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Compare this day to Friday 2/22/02. Wind was stronger, though the gusts were not. I was on a 6.6/36 (fin) this day, but only a 5.4/36 on 2/22. Both days I felt very comfortable. So, factor that into the very complex mix of sail, board, fin, strap placement, fin size, sail size & tuning, and mast track placement that on a given day, I can feel over a meter apart. Maybe it has something to do with gust strength and wind direction (2/22 was a warm N, NW).
At any rate, it was a beautiful day with decent wind. I arrived about noon and walked around talking, seeing what was happening on the water, what people were rigging. Many were putting up 5.5 and down, but Jim from out-of-town had a new Ezzy 6.6 and said it was fine, so I put up mine.
He was right, my flat 6.6 with no cams worked fine, though I felt a little uncomfortable in the gusts. My arms were working too much, too. I came in for a couple of breaks and to get re-hydrated, as I was still in my full suit. Soon it will be a shortie. On one break I counted 32+ sailors. Pretty good for February. Pretty soon it will be more like 50+ or worse. Still plenty of room, though.
I took a long break after a couple of hours of playing around, staying dry but only planing out of about 1 of 3 jibes, and two attempts at carving 360's (I was coming in, figured, why not... if I blown it, I'm right here and walk in, if I make it, I just sail another 20 yards and hop off). The 360's were more like 300's but I'll get it down. They are a complete rush. Without the sail flip to worry about, you can just lay down the sail and the rail and get some G's.
I went out after the break and it seemed like it was dying, so I stopped and flopped out the out and downhauls. Oops! It came back. Wow, was I overpowered! Just getting murdered, backwinded, jostled, bouncing. Lots of work, not comfortable. I decided to see how the sail would feel bagged out, but with cambers, so I came in and put the cambers back in. In an ongoing attempt to see how my sails feel in a wide variety of tuning parameters, I've taken all the cambers out of all of the sails.
Unfortunately, by the time I got back out there it had died considerably. I could only barely plane, and only in the gusts, and I couldn't point at all.
Things I learned: it is considerably easier to jibe when you are well powered to over-powered, if you are not a pussy like I sometimes am. I just get in this relaxed state and forget to be aggressive. Sometimes I'm out just cruising along and I hear a whap!, whap!, whap! from behind and see that I'm the unwitting member of a drag race. So, I get out the lead shoes and take off, probably accerating a few more mph. It's the same with jibes, sometimes I'm just cruising along and decide to jibe, then do. That's fine if my muscles and subconscious knew what to do, but they don't yet. The two of three times I remember to think first gains me a 50% success rate, which boils down to 1 of 3 planing attempts.
I replaced the front straps on the Carve with two Da Kine straps from my Screamer. Little thought was put into the Starboard Straps, apparently, or they use some really cheap velcro that comes un-done any time a sail swipes over the top of the strap. Usually I didn't notice until you are off in the other direction and the strap suddenly felt loose. I'd have to stop and redo it, which completely sucks. Between the fin issue and the strap issue, board makers are just frustrating. It's like a sail maker requiring you to buy all new battens if you want good ones. ARGHH!
Sailed with Murph, Evan, Elliana, Worldwinds Don & Worldwinds John (I saw them there, but didn't actually see them sail, they might have been too busy with all the rentals and customers), Big Bill the Pilot (funny story, TWO different people complained that some guy with race numbers on his sail was passing them like they were sailing in molasses. I told them not to worry, that's just Bill on his 40 cambered 7.4, he passes everyone. Both of these guys weren't small, and they were on low to mid 5's.). There were a lot of out-of-towners I didn't know, too. Many wives soaking up the sun, many wives and husbands sailing together. A few kites, though I didn't see them on the water.
As I arrived there was a guy who left his mast sticking out into the road and some non-sailor drove right over it! I told the guy about it, but he seemed unconcerned. We'll see how he feels next time he sails. The mast looked fine, but it seems that an SUV might be able to do some non-obvious damage that might cause a break while sailing. Lesson: Don't leave mast in roadway to tempt idiot drivers.
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