I've heard some complaints about the NOAA forecasts on the Cheaspeake
Bay. To supplement them and do a reality check, I have found the
PORTS system a handy connection available by cell phone. It is meant
to help the big ships traverse the Bay and enter the ports. It is
available for many of the commercial ports and bays around the country
on both coasts.

You can get real time weather data at various places on the Chesapeake
and Delaware Bays by cell phone.

The Chesapeake number is 1-866-CHPORTS (1-866-247-6787). You can
choose between the Northern Bay and the Southern Bay. Water level
gives you tide ranges, currents is obvious and meteorlogical gives
wind speed, gusts, direction, air temps and barometer where ever they
are available. Not all locations have all data.

Online, you can see the present data and the last three days trended.
It updates as you watch. Here's the link to the southern Bay:
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/cbp....shtml?port=cs
Here's the link to the Northern Bay:
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/cbp....shtml?port=cn

The Delaware Bay number is (866) 307-6787

Also, in the bay there are three bouys (so far) on the Captain John
Smith water trails giving out historical information, real time
weather and water quality data. The number for the Chesapeake Bay
Interpretive Bouy System (CBIBS) is (877) 229-2689. The site is:
http://www.buoybay.org/site/public/
These are located at the mouth of the Patapsco and Potomac Rivers and
at Jamestown.

Hope this helps,

Tom

On 2007-12-26 18:01:05 -0500, said:

Also, in the bay there are three bouys (so far) on the Captain John
Smith water trails giving out historical information, real time weather
and water quality data. The number for the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive
Bouy System (CBIBS) is (877) 229-2689. The site is:
http://www.buoybay.org/site/public/
These are located at the mouth of the Patapsco and Potomac Rivers and
at Jamestown.

http://cbos.org/Home/chesapeake-bay-map/ shows those and a few more,
including the station on our breakwater and a buoy just a bit south of
us. I really like knowing the current -- showing 1.5 knots southbound
at the moment.

It's also a kick to zoom down and see our boat in her slip. Side item:
I really like Google's satellite imagery. I've used it to find channels
into anchorages I didn't have current local knowledge for.

--
Jere Lull
Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

On the Ches. I like:
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/dat...pe=Tide%20Data
.... just an example as there are several others.

Also: http://www.sailflow.com/windandwhere...t imeOffset=0
for real time wind data. .... but you have to close-down on the charts
to get the detail data.