Freaky Offshore Session
South-westerly winds are trouble
The sea was calm and flat, but the wind was all over the place, shifting from West to South. First run in seemed promising, but as I ventured out a second time, the wind dropped. I struggled to get back in so I tacked around Dr May's Island, as the wind direction kept shifting. There were gusts about, but just not enough to keep me planing. Luckily I got in just before the wind died, or I might have been stuck out there.
The problem with south-westerly winds is they come rolling over the land and when they hit the sea the tend to tumble in a circular motion. So you get a stream of gusts right along the coast that are very volatile, which drop off either side of a very small window. You also get micro-gusts that may only be a few meters wide but strong enough to overpower your sail. All-in-all a lot of hard work without the payoff.
1 comment:
badgerf wexford ireland said...
Hi Henry, love your site have learned a lot from you, keep up the good work.Learning to plane at the moment. I will keep you informed.badgerf.
