Where We Sailed Today

chand2 · Joined: 14 May 1998 Posts: 61

Anybody that sails up to Candlestick from Coyote deserves a free beer as an honored guest at the Stick. They should not have to bring any beer!

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

Down and then up and then down day at the Stick.

Down: start with a nicely under-powered 8.0 + Isonic 111. Up: the wind progressively picks up until it really picks up and my 155 pounds decide it is time to rig down to 6.6. Still VERY powered up. Wind lets go a bit and then comes in with even more gusto. It is a bit hair rising in the 4.0 worth gusts but still in control thanks to the Isonic. Fun ... maybe a bit too much fun!

Lots of people out in the good hour plus of strong wind. Then ... it goes down, but really down. A few need to slog or swim in. At least it is not like Crissy in a Fall shut down: ten minutes and you are back home. Very Happy

jp5 · Joined: 19 May 1998 Posts: 3394 Location: OnUr6

Orange sail at Crissy 9/24 around 15:30, I enjoyed watching you sail while attending a boring conference at the Presidio. Looked to be light on the inside but blowing pretty good in the channel.

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

Just sold my Carbon Art 58 to Eva Hollman (the board lady!) and today I brought with me the surviving Carbon Art 52. Quite windy at the stick I decide to take it out with a 5.0 Firelight ... and ... what a nice ride, although it probably does not reach a real upper end with the 5 battened wave sail. Upwind the sail is clearly overextended, but downwind it is quite a little bomb. Visibly faster than anything else on the water, the board feels unexpectedly well balanced with the small wave sail ... go figure, it certainly makes for a fun (and did I mentioned fast?) ride.

CA 52 is So narrow! I need to readjust my jibing steps after weeks on the Isonic 111. 84 liters, 52 wide with a 32.6 tail: it is smaller than my RRD 85. It feels like water skying (well ... what do I know, I never water skied). Next time I'll bring the GPS 5.5 and do some speed runs! Very Happy

Wind steady and strong when I arrived at 2:30, blows nicely until 4pm when it dies very quickly. Usual crowd out. Cool

bert · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 665

4.7 to 5.2 wind at the channel with the ebb chop/swell conditions that Third is known for. I was on the longboard and an overpowered 6.2 sail. Fair to say that I got worked over pretty good. My senior nap came quickly once I returned home.

koogzah · Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Posts: 530 Location: right here

TI delivered a really nice late-season afternoon. 4.7 was plenty for me outside. Good swell and ramps out by the 4. Bunch of us took a mid-session chill on an otherwise empty Quarry Beach. Easy low-tide walk back up to the ramp.

ctuna · Joined: 27 Jun 1995 Posts: 1125 Location: Santa Cruz Ca

Arrived at 2:30 it looked pretty good but kind of going up and down.
Fred and Loui hit the water about 3 and on there larger sails.
One reach out for them and it dropped to nothing . Then we sat around for about and hour and it started to come back. Got about an hour and a half between 4 and 5:30 overpowered on 5.7, better than nothing.
Also kind of gusty.

mitchstark · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 20

I was the first one out Saturday, around 1 pm. Looked windy, but I was way underpowered on a 5.0, so I headed back to the beach. With the ebb (which I was fully aware of before launching), I'd drifted quite a ways upwind, so was broad reaching and surfing down the swells in the puffs of wind, finally having a little fun. Still about a half mile out, and suddenly my mast base popped out of the track. Nothing was broken, I guess I just hadn't tightened it enough. Several times I tried pushing it back into the track, but could not. So I resigned myself to swimming the rig and board in, which was slow and exhausting work, all the while getting sucked out toward the bridge. I tried various configurations, but that rig dragging in the chop was like an anchor. Finally decided to derig, and had just gotten the clew undone when I turned around and saw the board blowing away! Immediately abandoned the rig and swam after the board, but it was really moving and I couldn't catch it. Actually touched the tail once but couldn't quite grip it, and that just pushed it further away. Seriously tired now, and losing ground while chasing the board, I gave up and swam for shore. Alternating between a slow crawl and a back stroke to catch my breath, I tracked my progress by watching the bridge tower move relative to the Marin Headlands. Eventually I got close enough to the pier just east of Fort Point, and people were shouting if I was ok. That was quite a relief! Finally I swam the last bit and literally staggered on to the shore. Someone handed me a water bottle, and after a few minutes rest I was able to walk back to Crissy.

One of the onlookers had called the Coast Guard, and they found and retrieved both board and rig, and took it across to Horseshoe Cove, where I later picked it up. I'd heard stories about them charging for that kind of thing, but the Coast Guard people said they don't do that.

A few lessons:
Crissy, ebb... Nuff said.
Secure that mast base! Maybe the downwind reaching pulled it backwards, but still, make sure it's tight and take a look at it occasionally while sailing.
A couple of fishing boats and kayaks passed fairly close but either they didn't see me or didn't think I was in trouble. A rescue kit with flares might have helped.
Maybe I should have derigged immediately. But I was worried that the time spent derigging would cost too much drift out toward the bridge.
Does anyone know if longboard-style self-rescue works on a shortboard (96 l)?
Maybe I should have detached the base from the extension, reset the base in the track, and then try to reconnect the base and extension?
The back float was good to recover my energy, but made me feel dizzy, which was unexpected and worrisome.
Thank you onlookers and USCG!

Sent from my iPad

windward1 · Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1400

Glad you made it back Mitchstark. And glad you got your gear back.

When you tried to put it together, did you try if while being fully in the water and trying to stab the pin into the slot opening at the wide part? I have tried that in chop off of Davenport unsuccessfully and had to swim everything in. Each stroke moved me about 3 inches. A long haul. However, I read on this forum somewhere that you should straddle the board and then it is supposed to be relatively easy to reinsert the mast. Guess I should try it some time when not in rescue mode.

The other Lesson Learned you did not mention is Never, Never let go of the board. Have a line to tie it to you if you have to.

mitchstark · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 20

[i][quote="windward1"] When you tried to put it together, did you try if while being fully in the water and trying to stab the pin into the slot opening at the wide part?

Yes, cradling the board on its edge between my head and right arm while using my left hand to try to stab the pin and nut into the wide part of the track.

I [i][quote="windward1"] read on this forum somewhere that you should straddle the board and then it is supposed to be relatively easy to reinsert the mast.

I don't quite understand. You mean sit on the board and bend the ujoint 90 degrees to line up the pin and nut flush with the track? Or float on your back and hold the board, edge up, between your knees?

[i][quote="windward1"]The other Lesson Learned you did not mention is Never, Never let go of the board. Have a line to tie it to you if you have to.

Yes, somehow forgot to mention that.i thought the board was right next to me,but it seemed like in the blink of an eye it was gone. Could have easily tied the uphaul around a foot strap while derigging.