Yesterday the wind died on us completely, so we were sitting on Jordan Lake, and the waves were big enough to bob us up and down uncomfortably.

So ... how is that possible? On a closed lake, what causes waves, if not wind? If there is no wind, how can there be waves of that size?

Jonathan

Well, Loch Ness has a monster, and Lake Erie has a monster (LEM), so I guess you will have to come up with a name for the Jordan Lake Monster.

Motor boaters.

Tons of them.

I think the effect is mostly from motorboat traffic, but is likely to be exaggerated by shoreline shapes.
example : Lake Conroe, in East Texas - a "constant level" lake, i.e. not a reservoir where levels are adjusted dramatically for agricultural needs. In many of the coves or arms of the lakes, the lakefront homeowners have built vertical walls in front of their property, to prevent erosion, have flat lawns, whatever. The effect is remarkable - by 10am, there are standing waves in every cove & arm of the lake, regardless of the wind. It only takes a small amount of boat traffic to start it, and it seems to continue all day.

By contrast, Lake Travis is a reservoir with hugely varying lake levels. But, even when one shoreline is steep, the other is usually a gradual entry. Even on busy motor boat traffic days, once the wakes stop, the waves settle down, too.

There are no verticle sea walls on Jordan... only a massive amount of budweiser-powered rednecks on bass boats that think that their penis size is predicated on the size of their outboard.

I'm really not exaggerating either.

We had the same thing last wekend at Otsego Lake in Gaylord. It was my wife's first time out on the Hobie and, as we sat in the middle of the lake bobbing up and down and not going anywhere, she kept asking, "Is it always like this?"
I had to assure her that, no, it's usually FUN!
It would have been relaxing and a good way to get a tan if it weren't for the plethora of jet skis and powerboats.
Oh, well, hope to get her out on a windy day so I can replace her sniggering with some healthy screams!!

Nick

If the water is deep and the wind calm, catamrans make good diving platforms turned on their side.

Call it righting practice, checking to see if your mast is sealed, or washing off the salt if you need to

And, speaking of tons of powerboats, check out this thread from The Hull Truth Boating Forum . . .

Can they hear us now? Good!!!

This is the great tragedy of catamaran sailing in the South--at least in Louisiana and East Texas. By the time it's warm enough to fly hulls up and down the lake without a wetsuit, you have maybe a month or so of good wind before the powercraft and the stifling heat turn the lakes into "Shake and Bake" hell. I wish I had an answer, aside from moving to another place!

Wow Kevin... that kind of mentality is exactly the kind we have down here on the little lakes of NC. They get so worked up over how macho they are in their huge, overpowered, little skiff that they don't realize how much of a nuisance and environmental detriment they have become. Not to mention, there is no license requirement for small craft operation in NC, half these idiots don't know right-of-way... their method of collision avoidance is more gas. Last time I was on Lake Jordan, I was almost hit by a PWC, and came close to two others. I really wish I had a Windrider Rave sometimes and just blow past these idiots and make them feel really insignificant.

(I know I sound angry)

Instead of further aggravating hostility between powerboaters and sailboaters, wouldn't it be better if sailors would go to powerboat meetings and ask whether any of the powerboaters would be interested in helping out with sailing regattas? And also suggest that the two factions get together and hold a few seminars each year to educate powerboaters about sailing and to educate sailors about the needs of powerboaters and to educate both groups about safety concerns when they have to share a small body of water.

Sigh. That seems plausible.

I guess that also means we should be very skeptical of wave height as a measure of wind on Lake Jordan.

Jonathan

The wind will never kick up waves on a body of water like jordan unless its 40+

The waves are there purely because of the motor boaters. They can traverse the whole lake and never lose height, so just be on the lookout for them.

They're actually a benefit on a windless day and you're trying to get back to vista point. You can catch them and ride them for quite a distance if you're good

Or do you think we could convince them to produce wind instead of waves?

Jonathan

You're saying I can surf on moderate waves in a lake like Jordan? How do I do that?

Jonathan
(who worries that he is being gullible...)

if the wave is big enough, you wont be able to surf it in the sense that you surf a wave at the coast, but you can have it push you along for a good 15 feet before it passes you. Its way easier to do when you have wind... but I've done it a handful of times in windless days. (like today)

I used to have the loud fast powerboats but then one night a friend took me sailing with a full moon on Lake Travis in central Tx and my life was changed forever. There is nothing like sailing, wind or no wind. I just make sure there is more beer on days when the wind is light, and then kick back and enjoy the wildlife.(see attachment) Not to mention my boat kitty is much larger now that I don't have to buy a $100 worth of gas on every outing. Give me my Catalina 27 and my 16ft Prindle over any powerboat any day.
Born Again Boater.,. ,.,}=)))*>

we have kayaks and paddle when the wind dies. powerboat wakes become surfing opportunities! at our regatta last weekend my friend tena was at the leeward mark in her yak to cheer us around the mark, then she paddled straight upwind to the windward mark finish line, she was waiting for us at the finish with cold coronas. what a woman! kayaks- i find myself paddling more and more. a great way to be on the water especially if the wind is too light- or heavy- for sailing

I agree with the Kayak idea. We bought a demo Hobie Mirage from Key Sailing. What a blast and great exercise for the legs. We take it along when we go sailing for those times when the kids get bored or when the winds die. Just sit back, gab the rudder handle to steer and peddle your touché off. Of course, we are constantly on the lookout for power boaters and jetskies as we sit rather low in the water. The thing is pretty fast if you have strong legs!

Final comment; my kids actually like it when the winds die. They simply use the boat as a large raft from which they dive and do flips into the water.

Bob Klein
Inter 18 + Hobie Kayak

You're right about kayaks being hard to see because they sit so low in the water. Isn't there something similar to a bicycle flag to make it more visible? Kevin ought to know.