tomodda wrote:Personally, I use a dab of silicon. But I think Greenlake wrote up why that's bad, I'm sure he'll chime in.
As for wind, I check windfinder.com obsessively. Click on the "dot" (weather station) nearest your lake. They have a "superforecast" which goes two days out and is pretty accurate. Or you can sign up for predictwind.com (there's a free and paid version) and get more info than you can shake a stick at. Anyway, here's for fair winds!
I like to disagree with Tom
Silicone will get into gelcoat so you won't be able to paint over it without elaborate use of solvents. Sanding will just spread the stuff. Silicone has no place on a boat. PS caulk, or, for bedding hardware, not that the latter is common on a DS, butyl tape. NEVER 3M 5200 - because everything will have to be removed at some point, and it's just not needed.
Wind forecasting is a a sore topic
If the forecast says it'll blow a stink, that tends to happen, and often even in the correct time frame. But timing of fronts is less exact than knowing that there will be one.
If winds are forecast to be moderate to low, local conditions may rule. Majorly! Especially on lakes. Now, I have nothing against using these sites to form an opinion on what
might happen, but I wouldn't rely on them to know what
will happen. Not unless you've monitored them for a season or two and compared regularly to actual conditions.
Lakes can do all sorts of interesting things: they can form a cold layer of air over night, which then separates (lifts off) any wind from the surrounding land from the lake surface, resulting in no wind on the water. They can develop a lake breeze, when land around them heats up and "sucks" the air towards the shore. After some time, the air in the middle of the lake runs out, and the breeze will collapse, and perhaps start again in a bit. Lake breezes can interfere with the wind over land, by either lining up, going across or going against, modifying said wind. Hills around lakes can funnel wind, and the lake surface, lacking friction, will allow speed to increase. The list is endless.
Around here, I've learned to err on the side of actually driving to the lake (it's really close) and to have a look. I've never had to drive away because of calm, but I've had to skip a race or two because it was out of my comfort zone, sometimes even when being out with expert crew. I've sailed into existing wind to have it die on me while out. Usually, my response is to take that as a cue to take a nap. Nothing beats a nap on the water. Most of the time, the wind comes back -- the particular location where that happens is one where the wind tends to die before the late afternoon breeze.
So, get to know your local conditions.