How much wind can you paddle upwind into?

[headmount]

10mph is about where whitecaps start and that, I think, would be my max WS paddling straight into the wind  for two miles as Argosi originally posted.  20, no freaking way.  I can't even keep her pointed into the wind for more than a few seconds at that speed.

And talk about a stoke killer.  A few days of that and you'd want to start golfing... with a cart.

[stoneaxe]

You're making me feel like a masochist Bill, the Duke of DW doesn't to go upwind.... Yeah two miles is a bit much but I love paddling against heavy winds. I get a song in my head that I can match to the chop frequency and then use the bumps like moguls, all about the timing and once you get a rythym going you can get into almost a trance state, sometimes I've come out of it and been shocked at hpw far out I am.

[headmount]

You're making me feel like a masochist Bill, the Duke of DW doesn't to go upwind.... Yeah two miles is a bit much but I love paddling against heavy winds. I get a song in my head that I can match to the chop frequency and then use the bumps like moguls, all about the timing and once you get a rythym going you can get into almost a trance state, sometimes I've come out of it and been shocked at hpw far out I am.

It would help to be as strong as you are, but yeah, I know about that trance state. 

Looks like you had a great event... again.

[lucabrasi]

And talk about a stoke killer.  A few days of that and you'd want to start golfing... with a cart.

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,22988.msg231019.html#msg231019

You're making me feel like a masochist Bill, the Duke of DW doesn't to go upwind.... Yeah two miles is a bit much but I love paddling against heavy winds. I get a song in my head that I can match to the chop frequency and then use the bumps like moguls, all about the timing and once you get a rythym going you can get into almost a trance state, sometimes I've come out of it and been shocked at hpw far out I am.

I can't get no song in my head to match the chop but I can get something going on and end up in a trance like state going upwind for sure. I also get shocked how much fun I have made for myself when I turn around when I decide I don't like my trance no more. 10-20 minutes up, 3-5 down it seems. I will also only decide I want to go into an upwind trance if I have drove a ways and am blown out and either I do that or don't go or am outright "caught" in it.

[stoneaxe]

Disturbed -Down with the Sickness is usually a good one.....

[mrbig]

Went for a surf at Radio Beach on my 10' King's Crocodile this am. Boom North winds 15-20. Not surfable.

Ha let's go DW to Nauset Light and paddle back. DW on the Croc silly but fun. The return was unfinished. The volume on the Croc is 125 - did not like going into the winds at all.

I watched a woman walking two dogs on the beach disappear and realized that I was making about 1/2 kt headway. Paddled hard for 45 minutes and beached it.

Walked back to Radio. Rumor has it piece of eight was at the other end of the beach. Hope he had a better day!

[TallDude]

In my early years of paddling I would paddle down wind 6 miles, then 6 miles into a strong mid day capping head winds on the return. It sucked! I learn to go the other direction. Do the lighter morning head winds on the first leg! I did a 10 mile race with a capping 90 degree 'side (south) winds' the whole way on my unlimited. 5 miles every stroke on my left side, then every stroke on my right side on the return 5 miles. The worst thing was the stroke was always a corrective stroke just to keep the nose of the board from heading down wind. Actually EgoSchmity was grinding it out right next to me the whole way on his unlimited. My shoulders were totally gone after. And I paid money for that abuse?

[yugi]

Was at the DW take-out spot meeting a friend to drive our gear upwind. Wind had been blowing 20 kn all day and some decent swell was up. As we watched a storm brewing in the nearby mountains killed the wind and then clocked it 120 degrees and picked up a solid 25-30 knots. As a particularly sharp mixed up chop was developing from this as my buddy looks at me and says: "we didn't come here to not paddle, eh?" and talks me into paddling upwind in the death chop. So we did. A couple of miles mind you.

He's world class and even did an extra mini lap just for fun. He taught me a few things. After the first 30mins I was swimming a lot less. The main lesson being that it could be done.