The technology is out there. I know you'll back me up on this one Macro. You know what it's like, you think you've done pretty well at the local beach, posted up a 28 knot 2 second on GPSTC and then find your mate at the estuary just around the corner has just done 38 knots. Embarrassing. ( You'll note KA72 doesn't let you decide against posting such ordinary numbers until it's too late! )

Now it's already probably a sensible thing to pack a phone in a water proof container when you leave shore. Why not put it to work? Whether a smart phone's accelerometer can work out the wave directional spectrum at full speed or whether a few non-planing runs in a few directions will be needed would take a bit of experimentation.

http://www.tos.org/oceanography/archive/10-2_wyatt.pdf

It would have to be mounted in a standard location, at the foot of the mast maybe.

If data from runs at full speed is meaningful the Smart phone's gps will allow merging with the primary GPS file.

www.onlinegrammar.com.au/top-10-grammar-myths-data-is-plural-so-must-take-a-plural-verb/

Simplifying the wave directional spectrum into a couple of realistic categories will take a bit of experimentation and programming.

Smart phone accelerometers may not be absolutely accurate devices, but calibration should be possible. Mount one side by side with a verified one, spin then around a bit, and let them sort it out.

Of course if you always speed sail in smooth water you wouldn't have to pack a smart phone. You'd continue to post in the default "smooth" category.

I wish I could find somewhere that has this mythical 'smooth' water so I could break 50 knots!!

It always seems to be sphincter tighteningly choppy when we get presented with 'ideal' PB conditions at Sandy Point, especially when you are going over 45 knots!!

If we ever get ideal water conditions at Lake Goerge with 35kt Plus winds, my wish may possibly be fulfilled. That the only possible place I can think of, and that includes Luderitz!!

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sailquik said..

I wish I could find somewhere that has this mythical 'smooth' water so I could break 50 knots!!

It always seems to be sphincter tighteningly choppy when we get presented with 'ideal' PB conditions at Sandy Point, especially when you are going over 45 knots!!

If we ever get ideal water conditions at Lake Goerge with 35kt Plus winds, my wish may possibly be fulfilled. That the only possible place I can think of, and that includes Luderitz!!

But it only gets a little rough in the fastest part of the course Sailquick.

From memory, in ideal conditions (not the I went that fast), the chop you call the whoopdi doos is from one direction is of moderate amplitude and short to moderate wavelength? That should be quantifiable. Though Sandy Point being the standard, many of us have been there at least once, doesn't really need a comparative measure as much as the lesser known spots. We know what the locals are sailing in and can sort of appreciate the special skill set needed to go really fast down there.

Lake Illawarra is sort of opposite, requires another skill set. It gets smoother in the fastest sections, the accelerometer readings would fade to zero, but with the bank rushing up so quickly there's no time to steady it all down and trim for top speed. (Well that's my impression, I haven't been that fast there either) Pictures I've seen of lake George seem to show plenty of water depth, but no obvious upwind sandbar. Why is it so smooth?

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Ian K said..

sailquik said..

I wish I could find somewhere that has this mythical 'smooth' water so I could break 50 knots!!

It always seems to be sphincter tighteningly choppy when we get presented with 'ideal' PB conditions at Sandy Point, especially when you are going over 45 knots!!

If we ever get ideal water conditions at Lake Goerge with 35kt Plus winds, my wish may possibly be fulfilled. That the only possible place I can think of, and that includes Luderitz!!

But it only gets a little rough in the fastest part of the course Sailquick.

From memory, in ideal conditions (not the I went that fast), the chop you call the whoopdi doos is from one direction is of moderate amplitude and short to moderate wavelength? That should be quantifiable. Though Sandy Point being the standard, many of us have been there at least once, doesn't really need a comparative measure as much as the lesser known spots. We know what the locals are sailing in and can sort of appreciate the special skill set needed to go really fast down there.

Lake Illawarra is sort of opposite, requires another skill set. It gets smoother in the fastest sections, the accelerometer readings would fade to zero, but with the bank rushing up so quickly there's no time to steady it all down and trim for top speed. (Well that's my impression, I haven't been that fast there either) Pictures I've seen of lake George seem to show plenty of water depth, but no obvious upwind sandbar. Why is it so smooth?

weed !! Its the endless chopbreaker

Ian if we ever get water in lake woolonboola again and a black n/easter there will be some huge n/o's , the weed there sticks up a few inches out of the water and glassy smooth and the water is more than waist deep, I think the weed grows out of the water to catch the sun in the late afternoon

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keef said..

Ian if we ever get water in lake woolonboola again and a black n/easter there will be some huge n/o's , the weed there sticks up a few inches out of the water and glassy smooth and the water is more than waist deep, I think the weed grows out of the water to catch the sun in the late afternoon

That would be called "Grass Sailing" Keef

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kato said..

keef said..

Ian if we ever get water in lake woolonboola again and a black n/easter there will be some huge n/o's , the weed there sticks up a few inches out of the water and glassy smooth and the water is more than waist deep, I think the weed grows out of the water to catch the sun in the late afternoon

That would be called "Grass Sailing" Keef

no nothing like grass , as a mater of interest has anyone seen this weed , it looks like xmas tinsel and pink in colour , it's very abrasive and when it pops up past the surface it looks like asparagus tips , there's no need for a weed fin as it is growing ,I have used c3venoms without a problem

that's not it , it has the same texture as the pink tips from bottom to top , it grows vertical and very strait , Leo called it razor weed , honest Ian you don't need a weed fin because this stuff is growing vertical and with no floating weed its not a problem , bushfire and bj sailed there but probabley wouldn't have taken any notice because they didn't fall off

Reading this thread just have to plug 'Freerace' concept here. http://www.freeracequeensland.com/

It deals with your example of mate around the corner sailing super flat water getting big number v's yourself flogging yourself silly in choppy water.

Don't need any fancy tools..or inventions just get a bunch of sailors all on the same patch of water at the same time with GT31's , go hard for an hour..then you have your answer..who was the fastest in 'these conditions'.. there are no excuses or complaints that someone 'had it easy' everyone got the same conditions, its really simple, not tech heavy the results all sorted within 1-2 Beers!

So to give you a real life example...Brad Anderson WR 1HR...on lake George is something like 30knts Average? in the Freerace series (and we have had some big wind days) best is 25knts in very choppy waters, just hasn't had the same smooth conditions as LG...is he sailing well absolutely! Just tougher conditions, Its much harder (and enjoyable) to average a decent speed for 1Hr than blast a quick fast straight run with no gybes or chop to deal with, some of the events you need to gybe often, others less so, all the locations and conditions differ.

So no need to invent a gadget, just start your own Freerace events in your area...its about as equal playing field as you can get, and better still gets larger groups of sailors sailing at the same location, as apposed to individually all over the place, which makes it look like a great spectacle and exciting to non windsurfers, inturn promotes windsurfing to others and helps attract new participants...which is a good thing!

We just did exactly that over the weekend, but included 5 of the 6 GPS TC categories. Only four of us, but we did it and posted the results:

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AUS02 said..

... and the results of the light-wind gun fight at Mortimer were:



Not too many competitors, but this gives a good overview of how we can run little mini-comps at short notice.

PS Well done Kaleb on winning!

This included a 27.86 knots 1hr by Kaleb (not done at Lake George)

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keef said..

Leo called it razor weed

Ouchies - is it a 1 board per session kind of razor?

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AUS02 said..

We just did exactly that over the weekend, but included 5 of the 6 GPS TC categories. Only four of us, but we did it and posted the results:

AUS02 said..

... and the results of the light-wind gun fight at Mortimer were:



Not too many competitors, but this gives a good overview of how we can run little mini-comps at short notice.

PS Well done Kaleb on winning!

This included a 27.86 knots 1hr by Kaleb (not done at Lake George)

Awesome! geez nearly 28knts for the hour that's unreal!
Hope you get some more FR sessions in, where did you do have it?