Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Statistics HEAVEN

It's so nice to have a hobby to obsess over.

Yesterday I entered the records from all my 2007 windsurfing sessions (which I scrawl on my wall calendar) into a spreadsheet. Today I spent two hours fiddling with fun graphs and tables while reflecting on all the good times had on the water.

Some highlights:

I windsurfed 154 times, or 42% of the days of the year.
The most I windsurfed in a month was 22 days in September.
The least I windsurfed in a month was 3 days in February.
The average temperature I went out in was 75 degrees.
The coldest was 42 degrees on February 3 at Geddings House.
The hottest was 95 degrees on August 4 at the Lotto Regatta at Andersen Park.

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I sailed in 23 different places in 4 states.
The spot I launched from most was VIMS Beach.

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I sailed on 14 different boards (actually it was 18, but I only counted the ones that were my primary board for a session).
The board I sailed most often was the Kona Style.
I bought 2 boards and sold 4 boards, ending with 3 boards of my own.

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The average sail size I used was 7.2 meters squared.
The smallest sail size I used was 3.0 meters squared at Factory Point on May 6.
The biggest sail size I used was 9.8 meters squared; I used it mainly for regattas.
The average winds I sailed in were 8 - 16 knots.
The most wind I sailed in was 40 knots on April 16 at VIMS Beach.
The least wind I sailed in was 0-5 knots on August 4 at the @#$%^&* Lotto Regatta.
I caught the most wind per session in November, when my average sail size was 5.2.
I caught the least wind per session in June, when my average sail size was 7.9.

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I sailed in every possible wind direction.
The wind I sailed most often was East, which is a typical summer thermal on the York River.

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There were lots of ecstatically wonderful sessions, but the best was July 19th in the warm ocean at Edisto Island, SC. The wind was 17-20 knots, the waves were challenging but fun, and I was "dialed-in" with a 5.8 sail and the Fanatic Skate. I got lots of sweet jumps and carves and totally raced alongside a jetski with babes riding on it. I was glorious. That's not a typo it's vanity.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You really should change your dissertation subject. :-) Great stats!
Deb

James Douglass said...

Thanks, deb. :)

PeconicPuffin said...

Thank you, James. I have logs of every day I sailed last year...the gear I sailed, the locations I sailed, planing vs nonplaning days, but you outdo me. Now in good concscience I can tell my wife and friends that at least one person is crazier than me in this department. I no longer define the end of the bell curve.

-Michael (who was just taking a break from laying out the grid lines in my new sailing diary when he stumbled on this post.)

Paul Richardson said...

I admire your dedication to your art. Rock on!