SA Gybe Turkeys (SA, Australia) - 2009-02-23
Sailor 2 Second Peak (Kts)5 x 10 Second Average (Kts)1 Hour (Kts)Alpha Racing 500m (Kts)Nautical Mile (Kts)Distance Travelled (km)
Dr Duck
28.7(T)
26.05(T)
16.71 [PB](T)
19.98(T)
19.08(T)
33.54(T)
Average
Dr Duck (344km):
5540 days ago
6 categories

Kingston Park again, SSW at 22-27 knots at times.  Used my Caveman B+J board, 30 cm Select fin and my legendary 1991 homemade 5.7 MkII sail.  Set out with the intention of bettering my feeble 1h time, so I did a figure 8 for 1 hour going flat chat and trying not to fall off.  Much more wind than I expected, which made it physically demanding.  Much more swell (waist high) and chop (calf high) than is sensible for this type of event.  Wind swung offshore just as the hour mark was coming up, so I had to make one last desparate run out to sea to keep the board moving.  Maybe the best strategy for the 1 hour is a long coast run - try and reduce the number of gybes



Comments
Captain skip bogan


SA
Australia
5540 days ago

Hi Dr Duck,

How do you think the slalom boards and sails would go off the coast - sommerton park, seacliff and kingston park?  Have been trying to find somewhere off the local coast for some speedLaughing.

See you soon,

Carl

 
Dr Duck


SA
Australia
5538 days ago

Hi Carl,

Slalom gear would be no problem in this part of the world in summer - basically just chop.  In Winter the stormies from the NW , W and SW can make a nasty shore/reef break that could break gear if it was delicate and you were in the wrong spot at the wrong time.  But a board that is comfortable through chop is a distinct advantage all year round.

I don't know if you have sailed the metro coast much, but I should point out the sea-breeze suddenly swings cross-offshore some days.  The off-shores start earliest on the Mid, and get to Semphaphore a couple of hours later.  At Kingston Park it can swing off shore at any time between 1 pm and 8 pm, and picking when is a key to having fun here.  If wind graphs for Noarlunga show an off-shore swing, you have about 1 hour before the swing hits Kingston Park.  On the water, the wind picks up an extra few knots for about 10-15 min before it swings - can be fun :-)

See you on the water!

Regards, Richard