what's you guys fav wind speed?

pehare

pehare

Member
Finally got my new to me '77 fish out on the water today after work demands and life finally gave me a break.....winds were around 5 at 9 am when i got on the water.......when i went out i was sailing downwind from a small bay like lake ramp into a big lake which was great but slow....the sail back upwind was challenging, having not really sailed in 40 yrs.... what are ideal winds for the fish and whats too big & what's too small? thanks & cheers
 
I do not have a Sunfish, I do have a Topper. I have recently gotten into sailing myself. My first time out was in 10-15mph winds with gusts of 17-18. I had a very hard time trying to get used to the boat, and try to sail for the first time in that. I mostly capsized, and struggled. Since then, I have gone out a few times in 5mph winds. That was perfect for getting aquainted with the boat, and the concept of sailing. I was able to comfortably get used to finding my point of sail, trimming and tacking around to the point where I can now sail my boat wherever I want to get to and back. I am now ready for 5-10 mph winds so I can get around a little faster. gradients. what's is comfortable now is what's important. enjoy it until you are ready for more. Sounds like you find 5mph a little boring, but its a good way to practice wringing all you can out of your sail.
 
As a (too heavy) guy that mostly just sails in the hot summer, for me it has to be blowing in the double digits to be fun.
Lighter winds *can* be fun and can be relaxing... but not if I'm just sitting there sweating in the sun. And if the winds are too light, it can get really frustrating trying to figure out why your boat won't move! In light winds, it becomes really helpful to have a wind indicator - homemade ones with cassette tape work really well.
 
I just came in from sailing and I attached a chart of the winds out there which were about a constant 10mph gusting to 18mph with some occasional violent gusts. Just about perfect (for me).
 

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ahhh I was hoping it was higher winds. I definitely need a lot more practice at lower but at times trying to sail upwind back to the ramp in the smaller bay entrance I was going slowly backwards trying to find the right tack. Then when I did I capsized her once.. lol....got that drill done successfully remembering my days on the Laser in Biscayne Bay (off Rickenbacker Causeway). Glad it was a weekday without other boat traffic being entertained:)
 
As you can see, there is a lot of debate about ideal wind for Sunfish sailing but I would like to add the following: When you are learning how to sail, I would recommend sailing upwind first when you leave the beach to make it easier to get back to your starting point (by sailing downwind.) To often new sailors leave the beach, sail down wind first (because it's easier) and then struggle to tack back to where they started.

Alan Glos
 
I'll regularly go out in "spotty" whitecaps. That's about 11 knots.

But I'll also go out when there's no wind at all. The challenge is to find some. Sailing towards the side of the lake with the most clouds seems to produce the desired result. :cool:

When other cruising monohull sailboats are out there, a Sunfish rig struts its stuff in light air. :)

In light winds, when there's a lot of powerboat wakes, even a catamaran can be left behind. ;)

A round Florida lake, surrounded by very flat farmland produces the shifting-est winds I've ever encountered. I don't recommend big wind shifts for beginning sailors! :oops:

I mostly don't like getting wet! I got plenty wet with my Hobie 16 off Rickenbacker Causeway, when the expansive beach there, was called "Hobie Beach".
 
3-4 last time I was out and it was plenty nice, a good confidence-builder for where I am right now, skill-wise.
 

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Does not matter I have capsized in every wind up to 25 to 30 knots. I can no longer get back in the boat easily 10 or 12, so now this is my limit of comfortable.
 
norcalsail said:
We were out on Tomales Bay a week and a half ago and had some pretty consistent winds around 15 with slightly stronger up to 20 mph. Really great sailing and I felt my ability and confidence was good and improving too.
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I really hope I get a chance to sail there someday. Fell in love withe the area during my grad school days at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory.
 
CentralMichigander said:
I really hope I get a chance to sail there someday. Fell in love withe the area during my grad school days at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory.
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My professor in my favorite topic was Dr. James Clegg. I recognized many great attributes in his presentations. He and his wife were destined to greatness, and, with the naming of the new facility have accomplished great and permanent things out there.
 
pehare said:
Finally got my new to me '77 fish out on the water today...what are ideal winds for the fish and whats too big & what's too small? thanks & cheers
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This Thursday in Southeast Michigan, the winds were 15 to 18 with gusts to 25. I had a blast on my ‘77 fish. Fortunately did not flip it. Of course, some say that means I’m not doing something right. :) my GPS-X tracker says that I hit 11.7 mph at one point during my outing. I was very pleased with that speed, and then noticed a surf sailor blowing by me on my port side. lol.
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You don't say which tack you were on, but you're not going to pass a wind-surfer or catamaran: Both are in competition for world records in sailing speed.

Last I checked, wind-surfers had taken the lead, having achieved over 50 MPH. :eek:
 
CentralMichigander said:
I was out on Crystal Lake in central Michigan yesterday in 15 mph wind and it was great. I hit 11.4 mph according to my GPS tracker.
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Crystal lake is such a beautiful lake. I’ve only sailed in it once, when testing out the ‘71 I bought three years ago from a guy who lives on the lake. The wind was from the south which made for some fun East-West reaching across the longer part of the lake. Of course, I found it very difficult to tack back into the Public boat launch which is on the Southwest part of the lake. The wind dies down to nothing due to the high bluff near the launch.
 
any day of sailing is better than a day of work. i would encourage you to start in light winds and slowly tackle more as you become more skilled. The sunfish can handle winds into the upper 20s to low 30s but can you? some people will go out in more but the risk of breaking equipment will go up. i find the sweet spot is the upper teens but i would never send an inexperienced person out in that wind. for someone new i would say stay under 10.
 
It depends.
When I am racing, I prefer 5-15 mph, so that I can remain competitive. At higher wind speeds I can't quite keep the boat flat and I loose ground to heavier sailors who are able to do so.
When I am just by myself, I prefer bigger breeze; it's especially fun when to hull starts to talk to me and water escapes upward from the daggerboard slot.
 
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