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Crazy gusts - what to do?
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rangerider



Joined: 19 Jul 2009
Posts: 206

PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:43 pm    Post subject: Crazy gusts - what to do? Reply with quote

I had the gustiest day I can remember yesterday ranging from almost zero to like 30kts and everywhere in between. It was either sub-planing or so overpowered it was scary and I just couldn't figure it out (and I mean all of a sudden on both ends). I was on my JP xcite 145 and my Lion 7.5 - max downhaul and outhaul - slightly lowered boom - mast track a bit forward - 38cm weed fin. I could've used a little smaller board and sail if I'd had it with me but I used what I had. It didn't help that we haven't had any wind for weeks and I could tell my conditioning level dropped a bit. Anyone have a magic setup for crazy on-off gusts? Next time it is like that I may just read a book instead.
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nw30



Joined: 21 Dec 2008
Posts: 6485
Location: The eye of the universe, Cen. Cal. coast

PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

On days like that, there is no magic setup, whatever you rig will be wrong some of the time. All you can do is rig for the averages, if you like to be over powered, rig bigger, if you like to be underpowered, rig smaller, but the holes will be deeper.
I've had days that we call 30-0-30, 30 MPH to zero, @ 30 second intervals, it totally sucks.
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adywind



Joined: 08 Jan 2012
Posts: 665

PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Classic freeride boards like the Xcite Ride are bouncy and a 145 Lt one will get crazy in 30mph no matter what. If you can't cary more then one board with you get yourself a more performance board -a free race or slalom for example around 120 lt that will cover 15 to 30 conditions nicely with the addition of a 6 or 6.5 sail.
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hitech



Joined: 13 Aug 2000
Posts: 81

PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are describing some of the classic Lake Isabella days in SoCal. My set up for those days-
A board that will float you in zero wind because you have to be in position to catch the gusts when they hit and not down in the water having to waterstart.
A smaller than normal fin (for that board) to minimize lift when it blows to 30
A midsize sail(for that board) because nothing works in zero wind and you need to be able to maintain control in the gusts.
For me, the fin was the most important adjustment to avoid getting lifted and slammed in the gusts.
Good luck.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 4:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

in gusty conditions one needs acceleration. by having a weed fin and lowering your boom and moving the base forward you are impeding the kit and you from acceleration. one feels most over powered when one is experiencing an imbalance of forces on the kit.

how to cope?

no weeder for starters, if possible. the CE drives the front of the board down and also keeps the board from going as fast as it wants to in gusts. slightly smaller fin helps, but not too much since the board can over power a small fin easily too.

technique. if you see the gust adding more texture to the water, bear off. that's right, bear off hard. this lowers your apparent wind. DO NOT sheet out and stick the nose into the wind. this raises your apparent wind and slams you.

what makes the sport work is the force of the wind becomes the force that propels us. if one uses measures to try to stifle this power, one pays with serious loading on the gear and carcass. let the kit run in gusts. bear off or pinch, but stay sheeted home. sheeting out for control is an intuitive trap. there's a reason there's an old event in the lesser antillies, call "hook in and hang on."

JP's are notoriously set up for people standing more directly over the straps. those that like waist harnesses and short lines sail like that. not my style. i have long lines, a seat, and lean way out over the water. so keep your boom high, base all the way forward, and no weeders. that's the best way to get the most out of a jp, for me.

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Sailboarder



Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 656

PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 6:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Being an intermediate, a longboard helps me in these conditions. It adds some stability, floats well and will work with a smaller fin. Popping on plane is also less explosive. A better rider might prefer a shortboard since it will accelerate faster, reducing the time spent fighting the strong pull.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That sounds like my local lake decades ago in New Mexico, behind a dam behind a mountain range. It's name is Cochiti Resevoir, better known as Soshitty Lake. Nuthin' but gusts, from any and every direction at at any speed from 1 to 30 mph mot breezy days. Our coping method began with all the above, plus the advice to "Sit on your heels" when a gust hit while we were slogging. By that I mean drop your weight low, your butt straight down towards your feet, with emphasis towards the back heel, just as you would in a tug-of-war. After all, we are in a tug of war with our sail relative to the board, and if we can keep its center back where we want it, we win.

If the board had straps, we ALWAYS kept the back foot in its strap if there was any chance of getting a gust, because if a gust lifts that back foot, we're headin' over the handlebars into a catapult unless our defensive sail handling skills are excellent and lucky. In that mode, when we hit a lull and had to suddenly get our weight off the tail, we thrust the front forward to re-establish our line in the sand and shift our weight forward. A wide stance was vital to instantaneous accommodation of wildly varying wind speeds. On longboards with no straps, I always added one, in the back where it counts.

Next, we kept pushing our skill envelope as though we had any choice. The more often we sailed aggressively while overpowered, the easier it got. What most people call overpowered I now call juuuuust right. That's useful in both offensive and defensive sailing. To this day I always "rig big" compared to most people for several reasons, including eliminating lulls and using small wave boards for their greater maneuverability and better ride even on lakes. You want that first skill now, and may want the latter ones some day.
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NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1544

PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 9:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A board that will float you for the lulls. The water should not be to choppy if its gusty. Rig a sail for the gusts. You won't get going in the lulls anyway, so you might as well be ready for the gusts and get a few ripping rides in control. In 30mph I would rig a 5.0, put a small fin on your board and be safe.....
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 12:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"If the board had straps, we ALWAYS kept the back foot in its strap if there was any chance of getting a gust, because if a gust lifts that back foot, we're headin' over the handlebars into a catapult..."



It must have been funny to watch folks (it was probably just isobars) slogging stretched out with one foot in front of the front footstrap and the other in the back footstrap. Also, I can just imagine the fearful tension and anxiety in his face trying feverishly to fend off any wild gusts and the chance catapult.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 1:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And once again Chandler goes personal, contributing nothing but angst to our forum without any knowledge of the conditions rangerider and I are trying to discuss. I've measured our gusty days at Cochiti at mostly 5 -8 mph with gusts over 65 mph (pegged our Dwyers) once or twice per minute. Try my ideas, Rangerider, then try Chandler's.

Oh, but wait ... he didn't offer any, did he? That's why I looked at his response, to see whether it did its usual best to mislead the OP by denigrating others' useful contributions. No surprises there.

Gone sailin'.
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