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mustard
Joined: 12 Jul 2009 Posts: 19
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:16 pm Post subject: Sailing Sherman on a flood? |
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So I tried sailing on a flood at Sherman for the first time....Walk of Shame. The funny thing is, I don't feel ashamed. The group seemed overtly supportive about it all. "We have all done it" being the common response.
Pride aside...I am now committed to figuring out the tricks...
How to pinch farther up wind...how much of each is it?
Power in the sail...rig big
Fin
I suck
or something else I have yet to discover |
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dllee
Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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Be powered, tilt rig back, lean forwards, tip heel rail away from you.
Use a slalom board, bigger blade fin.
Use a Formula board with a 68cm fin and a 10 meter sail in 20mph winds flooding. |
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nicolas72
Joined: 02 Sep 2006 Posts: 27
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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Forget about it (I try to ), it's just no fun. (funny you ask because I was looking at the forecast and the tides figuring out how to fit a delta session in my schedule in the next couple of days) |
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noshuzbluz
Joined: 18 May 2000 Posts: 791
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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It's not that bad. Just rig a sail size bigger with a little more fin and/or board and you'll be fine if you can point efficiently. It can be brutal if you're under powered or in the water a lot. There were a few "walks" today. _________________ The Time a Person Spends Windsurfing is not Deducted from their Lifespan...
http://www.openocean.com |
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wndsrfrmn
Joined: 30 Jun 2001 Posts: 36
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:29 pm Post subject: |
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Fighting the Flood at Sherman.
It is about a 1/2 mile across the river from the launch at the access to where you jibe. If the current is flooding at 1.36 mph it would be washing you upriver at 2 ft/sec (1.36mph X 5280 ft/mile X hour/ 3600 sec ). If you are on a plane going straight across the river at 20mph (not unreasonable) you would make it across the river in 90 seconds. During that 90 seconds the current will push you 180 feet up the river.
For a math exercise let’s just assume the wind is blowing straight up the river. For simplicity let us also assume that you can maintain a 45 degree angle while constantly on a plane (even during turns) at the speed of 20mph. Your new distance traveled across the river would be 7/10 mile during which time you would gain 2640 feet down river while losing 252 feet upriver to the current for a net gain of 2388 feet for each reach across the river.
If your speed drops by half but everything else remains the same, you will still net over 2000 feet downriver against the flood on each trip across the river.
Can anyone verify my math?
However, you probably can't sail 45 degrees into the wind. You probably won’t be on a plane at 20mph the whole time. If you fall in you get swept up the river at 2 ft/sec. While water starting you are getting pushed upriver by the current and the wind. Ramps to jump, kites to avoid, swell to surf down, and kooks to watch out for will further impede your upwind, against the current, progress.
To stay upwind during a flood at Sherman you must constantly pinch upwind, stay on a plane, don’t fall in, and avoid the kites.
Sometimes it is too much work. That is why a lot of people avoid the flood.
I had another great session from 3 to 5pm at Sherman today. The wind was blowing at such an angle that you could kind of pinch straight into the flood on a starboard tack.
Ron, thanks again for the "time spent windsurfing..." sign. |
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wndsrfrmn
Joined: 30 Jun 2001 Posts: 36
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:35 pm Post subject: |
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My session at Sherman today was from 3 to 6 pm. not 5 pm.
Peak flood current was at 6:30. By 6 the flood was taking the fun out of it, not to mention that 3 hours is probably enough windsurfing for one day. |
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jse
Joined: 17 Apr 1995 Posts: 1460 Location: Maui
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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Here are some tips that help me:
1. You should be able to waterstart in under 30 seconds.
2. Learn how to tack, and tack (or at least try to) instead of gybing. When I fall on a tack I usually end up in the waterstart position anyway so it's a net gain.
3. There is a persistent lift on the far side of the river when you are on a starboard tack. (Lift means a favorable wind shift for a sailor going upwind.) So you can slog along the far side of the river almost parallel to the bank until you have gained enough ground to compensate what the river is doing to you.
4. You can short-tack the near side (easier said than done) instead of the walk of shame. I've seen good sailors do that and they can make their way right up the river even in a strong flood. If you can't tack well, learn how to sail backwinded and short tack the near side from the same side of the board.
5. Sail overpowered and over-finned. Learn how to point. If you use a long fin, ride your back foot, lean way forward, hang on the booms and make like you're looking around the mast. Your torso should be almost horizontal. If you ride a short fin (freestyle), ride your front foot, long harness lines, weight the boom and keep the sail open.
Hope this helps.
Steve |
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swchandler
Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:06 am Post subject: |
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Steve brings up an important point. I find that the wind forms on the river in the shape of an arc. Regardless of what side of the river you're on, you need to bear off a bit to get going, but you need to quickly transition to upwind oriented reach all the way across until your jibe on the opposite side. On a flood, it gets a bit punishing driving high back to the launch on a starboard tack, but driving high upwind will reward your effort and tend to keep you high above the launch site. Also, rigging a big sail and fin will reap the best rewards. Better to be over powered rather than under powered on the flood. |
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U2U2U2
Joined: 06 Jul 2001 Posts: 5467 Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:08 am Post subject: |
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I get washed so bad that I hardly consider it a consequence, its part of the experience.
don't jibe on the far side, tack or just fall in instead of losing ground if to tend to fall in while jibing.
all the tips above will help somewhat _________________ K4 fins
4Boards....May the fours be with you
http://www.k4fins.com/fins.html
http://4boards.co.uk/ |
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coachg
Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3553
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:21 am Post subject: |
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In addition to what Steve said the current is actually flowing in the opposite direction near shore-eddy-on a flood. That is the reason the swells get so big near the point of the Play Pen on a flood as it forms a mini ebb tide right there. If you stay near shore and tack or better yet, backwind, you can overcome the flood or stave off the walk of shame.
Coachg |
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