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Long range windsurfing/camping?
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GURGLETROUSERS



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 2643

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Beagle. The only rule with paddling is that whatever type of paddle you use, it MUST work. It has to be able to keep you going against currents and/or wind for as long as it takes. A three piece paddle should be fine, as long as it's strong enough.

As a kayaker I prefer to sit and use a standard feathered (offset blades) two bladed paddle. It gives greater power and balance, and (for me) endurance. Balance is the problem on a board in bouncy waters since you're just perched on top, and trying to keep the rig clear of the water adds to the problem.

When properly balanced I find you can keep an average speed of about 3 m.p.h. which is fine for pulling against ordinary sea currents, though not strong tide races. In an emergency the rig can be jettisoned, and, provided you're in wet suit gear, the time it takes to make landfall will be just a nuisance, as on a kayak journey, and not a life threatening problem.

I'm sure you'll find what works for you and will adapt to suit, so have fun! Once sussed, it widens the scope for safe cruising.
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UrbanFisher



Joined: 01 Nov 2012
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well I was kind of thinking the same thing about windsurf camping. I know it can be done via kayaks, but what if I could do it with a windsurfer. Now mine will be on lakes where the island is only about 1/2 to 1 mile from the mainland. So I'm not so much worried about being miles offshore.

But I think it would be cool to sail to a small island, set up camp, then just spend the day sailing around. When I'm done or worn out, I have my camp at the island to go back to...to eat and crash out. I was thinking maybe of a couple of trips from the mainland to the island to get my gear out there, or to actually strap my stuff onto a small surf board I have and just tow it behind me.
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cgoudie1



Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 2597
Location: Killer Sturgeon Cove

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Towing something behind a windsurfer, even something light, at planing
speeds for 1/2 to 1 mile is going to be nearly impossible, and at
sub- planing speeds very difficult.

You might want to try it somewhere protected and short 1st to see
how much you like the idea.

-Craig

UrbanFisher wrote:
Well I was kind of thinking the same thing about windsurf camping. I know it can be done via kayaks, but what if I could do it with a windsurfer. Now mine will be on lakes where the island is only about 1/2 to 1 mile from the mainland. So I'm not so much worried about being miles offshore.

But I think it would be cool to sail to a small island, set up camp, then just spend the day sailing around. When I'm done or worn out, I have my camp at the island to go back to...to eat and crash out. I was thinking maybe of a couple of trips from the mainland to the island to get my gear out there, or to actually strap my stuff onto a small surf board I have and just tow it behind me.
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keycocker



Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We go from island to island in Belize on a daily basis.
One popular trip is to go completely around our island and return back to the launch. Good practice for your upwind skills.
To camp we use a cooler and bungee all the way around the nose of the board to hold it. The cords are almost always above waterline so little drag.
Another good cross-country is the Molokai Crossing from Maui.
Experience has taught us:
Bring a spare line, some flares and at least one other sailor.
No matter how warm a day wear a wetsuit.
In shallow water you can pole with a mast much more quickly than paddling.
The heaviest thing we carry is water.
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Sailboarder



Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 656

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cgoudie1 wrote:
Towing something behind a windsurfer, even something light, at planing
speeds for 1/2 to 1 mile is going to be nearly impossible, and at
sub- planing speeds very difficult.

You might want to try it somewhere protected and short 1st to see
how much you like the idea.

-Craig


I've towed my kids on their windsurf board for at least a mile without problem. I was on a longboard, daggerboard down. I attached the rope to my mast foot. Attaching it to my foostraps doesn't work at all, it changes the board direction all the time. I think it could work if I was to attach the rope to my harness somehow too. If I was to deal with chop, I might want to try to add a bungee cord in the toe rope, to smooth out the pull.
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jse



Joined: 17 Apr 1995
Posts: 1460
Location: Maui

PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Once me and a buddy crossed Vermilion Bay in Southwest Louisiana on a sunfish from Intracoastal City to Cypremort Point. That's about a 10 mile crossing. We had an ice chest, sleeping bags, dry clothes and a jug of wine. When we got there we started setting up our camp and at about 6:15 the ranger came by and told us to leave - no camping in the park. Then he asked us how we got there. We pointed to the sunfish and he said "Don't worry, you can stay here."

Steve
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

slinky wrote:
Too long a thread? Ever try reading a book?

I almost never use this trite acronym, but it's too good to pass up here: LOL!

Many people here will struggle with jibing for years, pick a candidate who may affect their lives and careers profoundly for years, spend hundreds of inefficient -- sometimes harmful -- hours per year in the gym, spend $2,000 on an unsuitable board, relocate their careers and families based on rumors, etc., but "waste 20 minutes reading an informed thread to learn more about it? Are you kidding? Read a non-fiction book? Make me! Now where's my beer and the sports section? I'm through learning stuff."

SMH!

Back on topic ... I'd work up to that first WS camping trip in trial steps, such as:
• Lay out the bare essentials, from water to mosquito netting. Pack it into a waterproof stash. Load in (or a simulated weight and volume) onto your board and go sailing. If that was tolerable and your stuff stayed dry, try the next step, which is:
• Check the forecasts, load up the real but minimal essentials, and try a day or short overnight trip. Plan for the next morning; know exactly how you will get back home in zero wind.
• Make some notes about what to add to or delete from your next trip.
• Make this reality check: ask yourself, "Can I really sleep on the dang ground?" (I can't; anything less than 6 inches of high-quality commercial mattress, temps > 60, a mosquito, no breeze in my face, any sounds that penetrate my earplugs and white noise machine, and I'm awake. "Sleep" and "ground" are not compatible concepts for some people.) If your answer is "No", the next step might be ...
• Just plan on losing a night's sleep, and chalk it up to a long night out with the buds ... great unless they are the people who sleep like logs on the ground while you stare at the sky and toss on the lumps.
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GURGLETROUSERS



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 2643

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes. you certainly will have to work up to it by trial and error, even for a single night camp and return the following day.

You have to minimize both bulk and weight of camping gear. a small and light tent, a tightly packed sleeping bag, and light clothing, such as backpackers and cyclists carry will keep you warm and free of midges/mosquitos, and you can use your buoyancy aid as a pillow. You can get used to sleeping on hard ground, but carrying a lightweight air bed is better. (Necessary if you try to sleep on sand, but grass is O.K. without.)

The real issue is how to carry it all on the board while sailing. In that respect there is NO substitute for length and volume.( Length for balance in sailing mode, and volume for carrying capacity.) I bought the Mahalo tandem board (295 litres) specifically for that purpose, and it's the best thing I've found for the job. It can be stocked for a three day journey with all the bulk and weight over the place where the front saiulor would stand. The footstraps are the anchor points for bungees, and everything is packed in a couple of large drysacks.

I think you would run into difficulties trying to load up a modern SHORT wide board, and keep a reasonable sailing balance. Not only that but it would prove impracticable to just lay the rig over the board if becalmed, and sit and paddle it.

I found it too difficult to do so on a Prodigy, in that with the rig laid over the board, I was forced to sit too near to the end, tilting the board upwards at an angle. That's the beauty of a high volume long board; you CAN paddle without having to derig, and the instant a breeze returns the paddles can be stashed, thee rig just uphauled, and away we go again! Laughing Laughing (Doesn't it just make sense?)
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STEIN



Joined: 07 Oct 1996
Posts: 27

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've sailed to ceralvo island, 12 miles off La Ventana with 2 friends. We landed, spent an hour exploring and sail back. Thirty-five minutes on one tack, my back leg thigh was ready to explode. i was on a 5.5 sail, 100 Lt board. It could easily be done on a 130 LT board with equipment tied on. The beach had deep sand.....sleeping? A fish camp with a leen-too, and an old refrigerater with no door. And many goat skins laying around(goats head soup?). The island is uninhabited, so it would make a great overnight adventure as long as the wind held for another day(flares).
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

STEIN wrote:
an old refrigerater with no door

My BIL used to sleep in an antique free-standing clawfoot bath tub

but a REFRIGERATOR? Door or no door, how does one get comfortable in that?
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