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spennie



Joined: 13 Oct 1995
Posts: 975
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:50 pm    Post subject: ARRRGGGHHH!! Reply with quote

Will everyone please stop using sail sizes to say how strong the wind was here on the Forums? MPH or knots, please, sail sizes are extremely subjective and tell me nothing. 4.7 for you (small girl) might be 7.1 for me (big man). It's great when you're talking face-to-face or with a friend, just not here where it's nearly useless!
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ever thought of referencing iWindsurf for wind speeds?
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rigitrite



Joined: 19 Sep 2007
Posts: 520
Location: Kansas City

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Will everyone please stop using sail sizes to say how strong the wind was here on the Forums?



No

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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hear ya big time, but there's a flip side, too. When I say "it's blowing 4.5", I mean that's the size most good (advanced-to-expert?) 160-pound guys are using. You may still see some very big experts enjoying 3.8s and some ordinary-sized power hogs enjoying 5.5s or bigger, for several reasons, but given how much variation there is between different sensors and different venues, maybe sail size is as useful as, maybe more useful than, mph ... IF you have calibrated the sailor quoting sail sizes.

I used to ask people about the bedtime and sleeping temps at Baja, as part of my evaluation of the place from afar. "Oh, it's chilly by bedtime. I need a sweater by dark and am in my sleeping bag by bedtime". Yet I see many of these same people wearing heavy jackets, even parkas, plus wool hats and, if they're sitting still, sometimes a lap blanket ... while I'm still in nuthin' but board shorts to avoid sweating as I derig. They also sleep in sleeping bags or under blankets inside sealed vans and campers while I'm wearing a wet tee shirt and sitting in the wind or running my AC because it's 87 degrees in the desert and much hotter on the asphalt they're parked on. That's not everyone, but it's also not an exaggeration; one Baja veteran calls 88 degrees "cool".

OK. I talked myself out of it. Data matters. Maybe that's why I rig by my iW data rather than ANY other cue; it's usually more useful.
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westender



Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 1288
Location: Portland / Gorge

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Saying what size sail you used states a fact. A wind speed would be a guess unless you're a 1%er standing on the shore with a wind meter or reading a speed on the Internets from some sensor??

Can I tell you about the volume of my board. That's a good one too.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like to use the Beaufort scale, its so much simpler.


to Spennie, lucky you !!

I thought this was about something serious like Sierra Nevada Brewing CO was going on strike

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dllee



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

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I vote for sail size, windspeed, body weight, board used, WHO you are.
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gregnw44



Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 783
Location: Seattle, Wa

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Spennie is exactly correct !!!

I've said this same thing for years (decades)... just not that much here, on iwindsurf Smile

The point made about people not know the "wind speed" is also correct.

The most helpful thing (if you want to give your sail size) is to say how much you weigh.
Beyond that, you can get more detailed if you like: board vol, sailor skill, etc.
Or don't give any details at all. Just say, you had a great time out sailing Smile

But Spennie's correct... if your intention is to give more info... to help people know what your sailing conditions were...
Then give your weight along with your sail size !!!

Because, at the beach... that's a similar process that experienced windsurfer's use. "IF" you're going to go up and say, "Hi... it looks fun out there... by the way, what sail size ya using?
It's BEST for you... if you walk up to someone who looks like you do (weight)... and even better, if they sail kinda close to you !!!

My 2 cents... Greg Smile

PS - What U2 said about the Beaufort scale is also very good... and I've also suggested that many times. It's easy to memorize Beaufort Force 2, 3, 4, 5 whatever you usually sail in.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the sailing location is noteworthy

the elevation of one Colorado spot is 11,111

said so my GPS

the sail size there is always larger than at 22feet above sea level

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noshuzbluz



Joined: 18 May 2000
Posts: 791

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you don't know who they are or how they sail I don't see how it could do you any good to know their opinion and apply it to what you rig. Perfect example is last season I did just that, asked a guy that just came off the water what size sail he was on and how it was. He said that he was way overpowered on the same sail size I just rigged, same maker too. I was bigger than him but I still thought "Uh oh". I went out anyway and had the best day of the year that day. BUT on the other hand, I'll ask my sailing bud that I've known for 20+ years what he's on in a heartbeat. I've got 30lbs on him and sail different brands but I know him and how he sails.
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