Received: by zonker.hpl.hp.com (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA29781; Mon, 22 Aug 1994 00:37:49 -0700 Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 00:37:49 -0700 From: Ken Poulton <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Return-Path: <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <9408220737.AA29781@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@hplczu.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: Sunday, bloody Sunday
============= Fri 19 Aug 94
Went to 3rd Ave to catch some ebb-tide swell. Some people were rigging
4.7; I rigged 5.2/Tiga257. When I started at 3:15, that was enough to
plane from near the shore, and plenty of power in the channel. The
weird thing was that the swell in the channel was total hash, coming from
three different directions. It would get up to 3-4 feet, but only when
two or more swells from different directions intersected. The
interesting thing is that in terms of providing the steepest launching
ramps, this is actually better than 3-4 foot, smooth, well-organized
swell. The down side is that the ramps appear only about a second
before you hit them. I had some nice jumps and one really spectacular
nose-first, pile-driver landing that I think Dan and Jeremy saw. I
think it was on that landing that I heard a seam tear on my sail - not
from me hitting it, just from the violent landing impact.
The wind died back a bit after a while; I was marginally powered, but
the 4.7's were slogging a lot. After a little rest, I ran into Michael
Schuh, and we went out in the very flat 2-4 feet of water inside and
Michael coached me on duck jibes. After adjusting to the longer boom
(I've only done them on a 4.2 and a 3.7 before) I got the port-tack
jibe going, and eventually made my first-ever starboard one. Thanks,
Michael!
The wind was getting light from about 5:00 on; we sailed until 6:15,
but the next day I was very stiff from all the pumping we were doing.
The SFO reports looked like a total disaster day:
1351 SFO 68 53 320 18 . 30 30.01 clr /few st 11 hnd nw-n/705 1600/
1450 SFO 69 54 320 13 . 30 30 clr /st nw/
1550 SFO 69 53 290 16 . 15 29.99 clr /st nw/
1650 SFO 68 54 290 14 . 12 29.98 clr /st sw-w-n/ 808 1600 71/
1750 SFO 65 54 280 13 . 12 29.97 clr /st sw-w-n-ne/
but in fact the fog was streaming past the airport pretty well across
the bay by 6:00. I don't know how to reconcile this with the 18-22 knots
we had at 3rd from 3:00 to 6:00.
port duck jibes: 5/10
starboard duck jibes: 1/10
========== Sun 22 Aug 94
Saturday was apparently great, and I went to 3rd expecting more of
the same. Had to get there early to get a space - by 1:15 the lot
was 3/4 full. Alas, the wind was less than hoped for. So we the
hopeful hung around, watched one wind dummy on a 4.7 slog out and swim
back, and another on a 5.0 go outside and plane in the channel for half
an hour. When the 5.0 returned and proclaimed it "fine", the beach
emptied and rigging erupted.
I rigged 5.2/8'5 (Tiga257) only to find that the wind had backed off by
the time I was ready. No matter, I put on my 8'8 and went out with
JackG. We took off at 2:45 and right from the shore had a
fully-powered blast halfway to the channel... where it died. Not just
slog-died, but fall-in-the-water-and-wait-for-enough-to-waterstart died.
And that was the way it went for the next hour and a half. There was
no pattern, no place where it kept going, it just came and went, often
in 10-second intervals. Truly among the worst wind conditions I have
sailed in, made much worse by JackG and KenB blasting by me periodically
on their larger sails (for their sizes).
I struggled with that until 4:30 and then decided this was all we would
get, so I rigged up to 5.7/8'8. The wind promptly notched up and made
me wish for the 5.2. At this point, it also was strongest near the
shore. We had 70 or so sails on the water right in front of the launch,
making it look like sailing in the Gorge. Will and I sailed near shore
for a while, then followed the wind as it shifted out to the channel.
I decided the 8'8 course slalom was a bit wild in the wretched
washing-machine swell and went back for the 8'5. This worked
surprisingly well with the 5.7 sail. I sailed in the channel until it
started to drop, then managed a just-barely-planing ride all the way
back to the shore. (I was especially pleased not to have to slog that
board back - it sinks to about mid-thigh.)
So we had plenty of sailing, just not the lovely swell and 4.7 wind
we were hoping for. Timing, I guess.
Ken Poulton
poulton@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
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