Sorry, it was obvious to me that the sailor that added Crissy Field was
Swiss (I think) and had not spent a great deal of time there. I was
pointing out the irony in his post. I did post followups to his entry on
the site. You may use the following if you wish on the website. (Note: I
don't sail Crissy very often, however I do sail Treasure Island
regularly, which features similar conditions but less of the hype. I
will add a comment to your site for TI.):
Sharks:
Years of studies performed at the Farallones, 20 miles offshore from San
Francisco, involving observation and tagging of Great White Sharks has
revealed that the same group of whites frequent the Farallones Islands
during September, October and November. In fact, they have all been
given names by the researchers. Upon arrival, they appear much skinnier
then the end of the shark season. During that time they feed on sea
lions. Tagging and tracking has determined that they leave the islands
in November and go far away, some to Hawaii, some to offshore sites near
southern California. We regularly get reports of shark sightings along
the coast, but I do not remember any shark sightings documented in the
bay in the 25+ years I've lived here. Studies with decoys indicate that
whites will attack a surfboard, but not a rectangular shaped board,
apparently they recognize shapes. For a very interesting read on this
topic, read Susan Casey's great book on the sharks at the Farallones
called "The Devil's Teeth". I suspect the sharks of the Farallones
behavior is exhibited by other populations of Great Whites along the
California Coast.
Wind Tunnel:
I suspect what the poster was trying to say is that the gap in the
coastal range that forms the Golden Gate produces strong gusty winds,
which is true. However I doubt the bridge itself has anything to do with
wind conditions 200 feet below the deck.
"Chicks":
Crissy Field is situated near the Marina District of San Francisco,
which is an upscale neighborhood. Multi-use pathways run throughout the
area, and the beach itself is well situated for spectators and other
beach-going people. On sunny weekends, the place is full of appearance-
concious people. I suspect the poster went on a foggy day or weekday.
Perhaps an extremely windy day, which seems to contradict his point
about the flat water.
Flat Water:
Crissy can be flat when the tide is flooding, since the wind is in the
same direction as the current. However it is best experienced on an ebb
when the opposite is true. In that case, the movement of the water
compresses the waves and forms what we locally refer to as "Voodoo
chop" or square waves. Hardly qualifies as flat water with ripples.
Steve
Quote:
> Dear Steve
> As we cannot visit all the surf spots ourselves we have to rely on
> information from our users. I'm afraid that sometimes they may be
> biased towards the personal impression of each individual user.
> If you have more detailed information about the spot crissy fields in
> the SF bay we would be very happy if you could share them with us. How
> about an updated spot entry? Just send me an email we the (more
> correct) info about the spot and I'll update it.
> Or you can also use our new spot form here:
> http://www.soulrider.com/surf-spot/newspot.php
> (Subscribe as new member first. Its free, of course)
> Hang loooose!
> Reto
> http://www.soulrider.com/member/memberdetail.php?id=1
>> Under Crissy, here's some exerpts from the description:
>> "sharks (seals in the bay attract sharks during the summer-months)"
>> Not many big sharks in the bay that I know of
>> "The Golden Gate Bridge acts as a windtunnel so the wind there is
>> especially strong and gusty."
>> Huh?
>> "No waves, no chicks, just windsurfing."
>> Ever been there on a sunny Sunday afternoon?
>> "Water is flat with some ripples"
>> Can you say voodoo chop?
>> Steve
Quote:
>> > Hey Windsurfers!
>> > We started an initiative to list windsurfing spots on google earth.
>> > Here you can find more information about it:
>> > http://www.soulrider.com/osp/surfspots.php
>> > Of course we don't want to overcrowd secret spots. We have a policy
>> > that we only accept position infos of well known spots or even
spots
>> > that have been commercialized by surf shops or travel companies.
>> > It would be cool if you guys would share your infos about spots so
>> that
>> > other windsurfers can benefit from the posts.
>> > Hang loose!
>> > Reto
>> > My Profile: http://www.soulrider.com/member/memberdetail.php?id=1
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