VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

When at cook st, trial reads high, as it is way up there, way higher than your kite, Gonzales is a bit closer to reality even though it is also way up top of that hill, Harling pt is down at sea level but quite a bit down wind but exposed, Ogden seemed to always read a bit high also. For me on a 5.3 m2 sail I am maxed at 25 knots, 4.7m2 maxed at around 30, 4.2m2 maxed at 40, 3.7m2 at around 50 give or take, 3.7 doesn't work until the spray is being blown off of the tops of waves gale force 35 and my voodoo's have huge top end, one of the reasons I have hung on to them for so long, I also have an adjustable outhaul system with pulleys on all of my booms which I can adjust in or out on the fly, or just fall in and really reef on the strap to really flatten out my sail or release the tension to bag it out for more power, sort of like the depower strap that kiters have, I don't know why more windsurfers don't utilize this system, the straps are available from aerotech in florida, the pulleys from a marine supply store and the concept came from Bruce Peterson at Sailworks. the formula guys use this system, the raceboard class guys even use a on the fly downhaul adjustment system. So obviously, this all very subjective, dependant on user size, sail or kite size and brand of said kite sail, since all kites and sails are not created equally, it is also experience dependant, a newbie might think 25 knots is 40 etc I have been windsurfing all over this continent from hatteras, the great lakes, Alaska, nevada and this coast since may 1 1980. Other weird stuff that happens, is that as temperatures drop the air becomes denser and packs more punch, sailing bennet lake in the Yukon in 40 knots on the wind gauge that lives in my glove box, even though the water temp was fridgid required a 4.7 because we were sailing at 2000 ft above sea level, thinner air less punch, more punch at sea level. So many variables and never enough wind lately. Cheers All !!