increasing due to sea breeze:  250-270°5-10kt temporarily increasing to 10-15kt
Temperatures: night min: 24-26°C - Day max: 33-35°C
Weather: very cloudy to overcast, risk for showery outbreaks. Sultry and gusty.

Day3: 24 August-ESTPosition: N16.8W16
Wind: 360-020°5-10kt (average wind), becoming temporarily weak from variable directions. After 12utc turning to 300-330° and temporarily increasing to 13-18kt.
Temperatures: night min: 24-26°C - Day max: 33-35°C
Weather: very cloudy to overcast; showery/thundery outbreak possible
Always Valid
!!General remark: a sandy soil favours extreme surface heating which results in very turbulent wind. You have to take in account that above mentioned wind speed values are guide lines, but, especially during the afternoon they may vary significantly (turbulent gusts!). Formation of dust devils is possible.
Good luck, see you tomorrow! Marc.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 22nd, 2009 at 12:11 am and is filed under Madwaysouth-Buggy Kite the Sahara. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.