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Limantour beach at Pt Reyes

 
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scott@santacruz



Joined: 12 Oct 2012
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:46 pm    Post subject: Limantour beach at Pt Reyes Reply with quote

Hi

I am a intermediate skill sailor and will be in Pt Reyes late in November for Thanksgiving. I was thinking about sailing at Limantour since the beach seems nice and long. But not sure about the winds if they are onshore, side shore etc. Or other conditions to watch out for.

I typically sail in Santa Cruz out at It's beach or just outside the Wharf to the mile buoy and can handle 20+- winds.

If you have any experience with Limantour please let me know.

Thanks
Scott
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 3:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've launched off Limantour maybe 100 times
Late Nov can still get NW winds, side off about 45 degrees, barely any wind inside, then just fine after you get thru the shorepound. Surf then can go 12' on a big west to ankle biters when only a NW windswell is coming thru, blocked by ChimneyRock.
Depending on the sandbars, if the swell is over 5', it breaks outside, uses up all it's energy, goes to green water swell, then reforms inside into a sometimes nasty shorepound, which can get over shoulder high. Carry your gear over your head to run into thigh deep water, immediately toss the board in and jump on, no hesitation.
Beach is usually steep at the N parking lot, much flatter at the isolated S parking lot.
Most days over 5', you can ride DTL right in front of both lots, without resorting to the pinch upwind 1.8 miles, which some not so knowledgeable guys say takes "1/2 hour" to TubaMancha, a direct offshore wind small wave speed/wave riding event.
On S winds, which happens before and during a rain, beware and be forewarned. The swells pick up fast, usually Westerly, which get's in to Limantour without obstruction. It's easy to get out, like SanGregorio or Pomponio on S, but the sandbar is much shorter inside outside, and the waves at the bar are much hollower than anything short of Pipe, since S winds are usually true sideshore and the waves are spraying. The size of the waves is seldom the problem, the frequency is the problem on S winds. Seems the swell packs up as it enters the bay, and compresses more than most surf spots, so you get 6' hollow tubes with periods of maybe 6 seconds, little time to recover after punching over one, before the next get's to you.
It's fine if you go out as the winds pick up, as you still have some time before the swells jack up, like maybe an hour or 3.
Winds are often the strongest in the area, especially if it's a S. PtReyes sticks waaaay out west, and Limantour is west of SanFrancisco.
Since it's kinda isolated, bring your own supplies and first aid. It's about 10 miles from Inverness, the nearest town.
You can always sail Tomales Bay, DillionBeach, or Stinson beach from there, since you're probably not staying out at the hostel then, and you don't know Carol do you?
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 3:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, S winds, pre and during the rain, you sail starboard tack wave riding, heading N towards Tuba. Going out, you're port, opposite of NW winds. It's a beach/reef break, so it closes out a lot, and some judicious judgement needs to be applied to avoid the impact zone.
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