Crazy gusts - what to do?

[dhmark]

When the conditions are like that, I have learned to mentally classify those days as "no-wind" days and stay home. read book good idea. dhmark

[isobars]

[swchandler]

I have to admit to poking fun at isobars. I just couldn't resist. He always angling his back foot first concept (BBF) into the conversation as a cure all against the dreaded catapult, particularly to those new to the sport. He almost always has some capital letters in the mix to help "scream" it out. Frankly, I find it silly, so I crafted a simple scenario making his suggestion look ridiculous.

Needless to say, isobars is a bit short on humor today.

[scargo]

The "max outhaul" fact caught my attention, because in those conditions I like to downhaul plenty, but find that over-outhauling prevents the sail from breathing properly in the gusts. On the same subject, such conditions are where I reap the benefits of an adjustable outhaul. On solid days, I don't tinker with it that much, but in gusty conditions, I like to be able to tune the sail as the wind strength changes.

[dllee]

Berkeley had one of those days, but only 1-27.
Used a 109 and a 7.4.
Obviously, no combo was any good for those conditions.
Formula guys hated it.
Freerider's hated it.
Slalom guys hated it.
Lulls of less 3 are never fun.

[rangerider]

Yes - tight outhaul might have been worth changing and I considered it but was pretty wiped out. The wind direction was funny and I had wind swirling around a small island meaning that as I sailed across the wind I had glassy calm behind a point, strong/gusty wind, a big lull behind the island, another big shot of wind and then a lull behind another point 100 yards later. It was just a bad wind direction for my lake. I had a couple falls where I was hauling a$$ powered up and then the wind would die suddenly (completely) and I would lose my balance with the sail hitting the water upwind of the board at speed with me running into the boom and sail pretty hard. I have done this before and doing it hooked in really sucks.

I actually was slogging with my back foot in and do so frequently when there is plenty of power to bear off and plane when the gusts hit, anyways -

Anyone think something like the hot sails speed demon would make a difference with its Dacron construction?

[LeeD]

Only thing you can do to make the best of 1-28 mph winds is to constantly look upwind and recognize the timing of the incoming gusts, their shape, and whether to head off the wind or pinch upwind to stay in the gusts as long as you can, or to avoid the brunt of the severity by getting going earlier before the big hit get's to your sail.

[konajoe]

An understanding of the dynamics of what is going on may help you prepare. Air is way less dense than the water. So, when a gust hits you, the sail is going to want to accelerate faster than the board. So, reducing the drag of the board sounds like a good idea. If the board is displacing alot of water because it is small, that will also hurt it's initial ability to accelerate.

The previous post mentions looking up wind, and seeing a gust coming. +1 on that. Also realize that a gust which doesn't involve a change in true wind direction will have a huge effect on the apparent wind direction you see while sailing. A gust will bring your apparent wind way over the side of the board. To keep the sail trimmed correctly would mean that you would initially sheet way out. Since the lift, or pull of the sail is kinda perpendicular to a line running from the mast to the clew, the sail will want to pull you over the nose of the board.

When the wind speed drops, but does not change true direction, you'll feel a header, and the apparent wind will shift so that it is coming from the nose of the board. Be prepared to bear off.

[mat-ty]

Rig a little big for the gust max, and do light wind tricks in the lulls.
Adjustable outhaul can help ease the pain also.
I learned to sail on a gusty lake... AKA THE GUST RIDERS.

[LeeD]

Tough to do light wind tricks in big swell and breezes of 3 mph, especially with a 7.4 sail on a 109 board.