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ARRRGGGHHH!!
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

By direct observation, sail size is about choice far more than about weight, board size, Beaufort, knots, mph, moon phase, etc. When dozens of people are having fun side by side on the same venue on sails ranging from 4.0 to 6.5, virtually independent of weight, asking strangers of your size isn't much help. There are just too many variables.
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spennie



Joined: 13 Oct 1995
Posts: 975
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

swchandler: I could reference iWindsurf for wind speeds, if they happen to state where they were sailing, exactly when they were sailing, it's someplace I'm familiar with and can adjust for local tweaks, I know their weight and volume of board, and I didn't have a job or a life to attend to.

U2U2U2: The Beaufort scale has too big of jumps for me, 5 mph at Force 5, bigger as it gets stronger.

As for the sailor not knowing what the wind is: Really? Everyone here should be able to give me a pretty good approximation of the wind speed, or they could check iWindsurf when they get home, since they know everything required, and have to log in to post anyway.

Not that big of a deal, really. It's still winter, I'm bored & Jonesing for wind, so I'm surfing the Forum, like you are.

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Wind-NC.com



Joined: 30 May 2007
Posts: 980
Location: Formerly Cape Hatteras, now Burlington, VT!

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was windy enough in Hatteras today that I didn't even bring my 4.2 to the beach, just my 3.6 Razz and I was juiced!! Does that get the point across? Regardless of how much I weigh, what size board, sailing style, etc.? Very Happy
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formerly known as hodad.andy

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cgoudie1



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

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Almost nobody where I sail says " it's blowing 28-32 MPH" when they
come off the water, they say "4.7 was too large for me." Maybe it's
my Carny like abilities, but I know what to rig by looking at them
(actually mostly by looking at the environmental conditions).

Frankly, I almost never really know what the wind velocity is, though I
can interpolate, from the sail size I use.

Since you're going to continue to get sail size (from me and most of the
other responders). I'm about 15 lbs less than you, and I deduce of
similar ability, so when I'm well powered on a 4.7, you'll be
underpowered, but planable on a 4.7.

Just trying to help,

-Craig
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Wind-NC.com



Joined: 30 May 2007
Posts: 980
Location: Formerly Cape Hatteras, now Burlington, VT!

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Come to think of it, does it really matter? I mean, what are we really judging? Are you determining if the conditions would be fun for you personally purely based on the velocity of the wind? Is there a minimum velocity where it just starts sucking? What if I said it was sunny out? Or maybe you like stormy rainy conditions because then you don't need sunscreen? The water was "Freezing." So what? What's the big deal?

If it's not windy enough to plane on your biggest equipment, "embrace the shlog" and enjoy the fact that you aren't at work. Very Happy

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joethewindsufa



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1190
Location: Montréal

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

even wind speed is NOT enough

in windsurfing mag {now defunct = wah} i noticed people on smaller sail in "lighter winds" like 12 to 15 knots. In those winds i am using a 10-oh on a freeformula with my 220 lbs/100 kilos. The answer was that winds are steadier and more solid feeling at places like Hawaii. Someone also told me 15 knots in cold air pushes harder than 15 in warm. Starting to sound like a golf game ?? and obviously does NOT apply to Hawaii Confused

i find it useful to give wind average - how big were the lulls/gusts and what everyone i using.

I'M on my 10-oh and 170 freeformula and Emmanuel on his 135 with his 7.5
As someone said - we are all having FUN...

Hey Spennie , you are in California and i am in Quebec
Why are you NOT windsurfing.
I just finished a session on snow Cool
Wind was supposed to be 30-50 kph ENE and snow wet. {1 mile = 1.6 km}
I was on my snow sailboard with an MS-2 8-oh and everyone else was para-sking or kiting with skis or snowboards
hope that tells you something Laughing
a picture or video is still worth a thousand words Razz
http://joewindsurfer.blogspot.ca/2013/02/finally-got-to-test-snow-version-with.html
http://joewindsurfer.blogspot.ca/2013/02/testing-gopro-upside-down-on-boom.html


Last edited by joethewindsufa on Wed Mar 06, 2013 8:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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cgoudie1



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

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 8:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sage!

hodad.andy wrote:
"embrace the shlog" Very Happy
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westender



Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 1288
Location: Portland / Gorge

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Come to think of it I do refer to wind speed.

If you're already on your smallest sail and you're taking a break, and the wind is building, you say to your buddy, "Man, it's blowin "40" or "50". Or whatever your best guess is??
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 9:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have watched scores, probably hundreds over the years, of people rigging 3.5s and 4.0s and sinkers as fast as they can when I know for a fact that my biggest gear ... 6.2 and 115 liters .. won't keep me planing. If they ask me, I'll say, "I'll rig when it gets strong enough for my 6.2". If they don't, the most I might say is, "Do you know it's blowing only 17 mph?" In that case, data rules.

So much for rigging solely by eye, given other options, at places we don't have wired. The low morning sun makes little white caplets look like a square mile of big sheep, and the trees lie. I don't even look at the water that early at spots where I have a feel for sensor scaling. And except for sailors whose sail size preferences I know, others' sizes are all but useless to me. Again, data rules.

But when someone I'm calibrated to tells me we what's working for him, I know pretty much what to start with. Whatever my source, I know to rig big, because I'd FAR rather be in a four-hour meeting than slog for 20 minutes on any board under 150 liters. My "suck" threshold is very specific, right down to 1 mph. It gets fuzzy only when ya factor in wind quality, swell, fatigue, expectations, temps, etc.
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JamesHardy



Joined: 29 Mar 2002
Posts: 159

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 9:58 pm    Post subject: Re: ARRRGGGHHH!! Reply with quote

spennie wrote:
Will everyone please stop using sail sizes to say how strong the wind was here on the Forums? MPH or knots, please, sail sizes are extremely subjective and tell me nothing. 4.7 for you (small girl) might be 7.1 for me (big man). It's great when you're talking face-to-face or with a friend, just not here where it's nearly useless!


Stop with the crazy talk!

On another point some solid 5.2 this weekend would be sweet Very Happy
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