Before I start any boat outing, whether a short trip in the protected waters of Nantucket Harbor, doing a seal cruise out to Muskeget Island or steaming out to the whale grounds offshore to the east, there are a few websites that I check without fail.

The first gives a fairly technical synopsis and forecast of the region, including the area from the Berkshires in western Mass to the offshore waters. It is put out by the National Weather Service(NWS)in Taunton MA. For the layman skipper, at the very least he/she should scroll down to the “Marine” section and study the key elements that are present and forecast. This simple step can help you plan your outing or help you decide if boating is even an option, based on your experience, for that particular day.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/BOX/AFDBOX

The second link, although derived from land-based data(Nantucket Airport) gives you a rough idea of current  conditions outside your house. This is important because, if the wind is 15-25 miles per hour or more, it’s going to be rough just about anywhere you plan to go. An island rule of thumb is to add 5 or 10 MPH to whatever the airport is showing to get true wind speeds out on the water. This is because the water has no obstructons or friction to slow down the wind. http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/current/KACK.html

The third, links to the data from the new(2 years)weather buoy in the middle of Nantucket Sound. The wind speeds at that location are more representative of actual wind speeds in Nantucket Harbor. Take note of the sea state, as well. If the seas are 2 feet on an incoming tide(east tide)with a west wind, they can(and frequently do)double in size when the tide is ebbing(west tide)creating a “wind against tide scenario”.  http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44020

Next is a little known link that provides data from 1 nauticle mile south of Martha’ Vineyard. This is very helpful for getting an idea of conditions on our nearshore waters to the south. Note the webcam. That is helpful if any fog is around because many times it can be a beautiful day on the north side of both islands, but be completely fogged in on the south shores.  http://mvcodata.whoi.edu/cgi-bin/mvco/mvco.cgi

Next, a link to a buoy to our east. This is an ocean buoy and is very helpful in determining what  potential conditions offshore to the east might be like. (I say potential because, by the time one gears up and actually makes it offshore, enough time may have elapsed that one may find the conditions are substantially different from when the data were first observed). Again, opposing tides and wind can make for very dangerous conditions in this area. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44018&unit=E

No mariner should leave the dock without a hard copy of tide times but, having a link to them is very handy for planning an outing. This is one of my favorites. http://storms.nos.noaa.gov/plotcomp.shtml?station_info=8449130+Nantucket+Island,+MA

Lastly, for fun, I will add another link that roughly illustrates how the tides “work” around the area. http://fvcom.smast.umassd.edu/research_projects/Nsound/movies/tide1.html

For a more comprehensive list of weather and marine links, go to my home page at www.explorenantucket.com

Cheers