Mallaig & District Canoe Club

Trip Planning

Weather forecast: WindfinderXC WeatherMetcheck (weather forecast and inshore waters forecast) Surfline– wind and swell information

Surf Reports

Windy

Synoptic charts

Inshore waters forecast – Met. Office

Tide tables:

Easy Tide

Imray Tidal Planner phone app (£2.99 for 1 year’s tides inc. secondary ports)

Wind speeds reference chart (see below)

Method For Approximately Grading the Sea – MAGS (Gordon Brown)

Scottish water levels

UK sea kayak guidebook – trip reports, tons of info.

MDCC Trip Organiser Planning sheet and Safety Equipment table

MDCC Trip Participator Questionnaire

MDCC Risk Assessment Guide

Tidal planning guide/tutorial

Trip planning sheet – Pesda Press

Tidal stream map overlays – most tidal streams are pre-entered on OS map

Basic Kit Information for Club Members

Wind Speed – quick reference chart (Beaufort Scale)

Force Km/h Mph Knots Wind Probable sea state
0 less than 1 less than 1 less than 1 Still Like a mirror
1 1-5 1-3 1-3 Very light Ripples with appearance of scales. No crests.
2 6-11 4-7 4-6 Light breeze Small wavelets. Glassy crests that don’t break.
3 12-19 8-12 7-10 Gentle breeze Crests begin to break
4 20-29 13-18 11-16 Moderate breeze Waves becoming larger, frequent white horses
5 30-39 19-24 17-21 Fresh breeze Moderate waves, many white horses, some spray
6 40-50 25-31 22-27 Strong breeze Large waves, extensive white horses
7 51-61 32-38 28-33 Near gale Sea heaps up, waves breaking, white foam blown in streaks
8 62-74 39-46 34-40 Gale Moderate high waves, crests break into spindrift, white foam
9 75-87 47-54 41-47 Strong gale High waves, crests topple spray affects visibility
10 88-101 55-63 48-55 Storm Very high breaking waves, dense foam streaks

SUNDRY

Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust – report any interesting sightings