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Windsurfing braking distance record?
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justall



Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 442

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:43 am    Post subject: Windsurfing braking distance record? Reply with quote

I've often been asked how one stops while windsurfing, especially if something pops up in front of you (like a sea turtle). So, I have wondered what the best "braking" distance for a fully planning board can be. I pretty much got my answer last week. When fully lit on a 5.0, my harness line snapped. 25 to zero in the blink of an eye*.

Anyone have a fun story of a more spectacular way to stop?


*If you like math and physics, I guess these would be the numbers?:

Time for my body to hit the water after line snaps, assuming I was highly angled out at only about 2 feet above the water: t = sqrt(2*d / g) = 0.35 seconds (actually about a blink of an eye!)

braking distance = 25 miles/hr / 3600 * 5280 * 0.35 sec = 13 feet
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Friend of mine, back in the late 80's, jumped the bow wake of an outgoing Blue & Gold ferry, and hit the rear port quarter of it to snap the nose of his board. Offended ferry captain circled around and offered to take him aboard. He passed and swam the 300 yards back to the tip of GG Yacht Club beach.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Friend of mine, back in the late 80's, jumped the bow wake of an outgoing Blue & Gold ferry, and hit the rear port quarter of it to snap the nose of his board. Offended ferry captain circled around and offered to take him aboard. He passed and swam the 300 yards back to the tip of GG Yacht Club beach.
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manuel



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1158

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 12:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sea turtle... how about a sea cow? Luckily I wasn't planing so I got to enjoy the full view... https://www.instagram.com/manuwindsurfing/

Apparently sea turtles are quite soft, I did hit a log once fully powered 4.7, strap ripped a bit of skin off of my foot luckily that was it.

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NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1544

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hit a plastic bag just under the surface at mack speed. The board and sail stopped instantly. Me not so much. That was the hardest slam in 36 years of crashing. I mean windsurfing...
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techno900



Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

On the tail of my formula board, I have the silhouettes of 6 alligator gar pasted on my stern. Sailing Dallas, Tx. area lakes in late summer can be an issue when the gar tend to surface often (why, I don't know).

Over the years, I have taken out 6 of them, or actually, 6 of them have taken me out. a 70 cm fin hitting a 3' gar pretty much guarantees stopping on a dime, with me getting slammed while hooked in.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In a beam reach, (deliberately) pulling a wheelie (simultaneously sheeting out to cut power, lifting the front foot to raise the nose, and shoving down with the back foot) gets the nose as high as your courage and strength will permit. I wouldn't try it at top speed, but at normal planing speeds it's a fun and quick way to stop very quickly and throw a massive sheet of water in front of you.

But if just trying to avoid an obstacle too close for straight line braking, nothing beats swerving to avoid it (same goes for cars). A little back big toe pressure in its (single) strap turns any board I've owned <110L at least 90 degrees downwind instantly.

I don't know whether either of those works with fat-tailed boards.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the record is held by the lady at Bingen who rammed a barge boadside.
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dvCali



Joined: 23 Aug 2007
Posts: 1314

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 12:33 am    Post subject: Re: Windsurfing braking distance record? Reply with quote

justall wrote:

Anyone have a fun story of a more spectacular way to stop?


Not a funny story at all but almost 3 years ago I hit a big log at Crissy coming down a swell fully lit. It was a rare beautiful November 4.3 sail size day, the very low Sun made the water golden. A wonderful late afternoon that I remember as my last normal sailing day .. and made spotting obstacles all but impossible.

I hit the log coming to a complete stop. Quite spectacular indeed, like hitting a wall. I got a severe whiplash, and bruises on both sides of my rib cage. I could barely move for days. To top it all I had to go to Europe two days later and pain + yet lag made for Guantanamo levels of sleep deprivation. Kind of nightmarish, I really understood why sleep deprivation is used as torture, after a few days you are on the verge of insanity.

On top of it I think that the high dose ibuprofen I took for more than a week and possibly the inflammation generated by the shock might have lead to the heart attack that hit me 3 weeks later. For sure the lingering pain in the chest delayed the emergency trip to the Hospital making the damage to the heart worse ... I never really felt normal, physically, after that.

So... don't come to a sudden stop in the water: it is NOT good for you Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil
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NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1544

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry you had that happen to you. Do you still windsurf after your recovery?
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