Microscale wind forecasting in the mid-Atlantic: lessons from the Americas Cup in Bermuda.
LOCATION
Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AH
SPEAKER | Jessica Sweeney, Chief Meteorologist, LandRover BAR Portsmouth.
ABSTRACT | Tactical and configuration decisions for Americas Cup yacht racing depend on precise wind speeds at race time. In June 2017 the competition was held in Bermuda, an isolated low-lying rock in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean. The vast scale of the ocean weather contrasted to the small races’ that were only 1.5 nautical miles long, lasting only 20 minutes. Forecasting wind speeds to within 2 knots up to 8 hours ahead is a challenge of scale and of timing; one that encourages an increasing focus on probabilistic tools to manage risk. This talk will describe the forecasting techniques used and some of the weather stories that emerged during the British campaign for the Cup.
SPEAKER | Jessica Sweeney, Chief Meteorologist, LandRover BAR Portsmouth.
ABSTRACT | Tactical and configuration decisions for Americas Cup yacht racing depend on precise wind speeds at race time. In June 2017 the competition was held in Bermuda, an isolated low-lying rock in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean. The vast scale of the ocean weather contrasted to the small races’ that were only 1.5 nautical miles long, lasting only 20 minutes. Forecasting wind speeds to within 2 knots up to 8 hours ahead is a challenge of scale and of timing; one that encourages an increasing focus on probabilistic tools to manage risk. This talk will describe the forecasting techniques used and some of the weather stories that emerged during the British campaign for the Cup.