Blowin' in the Wind - howling season kickoff - Video

[clay]

Strongest spring/summer wind I've seen at our little Alameda downwind run, most whitecaps, and the bumps were super fun and pretty easy to catch.  Often when it starts windy in the morning it calms late morning and then rebuilds, this day it stayed steady starting the night before and built into the afternoon peak of consistent high twenties.  All the fun was cut short by constantly being pushed into the beach, after a glide or two I needed to give up catching bumps and focus on getting out far enough to continue down the beach.  Usually I can do an easy zigzag out and down the beach or even a couple upwind laps at the best section of bumps, there was none of that this day.  I abandoned my planned launch route after about 30 seconds because getting around the rock wall section of beach seemed like a real struggle and I didn't want to end up on the rocks.  I went though the canal instead where there is enough wind protection for a much easier paddle out. 

I couldn't help but think how challenging and maybe frightening it could be if paddling on the open coast and being constantly pushed into cliffs, and even more so if there was a big ground swell in the water.  The benefit and usefulness of a rudder became obvious to me, as I felt humbled and powerless to make any headway into these winds.  A boat supported launch would have been awesome and most welcome.  Every time I see the public ferry go cruising by I think how cool it would be if they allowed us to hitch a ride and then stop for a minute so we could jump off and downwind home.

My question is what can be done when feeling overpowered by the wind and you don't have a rudder?

[coldsup]

You need to be reading the other thread on UL boards that is going on in the Discussion Forum.

Nice surfing! Are you out on your own and do you have safety comms gear with you in that wind?

[clay]

Thanks!

I've have yet to step foot on an unlimited, they are rare around here but there happens to be one for sale now...

I usually go with friends, this day was solo.  Even in big winds it's relatively safe run so I don't bring a radio, just leash and flotation.  Biggest danger is getting run over by a kiteboarder 

[covesurfer]

Another cool video Clay! Great perspective with your mount.

You caught some nice ones - that's why I like describing downwinders as downwind paddle surfing. It's surfing without a crowd and never having to paddle back out.

I do all of my open ocean downwinders on rudder boards. If you are committed, you can do pretty well on a fixed fin board too. There are limits to the angles you are able to make based on conditions whether you're on fixed fin or a rudder board. The rudder won't keep you out of trouble but it's useful, especially in preventing the need to paddle continuously on one side. It's a tool and there's lots of opinion out there about their utility. In our conditions here on Maui, they are very popular. How you use them most effectively takes some time to figure out.

Knowing the conditions you'll likely encounter and your bail out options are key when assessing downwind runs. Some places that can be good under some conditions can be a nightmare under other swell and wind conditions.

[coldsup]

Thanks!

I've have yet to step foot on an unlimited, they are rare around here but there happens to be one for sale now...

I usually go with friends, this day was solo.  Even in big winds it's relatively safe run so I don't bring a radio, just leash and flotation.  Biggest danger is getting run over by a kiteboarder 

Looked great run....and you never had any locals to worry about this time

[Area 10]

I think covesurfer nailed it.

Over about 30 knots SUPers need to check the direction of winds and swell carefully. Over 40 knots you really need everything going for you. A rudder might have helped a bit in those conditions but if it gets much more windy they won't help much; the forces acting on the board are often too much. Things that can help include running a small fin, standing well forward, and weighting the rail as you pull. Also, only take bumps that are headed in the direction you want to go. If all else fails, get on your knees or prone paddle like hell. But you probably know all this already.

It's worth not getting into that situation in the first place.  A rudder isn't going to help you much if you really get it wrong. UL boards can be particularly hard work in howling crosswinds. There gets a point where you are better off on a much shorter board, but by that point you are better off not being in the water at all.

[SpaceCoastPaul]

Not a downwinder, so no advice from that perspective, but love the stoke in your video.

[Off-Shore]

Looking good Clay! Awesome conditions, and as you say, having a boat to get you out would have been perfect.. You do exactly what I do when faced with the shore coming up too quickly because of the wind direction, and that is to kneel and paddle diagonally or perpendicularly to the wind. Keeping as low a profile helps keep on course. The other thing I do is sit on the board and dip the upwind heel of my foot in the water to create a little drag on the upwind side and stop the nose turning downwind. if the wind is less strong than in your video, then I find the steering on my F16 does work also work, either standing up and using my foot on the tiller, or by using my knee if kneeling..

[PonoBill]

Looks like fun. I've been in san francisco for the last four days for my wife's birthday. The wind on Saturday looked pretty good. Made me wish for a board, though the water looked damned cold.

The people that can read the water really well can go in pretty extreme directions across the wind in even very high winds, but it takes a lot of practice and knowledge. A rudder helps with that, but it's not a panacea, you can't just crank it and you get to go where you want to go (though there is some of that). It mostly valuable for making the quick direction changes that let you catch the right swell, in the right direction.

Swell that has a long fetch is orderly, and generally all travelling in the same direction. Downwinding is at best a mixture of swell directions with a lot of it caused by local winds. The south shore of Maui and the Viento run in the Columbia is all short fetch, highly mixed swell, so you can find swell going in the direction you want to go, even when that seems very crosswind.

When the wind blows in the water it grabs the little rippes created by earlier gusts and pushes them into bowl shapes. There's a leading and trailing edge, which is why we can catch a swell going a specific direction by looking at the wave in front of us--it's partner edge is behind us (usually). So if you want to go hard crosswind, you look for wave energy going that way, and chase it.

You can also force direction in bigger swell by dropping to the bottom of the swell and turning. The loswer you drop, the harder you can turn and hold. Wind swells don't carry much energy up high, the period is too short, so you can't gain much direction change up top.

It's mostly a matter of practice in the conditions you encounter and paying attention to what works. It helps to have teachers, or even just examples like Jeremy riggs, who skitters around like a waterbug, going wherever he wants to go without effort.

[clay]

Thanks Cove, Area, Paul, Robert, Bill, great feedback and advice, I know you guys have a lot of experience on UL and ruddered boards and I appreciate you sharing.

Hey Bill I hope you guys are enjoying your stay.  There are a few of us SUPers scattered around the SF bay area, most of us are committed and happy to hook up a loaner board when people visit.  I volunteered to photograph the Baykeeper parade on Saturday, more people on the water than usual:
http://photos.clayisland.com/Other/Baykeeper-Parade-2016-XL/n-SjPHkh