What is with the weather????

We were grounded for the past 3 days because of the fog. And what do you get for the inconvienence. You get "Winds rising to gale to storm force southeasterlies rising to storm force to near hurricane force southeast".

What is with this torture. Coastal flying sucks. I really hope I get the chance to move south one day. To a place where it is nice and the sun shines all day, every day during the winter months.

And to a place were I can't smell Phillyfan.

The higest winds on the B.C. coast are at Solender Island, it blows the wind speed indicator off the island on a regular basis, I've seen over 100 knot winds blow there.

And flying the North West end of Vancouver Island in the winter seperates the men from the boys.

Holy shit...sounds like you guys really have your work cut out for you. I thought going up to York Factory on a shitty day was bad enough...the Hudson's Bay and the Hayes river still have a few tricks up their sleave, but it sounds nothing like the west coast.
Naive as I am, I always thought pushing Beavers up and down the west coast was a glamourous job (is there such a thing in float flying?)...on the other hand, a buddy of mine started flying Beav's out of PH this summer and he had bad dreams for about a month.
I'd still like to try it, the coast on a nice day is beyhond anything I've seen so far. In a way I'm a hippie at heart I guess...it'd be cool to try it out, given you're flying realiable equipment for a good company with a certain number of days off to actually 'enjoy' the west coast life-style. But it does sounds like hardcoree "VFR" flying. Judging by the stories it sounds pretty gnarly...don't you guys ever run out of aileron in the Beav on such windy days?
Well, if you decide to ever throw in the towel and move on to Fiji, or Jazz or whatever, let me know. I'll show up all bright eyed and bushy-tailed the next day!! Hehehe...

Cat - I thought you used a big stick to seperate the men from the "boys", if you get my drift!!!

Just remember this about the weather on the coast, especially in winter.
If the sun is shining, it's going to rain. If the sun is not shining, it's already raining.
Seriously, I lived in Vancouver, just across the Strait from Cat Driver, for 3 winters and I had snow on my lawn for 5 days in the whole time. First 2 winters, there was snow on my lawn till just past noon one day each for the first 2 winters and last winter it lasted 3 whole days before the rain washed it away. The weather can be gorgeous or it can be holy hell. I don't know about floats because I was IFR in a King Air but there were very few days the floaters were not back and forth out of CYVR. I also heard them almost every day further north.

We didn't do it here today. It was blowing 60kts in the straits between the North Island and the mainland we were at the Beer store by noon. This has been a brutal month.

Philly you will get used to it in time and then it is to late to leave.

I have been flying this coast for 33 years and much of it in sea planes and now I just take it one hour at a time...

..it's really the best place on earth all things considered.

Cat

November is well known as the worst month of the year for wind and rain. A couple of years ago we set a record for ferry sailing cancellations due to wind so I guess it has been worse, not a bad one this year from our perspective down island.

Been away a while...
Had to lagh: Solander Island is where they make the wind for the West Coast. In fact, you don't have to spend more than a few months here in the winter to see the 100 kt+ winds that cat mentioned.
Here is todays forcast:
Forecast:
Hurricane force wind warning continued.
Southeast gales 45 to storm force 55 knots rising to storm force 55 to hurricane force 65 Tuesday morning. Winds easing to southerly gales 35 to 45 Tuesday afternoon and to 25 to gales 35 Tuesday evening. Periods of rain. Seas near 4 to 6 metres building to 8 Tuesday morning.
Outlook. Winds backing to gale to storm force southeasterlies.
Have a nice day . I'm on the holiday layoff.

Dog,

Wind? That's not weather!

Sure miss being out there flying in that stuff, sitting at home rockin out on my guitar and hangin with the familly just doesn't cut it some days. WINK!

Hope you're drinkin a brown Corona or a Grolsh and havin a great Christmas at home. All the best to the familly.

Phillips66

Hey man,
Yep in fact I need to do a little bottling today. Stop by some time with your axe and we'll sample a few.
Cheers