# Sailmaker's dream day



## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

My former sailing grounds in Squamish, BC, is famous for it's daily inflow winds reaching 20+ knots pretty much daily in summertime. This year's SOAR (Squamish Open Annual Regatta) feeder race into Squamish hit breezes that went to 30+ with reports of 35 knots in the last mile or so. We would get such days two or three times a year in summer.

The Utube video linked below dramtically shows the difficulties crews can have with spinnakers if they are caught unawares or lack experience in those conditions.

The 2nd link is the event video, with action from Friday and also from Saturday's much different main event. This regatta has been going for over 30 years now and is one of BCs longest running sailboat races. btw EVERYBODY was reportedly grinning wildly, even after Friday's pandemonium.






http://www.mmxproductions.com/video/SOAR 2010.wmv


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## DrB (Mar 29, 2007)

*In 30+ kt winds, why does anyone need to fly a kite?*

With main alone, you should be at or greater than hull speed. Flying a kite is just asking for trouble.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

DrB said:


> With main alone, you should be at or greater than hull speed. Flying a kite is just asking for trouble.


I don't disagree... I think because the breeze builds here dramatically in the last mile or so most were caught unawares... and then there's the guy on your transom who might sneak by...... .. and that testosterone thing too..


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## CapTim (Aug 18, 2009)

great video.. very cool!


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## FarCry (Apr 21, 2007)

DrB said:


> With main alone, you should be at or greater than hull speed. Flying a kite is just asking for trouble.


Some boats can actually plane. I didn't see any in the video but have been on small boats that can. It is a rush!!!!


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## ste27 (Jul 29, 2007)

DrB said:


> With main alone, you should be at or greater than hull speed. Flying a kite is just asking for trouble.


I've done it several times, with the right crew... it's quick - if your boat will plane. I've done 14kt on a J/24 and seen someone do 17+ on an Etchells (passing a J/105 that was reading 17 on their transducer and GPS)


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Man what a shredder! See, that's just the other side of a good BFS. Ripped your kite? You blew it. No soup for you.


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

Some nice round-ups, there!! Great video.

Yeah, it can really sneak up on you when you're sailing downwind like that. Even without a chute up, you can get caught unawares with a full main and genny as the wind builds from astern.

But rounding up or shredding a chute is slow. That's where it's nice to have a smaller, heavier chute like a 1.5 oz. Some of those in the video looked more like all-purpose chutes. Having multiple chutes is expensive, but so is replacing them.


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## puddinlegs (Jul 5, 2006)

The hard call is when to peel to the shy kite. But agreed, with the right boat and a good crew, downwind in a blow is fast, fun, and yes, interestingly scary.


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

I saw this video I thought a week or two ago, was it on here? or am I recalling somewhere else, like maybe SA?

Marty


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

What an amazing place. What's with the colour of the water ? Limestone presumably. 

Fast, were you living and teaching up there ? Moving to Vancouver must have been a bit of a shock...


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

tdw said:


> What an amazing place. What's with the colour of the water ? Limestone presumably.
> 
> Fast, were you living and teaching up there ? Moving to Vancouver must have been a bit of a shock...


The water is that colour in summer due to Glacier melt - it's a rather large river system that feeds that fiord.

We lived there for 23 years, I worked at a local pulp mill for most of that but did commute (80Km each way) to where I now teach for 4 years. We decided to move to avoid that commute when I went back to the college. Scenery is different, of course, but now we have much less rain, and since Squamish was getting a bit too busy for us anyhow, now that we live in a quiet area of the city we don't notice a big difference there.

Worse thing is moorage went from $1.25/ft/mo to $8.00/ft/mo..


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Faster said:


> The water is that colour in summer due to Glacier melt - it's a rather large river system that feeds that fiord.
> 
> We lived there for 23 years, I worked at a local pulp mill for most of that but did commute (80Km each way) to where I now teach for 4 years. We decided to move to avoid that commute when I went back to the college. Scenery is different, of course, but now we have much less rain, and since Squamish was getting a bit too busy for us anyhow, now that we live in a quiet area of the city we don't notice a big difference there.
> 
> Worse thing is moorage went from $1.25/ft/mo to $8.00/ft/mo..


Suffer baby suffer......while you were away we moved the Womboat to her new home. 10-15 minutes longer drive to boat but a much quieter area with significantly less daytime passing traffic and virtually none at night. We were paying the same as you but now approx $20.00/ft/per annum.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

tdw said:


> We were paying the same as you but now approx $20.00/ft/per annum.


...... .... clearly it's time for you to find a bigger boat!


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Those prices are cheap! Do not come to Seattle, you could be looking at upwards of $15 a foot per month! That is for up to 35' or so, higher if you have one of them mid 100 to 200' slips, with our own fuel pump, pump put etc!

I'm just under 10 per month including taxes etc, which are in the 25 range total!

Now where have I seen that vid from?!?!?! I know somewhere.........


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

blt2ski said:


> ....Now where have I seen that vid from?!?!?! I know somewhere.........


I'ts only a few weeks old... could've been on SA I suppose.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

This year's version of SOAR was a little less wild than the video on the OP of this thread from last year.

Still, the video (about 15-20 mins)in the link below is a good one.. this year the Kiteboarders got involved in the event too, so there is footage of the Friday Inflow race, some boarding footage (impressive) and coverage of the main Saturday event too. The crew that puts this vid together does it all in time for the Saturday night party... very cool.

The winds in this sound are reliable, but can really amp up in the last mile or two, as you'll see the range of gentle beating to spinnakers forsaken in the building breeze at the north end of the course.

A beautiful area, the green glacial water, steep mountains, waterfalls flat water.. and WIND!!

http://www.mmxproductions.com/video/SOAR2011.wmv


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

Faster - this new video is incredible! Can you upload it to YouTube so that we dont kill the hosts netconnection?


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## captflood (Jan 1, 2011)

GREETINGS EARTHLINGS Spinnys are a very un-seaman like sail GO SAFE


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