Broaching the Plasma Barrier
Southern San Diego, J-Street, January 2, 2006


From:   Joe Roth
Sent:   Sun, 1 Jan 2006 11:11:21 -0800
Subject:   Broaching the plasma barrier

    The wind is on its way and J St is looking good for tomorrow, the models disagree as to when and how long the wind will last, so we might get an early morning session. In any case are you ready to bank and crank tomorrow and possibly broach the plasma barrier?
-Joe


From:   cbknap
Sent:   Tuesday, January 03, 2006 8:37 AM
Subject:   Re: Broaching the plasma barrier

    Got to hand it to you, Joe (and Gabor). Excellent forecasting. Excellent execution. Despite high winds here at home, conditions were crappy, with dirty water, huge storm surge and some beaches closed to windsurfing. Just one question from your excursion: What size sail do you use when it's 30 gusting 45?
-Jack of Hearts


From:   Joe Roth
Sent:   Tuesday, January 03, 2006 9:21 AM
Subject:   Re: Broaching the plasma barrier

Jack:
    The sensor is not all that accurate compared to the on the water experience. I can safely say that when I was sailing between 9:30 and 12:00 the highest wind I say was gusts up to mid 20's Kts. Not sure why the sensor was reading that much more, but when we got over to the west side of the bay, closer to where the sensor is located, that is where we consistently experienced the highest winds. Now there was a time around noon when the wind really started to come up but I was lunching and not on the water so I couldn't say with certaincy what the wind strength was. To answer your question: 7.0, North 2005, no problem in a straight line but it was a little bit of an handful in the corners in the gusts. All things being considered, in the higher winds I might have been faster on the 6.4 set up. It should be noted that up until I left at 1:30 we had a few very short periods of very soft rain. I noticed the high winds at home; Pier J: 45 mph at 11:30.
    Anyway we, Gabor and I, didn't broach the plasma barrier but came very close. It's not as hard to go through the plasma barrier as it is to come back. Harmonic vibrations that set up upon reentry can sometimes shatter carbon/epoxy laminations. Great care must be executed when slowing down back through the "PLASMA BARRIER".
-Smoking Joe


From:   Gabor Vagi
Sent:   Tuesday, January 03, 2006 9:31 PM
Subject:   Re: Broaching the plasma barrier

Just to clear things up I had nothing to do with the forecast, I just follow the Wind God: Joeus Rotheus. And he was right (as always, I might add). Beside he uses his brain and put some senses in my thinking.....so I listen once a while. Thank God (I mean Wind God)! I was on my 7.2 RS5 and was pretty cozy for until noon, but it was not more than mid 20s. Then it picked up to low 30s and some kite boarders floated by without kites and Joe took a lunch break....and I was thinking about the poor people in Pasadena watching the Parade and I felt guilty not to suffer with them.....so I went back out and try to feel with them.....in twenty more minutes all my guilt was gone....not to mention my balls...
-Gabor

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