Brent_P - 14-7-2010 at 12:11 PM
So i found this killer spot on google maps with some beautiful shallow flat water for kiteboarding. The location is less than a mile west of a
rockface (6-700 feet straight up)
I have been to this place numerous times during westerly winds (side onshore) and there is not a breeze to be found. In all my reading about wind
shadows, thermals, turbulance rotor conditions etc I have found very little on the subject of a wind shadow (for lack of better words) on the windward
side of an obsticle.
Can someone point me to a resource detailing this, or maybe shed some light on this subject???
Hardrock - 14-7-2010 at 11:45 PM
Can't help you with that. But I have the same type of problem. Got a great looking spot, flat, large area open to the public.
Been there at least 10 times but the wind sux so bad I have only used the 3m. It seems to blow in circles with terrible gust while 8 miles down the
road in a less desirable place the wind on the same day is so much better.
ragden - 15-7-2010 at 05:43 AM
I've actually seen very similiar conditions before. I am just guessing here, but I think the wind bounces off the obstacle and creates its own, almost
reverse wind-shadow. I've seen this at Wildwood while up on the soft sand near the high-rise apartment buildings. I was a bit stumped as wind was
blowing directly on-shore, should have been clean and smooth, and very nice, but it got all kinds of wierd the farther up the beach I went. I walked
back to the water's edge, and was fine.
It didnt make a lot of sense to me, so I just went back to cruising on the beach near the water, and avoided areas like that...
PHREERIDER - 15-7-2010 at 10:24 AM
once the space is FILLED the back pressure won't allow anymore wind movement to occur. where ever the pressure gradient falls the wind will move in.
it can be 100feet up.
just like the under side of a NPW or a closed chute the wind will only go around it.
like plumbing things have to flow ,
if the face is huge like 6/700ft (wow thats high) dead onshore may very turbulent until flow is filled in, shape and total size matters.
there are temp gradients to consider as well
the spot may fill in at different times of the day/night. i bet the hang glide crowd would eat that up on top!
most great flat water spots are offshore breeze combos (the exceptions , barrier islands)
onshore breeze BRING the swell and movement