TAS
638 posts
Thanks for the info guys. Had a couple of goes on the foil. Just slogging so far and so a bit early to tell how it will go. However, at least I have been on the water and not at home cursing the wind!! Having a new skill set to learn has been great as well.
TAS
638 posts
Great photos Dave. Looks like there is some gold up there
TAS
638 posts
I get the "It's a spider!!! Kill it Kill it!!! from the wife". I just catch it in a tea towel and take it outside. No drama, no hassle and we all get to live.
TAS
638 posts
Alice is a great place to sail. You just have to keep an eye out for the sand bars!!!!
TAS
638 posts
Yes Dave, the famous Georges Bay. The wind is probably better in the East but the water surface is like a washing machine with swells coming in all directions. I've tried the Western side but the cliffs at Chimney Heights cause a wind shadow effect that is a real pain.
I do have an update though. Bought a wind foiler and plan to use that in the Westerlies. From what I have seen and read they are better in the gusts and their better upwind performance should help me with getting out away from the wind shadow. Always have my windsurf gear for blasting when it swings back around to the North-East.
TAS
638 posts
Just wanted to start a thread about techniques and strategies for sailing when it is gusty conditions. I sail in a bay with choppy conditions which is fine but to add a bit of spice, the prevailing wind is a Westerly and it is always gusty. You can be ensured that the gusts are going to be twice the base wind. So on a 10 knot day the gusts will be 20 knots.
Boards are a 149 litre JP Magic Ride and a 114 litre JP FSW. Big boards you say? What would you like to be on when you are in the middle of the bay and the wind drops to 10 knots? To further add to the problem, I am now the wrong side of 60 and I am getting a bit stiff in the back and legs. I can't get on the smaller board to uphaul but I find the Magic Ride stable enough to get back on. So for this board I use a smaller sail, typically a 6 metre. Board for the lulls, sails for the gusts. By the way, the Magic Ride has been great and doesn't feel like a big board to me. It performs very well.
I have the FSW for stronger winds and I have set it up as a wave sail with the straps in-board, one centre strap on the back. When the gusts hit and it is going a bit pear-shaped, I move my weight over the centre of the board, similar to what I imagine a foiler may do. I can then ease out on the boom and open the sail like you would on a sailboat by easing off on the main sheet. The board gets under control and I can vary the power in the sail as much as I like because I am not using it for balance.
I would be very interested in picking up any other tips people have for these conditions. And yes, getting a planing gybe is a bitch.
