9/22/17 Report - Predicting Versus Rating Beach Conditions. Will Maria Send Us Good Hunting? Coaked Sheave. Beached Sailboat.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Washed Up.
Photo by Warren D.

Warren D. said, This is located in Brevard County at South Spessard Holland Park. Similar to the one in Vero a couple of years ago.

I talked with the Channel 13 reporters and they said no one was on board but there was a mannequin.

The coast guard had boarded it at sea and saw no one was on board and they painted "OK" on the hull.---

Two hurricanes and little to show for it.  Disappointing!  That is how you might be feeling.

Irma and Jose raised expectations but didn't deliver much.  The surf got bigger, but on the Treasure Coast we didn't get anymore than brief erosion at a few spots.  There were definitely places that got more.

As I said the other day, it isn't over yet.  We still have a chance.  Maria is still out there, and they are predicting a surf of six to nine feet for three days.  And Monday we're supposed to have North winds. That could be what we've been waiting for.

I recently highlighted some factors that have to come together to produce what I would call ideal beach hunting conditions when I referred to the legendary Thanksgiving Storm: high surf, north/northeast wind, continuing for days coordinated with high tides.

The MagicSeaWeed surf predictions are frequently off when they predict a very high surf several days in advance.  As I've often pointed out, those high predicted surfs tend to get smaller as the time gets closer.  I don't know why that is, but it is a definite error in their model.

It is often said that one of the most important qualities for a treasure hunter is patience.  Treasure hunting is a very opportunistic activity.  You have to be at the right place at the right time.  You have to be alert and prepared to take advantage when the window of opportunity opens.

I often say there is always some place good to detect.  You might have to adapt.  It depends upon what you are willing and able to do.

I have no doubt that some of the most serious detectorists will travel to other parts of the state to find better hunting conditions.  Over the years I ran into fellows that lived in their van and traveled around always looking for  the best location they could find to detect.  Maybe they'd pull into Fort Lauderdale during the height of spring break, park their van and detect for days until some better opportunity called, and then they'd move on.  They'd follow the opportunities.

Most of us aren't willing to live out of a van and follow the biggest and best detecting opportunities. That is a choice we make.  For me and you that might be a good choice, but it is a choice.  We have our priorities and detecting doesn't come first.

You might have been disappointed by Irma and Jose.  It is better to be prepared than not be prepared when the window of opportunity does open.

I don't think I've issued any higher than a three rating on my Treasure Coast Treasure Beach Detecting Conditions Scale in a few years.  We just haven't had very good beach detecting conditions overall for quite a while.  All of the beach renourishment has not helped.  But there will be a time when the window of opportunity opens wide again, and I'd rather be prepared, even if it means that I was prepared several times and nothing much happened.  I guess it is something like putting up your hurricane shutters.  All of the preparation might be for nothing, but then again, at least you will be prepared when you really need it.

If you wait for me to issue a high rating on my beach conditions scale, I don't do that until I am highly confident that I should.  I don't issue those ratings without making very sure that I am correct.That means that I don't do that early.  I have to see it for myself.  But I also keep you informed about the predictions and developments as they occur, so if you keep up with what I am posting, you should have a very good idea in advance when something good might happen before it happens.

---

Coaked Sheave.
Source: promare.co.uk/ships/finds

Recently I posted photos of sheaves.  One was found on the Treasure Coast as the result of Irma.  Of course sheaves vary.  The one shown above is in very good condition.  The found ones that I showed in this blog don't have the metal bearings anymore.  You can see how the bearing sits into a depression in the wood.

In case you didn't know, a sheave is a wheel used in a pulley block.  Back years ago Ian A. found one on the Treasure Coast with the bearing still in it and marked with a broad arrow, if I correctly recall, indicating it was from a ship of the Royal Navy

---

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Notice that the surf predictions slipped just a little but not much.  I hope it doesn't slip any more.

If I had more accurate surf and wind predictions, I'd be able to better predict beach conditions myself.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/3/13 Report - Indicators for Predicting Beach Detecting Conditions & Getting Leads From Old Home Movies

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.


Here is the TBR FOD.

It is a nice heavy 18K band.  I like the nice buttery look of 18K.



When I originally started this blog the primary purpose was to help you make good use of your time by knowing when beach detecting conditions would be good and when they would be poor.  I developed my Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Conditions Rating Scale, which is a five-point scale with 1 indicating poor conditions and 5 excellent detecting conditions.  Conditions have been so consistently poor for so long that I quit giving a daily report.  Shortly after I began the blog I also started to talk about a lot of other things, such as finds.   Some of that other stuff, can also tell you something about beach detecting conditions, even if not as directly.

Lately my attention has been on the surf predictions.  It looks like we very well might get a significant change in beach detecting conditions, and not just for a day or two.  This is as hard to predict in advance as the weather. 

It looks like the weather has begun to change.  I noticed yesterday from the waves on the Indian River that the wind was now coming from the North.

You can often get some idea of what is going on at the beach by looking at the Indian River.  You can tell for example, how the wind is affecting the water, including the direction and strength.




Surf Chart for Today and the Coming Week.
From MagicSeaWeed.com.

I noticed yesterday that the Indian River was showing the effect of a change in wind direction.  The waves on the river were small, but now coming from the North.  That hasn't been the case for a while.  Most recently the waves on the river have usually been coming from the east or southeast.

A lot of white caps on the river is  a good sign that there will some growing waves on the ocean.  Of course the river doesn't tell you perfectly what is happening on the ocean, but it will give you some information.   When the Indian River is smooth, the chances are that the ocean is smooth too, and vice versa -  not always, of course, but more often than not.

I even noticed some small erosion along the west bank of the Indian River yesterday.  I'd say about of foot of sand was moved away from in front of the west bank where I noticed it.

Here is some of what the National Weather Service says for Nov. 3.

.HAZARDOUS MARINE CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT TODAY THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...

...WINDY CONDITIONS WITH BUILDING SURF AND MODERATE BEACH EROSION
EXPECTED EARLY THIS WEEK AT THE COAST...

TODAY...SHORT RANGE MODELS SHOW INCREASING PRESSURE GRADIENT BEHIND
THE FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH THE AREA YESTERDAY. NORTHERLY LOW LVL
FLOW WILL BECOME NNE/NE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. WILL SEE BREEZY TO
WINDY CONDITIONS DEVELOP UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES TODAY.

EXPECT N-NE WINDS TO INCREASE TO 15-20 MPH AREA-WIDE TODAY WITH SOME GUSTS TO 25-30 MPH THIS AFTERNOON IN THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY AREA.  

THERE WILL BE A STRONG LONGSHORE SOUTHWARD FLOWING CURRENT AT THE BEACHES WITH ROUGH
SURF DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON. 

TONIGHT...SFC HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD DOWN THE ATLC COAST
STRENGTHENING THE LOW LVL ONSHORE FLOW FROM THE NE.

If you look at MagicSeaWeed or some of the other surfing web sites, one of the first things you'll notice is that the high tides are high and the low tides are getting lower.  Recently, the low tides have  not been going down much.  That should help beach detecting next week.

The next thing to notice is how high and for how long the surf will be up.  As you can see from the chart above, Sunday a two to three foot surf is predicted and Monday a four to six foot surf is predicted.  But the most encouraging thing is that not only will the surf be higher, it will remain fairly high for an entire week if the predictions are correct.  And all of that with some good tidal changes.

That is the longest period of higher surf that I remember for maybe a year or more.

I often say that it doesn't take a hurricane.  A good northeaster that sits out there in the ocean and churns for a while can be just as good.

It can take a while for the sand to be moved.  There is now a lot of summer accumulation.

Also look at the wind charts.  We're expecting first north winds and then northeast winds for a good while.  That is promising too.

All told, the predictions are now very encouraging.  But, as you know, it is difficult to predict the weather and predicting beach detecting conditions is even more difficult.  We'll soon see if the surfing web sites are correct.  In any case, the predictions are the most encouraging I've seen for quite a while.

Just an Interesting Picture
From Reutters News Service.

They had a big storm over in England a few days ago.  Here is a photo from that.

Undoubtedly some new disscoveries will be made over there as a result of the storm.


I recently discovered another source of good detecting leads - old home movies.

Back in the fifties or sixties people were making home movies using cameras such as the Super 8.  Today you might discover some of those old home movies, but not be able to find a working projector to view them.   An alternative is to send those films to a service to have them transferred to DVD.   It isn't terribly expensive and can end up being very enjoyable.

You can also try to get an old used projector or film viewer.  That can be done on eBay or places like that.

Anyhow, once you find some old film and are able to look at it, you'll often find pictures of old beaches, parks or structures that not longer exist.  It can be a good source of leads.

If you want to discover some new places to detect, try a little research.

 

 

Here is an interesting article on what happens when you send email.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/31/21267720-how-the-feds-snoop-what-happens-when-you-hit-send-on-your-email?lite

The last sentence of that article is misleading.  Mail is monitored too.


Happy hunting
TreasureGuide@comcast.net