Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Gusted!

We went windsurfing at Ninigret Pond for the first time today, after hearing great things about it. Forecast was for mid-20s, with some gusts - ha! We sailed from 1 to 3 pm, here's the iWindsurf chart:

Lulls of 6, gusts of 25 according to the wind meter - actual gusts were probably closer to 40 (I ended up being overpowered in gusts on a 5.0, which I can hold without problems to 35 mph). So, sailing was mostly fighting today. I tried to use the F2 Missile, but starting it was almost impossible, with winds way to low for a while, and then gusting so strong that a controlled start was impossible.

I had many interesting falls today; here's a short video of one:


After making it back home, I discovered that the wind readings for West Dennis for the same time were close to perfect - averages of 25-30, lulls 22, gusts mid-30s or lower. Next time, we'll be at the Cape again!

On the bright side, all the crashes gave me plenty of opportunity to test my new O'Neill Boost drysuit. It passed with flying colors, definitely a good investment. The weird "shrink-wrapped" feeling when in the water will need some getting used to, but the suit is a lot more convenient than my semi-dry, and with the option to add or remove layers as needed, it will keep me nice and warm.