Modern boaters and sailors should have a wealth of safety information
to boat safely out in the ocean or even at a large river or lake. They need to
have adequate knowledge about today's and the coming day’s forecast to ensure
their safety. Using satellite data, nautical buoys, and GPS technology helps
them obtain accurate readings of our weather. They tell when and where there is
a weather hazard through warnings. This information is updated regularly.
So, one might ask? What are the weather dangers that boaters
and sailors are at risk of? And how do they impact water vessels? While the
answers to these questions may be obvious, let’s discuss them further below:
Wind
Wind speeds and direction are among the top pieces of
information a boater should know regardless if they are a novice or not. The
force of the wind and the direction it’s coming from can mean that the boat’s
navigator has to alter the course or stay at the port until the wind conditions
are more favourable. Wind speeds are even more impactful for smaller vessels.
Small craft advisories and warnings are issued when wind speeds threaten small
boats such as pleasure crafts like Polycraft boats,
for example.
Waves
Waves and large swells can be disastrous for watercraft of
all sizes. Large waves prevent bigger boats from making headway and burning
precious fuel. And while large ships can handle waves better than smaller
boats, the safety of everyone on board and their cargo can be at risk.
There’s no question that smaller boats can easily be overpowered
by big waves. It’s critical that boaters heed all marine warnings at all times
while they’re out on the open sea.
Visibility
Even though watercraft have state-of-the-art marine radar
systems readily available in marine
shops now compared to 20 years ago, visibility is still important for safety
out in the water. Fog, sea smoke, mist, low cloud cover, and heavy rains all
impact visibility. The captain should know when it’s safe to move forward and or
not. Ignoring low visibility warnings can lead to catastrophic collisions. Docking
in low visibility conditions is also hazardous.
Squalls and Thunderstorms
Significant rain events such as squalls and thunderstorms
happen in waters all over the world. Even though these storms are commonplace,
they can still create serious hazards for ships and crew. Large water vessels,
such as cruise ships or cargo ships, are vulnerable to the effects of a thunderstorm
because the length and height of these ships put them at risk of heeling over.
Rainfall makes deck conditions hazardous since the waves and wind can knock
down anyone and anything there.
Tropical Cyclones
Prior to modern weather forecasting, cyclones (or hurricanes
or typhoons, as called in different parts of the world) were deadly hazards for
all seafarers. With today’s most advanced warning systems, a lot of vessels can
avoid a direct hit by an angry storm out in the ocean. However, since cyclones
can span hundreds of miles in the ocean, avoiding the storm’s outer bands is
not always possible.