Seven days ahead

For sea-doo / personal watercraft tomorrow, this is a poor day, scoring 40 out of 100 across daylight hours. Waves range from 0.1 m to 0.2 m (0.5 ft), with wind from the W gusting to 18 kt at its worst. Daylight runs 8:39 AM to 6:40 PM. There is no window today that clears the bar for going out. The calmest stretch is around 12 AM at 0.3 m, and even that is not enough to make the day worth it. What is working against you, at the worst of it: It is 0 C on shore but only about -15 C once you are on the ski and wet. That is 16 degrees of wind chill and spray you cannot see from the parking lot. This is genuinely dangerous to be exposed to. Full drysuit or do not go. Water is 9 C. That is cold shock territory: an unexpected swim causes involuntary gasping within seconds and useful hand function is gone in ten to fifteen minutes. A wetsuit and a worn PFD are not optional today. Worth watching: Gusts to 17 kt, which is 12 kt above the steady wind. Squally, uneven air like this makes handling unpredictable and kicks up chop in bursts. In your favour, at the best of it: Light chop at 0.1 m (0.4 ft), biggest sets around 0.2 m. Comfortable. Light at 5 kt from the W. Nothing to fight.

For sea-doo / personal watercraft on Saturday, Oct 31, this is a poor day, scoring 40 out of 100 across daylight hours. Waves range from 0.0 m to 0.1 m (0.4 ft), with wind from the W gusting to 8 kt at its worst. Daylight runs 8:41 AM to 6:39 PM. There is no window today that clears the bar for going out. The calmest stretch is around 12 AM at 0.1 m, and even that is not enough to make the day worth it. What is working against you, at the worst of it: It is -0 C on shore but only about -14 C once you are on the ski and wet. That is 14 degrees of wind chill and spray you cannot see from the parking lot. This is genuinely dangerous to be exposed to. Full drysuit or do not go. Water is 9 C. That is cold shock territory: an unexpected swim causes involuntary gasping within seconds and useful hand function is gone in ten to fifteen minutes. A wetsuit and a worn PFD are not optional today. In your favour, at the best of it: Near flat at 0.1 m (0.2 ft). This is as good as this lake gets. Light at 3 kt from the W. Nothing to fight.

For sea-doo / personal watercraft on Tuesday, Nov 3, this is a poor day, scoring 36 out of 100 across daylight hours. Waves range from 0.6 m to 0.8 m (2.6 ft), with wind from the E gusting to 27 kt at its worst. Daylight runs 8:46 AM to 6:34 PM. There is no window today that clears the bar for going out. The calmest stretch is around 12 AM at 0.3 m, and even that is not enough to make the day worth it. What is working against you, at the worst of it: Rough water over 8 C water is the combination that hurts people on this lake. The chop raises your odds of going in, and the temperature removes your ability to do anything about it once you are there. It is 9 C on shore but only about -3 C once you are on the ski and wet. That is 13 degrees of wind chill and spray you cannot see from the parking lot. Drysuit weather. Anything less and you will be shivering hard within twenty minutes. Water is 8 C. That is cold shock territory: an unexpected swim causes involuntary gasping within seconds and useful hand function is gone in ten to fifteen minutes. A wetsuit and a worn PFD are not optional today. Visibility down to 0.2 km. Superior fog forms fast over cold water and it will hide the shoreline and other traffic. Do not go out without a chart plotter. Worth watching: Gusts to 26 kt, which is 14 kt above the steady wind. Squally, uneven air like this makes handling unpredictable and kicks up chop in bursts. In your favour, at the best of it: 11 kt from the E. Comfortable working breeze.

For sea-doo / personal watercraft on Wednesday, Nov 4, this is a poor day, scoring 40 out of 100 across daylight hours. Waves range from 0.3 m to 0.4 m (1.5 ft), with wind from the WSW gusting to 21 kt at its worst. Daylight runs 8:47 AM to 6:32 PM. There is no window today that clears the bar for going out. The calmest stretch is around 6 AM at 0.5 m, and even that is not enough to make the day worth it. What is working against you, at the worst of it: Rough water over 8 C water is the combination that hurts people on this lake. The chop raises your odds of going in, and the temperature removes your ability to do anything about it once you are there. It is 9 C on shore but only about -3 C once you are on the ski and wet. That is 11 degrees of wind chill and spray you cannot see from the parking lot. Drysuit weather. Anything less and you will be shivering hard within twenty minutes. Water is 8 C. That is cold shock territory: an unexpected swim causes involuntary gasping within seconds and useful hand function is gone in ten to fifteen minutes. A wetsuit and a worn PFD are not optional today. Worth watching: Gusts to 17 kt, which is 11 kt above the steady wind. Squally, uneven air like this makes handling unpredictable and kicks up chop in bursts. Waves around 0.4 m (1.5 ft) can mean repeated impacts, reduced speed and fatigue on a Sea-Doo. A short local outing may be manageable, but this is not a comfortable long-distance recommendation. Check the whole route and the return forecast, not just the launch. In your favour, at the best of it: Light at 6 kt from the WSW. Nothing to fight.