Peter O asks: In the situation Mike describes is it the result of adding the vectors of i) boat velocity due to the wind plus ii) boat velocity due to the water current plus iii) boat velocity due to the direction being paddled?>> Oh YEAH! It's called dynamic boat control. We paddle alot in the Columbia River gorge in BIG wind and medium current and take the speed of both the wind and current into consideration all day long. The summer wind flow is generally from the west and the current opposes, creating a scenerio where the boat is running with the wind, or just off the wind on either side, and ferrying in the opposing current. In the winter the winds generally come out of the east, so they compliment the current and nothing opposes. faster surfs with smoother swells. I helped develop the Tempest to excel in this environment. I'm working on another boat design that will take FULL advantage of the wind and current vectors. How loose can a sea kayak get and still be controlable. It's a BLAST! On Saturday we did a 20+ mile stretch from the dam _at_ Bonneville to Washougal, Washington. The east wind was steady _at_ 30 knots and gusting to over 40. seas went to 4.5' and the current probably in the 2-3 knot range. We do the run in 4-5 hours. It's 4-5 hours of "on the edge" kayaking, adjusting vectors and direction constantly! Proto-type testing is a tough job but someone's gotta do it! steve aldercreek.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Dec 02 2002 - 10:28:27 PST
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