not a trick question, just curious rig what for 16-32?

[cgoudie1]

If it's averaging 24 I'd make a 4.7 work, but if it averaged any less than that it'd be a 5.2. If the holes were long duration I'd ride a 100 ltr board,
If the gusts were extended, it'd be an 80 ltr board.

I weigh 180 lbs and am 6'3".

-Craig

[jingebritsen]

iwindy chart in hindsight would look like a 100 year old's birthday cake candle array.

16 then 24, then 18 then 32, etc. no real avg available. in 5 second to 20 second random intervals.

clear now? again, no hooks, no traps. just curious.

[Number-nine]

sure after three pages of dialog now you give us the detail

in my experiance this does not really happen in a matter of seconds. Maybe minutes.

Still would not change my choice of 5.3m
Surf Would likely start on small board and change up if needed.

If flat water would likely go back to work

[isobars]

[jingebritsen]

didn't think i needed to explain this scenario so verbosely. again no tricks, no attacks. just wondering.

part of this experience happens because of winds shearing close by. rotors left to right as well as puffs from above.

[Wind-NC.com]

Minimalist quivers make days like this easier to deal with, because you're already used to using the same piece of gear over a broad range. Personally, at 165 pounds:

Ocean: Tabou DaCurve 86 in quad setup with Gaastra IQ 4.2 or 4.7 depending on how much energy I have. 4.2 if I'm feeling lazy or if the way out is easy. 4.7 if I want to get juiced up and do some jumping or if the way out is tricky. Almost every day in the ocean here in Hatteras is as gusty as described, so this is a normal scenario for us.

Flats: Twister 90 and 4.4 Pure. Freestyle equipment has MASSIVE comfortable range of use, just like slalom gear but easier and lighter feeling.


The pictures below were from just a week or two ago- most of the time sunk up to my knees on the way out, caught a squally gust and planed out once, WAY over powered on the outside, and anything from zero sail power to full sail power while on a wave. Love it!! Thanks to Keith McCulloch for the photos!

[swchandler]

If the conditions are totally undependable and goofy enough, why play the game? When I sail, the primary goal is having fun. When the fun stops, or the conditions literally go to hell, I tend to move on and focus on other things.

[cgoudie1]

Hey Steve,

It depends on how cheap a wind whore you are (and you know I'm cheap).

But I get your point. I don't go out if the only wind is -5 to 40 at Avery or
the Wall no matter how long it's been since I last Windsurfed. 16 to 32
(and I'm sorry but there has to be an average, even if the wind never
stabilizes at any speed), is pretty doable and fun for me though. Once
you get past the double wind speed (which is 4X the wind force), I
tend to think about how fun it's going to be though.

-Craig

[jingebritsen]

i tend to remember fondly a day at the hatch with the wind doing 28-48. shared this before. in the gorge, best defense if one wishes to remain upright and sailing is simply to sail straight up the river in the really strong shit. some with slippery fast boards on rangy sails were super happy. those that tried to gain control for the gusts with either super tiny gear or had slow boards with fast sails moped.

our sport is about achieving an equilibrium of forces. might seem frightfully fast for some until one adapts? figuring out how to let the right gear run and hanging on is the most fun for me in the ditch.

[jingebritsen]

as always, the outer banks surf looks so fantastic. cheers