RS Quest — Is it a Sailing Day?

RS Quest · Is it a Sailing Day?

What the pictures mean

Calm under 5 kt — not enough to sail.
Smooth 5–7 kt — gentle and easy.
Cruisy 8–12 kt — a lovely working breeze.
Sporty 13–17 kt — fun and exciting; ease the gnav as it builds.
Reef! 18–25 kt — reef the main before you go; consider easing the gnav.
Reefed main sail only 26–35 kt — don’t leave port; or if you have to, ease the gnav and hold on.
Stay on shore 36+ kt — …or good luck.

Where’s this from?

This page reads whichever Bureau station best fits the wind near Port Melbourne. On a southerly sea breeze, Fawkner Beacon out in the bay is the better guide — it feels the breeze filling in before it reaches Port Melbourne, often an hour ahead, so it’s the one to check before you leave home, even if the wind hasn’t arrived at the club yet. On a northerly, RMYS at St Kilda reads it better and sits close to the boat (Fawkner picks up northerlies late). The page shows the fitting station and names it under the reading; the air temperature is from Melbourne (Olympic Park). The levels here are set for an RS Quest — a stable training dinghy that carries a breeze well, so “sporty” runs higher than you’d set for a small single-hander.

These levels follow RS Sailing’s guidance for the Quest — read them down for a light or young crew. Full wind limits & reefing →

From experience: you might launch in 10 knots and cop 30+ in a gust — you wouldn’t have launched in that, but a reefed Quest with weight aboard stays stable if you keep the sail flat, ease the gnav, and head in. Know your reef point before you go.

We keep the wind direction simple — one of eight main points: North, North-East, East, South-East, South, South-West, West and North-West.

The time shows when Fawkner Beacon last reported — it updates about every ten minutes, so the count climbs to around ten or fifteen minutes then starts again.

Wind from the Bureau of Meteorology at Fawkner Beacon. Always check conditions on the water before you sail.

Sailing spots

Sea Scouts

1st Victorian Sea ScoutsAlbert Park Lake (RMYS) GSWACSandringham Bunga ArmGippsland Lakes camp · beta

Yacht-club youth sailing

Port Melbourne Yacht ClubFawkner Beacon Royal Melbourne Yacht SquadronRMYS Royal Brighton Yacht ClubRBYC Sandringham Yacht ClubSYC

Why the “blowing in the bay” alert on a northerly?

On a northerly (offshore) wind the shoreline shelters St Kilda (RMYS), so your launch reading can look gentle while the open bay is much stronger. This page always reads two stations — RMYS in the lee and Fawkner Beacon out in the open — and normally shows whichever fits your launch area (Fawkner on southerlies, RMYS on northerlies).

When Fawkner is well up on the sheltered reading — a full band stronger, 8+ knots more, or gusting hard — an amber/red strip appears: calmer here, but strong in the bay. Close to shore may be OK, but rig for the bigger number before you clear the lee. A separate “very gusty” flag shows when the gust runs well above the average (10+ knots over, or half again) — the lull-then-hit pattern that’s hard to hold.

Spotted something off, or have a suggestion? Tell us →

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Aurora Sailing · Melbourne, Australia

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