Speed-in-a-boat

Fresh from the Olympics.......two man skull.......putting in their Olympic Best over 1-mile:  6-minutes, 13.69 seconds.

When you convert 13.69 seconds into the decimal portion of a minute----then ad-back 6-minutes----then divide into 60 minutes----you get 9.63 miles per hour.

These are Olympic Athletes-----and their best (winning) speed over 1-mile----
And there were TWO guys powering the scientifically optimized PROFILE OF ONE boat....!!!!....

It represents the fastest men can go over mirror-smooth..!!!...water....where that mirror-smoothness is a so so TOTALLY vital a factor.

And finally-----if two olympians can "meter-out" their athletic ability to achieve that speed over 1-mile------Then No Way------would they expend energy at the same pace if the course required them to endure for One Hour...!!!...

So:  Two Olympians; One Mile; Single boat profile; Flat water:  9.63 mph.
This is a Base Line Number.
"Base Line Numbers" are also "Go To Hell" numbers......
You can put them in your back pocket.

When The Chronicle reports that Bay Area Sea Kayakers have "raced" from Alameda around Yerba Buana Island and back----averaging 7 mph----in mixed wind and wave conditions-----

Well yu'know, you can pull that Go To Hell number outta your back pocket and without stopwatch or having been there you can say with complete certainty:  "What nonsense."

Back Pocket Numbers....are an essential part of sentient life.

Judd

How about a 6.2 mph AVERAGE for 24 hours straight in a kayak????

http://race.fit2paddle.com/C2047168441/E20060504085310/index.html

When The Chronicle reports that Bay Area Sea Kayakers have "raced" from Alameda around Yerba Buana Island and back----averaging 7 mph----in mixed wind and wave conditions-----

Well yu'know, you can pull that Go To Hell number outta your back pocket and without stopwatch or having been there you can say with complete certainty:  "What nonsense."

Um, the Chronicle knows the distance, and the elapsed time. Simple math gives you the velocity. Take, for instance, the wave chaser series here in the SF Bay. 10 mile courses being completed in under 1.4-1.5 hours = just about 7 mph.  Read all about it here: http://www.wavechaser.com/race/0708/

Why don't you think that elite kayakers could not race from Alameda to YB and back and average 7 mph? Most races would start before the wind picks, and yet have a tail wind and waves on the stern for the return leg. Pretty darn easy on a surf ski to hold 8-9 mph, if that's the speed of the waves...

Just sayin'
Scott