Force 7-8, Serious Gusts, very dodgy but exciting, DASHWARE

The plan was to go out with only two rods and try to get shelter close to the cliffs on the southwest end of the bay. Theoretically the mountains should brake the wind there a bit but boy was I wrong.
Waterville bay was very flat with almost no swell around slack tide, apart from a lot of wind chop. Force 6-7 winds with Force 8 Gusts forecasted I thought it might be the recipe for a good test of my Hakas (Benches) and potential for a new speed record.

Well not quite The gusts where very violent and much further away from the wind than forecasted. Setting the sail was tricky as sometimes the wind would nearly die down just before a gust of over 40kt would hit me.
I didnt dare to put out more sail, although now looking back I regret not having done so a little bit
This is not my home turf and first time sailing this area so I didnt want to risk anything. Wind drift was around 7kph which had me on edge.

All in all I learnt a few lessons, good dose of adrenaline, bonded a lot more with my rig and very happy we made it back unharmed.

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2015 Adventure Island
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PHLN ... EKefepPXQ/
Blog: http://www.irishrockpoolaquarium.com

The ability to furl the sail on the fly makes the boat very versatile and capable of being used in conditions when other boats had best stay on shore or in port.

You are dead on, could be part of an adverture island ad
With a full sail I would have tipped over or broken stuff in no time I guess

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2015 Adventure Island
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PHLN ... EKefepPXQ/
Blog: http://www.irishrockpoolaquarium.com

Your area must be quite different from the areas where we live (Sarasota/Tampa Bay Area Florida, and Key West Florida). Whenever we get that much wind The CG issues Small craft advisories and we are not allowed to be out there in the 4-5 ft washing machine chop with vertical waves that would put me over in a heartbeat (in the Sarasota bay and Tampa bay areas). Actually if we are spotted out there, it automatically triggers a full blown all out rescue operation with C-130's, helicopters, and CG cutters all converging in (they get pretty darn mad too).
Bob

yeah its quite different here in Ireland The radio was flat out with small craft advisories and gael force warnings.
Waterville is just a couple of houses really, not even sure if anybody has seen me
I was really surprised about the relatively small chop and waves, up in Galway it would have looked completely different with gusts like that and I would never even have considered going out. Very small swell too, although as I was packing up and the tide came in, the picture changed drastically and I was glad I was off the water.

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2015 Adventure Island
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PHLN ... EKefepPXQ/
Blog: http://www.irishrockpoolaquarium.com

Bob, would they not call you on channel 16 to ask if you are in trouble before going out in a full blown rescue mission?

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2015 Adventure Island
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PHLN ... EKefepPXQ/
Blog: http://www.irishrockpoolaquarium.com

That razor edge between pleasure and pain is worth visiting now and then! Glad you got through it in one piece!

That overlay is great. Where can I find it? Oops, should have read your other post first. sorry

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Hehe it sure is but only if you live to tell the tale I am sorted with adrenaline now for a while lol

You probably found out yourself? Its DASHWARE free software, absolutely brilliant for sailing videos they have some gauges with the software and you can but very difficult find some online.
Only link I found

I made the one in my videos myself.

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2015 Adventure Island
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PHLN ... EKefepPXQ/
Blog: http://www.irishrockpoolaquarium.com

Tony did you find the software? I absolutely love it, let me know if you find a platform/forum/etc where they share gauges, would love see what and how others do theirs.

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2015 Adventure Island
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PHLN ... EKefepPXQ/
Blog: http://www.irishrockpoolaquarium.com

I found the software but have been stopped from sailing my TI all year with medical issues, which aren't over yet, unfortunately.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Marius - at the 1:09 minute mark of your video when you un-furl the sail, it looks like you have your mainsheet somehow rigged to itself - why is that? Seems wrong to me... the end of the mainsheet I always tie off to the furler end so you always have the furler line connected. Some people have improperly left the mainsheet tied onto itself from the factory (we tie them together just for shipping) and then sail with them that way, which then make it rigged wrong. I hope I'm just seeing things and you don't have it rigged incorrectly.

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Jacques Bernier
http://www.hobie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/HobieCatCompany

Thanks for posting that, Marius. Pretty exciting to be watching it from dry land so it must have taken your heart rate up a bit in real time. Those gusts look almost ghost like.

Sorry to hear Tony, wishing you the best for your recovery! At least you are all set when you get back
Get well



Thanks for mentioning it. I looked at this section in the video and it just looks a bit deceiving alright. But dont worry I dont have it rigged to itself I have both furling and mainsheet line still rigged normally and not connected to each other and the mainsheet is not connected to itself.

Thinking about replacing the furling line with a longer piece and connecting it to the mainsheet and also mount extra blocks closer to cockpit to facilitate sail control when not hiking out.
Thanks


They did and they looked just as scary, hahaha Never seen anything like it on the water. Was questioning myself a lot on this trip but it was a very good test for the boat and myself mentally and for confidence. This wasnt on my home turf which made me feel a lot more on edge.

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2015 Adventure Island
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PHLN ... EKefepPXQ/
Blog: http://www.irishrockpoolaquarium.com

Welcome to the Nanny state... -)

Long, long ago when I used to surf the North Shore of Oahu there were no lifeguards at all and legend had it that where there were lifeguards they would post one of three flags at the beach:

• Green: Conditions are as safe as they ever get and if you get into trouble we will come and get you.
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• Yellow: Conditions are hazardous for non-water people, but if you get into trouble we will come and get you.
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• Red: Condiditons are hazardous. Feel free to go out there, but if you get into trouble, we're not coming after you.

Dunno if it was actually true or not - but it was local legend, and I really like the sound of it.

Every year a few surfers would die at a spot called "The Banzai Pipeline", but that was just because the waves were breaking in extremely shallow water and the bottom was exceptionally-nasty coral.

The rest of the time, AFIK, not too many people died during the nine years I was surfing the place. It was mostly surfers looking out for fellow surfers plus one guy whose hobby it was to patrol The North Shore in his private rescue truck looking for people in trouble.

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

Cool video, thanks for sharing!

I can't believe how fast an AI can move with such a small amount of sail unfurled. I totally relate to that feeling of going out in conditions that are partly exciting, partly scary!

Now I will have to get that DASHWARE software, which undoubtedly will make me try even more dangerous conditions so I can make cool videos.