As a kitesurfer you’ve heard this probably already a thousand times: “Well… the wind is good for you right? I had to pedal hard on my bike”. And your answer is probably most of the time: “Uhh… there is no wind!”
It seems that humans and kitesurfers have a very different understanding of (strong) wind. That’s probably also the reason why there are no humans sunbathing on the beach when you are out on your 12m and still think that it’s still not so windy at all, while humans think a storm might be approaching… 😉
Let’s find out how humans and kitesurfers think differently about wind speed.
The definition of (strong) wind
Wind speed: 5 knots (2 bft)
Humans: “Nice, that cooling breeze… That makes the heat a lot more pleasant.”
Kitesurfers: “Again no wind… :-(”
Wind speed: 10 knots (3 bft)
Humans: “The wind makes it quote unpleasant at the beach now… Perfect conditions to go kitesurfing right?”
Kitesurfers: “Still no wind… :-(“
Wind speed: 15 knots (4 bft)
Humans: “It’s pretty windy… I even see the leaves moving. Must be perfect weather to go kitesurfing.”
Kitesurfers: “Mmm… Can I borrow a 17m or foil somewhere?”
Wind speed: 20 knots (5 bft)
Humans: “I’d rather stay inside or out of the wind. Was thinking about taking my bicycle for a ride but the wind is very strong. Pretty strong wind for you to go kiting?”
Kitesurfers: “Hè hè, finally a bit of wind. Must be OK with my 12m”
Wind speed: 25 knots (6 bft)
Humans: “It’s super windy, the flags are tight and the trees are moving. We should secure everything in the garden. You are not going out for a kite sessions with these conditions right?”
Kitesurfers: “Now we are talking… a few extra knots please!”
Wind speed: 30 knots (7 bft)
Humans: “I am completely sandblasted on the beach. I will stay inside and watch Netflix… Are you joining?”
Kitesurfers: “Yeah, 30+ knots sessions are the best ones! Let’s flyyyy”
Wind speed: 40 knots (8 bft)
Humans: “Wow, so much wind! Hopefully everyone is safe inside. It must be very dangerous to go kitesurfing right now.”
Kitesurfers: “Going for that new Woo personal record!”
Wind speed: 50 knots (9-10 bft)
Humans: “It’s code orange… they advice everything to stay inside. There is no one going out for a session now right???”
Kitesurfers (pro’s): “YEAHHH. Hallelujah!”
Kitesurfers (regular): “Let’s take our goggles and watch the pro’s at the beach!”
Does this sound familiar?
Header image credit to CSG Ltd
