Biscayne Bay Triangle

mbs · #1 08-31-2008, 11:28 AM

Yesterday (8/30) I had a really nice upwind / downwid sail out of Matheson. With wind blowing out of the east I managed to make it upwind to the finger channels around Stlitsville. On a long and narrow twintip (about 170cm) and 13m 07Waroo with strong wind I was able to make an angle pretty close to the wind. I tacked my way up towards the grove. When I made it as east as grove Isle / mercy hospital, from there I was able to sail a line direct to the flats south of cape florida. I rode around at Stiltsville for a little while and then made a beeline on a run back directly downwind to matheson. The downwind run was really fast.

I've done the run from stiltsville to matheson a bunch of times, but usually I make it a downwinder from miami beach or crandon. This was my first time trying an upwind distance run, and my first time sailing a distance on my longer board. I found the extra length allowed me to sail closer to the wind and also seemed to be faster on the downwind run.

Here is an approximate line of my course. I'll be going out again this afternoon but I think I'll stay in close today - don't want to push my luck 2 days in a row. matt.

ricki · #2 08-31-2008, 04:04 PM

Sounds like fun. Roundwinders are a trip and longer boards really help out a lot for riding closer to the wind and dealing with some lulls should they come along.

I embedded the image in your post. Thanks for putting it together. How did things go today?

mbs · #3 08-31-2008, 06:30 PM

Another nice ride today. This time with AEsco who posts on this forum sometimes. Was planning on staying on the matheson flat but he was up for a cruise so I agreed. We tacked our way up past the grove over to the banks out in front of Viscaya near Hobie Beach. On the map they're called "sister banks". AE was on a 9m Cabrinha and I went with the 13 waroo. We spent some time on the sister banks riding away from the crowd at matheson. The way back was a broad reach - off the wind but not straight downwind, and we flew.

Here's today's trip. Sorry, dont know how to inlay the image to the post.

500EPILOT · #4 09-10-2008, 04:14 PM

Matt, was that you and Aesco on another roundwinder today out of Matheson, 9-10-08, I passed two guys in front of the grove, I thought I was the only guy that left the sandbar until I saw your post last week and then saw two guys out today. It was a great day for long distance cruising. I ran between Matheson and Sister Banks several times.
JP

ricki · #5 09-11-2008, 11:15 AM

Matt, embedding still shots and videos into posts is easy. Also, they really help to tell the story. The way you do this is explained with examples at:

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=268
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=3935

mbs · #6 09-11-2008, 05:21 PM

Unfortunately no, it wasnt me. Could have been AE though. I missed out on the whole week of wind, too busy with work.

Hopefully it'll blow a little this weekend and I'll get out there. Seems like I could be doing more bay sailing out of matheson this season if I dont decide to bite the bullet and pay for Crandon. Crowds in the little lagoon at matheson can get pretty dense and all the lessons makes for lots of obstacles. Cruising into the bay is nice...barring a gear blowout of course.

500EPILOT · #7 09-11-2008, 06:10 PM

Matt, ok, sorry you couldn't make it out, I wonder who the other two guys were, winds were lighter today, didn't venture far out, even though I go solo 40 plus miles all across the bay, I take a camel back with waterproof marine vhf, waterproof gps and a life vest of course, if worse come to worse I call Boat US for a lift back to the sandbar. I you see a red landcruiser at Matheson, you got a buddy for a roundwinder.
JP

mbs · #8 09-14-2008, 03:33 PM

sounds good JP. I'm in a maroon bronco. I'll say hi if i see you around.
Smart of you to go prepared. I used to carry my phone in a waterproof bag, till some moisture got in during the jupiter race and I killed my old phone. So lateley I've been going out without a backup plan which I know is not the smartest thing to do. I ride really conservative when I'm far out, always conscious of how far away is the downwind shoreline and mentally prepared for a downwind drift should it ever come to that.

A few yrs ago I blew a big panel on an old kite at the outside break off of crandon. Wind that day was NE and I was considerably south and east of the launch. I did the typical self rescue by climbing into the LE of the kite. What was surprising though was that I found that by sticking my board down as a lateral plane and using the board and my leg as rudder while sheeting the wing tip I was able to sail almost a beam reach. I actually steered myself right back to the launch beach when a downwind drift would have taken me down near the key biscayne hotels.

Of course, if the LE were to blow up, that type of self rescue would not be an option, and a downwind drift would be the only choice.

Also important to stay conscious of current in the bay. Particularly, on a west wind when riding off of the beach by seaquarium I know a lot of people like to go across to the flats near the 'ski hole' on the west side of key biscayne. Everyone should know that on an outgoing tide the current sometimes RIPS through bear cut, which is downwind of this crossing. It also rips out through the fingerchannels between the stiltsville flats, but this is less of an issue b/c you could always make it onto a shallow. Would suck to break down in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just something to keep in mind I guess.