Received: by zonker.hpl.hp.com (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA24820; Wed, 17 May 1995 23:38:28 -0700 Date: Wed, 17 May 1995 23:38:28 -0700 From: Ken Poulton <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Return-Path: <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <9505180638.AA24820@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, dan_acosta@fmc.com-DeleteThis, ghs@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, gtsai@hpl.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, schofiel@sid.hp.com-DeleteThis, sjn@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, wind_talk@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: Wed Palo Alto (+ last Tues at Coyote)
============ Tue 9 May 95 - Coyote - 7.0,6.2/9'3 (187 lb)
Michael and I met at Coyote about 3:00. The wind had dropped a bit from
earlier, so we rigged big - 7.0/9'3 for me (an ASD demo - yet another
Rob Hartman board, volume carried more towards the middle of the board
than the new course slalom boards) and 6.0/8'10 for Michael (165 lb). At
first, the big sails were right, as the wind was kind of holey. The
wind came up pretty soon and then we were quite powered.
Presently, however, I was getting tossed with increasing regularity -
the Lemon-Lime Monster Sail was much less well-behaved than the previous
time I had sailed it. We went in about 4:30 to rig down and I
discovered that I had set the extension too short and consequently
had applied about 1/2" less downhaul than before. What a difference
in wind range that made! We rigged down to 6.2 and 5.4 and after
I finally got the demo board dialed and the sail tuned, I was finally
able to keep up with Michael, most of the time. I concluded that
this was a nice fast board, but I was not as comfortable on it
as on the more recent course slalom boards.
The wind kept up until we had to quit at 5:30, but the wind line
seemed to be moving way offshore by 6:00.
Materials Science Quiz: If you strike a carbon-fiber tube with a hard
plastic object of relatively low mass but at catapult velocity, what
happens? Answer: if the plastic object is your glasses, your nose
gives. Alternate test methods are recommended.
============= Wed 17 May 95 - Palo Alto - 6.2/9'0 (185 lb)
Michael was apparently in a suggestible state brought on by a week of
wind deprivation, since he agreed to go to Palo Alto on a report of 10
knots at 10 degrees. I was in a similar state, but made more desperate
by the sure knowledge that I had no other free afternoons for a week
more.
Actually, it wasn't completely loony. Here are the things I looked at:
1000 Buoy13Bdga 53 . 315 14 . . +0.00 waves 6 feet, 9 secs
1000 Buoy26_GG 52 . 293 8 . . -0.03 waves 5 feet, 9 secs
moderate NW winds offshore, even in the morning
1352 Stockton 79 53 290 6 . 30 -0.06 clr
a fairly deep pressure gradient of -0.06 from SFO to Stockton
1350 SFO 61 53 230 13 . 20 30.03 13 sct m15 bkn 18 bkn
1350 SoSF_SBrMt 50 . 260 13 19 . . x
and nearly-useful winds at SFO and SoSF, but slightly south of west.
This direction puts Coyote in a huge wind hole, 3rd somewhat less so,
but tends to create good *north* wind at Palo Alto.
1345 Palo_Alto 66 56 010 10 . 10 -0.02 clr / st tpg rdgs s-w
Palo Alto usually reads 2-3 knots lower at the airport than on the
water, but it can be more. Another good indication for Palo Alto was
the cryptic comment "st tpg rdgs s-w": "stratus (low marine layer
clouds) topping ridges south to west".
I added my own sighting lots o' fog on the ridge by Palo Alto at 10:00
that morning and a 14:25 scanner report from SoSF: "temp 51, dewpoint
51, wind 210 variable 240 at 13 gusting to 19". The extra info was that
temp=dewpoint which implies that San Bruno mountain is actually inside
the fog bank, so you expect fluky wind readings there.
Science and wishful thinking aside, we went, and found good caps
on the water at 3:00. I rigged 6.2/9'0 and Michael 5.4/8'10.
This turned out to be just fine. The wind backed a bit around
5:00, but came back by 5:20. The water was generally flat; there
were probably only 8 sailors there.
The readings and my estimate of windspeed on the water:
1345 Palo_Alto 66 56 010 10
1445 Palo_Alto 66 57 360 10 est 15
1545 Palo_Alto 67 56 350 16 est 15, rising to 18
1647 Palo_Alto 68 55 310 10 est 14
1746 Palo_Alto 64 53 330 18 est 18
We see differences of 0 to 5 knots, so it's pretty hard to extrapolate
from Palo Alto airport readings to the water. Sigh.
Despite the usual lighter wind near the dock, we planed all the way back
in both times (and risked our boards with direct board-to-dock landings).
My shin muscles got so tired holding a speed stance that this evening my
toes are dragging on the ground when I walk. But I'm smiling.
Ken Poulton
poulton@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." -- Wizard of Oz
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