I have always wondered whether or not it would be worth buying a wind anemometer to take the guess work out of sail selection. I have seen a few people use them at beaches.

Are they any good? What do people think of them?

Cheers

When you use them, do you usually take a reading at the car park, beach, headland or water's edge?

I don't have an anemometer and have never used one, but I think I have developed a pretty good feeling for wind strength over the years. Personally, I think its more about the look and feel of the conditions, like the sharpness of the ripples on the water as well as whitecaps, rather than any empirical reading from an instrument. Unless you are taking readings over a space of time, and at an ideal location where windstrength is not being manipulated, eg on top of a cliff (leading to a higher reading), or at the foot of a cliff (lower reading),you might not be getting an accurate assessment of the conditions on the water. Gusts come and go. The wind often funnels out on the water. Talking to a guy using a meter at my local spot and he told me it was reading 12 knots. He might have been right, but I told him it looked at least 17 knots to me, and that I'd never get planing with what I'd rigged at 12 knots. I then proceeded to get my 70kgs blasting with a 5.4. If I had only trusted his instrument, I'd never have rigged up.

Ah, so you see, my matees, an old salt doesn't need these new fandangled toys to tell 'im the wind's a blowing. He gets to feel it in 'is bones, and hear it whistle in 'is ears, and smell it, an' see it in the trees. Experience - that's all you land-lubbers need. And as my matee Gestalt says, he still has to walk a few chains up or down the beach to a spot, where experience has told him, the wind be true. Now let that be a lesson to ya all!

Cheers
MikeyS and Ol' Captain Forthwright

My experience is that they are helpful, It is not always easy to read conditions due to light and geography, and my experience was that I was always over-estimating how strong it was. What I thought felt like 30kts is actually 25kts, and what reads 30 knots, I used to estimate was gusting to 35kts+. In the low wind range, it helps because when it's 6-8 knots, I was usually tell myself its 8 to 12 knots and I start rigging up and go out for a Slog/Slog/Slog/Slog.

Who gives a rat's about the actual windspeed. If you use the same meter all the time you will rig to it's readings, just dont rig to others readings.

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Originally posted by racycoot

I'm with MikeyS. You're all soft

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I'm quite hard actually

i guess if you only have one board and 2 sails there's not much need for a wind meter.

mikeys - now you know that you can plane in 12 knots are you going to go sailing next time the forecast is for 10-15 knots? i used to laugh when i read the manuf brochures where they talk up the light wind performance of sails. thinking how could a 5.3m sail plane in 12 knots. since getting the meter i now know that in fact it is very possible.

an example of the benefits.

i arrive at the beach, it looks like 15 knots. i know that my 95lt wave board needs 15 knots to get planing. do i rig and take a chance it is 15 knots or go for the bigger gear. ok, i rig the wave board and head out. tuns out it is actually only 12 knots and so i spend most of the time dredging. bugger! should have rigged the bigger board and sail. the wind meter will stop this from ever happening.

another example. i arrive at the beach, looks like 25knots. cool i'll rig the 5.7 and head out. turns out that it is actually only 20 knots.
bugger the 6.4 would be better. the tide must have made it look windier.

and another. get to the beach, wind doesn't look like much more than 20 knots. feels like 15 but there is a bit more wind on the water. better take the 6.4 because i am not sure. hit the water and realise that although there isn't to many white caps it is actually pumping and now the 6.4 is out of control when i jump.

and another. arrive beach, wind looks quite good. guess it is about 10 knots. cool i'll take the formula and 70cm fin. turns out that it is actually 12-15 knots and the 70cm is too big. should have used the 65cm.....

but wait there is more.

a friend tells me his fin is great for lightwind. will make me plane earlier. i already got one that planes early but my friend insists. wind meter says it's 10 knots. i try my fin. it works, try his fin and it works too. turn up the next day. the wind looks the same strength. but the meter says 8 knots. i try my fin, it doesn't work, i try my mates fin and i'm away. cool, so now i know for sure. my mates fin is better for me.

as MK said. (even though he is wearing his cranky pants ....)
it doesn't matter what wind it actually is, it matters that you use the same meter everytime so you know what will work.

it looks about 31.6 kmph or about 20 knots

must be a nice steady seabreeze coz i been looking at the meter for about 15 minutes and the reading hasn't changed

A windmeter is probably more accurate than asking a kitesurfer for a windspeed estimate.
Kite**** have a bad habit of over-calling knotage.

Hey Crash.

The things are invaluable.

Especially when it is marginal and when it is really howling.

Eg: are the gusts coming through at 13-14 knots long enough to keep you on the plane and when you see the 'holes' at 6-7 knots you know to leave it alone and watch the others dredge.

Especially valuable on high tides when the white caps form up a little easier - I call this "high tide sucker breeze" - looks windier than it is and can lead to embarressment.

At the other end of the scale (v. high wind) it is good to know how strong it is blowing. Personally I struggle to tell the difference between 28-30 knots and 33-35 knots. But I know that regardless of the board and sail combo I get totally nailed in 35 knots plus unless the water is flat.

Agree with Gestalt that it helps with rigging choices for fin sail and board. - Builds your confidence that you can sail with less volume, fin and sail.

- J

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The other thing is I'm suprised that a 90kg person (Kremlin) would be overpowered on a 4.4 in 30 knots...

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maybe he's just too soft.

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Originally posted by waveslave

A windmeter is probably more accurate than asking a kitesurfer for a windspeed estimate.
Kite**** have a bad habit of over-calling knotage.

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Yeah, I was carrying my kit down to the beach the other day and overheard one kiter telling another "it's about 24 knots out there!". It was 12-18...

hey Kremlin I thought you Russians were supposed to be on the same team.

Comrade Qwerty

Yar it is true us Russian's normally stick together... but when one is being soft its a fellow Comrade's duty to pull him into line.
There's also the fact that when the vodka and salted fish supplies start running low it's often a fellow comrade who feels the first sting of DT's

Boris is also very old Communist school so does not like the modern fandangled instrumnents (just check out his sailing kit !)

Now that I am used to using my gauge I have not had a disappointing sail due to incorrect gear or wrong wind strength guess.
I only wave sail and its still a very useful part of the sailing quiver !

well Kremlin your wind gauge down here would read 25 knots NE at the moment.
20 knots yesterday as well. Not a bad finish to Winter. hope it only gets better

I had a Kestral 1000 windmeter for a while. I found that it would underread by about 10 kts. I took it back to the shop and tried another one next to it, they both had the same reading.
My basis for the 10 kts under is the ATIS at Sydney airport.
Sydney airport anenometer is about 5-10 meters off the ground.
I tried my anenometer in many different wind strenghts and it was always under the ATIS reading(admittedly I was at ground level).
You also look like a goose holding it up on the beach.
I sold it!!!!!!!!!