After getting out in those huuuuge winds last Saturday and finally calling it quits as the wind got up to those 50 Knot+ gusts here're some videos of those brave sailing souls right out in it all. Technique and finesse taking a backseat to survival : )
Hopefully you'll recognise yourselves. Good winds to all!
1. Green Sailworks
The Red KA is me but the Vid does not seem to play...wouldn't mind having a geek at me getting spanked so could you post it again? Thanks
Select to expand quotemr love said..
The Red KA is me but the Vid does not seem to play...wouldn't mind having a geek at me getting spanked so could you post it again? Thanks
What size kit?
Really 50knts? Steady 40knts?
Select to expand quotemr love said..
The Red KA is me but the Vid does not seem to play...wouldn't mind having a geek at me getting spanked so could you post it again? Thanks
PM sent. Something about the URL this forum refuses to accept. Keeps coming up error.
Select to expand quoteBSN101 said..mr love said..
The Red KA is me but the Vid does not seem to play...wouldn't mind having a geek at me getting spanked so could you post it again? Thanks
What size kit?
Really 50knts? Steady 40knts?
Yep really. 50 knots gusting to 55. A couple of U.S. flights were diverted to land in Sydney instead that day. Smallest sails in the quiver were the order of the day. My smallest 4.5 saw me have to quit the water by midday. Could have used a 3.0!
Select to expand quoteBSN101 said..mr love said..
The Red KA is me but the Vid does not seem to play...wouldn't mind having a geek at me getting spanked so could you post it again? Thanks
What size kit?
Really 50knts? Steady 40knts?
I was on a 4.2 and lasted 2 runs...way too windy for that sail. There were holes in it when I struggled to plane then you would get hit by a bullet where you could not sheet in.
On my last run in I saw the water turn white as the wind ripped the top off it....all I could do was stand there sheeted completely out but it still picked me up and slammed me. That's when I decided Cappuccino was a better option for the day.
I have a 3.7 coming.
Select to expand quotemr love said..BSN101 said..mr love said..
The Red KA is me but the Vid does not seem to play...wouldn't mind having a geek at me getting spanked so could you post it again? Thanks
What size kit?
Really 50knts? Steady 40knts?
I was on a 4.2 and lasted 2 runs...way too windy for that sail. There were holes in it when I struggled to plane then you would get hit by a bullet where you could not sheet in.
On my last run in I saw the water turn white as the wind ripped the top off it....all I could do was stand there sheeted completely out but it still picked me up and slammed me. That's when I decided Cappuccino was a better option for the day.
I have a 3.7 coming.
Ha...Lame...I am struggling to plane in the first bit although you can see a little squirt nearly pull the rig out of my hands. Out the back though...yee haaa.
Awesome stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Steady 35 knots is too much for most people in rough water including me. It wasn't steady 40 that's for sure. Steady 40 knots is water spray metres in the air. I've sailed true steady 40-50knots gusting to 60 at Sandy Point a few times and nearly shat my pants. It looks nothing like this sunny pleasant walk in the park...
Gusts to 50 yes, maybe one or two gusts. 50 knots is 92 km/h remember. Try standing on a car at 92km/h holding a 3.5. 
50 knots would flatten everybody, probably Spotty included.
Then there's Kato.....
Yeah you were going from steady 40 knots into steady 50+. I did the same on one run that day.
The run is about 30 seconds.....
That day we tried to sail for two-three hours. Most of us only managed four or five runs because you could barely walk, let alone sail. It's an extreme example. Other sessions we'll sail for hours in 10 degrees with 30-35knots and hail. Far more sedate.
Select to expand quoteBSN101 said..
But you only had to be in it for 2 seconds
You can go for me next time
Select to expand quotekato said..BSN101 said..
But you only had to be in it for 2 seconds
You can go for me next time
Yeah, nah!
i keep my 4.5 in the water when 40 blows up
That's what Kato was doing in that photo. Laying his sail in the water!
The only problem was, he was already travelling about 35knots when he decided to do it .....
Select to expand quoteAdriano said..
That's what Kato was doing in that photo. Laying his sail in the water!
The only problem was, he was already travelling about 35knots when he decided to do it .....
Skill obviously
Interesting read and video about the power of the wind..in a wind tunnel:
www.redbull.com/au-en/wind-tunnel-storm-chase
Obviously, the anemometer on the top of the Falkner Beacon did record 50 knot winds that day, but the wind in those videos is, also very obviously, far less than that. There is NO WAY those sailors would hold those sails in even very brief gusts to 50 knots.
From the water state, waves and spray, and the size of the sails used, my guess would be around 25-30 knots. It may be gusting breifly into the mid to high 30's.
Do not discount that though. Sailing on the open bay in winds around 30 -35 knots IS extreme!
Select to expand quotesailquik said..
Obviously, the anemometer on the top of the Falkner Beacon did record 50 knot winds that day, but the wind in those videos is, also very obviously, far less than that. There is NO WAY those sailors would hold those sails in even very brief gusts to 50 knots.
From the water state, waves and spray, and the size of the sails used, my guess would be around 25-30 knots. It may be gusting breifly into the mid to high 30's.
Do not discount that though. Sailing on the open bay in winds around 30 -35 knots IS extreme!
Sailquik,
The equipment is accurate and tested to a high level. You cannot argue with facts. However, Northerly winds come in lines and everyone who sails there knows the feeling of the gusty binary winds. At times the wind funnels through the bay and can be significantly lighter around shore at Green Point and then fill in further at other times. I saw those guys out and thought I will have a go with a 4.2 (unfortunately my smallest sail).
I went out a while after and couldn't even hang on to the sail. Like nothing I had seen in the bay. White water everywhere, large clumps of water hitting the sail lifted off the water. The weight of the lifted water was intense. I have seen much stronger wind (90 plus knots on ships) but not that much windsurfing.
He only had to keep filming for another 30 minutes to see the wind go nuts at GP!!!!!!!. That day was the windiest I have seen in PFB. Those guys did an awesome job sailing that wind in survival mode. They were not out at max velocity but they were out when it was stronger than that vid shows. I think I need a smaller sail.
Select to expand quotesailquik said..
Obviously, the anemometer on the top of the Falkner Beacon did record 50 knot winds that day, but the wind in those videos is, also very obviously, far less than that. There is NO WAY those sailors would hold those sails in even very brief gusts to 50 knots.
From the water state, waves and spray, and the size of the sails used, my guess would be around 25-30 knots. It may be gusting breifly into the mid to high 30's.
Do not discount that though. Sailing on the open bay in winds around 30 -35 knots IS extreme!
Andrew....I can assure you it was way stronger than 35 knots in bursts. Yes the video of me is lame...shot on the inside under the carpark and being a Bay Northerly at times there was stuff all wind...but out the back and in the squirts!!!!! If you have sailed Green Point you would know that the wind 300 meters out can be much stronger than near the beach. Last run in I was doing OK and looked up towards the city, the water was just white with steam coming off it....wham, bam , thank you man...I got destroyed. Over 40 knots for sure. I lasted 2 runs on a 4.2 and i wanted a good sail that day...I would not have quit if it were no stronger than 35 knots. Marcus is a big fella and a really skilled sailor and he was on a 3.4...saw him get flattened a number of times.
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