Cell phones instead of sailmanship ...

[dvCali]

Am I the only one that cannot understand why people look at their cell phone on the the beach to judge wind strength?

Like yesterday at Crissy, I am one of the first out and when I come back at around 4:20 some people are still rigging and ask me how it is. I say: "a weak 5.0 and it looks like it is dying" to which they reply "Oh no, it is 28 at the north tower" and off they go ... who knows if the gadget claims 28 knots (!!) or 28 miles/hour (that is still vastly over rating) but there they go with their small sails to be skunked 20' later when the wind dies.

Really, why use your cell phone beach? First, from what I hear from people consulting it it is very often way off. Second, it is local to the wind sensor and it misses all the other clues about what the wind is doing (fog line, direction, distribution on the water etc..). And third ... be a sailor for gods sake! You need no stinking electronics to judge the wind and sea right there: in front of you!

[cgoudie1]

Yep, one of the strangest behaviors I encounter with the human race is
this very thing. Being in the Gorge, I also get the "but the gradient is
only .03" while I'm looking at 4.2 conditions on the river.

More swells for me then!

-Craig

[manuel]

Nothing beats a good eye for sure. Wind stations can be very helpful too. So long as they are unobstructed and accurate of course! I have used them a bunch. Some spots are very difficult to read, sideoff conditions??? Others have such a large wind shadow...

I was a big fan of wind map to understand how the wind is getting there in the first place. windytv is pretty nice!

Now in Cabarete exclusively I wait for the gauge to show gusts above 20 and I go. On the beach, it's tough to figure out whether the spot is ready unless going out.

Another nice thing about sensors is that we can see how much wind is blowing ahead of us. Now in terms of looking for the size of sail to rig unless the sensor is very accurate and unobstructed, the human eye can detect more information (with experience) than a single sensor.

So they both can work together!

[joethewindsufa]

in another discussion coachg mentions that people put too much emphasis on wind speed ...
if it is flat water one can put more sail
when it is choppy one puts less sail and/or narrower board
wind meters , as you say, are only part of the puzzle
locally we also have the issue that the aeroport wind meter shows wind and there is NO wind anywhere !!

[isobars]

At a strange/new place, I usually agree. But once accustomed to a sensor at a familiar spot, I can select, rig, and tune the right sail and board to the conditions far more accurately by relying on the numbers. This offer several advantages.

• Lighting doesn't fool us. COUNTLESS times I've seen people rig and launch 3.X sails when there's not enough wind for a 6.2 because low sun makes little chickens look like big sheep. Similarly, flat light due to cloud shadows often obscures strong, consistent wind readily picked up by sensors. Then there are the spots at which the wind and swell zone is a half-mile or much more offshore. Well-placed sensors can correct for all these problems.

• The gradient can be a good barometer (sorry!) of what's to come. If it's low and dropping, I expect the wind to be unreliable ... an important clue when it's getting dark, or the penalty of a significant lull is a long swim, or both.

• Before driving and before launching when T-storms lurk, I look at the radar. Often a big surge in the wind is DUE to a storm, which has several ominous threats not even counting lightning. At best, the wind can shut off in just seconds when the storm's rain reaches the venue. At worst, the wind can turn dead offshore and drop to just enough mph to preclude slogging or swimming back to shore. We've seen people swim for hours in the latter scenario, even after they were warned of OBVIOUS observations implying that would happen.

• Asking people coming ashore is almost useless, as their answers are all over the realm of possibilities. That leaves with eyeballs and/or technology.

• Add detailed forecasts to the mix. I realize they're just forecasts, but knowing them helps us recognize the arrival of problems they may bring. If NOAA expects the wind to turn offshore, I get my ass back to or near shore at the first offshore gust, rather than wait for that gust to give way to consistent offshore winds and the long swim and walk they can bring.

• Many sailors rush to see who can get on the water the fastest when the wind starts. Instead, I look at the wind plot profiles west of me. If the venues there show a pattern clearly moving towards me, I put some faith in the same pattern as it reaches my spot. A brief spike at Stevenson, then Swell, then Maryhill suggests I may get the same further east, so I don't knee-jerk when a burst of wind hits. This saves me a huge amount of unnecessary rigging, slogging, swimming, and sometimes even driving.

• And when the wind goes to hell towards evening, the gradient helps me decide whether to bag it or wait. A strong gradient says, "Wait for it", a weak gradient says, "Fugheddaboutit". Sometimes it lies, sometimes it doesn't, but it has saved many a day.

Am I the only one that cannot understand why people DON'T look at their cell phone on the the beach to judge wind strength?

[dvCali]

[uchida]

That's what wind dummies are for. I usually ask sailors that I know are decent what they're on. Then I take that information and adjust my rig according to their weight, board size, ability and what I see is going on on the water. Usually works out well enough. It's not too often that I'm the first out so it's been awhile since I was the dummy.

[kmf]

I like my phone.....KMF

[cgoudie1]

I like my phone too, and I use it, but I've always felt technology makes a better slave than a master.

;*)

-Craig

[isobars]