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Alameda Today: Pure Awesomeness!

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:46 am
by nick_80044
I'm as quick as anyone to jump all over Alameda for its temperamental low wind/no wind fits, so when things are good I feel obliged to give it its props.

Does it get much better than today?

--Wind cranked up early (pre--3 pm)
--Warm and Sunny
--Enough wind to ride my 9m
--But not crazy gusty
--Lots of friendly fellow kiters, but not so many that I had to arm-wrestle someone to win a slot in the launch zone
--Swells were manageable (unlike the last few days)
--No fire trucks or emergency vehicles or kites making a beeline for Bay Farm Island

There is a legitimate question amidst all this obsequious blather. I rode my 12m on Sunday--I was comfortable most of the time, maybe a little overpowered towards the end. After the session, friends told me they were lit on 9m's. But they rode up towards the point--I was much further downwind. Today, I headed upwind and it was light there--much stronger downwind.

So ... does Alameda actually have "microclimates"? Is there a way to determine which area is going to be windier on a given day? Or is it all just the randomness of Mother Nature?

Re: Alameda Today: Pure Awesomeness!

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:18 am
by le noun
OB was great too. Warm and sunny and consistent wind. And not crowded.
I think the busiest time was around 3pm and that's when there was about 8/10 riders in the water.
I don't know about micro climate in alameda, I always find anything northwest of the shack windier than anywhere else downwind...
Which makes sense since the wind comes from there and fills in towards bayfarm.

Re: Alameda Today: Pure Awesomeness!

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 6:57 pm
by Aloha
I'd guess it's changing levels of velocity brought on by variations in terrain interacting with the differences in wind direction on one day vs. another

More venturi than it is air temp / pressure etc. I bet. I definitely notice some trends based on wind direction. It is not a bad idea to get in the habit of noticing how subtle changes in wind direction effect the relative windspeed areas within the different spots you ride

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 12:29 pm
by jwest21
On Saturday out at 3rd I noticed it being very windy near shore and out toward the channel, but there was a very light area in-between that made it difficult to keep up my speed on a 7m.

Not certain, but I would attribute it to that hill near the dog park with all the wind sculptures. Maybe it had a little more west in the wind direction whereas more common NW-NNW winds create the light and flukey conditions at shore we all get to enjoy.