Hello Friends,

Hmmm… ESE 2m @ 10sec and light WSW winds at 0630 in Sydney… that’s not a bad combo on paper. But a look at the radar tells another story; a steady supply of showers is streaming in from the SE, so those winds down at the surface aren’t likely to blow in the current favourable direction for much longer. The Goat will be along on 702 ABC radio at around 0725, so I’ll be tuning in then to find out what the absolute latest word is. Given the metrics though, I’m not overly hopeful.

Here in Santa Barbara, Huey continues to treat surfers with disregard. When I checked the surf situation this morning, the water was around the 10-degree mark and the waves were still too small for surfin’. We had strong winds yesterday, so that’s why it’s even colder in the ocean. It did make for a clear day though and I got out of the house and went for a little drive north from here to an area called Gaviota. In fact, I drove a short distance up the road that leads into the fabled Hollister Ranch. Here’s a snap of the friendly sign posted about a km from the gate…

After taking this snap, I turned around to look back down the coast toward Santa Barbara (about 40 km away). See that lift toward the end of the pier in the foreground of the picture? That’s what you use to lower your boat when you’re making a Ranch run. On a good swell there will be boats lining up to use the lift, but on this day as you can see from the utter lack of activity on the beach, there was absolutely nothin’!

Enjoy your Saturday!

Weather Situation in Sydney

A strong high pressure system over the southeastern Tasman Sea extends a ridge to northwestern New South Wales and a low pressure system is developing over the Coral Sea. During Saturday and Sunday the low will move south across the eastern Tasman Sea as the high moves to the southeast.

Forecast for Saturday until midnight

Winds: Southeasterly 15 to 20 knots. Seas: 1 to 1.5 metres. Swell: Easterly 2 to 3 metres. The chance of thunderstorms from the late morning until evening, mainly offshore. Large swells breaking dangerously close inshore.

Forecast for Sunday

Winds: South to southeasterly 15 to 20 knots. Seas: 1 to 1.5 metres increasing to 1.5 to 2 metres by early evening. Swell: Easterly 2 to 3 metres. Large swells breaking dangerously close inshore.

Forecast for Monday

Winds: South to southwesterly 15 to 20 knots decreasing to 10 to 15 knots during the evening. Seas: 1 to 1.5 metres. Swell: Easterly 3 metres. Large swells breaking dangerously close inshore.