Skip to Content
GoNoGo WX Boating

Example Briefing · Vista

See the Briefing Before You Sign Up.

This is Vista’s briefing for an example Saturday in Annapolis Harbor. Yours is built on your boat and the limits you set.

NO-GO

NO-GO from 2 pm for Vista. GO until about 12 pm, then CAUTION.

2/10 day score for Vista

  • WindNO-GOforecast up to 20 kt, gusts 25
  • SeasCAUTION1 to 3 ft
  • RainNone
  • StormsNone in the forecast
  • Small Craft Advisoryfrom 2 pm today until 2 am SundayCAUTION

The forecasts differ on today's wind from 12 pm. The briefing scores the rougher one.

Built from the latest NOAA marine forecast, issued 3:58 am today (about 3 hours ago).

Vista · 21 ft · CAUTION above 12 kt or 2 ft seas, NO-GO above 18 kt or 3.5 ft seas

Read the day in full
Sky
Sunny

What would change this: The wind and the Small Craft Advisory together set the NO-GO from 2 pm: 15 kt, past Vista's GO line (12 kt), with the advisory in force. From 3 pm the wind sets it on its own: 20 kt, past Vista's NO-GO line (18 kt). NO-GO lifts when the wind eases to 12 kt or under with the gusts below 17 kt (5 kt past Vista's GO line) while the advisory holds; the hours it covers stay CAUTION until it ends, and are then scored on the wind and seas alone.

Being back by about 12 pm keeps the whole outing inside Vista's GO lines.

Key factors

  • CAUTIONFrom 12 pm: wind 15 kt, past Vista's GO line (12 kt)
  • NO-GOFrom 2 pm: wind 15 kt, past Vista's GO line (12 kt), with the Small Craft Advisory; together they make it NO-GO
  • NO-GOFrom 3 pm: wind 20 kt, past Vista's NO-GO line (18 kt)
More on the key factors

A Small Craft Advisory begins at 2 pm today and runs until 2 am Sunday. Wind is the closest call at 10 kt in the forecast for this hour, and that is inside Vista's limits. No precipitation is expected. It holds until about 12 pm. The weather changes after that.

Through the day

Choose a part of the day or an hour.

The hours ahead

Against Vista's own limits.

best window51015202512 ktGO18 ktNO-GO6 am: 10 kt107 am: 10 kt8 am: 10 kt9 am: 10 kt1010 am: 10 kt11 am: 11 kt1112 pm: 15 kt151 pm: 15 kt2 pm: 15 kt153 pm: 20 kt204 pm: 20 kt5 pm: 20 kt6 pm: 20 kt207 pm: 20 kt8 pm: 20 kt9 pm: 20 kt20GOCNO-GO6 am11 am4 pm9 pm
Line and numbers: sustained wind in knots. Gray band: gusts, up to 25 kt. Dots and the row under the line: the status of each hour, named GO, CAUTION or NO-GO (G, C or N where the stretch is short). Dashed lines: Vista's GO line at 12 kt and NO-GO line at 18 kt.
6 am, GO: 10 knots from the SW, 1.0 feet. 7 am, GO: 10 knots from the SW, 1.0 feet. 8 am, GO: 10 knots from the SW, 1.0 feet. 9 am, GO: 10 knots from the SW, 1.0 feet. 10 am, GO: 10 knots gusting 12 from the SSW, 1.0 feet. 11 am, GO: 11 knots gusting 13 from the SSW, 1.0 feet. 12 pm, CAUTION: 15 knots from the SSW, 2.0 feet. 1 pm, CAUTION: 15 knots from the SSW, 2.0 feet. 2 pm, NO-GO: 15 knots from the SSW, 2.0 feet. 3 pm, NO-GO: 20 knots gusting 25 from the SSW, 3.0 feet. 4 pm, NO-GO: 20 knots gusting 25 from the SSW, 3.0 feet. 5 pm, NO-GO: 20 knots gusting 25 from the SSW, 3.0 feet. 6 pm, NO-GO: 20 knots gusting 25 from the SSW, 3.0 feet. 7 pm, NO-GO: 20 knots gusting 25 from the SSW, 3.0 feet. 8 pm, NO-GO: 20 knots gusting 25 from the SSW, 3.0 feet. 9 pm, NO-GO: 20 knots gusting 25 from the SSW, 3.0 feet
Peaking 20 kt. The shaded band is the best window.

On the water now

Wind

7 kt

from SW, gusting 9, measured now

Seas

0.3 ft

measured now

Air

75°F

Water

78°F

Sky

Sunny

Annapolis buoy (44063) · 1.6 nm away

Around you right now
  • Annapolis (APAM2)0.4 nm · 12 min ago · water 78°FSW 6 ktgusting 8
  • Thomas Point Light (TPLM2)5 nm · 12 min ago · at standard heightSW 5 ktgusting 8
  • Brewerton Channel Range Front Light (BCFM2)13.9 nm · 12 min ago · at standard heightSW 6 ktgusting 8
  • Francis Scott Key Bridge (FSKM2)14.8 nm · 12 min ago · at standard heightSW 6 ktgusting 8
  • Baltimore buoy (44080)15 nm · 12 min ago · at standard height · 0.3 ft · water 78°FSW 7 ktgusting 10

Conditions at a glance

Tide

best window0.4 ftLow3:23 am1.6 ftHigh9:51 am0.5 ftLow4:07 pm1.4 ftHigh10:03 pm
Air temp
72°F to 87°F
Daylight
5:40 am to 8:34 pm

The week ahead

Each day's peak wind and seas. Today covers the hours left.

  • TodayNO-GO220 kt3.0 ft
  • SunGO711 kt1.0 ftBest 6 am to 9 pm
  • MonGO810 kt1.0 ftBest 6 am to 9 pm
  • TueCAUTION515 kt2.0 ftCalmest 6 am to 3 pm
  • WedGO810 kt1.0 ftBest 6 am to 9 pm
  • ThuCAUTION514 kt1.4 ftCalmest 6 am to 11 am
  • FriGO810 kt0.5 ftBest 6 am to 9 pm

Bars: peak wind, 0 to 25 kt.Vista's GO line 12 ktNO-GO line 18 kt

Monday, Wednesday and Friday score 8/10, compared with today's 2/10.

Vista's own water

Commercial Traffic

Commercial traffic uses the Baltimore channel.

More on commercial traffic

Naval Academy launches, water taxis and a crowded mooring field share this harbor. On race afternoons expect a large fleet under sail. The Navigation Rules on sailing and power-driven vessels, and on narrow channels, apply to everyone.

Traffic of every kind converges at the bridge. Under the Bay Bridge, ships use the two main spans.

The chart at Annapolis Harbor

Show the chart
NOAA electronic navigational chart of the water at Annapolis Harbor
Chart: NOAA Electronic Navigational Chart

What the pattern is doing

A cold front will approach from the west today and cross the waters late tonight. Southerly winds will increase ahead of the front this afternoon and evening. High pressure builds in behind the front Sunday and remains in control through Monday. Southerly flow returns Tuesday.

Current

  1. Slack at 6:00 am at Greenbury Point
  2. then flood peaking near 0.8 kt at 9:01 am
  3. then slack at 12:19 pm
  4. then ebb peaking near 0.8 kt at 3:31 pm
What it means for the ride

Wind runs against the current around 3:00 pm off Annapolis Harbor, which shortens the chop and steepens it: 20 kt over 0.8 kt of WSW-going stream. The same wind over slack water is a different ride. If the timing is yours to choose, the hours either side of slack are the flatter ride.

Vista's other spots

NO-GO

Thomas Point

GO now, CAUTION from 12 pm (wind 15 kt), then NO-GO from 2 pm (wind 15 kt under the Small Craft Advisory)

NO-GO

Chesapeake Bay Bridge

GO now, CAUTION from 12 pm (wind 15 kt), then NO-GO from 2 pm (wind 15 kt under the Small Craft Advisory)

How it's scored

How close to Vista's limits

Windwind from the SWSW10 ktthis hour, as scored
Inside Vista's GO line now, past it later todayGO line 12 kt, NO-GO line 18 kt
Seas1.0 ftthis hour, as scored
Inside Vista's GO line now, past it later todayGO line 2 ft, NO-GO line 3.5 ft

Wind measured now at the buoy: 7 kt, gusting 9. Seas measured now at the buoy: 0.3 ft. The day is scored on the forecast figures above.

Show the full readings
Wind
forecast 10 to 20 kt, gusts 25 kt (Weather Service 15 to 20 from 3 pm; model 20)NO-GO

Sustained 20 kt, past Vista's NO-GO line (18 kt); gusts to 25 kt

Seas
1 to 3 ft from the Weather Service, model 1.5 ftCAUTION

Choppy, water 78°F

2/10

What the score means

A 1-to-10 fit score for the day against Vista's limits: 10 is comfortably inside them, 1 is well past them.

Scored against Vista's limits

Show the other limits
Rain:
CAUTION at 50% or more
Storms:
any storm forecast in the next 12 hours
In port by:
not set
After dark:
at the dock by dark

How this briefing was reached

Show what the day was scored on
Past the NO-GO line: Wind
from 3 pm: 20 kt, gusts 25NO-GO
Past the GO line: Seas
from 3 pm: 3 ft from the Weather Service, model 1.5 ftCAUTION
NO-GO: Combined
from 2 pm: wind 15 kt, past Vista's GO line (12 kt), and the Small Craft Advisory togetherNO-GO
Inside the GO line: Visibility
10.0 nm
CAUTION: Advisory
Small Craft Advisory: from 2 pm today until 2 am SundayCAUTION

What You Get Every Morning

The same briefing, every morning, for your boat, your water and the limits you set.

Start Free Trial

7 days free, no card required.

How It Works