Received: by zonker.hpl.hp.com (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA17351; Sat, 23 Mar 1996 00:46:33 -0800 Date: Sat, 23 Mar 1996 00:46:33 -0800 From: Ken Poulton <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Return-Path: <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <9603230846.AA17351@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> To: wind_talk@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: 3rd Friday
============ Fri 23 Mar 96 - 3rd - 4.2/257 (190#)
Kirk gave me a call, which was just the nudge I needed to get the
car loaded and get up to 3rd. Kirk rigged 5.1/8'8; I rigged 4.2/257
on the advice of several wet people standing in the rigging area. I hit
the water at 4:00. My 4.2 was about right inside - a few slogs, mostly
powered up. But the channel was raging! I was sometimes just right,
but more of the time I was just trying to hold my rocket sled on course
to keep from exploding. The swells were actually not very well formed,
and large-wavelength swells were uncommon, probably due to the gusty
conditions. But there were plenty of ramps up to 4 feet, and with that
much power, the airtime was great! (Let's not discuss landings.)
After an hour of that, I went in and rigged down to 3.7, since that
was clearly the right size for the channel, and it seemed pretty
well filled in to the shore. Bad Idea. By 5:30 the wind had backed
off and I mostly slogged most of the way to the channel before
giving up and struggling back. Only had to walk a couple hundred yards
in the mud to regain the launch ramp.
Made 100% of my jibes, which sounds great for having had only 1 sailing
day in the previous 5 months - until you note that I only *attempted* one
jibe. All the rest of my runs ended in spinouts, crash-landings, or
I-gotta-rest.
I feel gloriously sore and tired. What a way to start the season!
Ken Poulton
poulton@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter silvered wings
...
I've chased the shouting wind along and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air."
-- John Gillespie Magee Jr., "High Flight"
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