Wild wind

I believe Rob and Company had a good downwind paddle at about midday on Sunday. I went for a run on Noordhoek beach at around 4pm and the wind was absolutely wild, the sand was stinging my legs and I even got sand my ears. Then the odd whirlwind came through pulling sheets of spray off the sea. I thought that if you were out at sea in those conditions you would have been blown out of your ski and your ski would have gone airborne up the spout.

I'm glad you guys didn't get mixed up with those conditions...

I believe Rob and Company had a good downwind paddle at about midday on Sunday. I went for a run on Noordhoek beach at around 4pm and the wind was absolutely wild, the sand was stinging my legs and I even got sand my ears. Then the odd whirlwind came through pulling sheets of spray off the sea. I thought that if you were out at sea in those conditions you would have been blown out of your ski and your ski would have gone airborne up the spout.

I'm glad you guys didn't get mixed up with those conditions...

That was Saturday, Al...!

The wind was quite steady on the Fish Hoek side and we had a very relaxed run down to Buffels. The wind was solidly NNW so it was pretty much directly behind us once we got to Millers. We had some side-gusts from about 2km out from Buffels, but none of the drama that sometimes happens in "Hurricane Alley".

Still, we took all precautions (yes, had cell phones, flares, SMSed NSRI Simonstown to let them know)... If you do get taken out down there, it's next stop South Atlantic.

OK Saturday, it was definitely this week. Things are a bit blurry with baby induced sleep deprivation.

That stretch between Smitswinkel and Buffels is really nasty, even without a newborn baby to confuse you. Be very careful when paddling there. I reckon it is better to pull in at Millers point if the NNw or Nw is fairly strong.

yeah - I think we should have a guide to routes all over the world... they could be graded from I (easiest/safest) to V (most difficult/dangerous).

The FH to Buffels run would be Grade V because of "Hurricane Alley". It's a lot of fun though if you're careful and go in the right conditions.

FH to Millers Point would be graded II-III. The only slightly tricky bit is going through the rocks at Millers Point before coming in.

I think a ratings system is an excellent idea. I wonder how you'd parameterise the ratings. Clearly the strength of the wind makes a massive difference, also wind direction and swell size. Most routes can vary from benign to dangerous depending on conditions. Maybe the rating should reflect the average/typical conditions (explaining what they are). Some routes also have a greater tolerance for a change in conditions (like a paddle from 3 Anchor Bay to Barkers Rock and back), while others need very specific conditions (Fish Hoek to Buffels in a NNW, not too strong wind), how do you indicate that.