How the Blue Wake Score works
One number, 0–100, that answers a single question: is it worth the drive to the water?It's a transparent, rules-based read on the ride — from glassy calm to blown out — built from live NOAA wind, wave, and buoy data.
The five tiers
Send it. — Glassy to light ripple — ideal for any boat.
Great day on the water. — Small waves, comfortable cruising.
Go, but pick your window. — Moderate chop — fine for a mid or large boat, rougher for small craft.
Rough ride. Probably skip. — Steep, short chop — uncomfortable, wet, spray over the bow.
Stay home. — Hazardous — small-craft-advisory territory.
How it's calculated
The score starts at 100 and deducts points for what makes the ride worse:
The stronger the sustained wind, the bigger the deduction. Wind blowing onshore(toward your harbor) gets an extra penalty, because that's the wind that stacks up nearshore chop right where you launch.
Bigger seas, bigger deduction.
Short-period chop — waves packed close together — is punished more than a long, rolling swell of the same height. Steep and short is the teeth-rattling ride. Height vs. period, explained →
A big gust-over-sustained spread adds a penalty of its own.
An active advisory or warning is a hard cap — the score drops straight to Blown Out no matter how the other factors look.
Tuned to your boat
Shown, but not scored
The Blue Wake Score is a transparent estimate — not a substitute for the official forecast or your own judgment on the water.