August 26, 2004
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Shifty Winds
Yesterday I was off-work, and I had a lovely afternoon sailing. I marveled again at how shifty the winds are on little inland lakes.
In contrast, sailing in Galveston last winter, I remember that we picked a point to sail to, set our sails, and didn’t touch them again until we had to dock — that’s how steady the winds were in the Bay.
I often hear people bragging about how learning to sail on little lakes where the winds are shifty makes you a better sailor.
I’m certain it makes you a better sailor on shifty inland lakes, but does it make you a better sailor overall? Blue-water sailing is different and requires a different set of skills — similar, but different.
A former colleague of mine also bragged about his little Hunter, and how he hit a big wind as he was rounding a point somewhere near Big Sur. Hunters are cheap and small boats, not known for being luxury yachts. He was proud to say that his boat was sturdy and small enough that he didn’t capsize. However, the 50-foot Catalina sailing behind him caught the wind broadside, and nearly did.
Coastal sailing, especially around the high coastal hills near Monterey and Big Sur, I’m told is also very shifty compared to open-water sailing.
Comments (1)
I agree with the comments you have left on my site. Sailing is always fun, no matter the wind condition.
In response to your post, I once capsized in a big boat. I can’t remember the name of the type, but it was about 24 feet. Not a J-Boat though. Anyway, it was really freaky. The reason it capsized was never quite clear…I guess it was just too much wind coupled with poor boat handling. It righted itself before it had a chance to sink, though. Yay keels! It was riding low in the water when it came back up, and the entire crew spent about a half hour trying to bail it. It happened about 2-miles off the coast of point loma, san diego.