Craig Jungers wrote: >>>>I did a 4.5 sm paddle yesterday in blustery winds up to about 25kts. The interesting thing was that even with the relatively short (1 or 2 statute miles) the wind raised the occasional 18-inch wave with a period short enough to occasionally wash over my Mariner Express. Surfing downwind was a blast, however. However I do have a question about the size of the waves which, I think, are unusual given the wind speed and the fetch. The lake (Moses Lake) is pretty shallow with depths of 12 to 20 feet maximum and I was paddling in waters about typical. I've noticed that winds across this lake tend to produce steep waves that are close together and seem larger than those conditions would produce on salt water. Does fresh water react differently to wind conditions than salt water or is it mostly a result of the shallow water? Anyone have any thoughts on this?<<<<<<< Waves going over the bow of an Express you say. My those were short steep waves indeed! Sort of like going into a steep boat wake I imagine. Your observations are astute. Fresh water is less dense than salt water and for the same wind and fetch conditions the waves wilbuild quicker and be steeper as a result. Also as you already seem to indicate, when the water depth gets to be about half of the wave length (and less) the waves "feel" (are slowed by the bottom) so the wave length gets shorter (and therefore the waves get progressively steeper as the water shallows. The same effect that happens on a beach that waves are coming into, eventually creating breakers when the water shallows enough that the waves get too steep to hold their wave shape against gravity. *************************************************************************** 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 Fri Jul 24 2009 - 15:42:10 PDT
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