surf…
I will say it was quite exhilirating taking on beam and rear quatering dumping surf in the 20MPH winds as I rounded Virginia Key on ocean side. The near spills kept my heart in my throat …there is something about the thought of going over in waves that are above eye level that keeps the adrenalin flowing.
???
you were touring in 40MPH winds…for pleasure?
Linda, do you use a GP?
THUMBS DOWN (MINOR) TO FL WINDS…
Still too damn windy to take the Isthmus out -went out 2 weeks ago, go halfway down Hobie Beach, was trying to paddle a circle and survive wind and chop on all sides, got the old log roller rocking in the beam chop -a WIND-DRIVEN AND ABBETTED beam chop, lost a brace and swam. Recovered, got back up & on, and then Sally & I hit the beach and switched
She took the I, I took the E. Funny thing was that she sez the Eclipse felt slow after the Isthmus -and it -the E -is a pretty fair paddler.
Of course, wind or no wind, chop or no chop, turning or not turning, SHE stayed dry…
The ONLY trouble she’s EVER had on that thing is getting off in less than 6" of eater… go figure, LOL!
At least I’m smarter than dragging her out with the wind and tide and coming back AGAINST it… …again!
Last week did an Eclipse circumnav of a small spoil island (Windsurfer Beach) in the E. Came aroun the big bridge side and had to work the current and wind and steady out on a VERY energetic and boat wake-enhanced high period chop. Happy to say that after 2 scary passes I got it and things steadied out -or I steadied out, dunno which.
But I DO wish the winds would calm a bit, PLEASE! That 40 days getting to 80 sure sounds right, right about now…
Calmer weather ALSO makes for a lot better yakfishing, TOO!
I’ll take it about half that 20 mph intensity. thank you very much, so I can get out there and a litlle more easily and piscatorially
Paddle On!
-Frank in Miami
Frank…
I have been dealing with the winds at the same spots as you these last weeks…mostly Virginia Key…(the current under the bridge makes for some really confused waves).depending on which way the winds is coming from, you can always get pretty calm waters near shore somewhere around the key.
Try Marine Stadium on the other side of Hobie beach,a tree shelterd rectangle of coke bottle green water with plenty of beach to rest on. Just watch out for the motorized morons there.
i like to stick my face in it
anytime its howling i want to go out and just feel it. i dont try to tour around in these conditions(20-25+) i just go out into the teeth of it, at the mouth of a creek, feel the gusts, ride the swells, connect with the power of the weather. sometimes its all i can do to keep the bow into the wind.
Tahoe Can Get Rough
Tahoe can be as rough a the coast when the wind ppicks up. Get some reflection of the rock gardens going on and it can be big up in there.
I live in a
predominate wind zone.
15-20 mph = normal day
20-30 mph = not unusual
30-35 mph = common in the spring months
35+ mph = these patterns will come in and stay for several days
Living in such a windy area is what moved me from canoes to kayaks. This is also why I parted with my beloved Prijon Seayak and my Dagger Apostle. Both boats weathercocked badly without a heavy load. Even then, the rudder became necessary for long paddles in 30+ mph winds.
My search for a good wind & rough water boat ended with the acquisition of a Tempest 165. With my body weight of 165-170 lbs and the reduced volume of the Tempest, I could now have fun in the wind intead of battling it all the time.
If I were to paddle only when the wind was not blowing, I’d be reduced to a few paddles per year.
Can’t have that, eh?!
Take care.
~Holmes
wind
In Montana the wind can change pretty quick. Its with you-its against you. When its with you, enjoy. When its against you, paddle harder. I hit the water last Saturday at about 9:30 at the Gates of the Mountain, beautiful float. At 5:30 PM it was a whole lot different, tough paddling. The uncertainty will not keep me in.
WINDY>>
Wind is fun,sometimes!He should try the sport
called windsurfing,or even sailing.They are
totally awesome!to do.
good point
onshore winds are definitely desired when it really starts to blow. i wouldn’t go offshore solo in 25 knot winds offshore, but i would if the breeze were blowing onshore.
WW Is Absolutely Good Training
for those looking to “seakayak” on more than placid conditions… You end up looking expectantly for more than just flat water paddling…
sing
So can you
re enter your kayak in those conditions?
15 MPH I Use the Kayak
I know that 15mph usually means 20-25+ mph gusts. I primarily paddle rivers, so more sheltered than the big open water some of you paddle. When the wind is predominantly out of the South, on our rivers it’s usually in your face. But wind is how I usually decide which boat to use, canoe, or one of the kayaks. Doesn’t keep me off the water unless it’s big winds on large lakes in the BWCAW. WW
15+ winds are pretty much the norm
here particularly so in the PM during the summer. In Boston’s outer harbor this usually translates to an offshore breeze meaning it’s in your face or on the bow quarter on the way home.
I guess we just get accustomed to it - I mean we’d have a lot less paddling opportunities if we limited our outings to days where the wind was less than 15.
Look at it from the point of view of bragging rights - it’s something to be able to say "Yeah it wasn’t so bad going out, but coming back against the 25 mph breeze and the outgoing tids was a bit of a work out.
jim3727
next week is the 3rd week of may, not the fourth,I guess my point was that some anticipate ,and deal accordingly with what they find to be regular patterns in the weather.Living 120 miles from the mainland means the weather doesn’t just affect my rec activities but my livelyhood as well, so I certainly pay a lot of attention to the weather which is usually quite different from miami. As for motorized morons,I have 3 powerboats, down here most kayakers I see motion for the lobster boat to “squat” so they can ride the wake,otherwise I back off so they get a minimal wake, it’s also your responsibility to not place yourself in areas with high boat traffic without expecting being waked.Quite frankly most powerboaters never have any idea of what their wake is doing a 1/4 mile back. Boating in Miami is tough cookie to chew,on the weekends the ICW looks like I-95. kayaks are a speck on the water and something they aren’t concerned about when they’ve got a 60ft yacht bearing down …a little common sense goes a long way here… try getting a little surf kayak and go to the beach,small waves are a blast! it’s what I do, no power boats in the surf line, you may even end up wanting the wind to blow.
He loves kayaking too much!
ICW
– Last Updated: May-13-04 1:44 PM EST –
I paddle every week the ICW from West Lake to Oleta Park or Miami Bay because I love the rough condition its creates. Paddling among powerboats is a great training!
After hundreds and hundreds of miles paddling there, I may only remember of one or two morons in power boats. Most of them have been always quite nice, or at least, nicer than most car drivers in the I-95 with someone bicycling. :D
Regards,
Iceman
Sierra Nevada Winds
It gets real windy in the Sierras in the afternoon. 25MPH+ is not unusual. I don’t think about it much as most lakes are small, but you see from Chuck’s photos how Lake Tahoe can be, and it is a very large, cold lake.
One tip. In the afternoon the wind is coming up the river canyons. That is caused by hot air raising from the Valley.
no wind tolerance for me
I was trying to paddle out to Indian Key a few weeks ago - I don’t know how hard the wind was blowing, but too hard for me to get my rental Wilderness Systems SOT to do much more than tread water… I got about half way there, and started getting worried about the return trip, so I turned around. Coming back, the boat kept turning to the side (is that what they call weathercocking in quartering seas?), and I was paddling hard, but on one side only, as I continually needed to correct. It was pretty tiring. I headed for the mangroves, and enjoyed a nice leisurely paddle out of the wind. I was glad I did, because it seemed to have picked up even more an hour later as I paddled back to the rental place next to the Hungry Tarpon. I was bummed - I was really looking forward to checking out Indian Key, and doing some snorkeling there. Oh well, next time I’ll make sure I go down AFTER May!