The Beauty of the Wind

March 13th (Friday) 

Friday dawned a beautiful, crisp day. Although the morning seemed relatively calm we could see the wind out on the water, and every now and then a gust would hit our boat. It was interesting because one gust would be on our nose, the next gust a while later would be from behind, and then a gust a little later would hit us on the side. It was the first time that we had had such changing winds here.  

When we went out to go to work we were amazed at the snow that was billowing up and off of the mountains around us. Looking straight up beside us, to the snow-capped mountain to the north, we could see snow being blown straight off the top in walls that matched the gusts. Looking over Ocean Falls and Link Lake at Baldy Mountain the scene was spectacular. 

The splendid, smooth and powdery, snow-covered Baldy Mountain looked like it had glistening, white tentacles reaching up and waving around above it, hundreds of feet in the air. As the sun was rising, it was still behind the mountain for us, but it was illuminating the edge in a blinding glare. With each gust that hit the back and side of Baldy Mountain we watched as the snow was whipped up, up, up, sometimes in twisting tornadoes, and blown along and out from the mountain until they looked just like wispy clouds.  

When we got to the municipal building, the two flags, one at either end of the building, about 100 feet apart, were blowing stiffly in opposite directions. The wind was indeed swirling.

Through the morning the wind steadily increased, and we could often hear the gusts shuddering the building. At lunchtime, we sat in the sunshine that was streaming through the windows, and watched the effects of the wind. It was amazing watching the gusts on the water; sometimes a gust would rip along westward, then twist and turn to the south before disappearing. Moments later the wind would hit the water again, and we would then watch as it traveled due north. The wind was all over the place, and quite fascinating.  

By the end of the day, when we were in the suite across the hall having our showers before going home, the wind had increased even more. Being able to look out of the front windows we had a much larger view of the Inlet, and each time a large gust would hit down on the surface of the water it would pick up a line, or a curl, of water and whip it along as a wall of spray leading the gust. These lines were glistening in the sun, and were amazingly evident. We could watch and tell the exact location of each gust, and we knew where it was hitting the water and where it was traveling.  

Watching our boat from the end window of the building was also interesting because sometimes our marina was quite calm, but then, as though out of nowhere, suddenly the whole area of the marina would bubble as the gust hit down. Then as the boats heeled and pulled, the waves rushed across the surface and crashed over the breakwater, sending even more spray flying up into the air. It was quite beautiful.