Beneath the Baiu Front

Yesterday, proper SUP paddling for 12 nm on a calm sea. The last miles were behind an island where I could relax. I took some video of the fish because it was drier underwater. The other pic is from a few days ago.

Today started foggy. It's an OK day now but remains windless. I could paddle, but prefer to wait because of the excellent facilities here: a konbini, with a covered outside area, wifi and charging points. It makes no sense to paddle a few miles and lose these conveniences, especially when there is supposed to be some wind tomorrow.

It has rained every day since I can remember, so I researched the weather situation. The rainy season in Japan is called Tsuyu (also known as Baiu), and it is caused by the Baiu front: a near-stationary weather front where warm, humid tropical air from the Pacific meets cooler, drier air from the Eurasian continent. This collision brings persistent cloud and rain through June and July, until the front moves away to bother Korea instead. It is part of the East Asian monsoon system. A major problem for me is that the cloud cover smothers any thermal breezes before they happen.

The arrival and departure of Tsuyu is estimated with curious precision. Every year it is expected within a few days of specific dates. On Shikoku island (not there yet, but hope to be soon) Tsuyu is due to end on 17th July. Tsuyu is definitely going to slow me down, and potentially it puts the entire schedule in jeopardy. It is fascinating to learn about the weather this way - to experience it and then read about it - but these conditions are truly useless for windsurfing!