What sie were they on? Nice gust out back at 1.00 in first vid, it was moving!!!

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?

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?

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!

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.

I didn't like what I was about to sail into, yep chickened out .

But you only had to be in it for 2 seconds

BSN101 said..
But you only had to be in it for 2 seconds

You can go for me next time

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 .....

Interesting read and video about the power of the wind..in a wind tunnel:
www.redbull.com/au-en/wind-tunnel-storm-chase

sailquik 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.