Navegando con el Capvideo

Nautical Meteorology: Beaufort, Pampero and Sudestada | Class 9 | Sailing with the Cap

19 maggio 2026 · 7 min · 19 visualizzazioni

Sailboat battles stormy seas under lightning-filled sky

Cosa tratta questo video

Cap's ninth sailing-theory class covers marine meteorology for the Río de la Plata region, focusing on three weather phenomena that kill unprepared boaters: the pampero, the nortazo, and the sudestada.

The Beaufort scale is introduced as the primary tool for visual wind assessment.0:55 Force 0–2 (under 6 knots) presents mirror-flat to lightly rippled water; Force 3 (to 10 knots) is comfortable sailing; Force 6 (gusts to 27 knots) is the hard limit for small craft — turn back immediately.1:40 A January scenario illustrates the pampero: a clear 38°C morning on the river turns into 50-knot gusts and one-meter waves within 15 minutes as a black cumulonimbus wall builds from the southwest.1:38 The warning sequence runs two to three days of steady northerly wind, then a sharp pressure drop, insects landing on deck, and "gossamer threads" (babas del diablo) in the air before the front hits.4:30 Once the wind rotates to the southwest, the pampero can sustain extreme force for over 72 hours and physically raise the Río de la Plata's water level by several decimeters.4:59 The sudestada, a winter and early-spring event, pairs a South Atlantic high with a low west of Uruguay, driving sustained southeast winds that flood the estuary; a migrating anticyclone can jump wind strength 2–3 Beaufort grades almost instantly and hold that increase for 2–10 hours.6:01 Pre-departure rules: check VHF weather forecasts, monitor the barometer for rapid pressure drops, and cancel the outing when conditions warrant.6:36

Guarda su YouTube

Altro da Navegando con el Cap

Emergencies Onboard: Fire, Flooding, and Engine Failure | Class 25mag 2026

Da Navegando con el Cap — guarda la barca, l'equipaggio e ogni video analizzato del canale.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

Una email con le migliori scoperte della flotta — i momenti, le barche e le storie che meritano il tuo tempo di visione. Inserisci il tuo indirizzo per riceverne una copia.

Segnala un problema