Postby Hugh2 » Fri Dec 09, 2022 8:58 am
DK, which meter are you using down there? Yes, I was surprised at how SW the wind was at Muizenberg, if it was SE as forecast I think we would have been fine.
Flyboy, a short-lived low formed offshore that has resulted in this rapid switching from SW to SE to NW to SE - you can see it in Windy. Some believe the SEaster should blow constantly all day every day, but after coming here for the past 12 years for 1-3 months each summer I know you can easily get 4-5 days without SEaster, as seems likely next week. So I tell friends who want to come, you have to stay at least two weeks to be assured of at least a few days of SEaster, and be ready to do other things the other days. One other thing to keep in mind is that after a SEaster has blown here for a couple days or more, the whole system that generates it (a high pressure offshore and a little south of Cape Town) usually moves east and hence you get one day of strong easterlies further east, like Struisbaai just east of Cape Agulhas or Witsand or Stillbaai further east, and the next day the easterlies will blow all the way up to Port Elizabeth and East London if you are willing to drive that far.
Dudd, you are right about Witsands (folks should not call it Misty Cliffs, that is a tiny launch in the village of Misty Cliffs about a kilometer upwind) being overcrowded on a day like yesterday when the forecast for Bloubergstrand was weak. But if you just work your way upwind or downwind you will find room to ride and jump. The same is true for much of Bloubergstrand, and if you still find that too crowded, try the stretch beyond Big Bay. And in future if considering Witsands but it is too crowded, consider going to the other side at Glencairn on False Bay where my friends went yesterday and had fun. Or if you are really competent, try the two launches in Cape Point NP. Buffelsbaai on the False Bay side would be side-on or straight-onshore in those winds, while Platboom on the Atlantic side would be side or side-off. Both likely would not be crowded, but I have never used larger than 7m kite at Platboom and usually 6 or 5.5m.
A final note, when there is a hint of southerly breeze but it does not fill in at Bloubergstrand and beyond, it is commonly because there is a competition between the SEaster coming over the Cape Flats around the East side of Table Mountain, and SWesterly coming around the Atlantic side of Table Mountain. In that case, if you are truly desperate to ride in Cape Town, consider coming to near where I stay in Milnerton at the mouth of the Diep River or Milnerton Lagoon. The SEaster will likely be pretty good there, albeit side-off and gusty, so no good for beginners who might get into trouble.
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- duddd (Fri Dec 09, 2022 10:11 am) • CaptainKook (Sat Dec 10, 2022 12:07 am)