In the interest of others who may be confused with wind direction in relation to waves or angles you are expected to use in certain winds, here's something I made yesterday. Hopefully it makes sense and is correct...I'm sure if it's wrong I will be told. Feel free and I'll amend.
I've opted from using sailing terminology as much as possible as, like myself, many don't use most of it. But if you want to know Google "Points of Sail".
NOTE: I'm not a wavesailing expert but was knowledgeable in the field in a previous life.
EDIT: (1) In Key changedd what the red X means also added to Key "All angles in between". It doesn't mean 'go in that direction'. (2) New pic title.
I appreciate your efforts with the pictures, but it might be easier to simply watch videos of wavesailing - there's plenty on the net.
There is also a handful of DVDs that cover the topic (Peter Hart - Serious About Waves #2 comes to mind)
Or better still, learn to surf (assumming that you don't already)
Cheers
It is was never intented to be a "How To Wavesail" or surf but recognize what wind direction will allow what kind of sail and board angles you can expect to use for the given wind. That's all it is intended to do.
I dunno how useful it is then as we all know we sail roughly 90deg to the wind, and cross shore / offshore etc is known to noobs????
Just a thought
Exactly, it is for "noobs". I thought my first line would have explained that. Experienced sailors take this knowledge for granted but beginners wouldn't have a clue. Hence many getting blown out to sea or the other side of a lake/river. Or explains why they get blown 1klm downwind from their launch spot.
Maybe I should have given it a different heading 'Wavesailing - Points of Sail for Newbies'. Which can still be done on the pic but not the forum title.
There is nothing on the net that illustrates this in a beach/wave perspective. Most "Points of Sail" just shows little boats forming a compass.
sideshore and cross-on being ideal for learning should be explained to total newbies at they get on a beginners board on the lake or river in the first 5mins.
By the time we get in the waves we are familiar with the terms, and can visualise where we will be sailing (along or across the wave etc). So the pic in isolation is not of help to a new wavesailor IMHO
Where I think your pic has great use, is when it is combined with an explanation of frontside vs. backside riding, and how to bottom turn on different waves.
Eg: with the latter, when I learned to wavesail in Perth I was frustrated about my slow bottom turn and wondered how on the videos they get so vertical before their top turn. I thought I was never going to get it.
Then I went to an ideal spot in cross-off and it was so damn easy. You are already flat out down the line on a reach, and you only have to turn thru about 70deg to be smashing the lip - not thru about 150deg in the prevailing cross-on seabreeze in perth.
If I had that pic, with a description of how it works, I'd have not be so depressed for the first couple of years!! I'd also have tried backside turns more!!
Mark I really appreciate your input and I like your suggestions.
It still is difficult to learn from just watching vids especially for those with even lesser knowledge who could not tell if that person is sailing in a cross-on, cross-off or side-shore wind. All the moves look easy but the newb doesn't realize that a particular move is best performed in certain wind angles.
One of the reasons I made this was to answer some questions being asked by friends who want to tackle the surf (they are advanced surfers) and the surf is their convenient learning environment. And as we all know it is not the ideal learning location! But they are determind, which I admire so I want to help in some way, if they get the hang of windsurfing they would be awesome wavesailors.
I have a proposal for you, if you can caption the pic's wind directions with what basic moves can be performed I can add it and credit you. I can adjust pics to suit. Sheesh even I can use the tips.
Perhaps we can even ask Laurie to "sticky" it on the wavesailing forum for newbies.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure this kind of graphic doesn't exist on the net (I've looked for a while). I look at it as giving something back to the sport...a little contribution and saves individuals describing winds and moves in words to newbies. Which is farkin confusing for both parties!
Hey, I like it, well done! It makes perfect sence to me. I've been playing around in the surf a few times this week (yep, running bafore I can crawl), and wondering why on certain turns I'm getting pushed off the board by the sail. Looking at the pics, and then thinking off one of the days in question, I can fully understand why I was being swept off by the sail. In surfing you just go where the wave is the steepest, crawl through the fat sections (if ya lucky), and charge that last shore break reform before paddling back out. You don't even think about wind direction- other than offshore is usually nice and smooth. I've saved the pics for future refference- as well as your Trail Bay map with the compass overlap. I've used that map a few times working out which way I'm going to head in what wind direction. So thanks for both graphics
PS- The surf (and even a half protected bay) is a scary place for new comers to sailboarding. Even with an extensive surfing back ground I'm getting nervous once out past the breakers. The though off getting back in if something goes wrong, or the wind stops etc is certainly in the back off the mind. Or maybe it's just the really good vision I get looking into those deep, dark, spooky holes that's freakin' me out...
At least on a surfboard you don't see what's trying to eat you!
That beach looks pretty crowded, with lots of dropping in.
I wouldn't want to sail there as a wavesailing noob.
Its always by accident thoughhonestly,,,we dont try and decapitate poledancers,,,,, most of the time.
After many years of sailing at Longy and Collaroy I think its great Raf.
As its been said, tough audience and you now know whats its like to be a politician.
The places we use to sail had pretty much every direction come at them but only worked sweet in certain ones. So you learned to sail them and what worked in each wind direction.
good onya for trying to help, its a forum so have a big can of cement and live another day
