Received: by zonker.hpl.hp.com (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA20653; Wed, 15 Jun 1994 22:15:23 -0700 Date: Wed, 15 Jun 1994 22:15:23 -0700 From: Ken Poulton <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Return-Path: <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <9406160515.AA20653@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> To: 72017.461@compuserve.com-DeleteThis, Fred_Sporon-Fiedler@hpctg.desk.hp.com-DeleteThis, Gerry_Owen@hpctg.desk.hp.com-DeleteThis, Phaman@ccmail.apldbio.com-DeleteThis, Walt_Menge@hp5400.desk.hp.com-DeleteThis, alison@pyramid.com-DeleteThis, cleland@cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, cord@hpoemb.sj.hp.com-DeleteThis, coussens@hplgcc.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis, ghs@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, jlabat@us.oracle.com-DeleteThis, lenb@ssd.intel.com-DeleteThis, matt@cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, mfabrega@raynet.COM-DeleteThis, missimer@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, rob_hartman@logitech.COM-DeleteThis, schofiel@sid.hp.com-DeleteThis, sjn@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, wind_talk@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: the week (so far) at 3rd
============ Sun 12 Jun 94
With 16 knots at SFO most of the morning, 20 to 30 at SoSF, and a huge
pressure gradient to the valley, it looked like an epic afternoon. Alas,
epic it was not.
I got to 3rd Ave about 2:15 and found many 5.0 sails rigged but sitting
on the shore. On the water, it was 6.0 with holes. The direction at SFO
was verging on too westerly for Coyote and 3rd, but with fog all over
the airport, it looked like the more northerly sites might get smothered
by the fog soon. So I sat around at 3rd and about 3:00 it came up
some, so I rigged 5.7/9'0 and went out about 3:30. I was good and
powered for most of the next 50 minutes, and then the wind went holey.
The wind would blow a nice strong 5.0 in paths about 1/2 mile wide, and
then die down again. I sailed until it was all holes and slogged in at
5:20.
Late in the day, I found that one side of my Fibersnap booms was bent
down by an inch or two. I didn't need to think twice about whether
to keep sailing!
----------- Tue 14 Jun 94
A wild day at Coyote and 3rd - wind built, died, then went to
30-40 knots. I missed it.
=========== Wed 15 Jun 94
Conditions seemed to be similar to yesterday, so I went out to 3rd.
As I drove down 92 (from 280) I could see whitecaps covering the Bay -
an unusual sight from there, so I guessed it was at least 4.7.
At 3rd, it was not exactly raging, so I rigged 4.7/257. A lot of folks
were waiting for it to howl so they could sail 4.0, but I figured it
never blows like that two days in a row in the Bay. Not!
4.7 was actually a bit small at first - I had to slog most of the
way to the channel. Just as I got to the channel, I thought I felt
my (other) Fibersnap booms bend. I quickly turned around and sailed/slogged
back to shore before I dared really yank on them to discover they were
really okay. Okay, so I've gotten a bit paranoid about this...
By this time, it was filling in some and 4.7 was about right - a little
slog, a little overpowered. The swell on the *inside* was as big as I've
seen - up to 4 feet. Getting air was not a problem; staying on the
water was the problem. Also, spinning out was a problem on the
stock Tiga wave fin.
I came in to change to a smaller fin and it continued to build.
By 5:30, 4.0 was the right sail at the shore, and it was bigger
near the channel. I had to leave soon, so I stayed on the 4.7 -
can you say "waaay powered"? I knew that you could.
And... it happened again today at 3rd. Someone broke off a fin in the
channel; conditions were about 4.0 near the shore at the time and
presumably more in the channel. A friend of his, Jeff, came in to get a
fin. Luckily, he knew what kind of finbox he needed. He went out with
the fin about 6:20 as I was leaving. After last week's towing attempts,
I am convinced that taking spare equipment out to the downed sailor is the
best way to get someone in.
Ken Poulton
poulton@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
"Structural engineering is the art of molding materials that we do not
wholly understand into shapes we cannot precisely analyze so as to
withstand forces we cannot really assess in such a way that the
community at large has no reason to suspect the extent of our
ignorance". -- Parker E Schaeffer
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