| Location | 47.689, -122.265 Google Map |
|---|---|
| Region | Lake Washington |
| Easiest Level | beginner |
| Best Wind | N, NE |
| Foiling Info | Good for foiling. No major hidden obstacles. You have to walk out a bit to get deep enough. |
| Fee | Free |
| Parking | Ample |
| Forecast | iWindsurf |
| Webcam | SSP |
| Author | Ross Rosen |
Sail Sand Point
(aka: SSP)
Overview
There are two main launches in Seattle's Magnusson Park - this one (SSP), which is best for northerly wind, and Mags, which is best for southerlies.
In a northerly (especially NE), SSP is one of the safest launches around. The wind will push you back to shore and the launch area is large and gentle. SSP is also home to the Sail Sand Point boating center. You can rent windsurfers and even take lessons!
Forecasting
The most reliable model for N-NE wind is the 1km resolution WRF ("iW-WRF" in the iWindsurf app), which is often the only one to predict the typical end-of-day push SPP sees on warm summer days. ECMWF is the next best bet (free on Windy), add 1-3 mph to compensate for resolution limits. HRRR is generally not doing a great job for this specific site. The most real-time reporting of conditions at SSP is the SSP webcam. Just know that the sensor is 10 feet high so overreports a tiny bit. If you're on site, look for a dark line North of the lake, that's a good sign the wind is coming!
Windy offers a particularly clear comparative forecast picture that includes ECMWF and HRRR: https://www.windy.com/multimodel/47.675/-122.259?47.611,-122.259,11,i:pressure"
Source: https://groups.io/g/nw-windtalk/message/82503