Navegando con el Cap · video

What this video covers

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.▶ 1:40 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

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