Top end limit finally reached..

Just goes to show how difficult consistently measuring wind speed actually is... Last weekend at my reservoir I was seeing regular gusts on the anemometer of up to 30knots sustained for 5 or 10 seconds, but lulls down to as low as 17. Goodness knows what a mean wind speed would have been. And to make matters even more complicated most anemometer are mechanical, so must have a certain tiny averaing effect on recorded wind strength.

I think as much as anything else its gust onslaught that makes things difficult. A sustained and steady 30 knots is certainly easier than breeze flicking up and down between 15 and 25. And so much depends on your rig.

Edited by JimC - 26 Jun 12 at 2:21pm

Originally posted by JimC Just goes to show how difficult consistently measuring wind speed actually is... Last weekend at my reservoir I was seeing regular gusts on the anenometer of up to 30knots sustained for 5 or 10 seconds, but lulls down to as low as 17. Goodness knows what a mean wind speed would have been. I think as much as anything else its gust onslaught that makes things difficult. A sustained and steady 30 knots is certainly easier than breeze flicking up and down between 15 and 25. And so much depends on your rig.

That's probably why the Beaufort Scale was invented. Much easier to define a Force 7 than 30kts of wind.

Im surprised nobody has mentioned the effect that waves have on the limit of what you can sail in. 

Sitting out - L2K

I see the video stopped when it all went wrong?

Fun for a blast with a rescue boat ratio of 1:1, but I'd not want to be providing rescue cover for a fleet of 300's in those conditions.