Day #39 on the lake

Max Temperature 76 °F / 24 °C
Wind Speed 6 mph / 10 km/h (South)
Max Wind Speed 17 mph / 27 km/h
Max Gust Speed 24 mph / 39 km/h

I was torn between sailing Shutes Branch with Jamey and Monte or going to sail with John C; I chose the latter because John has the Starboard Serenity which is touring the country and I wanted a ride before it leaves town this Saturday.

As you can see above, we had great weather and wind, but unfortunately we did not get to the water in time to see that wind. I saw a couple of whitecaps, but they were few and far between.

Everything I've read about the Serenity says you don't need a lot of sail to enjoy it, but I wanted to rig just once and planned on spending the bulk of my time planing on the AHD, so I rigged 9.5. It was certainly more power than the Serenity needed and that, in addition to my back being out of whack, are the main reasons I did not enjoy it. This board seems to have 1/10th the drag of other hulls and just takes off immediately. It is also quite narrow and as soon as you weight the board wrong, it starts turning. My aching back made me timid, so I let the board go where I had told it to go and was soon in the drink.

I soon went back and got the AHD and John and I sailed for about an hour, me on AHD/9.5 and John on Kona/7.5 Zenith. It was nice to blow by John for a change. :)

John's golf cart, all loaded up for the 1/2 block trek to the launch site.

Signed by Tiesda, cool!

Jim Drake designed it, but can't spell it. Hmm, I bet Newman Darby could. :)

Driving back to town.

Day #38 on the lake

Max Temperature 71 °F / 21 °C
Wind Speed 7 mph / 12 km/h (South)
Max Wind Speed 14 mph / 23 km/h
Max Gust Speed 21 mph / 34 km/h

I almost didn't sail today because the neighbors kept me awake until after 6:00 AM and I barely got three hours' sleep; but I had left messages for Jamey and Monte the night before and when Jamey called and said they were going, I psyched myself up and went and was really glad I did.

Monte's Superlight blew off his roof racks a few weeks ago, so he brought his DuFour Wing, but since he didn't think to bring the mast extension for it, he had only the base to work with and therefore rigged a 5.3. We were rigging about 1:45 and at times I was tempted to sail the AHD and let him sail my Superlight, but there was a large wind shadow at the boat ramp, so I didn't.

It was me on S'light/9.5, Monte on Wing/5.3 and Jamey on NTrance/6.3. We raced upwind and I was amazed at how well Monte did on that little sail (Monte is 200 lbs.) I railed the Superlight and shot upwind, then hung out to wait for them. Then we all worked on light wind jibes, I sailed fin first, and we had a ball for about 2 1/2 hours.

These guys have never sailed larger sails and two minutes after I swapped with Monte, the wind died, and boy, do I mean died. We all headed for the boat ramp, Monte caught me and we switched back, and I pumped like mad to get to shore before dark. The sun didn't set as quickly as I thought it would, with sunset officially taking place at 4:35 and it was still light at 5:00, but I used a flashlight to check for anything we might be forgetting.

What a nice day, I'm glad I've still got a longboard.

Day #37 on the lake

Max Temperature 66 °F / 18 °C
Wind Speed 7 mph / 12 km/h (SSE)
Max Wind Speed 16 mph / 26 km/h
Max Gust Speed 21 mph / 34 km/h
Water Temp: low 60's

I expected to post a nice report a week ago, but missed two good days because there was nobody to sail with. Last Sunday looked great and last Monday saw gusts over 55 MPH and I won't go out in that kind of wind without company. Yesterday I finally got back on the lake.

I drove to Hamilton Creek and saw one or two whitecaps, but it was mostly hovering around 10MPH, so I called Bob and said I didn't think I would sail. He called back 15 minutes later and said he was going to go to Cook, so I went home and grabbed the trailer, calling Jamey on the way. When I was a mile from Cook, Bob called and said it was too light and he was leaving.

Jamey and I met at Cook around 1:30; I rigged 9.5/big AHD and Jamey sailed his NTrance and 6.5 (his only gear). I saw the best wind of the day when I pulled into the parking lot. If only I had a nickel for every time I've said that...

We could have sure used more wind, but there were seven or eight sailboats out, one or two powerboats and no PWC, so it was nice to be out on the water. In the 45 minutes we sailed, I had three or four nice runs in the straps and the rest was fast slogging.

We met a couple who just bought a Hobie Wave and they had a great Rottweiller that really enjoyed playing with (my dog) Shadow. We met another nice couple who had a Border Collie and a Beagle. All dogs got along really well. I also met an older family who was out walking and taking photos and a Greek man who was doing the same. It was a nice low-key day and all the right people seemed to know it; i.e., no jet-skiers!

Day #36 on the lake

Max Temperature 84 °F / 28 °C
Wind Speed 5 mph / 13 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 17 mph / 28 km/h
Max Gust Speed 25 mph / 41 km/h

At 6:30pm it is still 80 degrees and SSE 14 gusting to 21. I sure did hate to quit today.

It was too windy for Bob H. to work with the kite, so he rigged 9.0 and I rigged 7.5/Fanatic. We hit the water around 12:30 and it immediately picked up.

I made a couple of OP'd runs, got a leg cramp, and came in for more downhaul and some hydration. I tried to get some video of Bob, but he was too far away. He looked way powered up and after a pretty good crash, I thought surely he'd had enough, but he headed the far side of the lake, so I went back out.

I sailed between Luau Island and the big one, going on a fast broad reach and my stupid footstrap had come out, so I sailed into a hole and fixed it. When I got back up, it was serious 5.5 or better and I was barely hanging on. I got back and saw Bob had come in, so I did too. We were both done for the day.

Day #35 on the lake

Max Temperature 82 °F / 27 °C
Wind Speed 4 mph / 10 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 16 mph / 26 km/h
Max Gust Speed 18 mph / 30 km/h

I sure was glad I forgot my full wetsuit today, because I might have worn it. I wore the only suit in the car, a shortie, and it was perfect.

Bob H. called right after I left the house and as I came to OHB, he pulled onto Bell Road, so we got to Cook at the same time.

It looked really good and I thought I would sail 7.5/Fanatic to conserve my energy, but it just wasn't enough. I hit the water at 12:45, had one nice run toward Elm Hill, semi-planed back to the beach, rigged 9.5/AHD and planed almost the entire time until I quit at 4:20.

It was a gorgeous day with only a couple of powerboats after 3pm and one jet-ski, which I only saw for a couple of minutes. I spun out my big Tectonics fin for the second time in 7 years -- in about the same spot on the lake I did it the first time and with the same wind direction (south). Southerlies are especially strong up near the mouth to Hamilton Creek and that is where it happened both times.

Bob planned to try riding a board with his kite today, but his lines kept messing up. Still he flew it a lot and it sure was cool to look at. Several boats parked near him and watched for quite some time.

Day #34 on the lake

Max Temperature 75 °F / 23 °C
Wind Speed 8 mph / 13 km/h (NW)
Max Wind Speed 17 mph / 27 km/h
Max Gust Speed 24 mph / 39 km/h
GPS Max: 23.5 MPH

The forecast of 5-15 had several of us making plans the night before, but we did not expect it to be this good. Monte D., Jamey R. and I launched at Cook. Bob H. was also in attendance, but is still learning his new kite gear and didn't sail.

The wind line was so far out that I was torn between 9.5 and 7.5, finally choosing to go big rather than risk schlogging. That fear was unfounded; I don't think I came off plane in the 2 1/2 hours I sailed.

I was really impressed with how well Monte and Jamey did without harnesses. At one point I had a fully to overpowered reach from the end of the Anderson Road Walking Trail to above Cook Point, where I stopped to rest. When I realized it was way too windy to waterstart, I looked for them and they were both in the water near the end of Bear Island, so I thought I better head down there and give them a hand. By the time I got there, they were both well upwind.

I have no photos from today as I only had my film camera, but I'll post them when the roll is done.

Day #33 on the lake

Air Temp: Mid 70's
Wind: 4-8 mph
GPS: Are you kidding?

I barely got on a board today. Monte called and wanted to try a Superlight, so I met him and Jamie at Hamilton Creek. I just got my car out of the shop and wanted to bring my dog to the lake and just hang out and take some photos.

The wind was better than what I was seeing at the house, but it was just enough to putt around.

Monte loved the Superlight, Shadow swam a lot and I really enjoyed the weather.

Day #32 on the lake

Max Temperature 84 °F / 28 °C
Wind Speed 5 mph / 9 km/h (NNE)
Max Wind Speed 20 mph / 32 km/h
Max Gust Speed 31 mph / 50 km/h

The forecast was iffy and Bob H. had errands, so I planned on staying off the lake; but when Monte called around 2:45, I was dying to get out there. We met at Hamilton Creek 30 minutes later and I rigged 9.5/AHD as the whitecaps blew over near Bear Island. Monte has a BIC Wing with a nightmare boom, so I figured I would quickly leave him in the dust.

Nope. He got on the water before I did. I caught a gust and waterstarted, then schlogged for 30 minutes. Not only was Monte faster (except for the 2-3 short runs I had), he went upwind really well. I wish I had brought the Superlight so I could have better taken advantage of having someone to sail with.

Oh well, I'm sure glad we got out. It was a fabulous day.

Day #31 on the lake

Max Temperature 89 °F / 31 °C
Wind Speed 1 mph / 4 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 16 mph / 26 km/h
Max Gust Speed 22 mph / 35 km/h
Max GPS: 23.4 mph

I got to Cook at 12:30 and saw Robin F. on the water. With his only sail being a 4.5, I wasn't surprised by his lack of speed, but he seemed to be doing well.

I saw some good wind as I rigged 9.5 and AHD, but it was much lighter by the time I hit the water. Winds were shifty, but predominately east as Robin and I worked toward the end of Bear Island. The trip up there wasn't really worth it and we headed back toward the beach, but I saw a good gust coming and stayed upwind waiting for it. I'm sure glad I did, I had a great 23.4 mph run back to the beach... and that was my one run today.

Bob brought his new 8.0 kite to the beach, but it only got rigged and wet, never airborne, as the wind died.

Day #30 on the lake

Max Temperature 73 °F / 22 °C
Wind Speed 9 mph / 15 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 15 mph / 24 km/h
Max Gust Speed 22 mph / 35 km/h

Wunderground got it right when they predicted the best wind before noon. Bob H. called just after 9am and said he was heading out, so I scarfed down some oatmeal and hit the shower. he called back before I pulled out of the driveway to say Hamilton Creek was going off!

I got there to see him coming in to switch from the 9.0 to 11.0, which surprised me as it looked good in front of Bear Island, but I took his word for it and rigged 9.5 and AHD.

We sailed for about two hours, me in a shortie and Bob in swim trunks. I fell twice and my head got cold even though the water was warm, so I came in to grab some nourishment, but it was getting light as I got to shore. Bob followed me in a few minutes later and we called it a day.

FALL IS HERE!!! :)

Day 29 on the lake

Max Temperature 93 °F / 33 °C
Wind Speed 6 mph / 12 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 13 mph / 20 km/h
Max Gust Speed 24 mph / 39 km/h
Max GPS: 22.6 mph

I got to the lake around 11:10 and rigged 5.5, thinking it might be too much. Bob H. arrived 10 minutes later and I went out to see if the 5.5 was going to work as it had let up a little.

I had one great run and one just *okay* run, stayed out for 20 minutes, and then came in to rig bigger. I was not going to make the same mistake I made yesterday of staying with too small a sail.

The 9.5 and AHD were the right call and Bob sailed his IMCO/11.0. We did some drag racing and I took the lead in the gusts, but he has the sub-planing advantage. I sailed up to the bottom of the entrance to Hamilton Creek. I had planned to get to Anderson Road boat ramp and take a break; then when the wind freshened, I would do this big downwinder back to the beach. Unfortunately, it got light once I got up there and it was going to take forever to get to the boat ramp, so I took the first good gust and had a nice broad reach half way to Bear Island and then it died.

I did a dead run past Bear Island, aiming for the end of Cook, but caught some gusts before I got there and took a ride toward Seven Points. I sailed about half way to the swimming beach, saw my ride home coming down from the bridge, and thought I better take it, so I turned and headed back.

We sailed until about 4:00 pm and just as we were about to get in our cars, Monte D. and then Jamey R. showed up. I helped them rig and watched them both sail. They both have the basics and are ready to rig bigger and try harnesses.

Man, it was humid on the beach, but there was almost no boat traffic. YAY!

Karla is back from Aruba

I think Hurricane Felix arrived the day she was supposed to take a lesson, but she did get out one day and had a ball. She and her sister both took a lesson, although it sounds like the outfit was more of a tourist thing than a real windsurfing place. Anyway, now she knows what good wind is like!

Day 28 on the lake

Max Temperature 88 °F / 31 °C
Wind Speed 2 mph / 6 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 14 mph / 22 km/h
Max Gust Speed 23 mph / 37 km/h

Bob H. and I hit the water around 1pm. It blew great as I rigged the 7.5/Fanatic, but I had a lot of schlogging the first hour and came in for the 9.5 & AHD. I had a headache and decided not to rig the 9.5, instead taking the 7.5 and AHD.

That was a decent combination as the water was pretty flat. Bob was on 11.0/IMCO, but could not keep up with me when I caught a good gust and went way upwind, past Goose and Bear Islands and almost to Hamilton Creek.

I had a good couple of hours up there, but saw that the wind was going to die and headed for the beach. Bob also saw the dying winds and headed in.

Half hour later a new guy, Robin, appeared with a new Nova 165 and a 4.5. He was still sailing in the rain when I left.

It was a nice day and tomorrow calls for S 10-15!

I am in a boat catalog

Triton Boats hired me on August 7th to be in a photoshoot for their new pontoon boat. Does that 4.6 look about right for the conditions? :)

Here are the photos:

Karla is off to Aruba!

Karla and her sister fly to Aruba today. I can't wait to hear how it went!

Day 27 on the lake

Wind: Lots of glass, 8 in the gusts
Air Temp: HOT!

I've been dying to sail with Jamey R. He sailed a "barge" in the 80's has barely been on a board since, and just bought a Mistral NTrance with a 6.5 Ezzy Superlight rig.

He's got a bad habit of going downwind on Port, but he can pretty much get where he wants to go. We sailed most of the way to Bear Island, but Jamey turned and headed back for the beach when it threatened to die.

When we got 1/3 mile from the beach, the wind shifted north, which was offshore. He did a great job of getting back. I look forward to sailing with him this fall.

Day 26 on the lake

Forecast: SW 10-20
Wind Speed 4 mph / 9 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 17 mph / 28 km/h
Max Gust Speed low 30's
(wunderground says Max Gust 24 mph; bull)
Max Temperature 97 °F / 36 °C

According to wunderground, max gusts were 24, but they were definitely 30 and the whole synopsis of today is bull. It was often low 20's with gusts to low 30's.

I was supposed to meet Bob H. at Cook at 11:00, but I ran 1/2 hour late. I got to Cook, found no Bob in sight and began rigging the 7.5, but as it picked up, I left the 7.5 with a mast in her and rigged a 5.5 for the 101 liter Veloce.

Bob finally showed up and rigged a 7.5 (he's 230 lbs.) as it blew like stink. We got on the water at 12:45 and both of us had lots of good runs, but there were holes. John C. showed up and was rigging 6.0 for his Screamer, but broke his mast. I lent him my 460, so that took my 7.5 out of the picture, which I was planning to switch to. Oh well, it was worth it to see John sail.

I quit at 2:45 as my legs were tired and the wind was too variable for my taste. Bob & John came in 30 minutes later.

It is a Hot & Dry August

We've seen several new record high temps this August; it's been over 100 degrees for 11 of the last 12 days, we are in a severe draught, and we have had 11 heat-related deaths in the state. Most nights it is still in the mid 90's at 10:00 PM and next week brings more of the same.

The lake's surface water temperature is 87.0 degrees Fahrenheit, and 86.5 degrees at 10 feet. That's too warm to be refreshing. Lake level is 8/10ths below normal summer pool and that makes a difference; I've dinged the Superlight centerboard several times at Hamilton Creek.

Daily forecasts are never better than 5-10, but many days we see 6-20 or something equally lousy. Sometimes we see a good 12 knot breeze for 10 minutes and then it's gone. I sure don't want to be stuck in the middle of the lake holding a 9.5 when it dies.

Mistral NTrance: What a Nice Board

I sailed a Mistral NTrance XL today in 5 mph wind and thought it was fabulous. The 58 year old owner sailed an original tanker in the mid-80's and had not been on a board since. After I took it for a test ride, he went out and did really well.

He bought it with an Ezzy Superlight 6.5, which as you can see from Ezzy's site is not a high-end sail, but feels great and responsive and is well made.

Ezzy says the package comes with a 30% 460, but his came with a 450, which I hate to see. Why stick us with a non-standard mast length? I fault the shop for that. He also got a no-name mast base and the cleat is so wide that the line would not cleat off. I had Formuline and two other nice types of line and thank God the black/blue Chinook line worked in this base. I would recommend that any beginner who buys gear ask for a Chinook or other well known base as well as a standard length mast.

I don't see the NTrance on Mistral's site, so here are the specs from another site:

volume: 240
length: 290
width: 90
weight (kg): 13.9
construction: hrs composite / EVA
rec. sailsize: 6.8-10.5
freeride fin: 34

Day #25 on the lake, Day #4 for Karla

Max Temperature 93 °F / 33 °C
Wind Speed 8 mph / 12 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 17 mph / 28 km/h
Max Gust Speed 22 mph / 35 km/h

Part I


Part II

We didn't see the unpredicted wind reflected in the gold box above; that came after Karla left.

Karla hit the water around 11:00 am with Superlight and 5.3, sailing in 5-8 with occasional gusts to 11-ish. She had several crashes, but did extremely well. Sure, she still did some rounding up and falling and got backwinded a few times, but she also hung from the boom and got her speed up. It was a great day for her. A couple of times the wind shifted, she got backwinded but kept her cool, sailed backwards a bit and then recovered and went forward.

She left around 4 and I put the 9.5 on the Superlight. I wasn't sure I could get out of the cove without the wind dying, but it picked up once I got past the Marina and was blowing high teens on the lake. I had minimal downhaul and it was hairy reaching across big chop, so I came in and packed up after one run. Too bad it didn't do this last week when lake traffic was light.

A Great HIHO Report!

Read the best HIHO Report ever and check out the video below!

Old School Freestyle

The Peconic Puffin's Blog is full of treasures. One of my absolute favorites is this Old School Freestyle Video.

YouTube - Learn To Windsurf

I found this nice video from Starboard which features the Starboard Start beginner board. They made the center fin retractable, so it is now actually a centerboard and I think is a vast improvement over the centerfin because you can retract it on the water.

Tim W. & Bob R. Photo

I'm dying to post something new since I moved this to Blogger, so here are Tim W. and Bob R. from a few autumns ago.

Day #24 on the lake

Max Temperature 86 °F / 30 °C
Forecast: NE 10-15
Wind Speed 5 mph / 8 km/h (NNE)
Max Wind Speed 17 mph / 27 km/h
Max Gust Speed 23 mph / 37 km/h

Karla had her third lesson today and I had hoped to get her more powered up. Hamilton Creek Cove certainly did not see all the wind the lake saw, but we had our fair share of gusts and Karla got overpowered several times. She often points too high and is barely moving, but occasionally bares off and goes. I just cannot get her to step back and hang, but we’re getting there.

{ Part I }

{ Part II }

I took the AHD and a paddle so I could do rescues and at one point, Karla ended up in the end of the cove and I went and got her. My tow line was too short, so she had to paddle out while I sailed the Superlight back upwind. I had rigged the 5.3 for her and when I got back to shore, I rigged the 4.6 and it worked much better.

We were on the water by 11:30 AM and quit at 7 PM, so it was a long day of sailing for her. It looked like a great 9.5 day out on the lake, but Tim is sunburned from last Thursday, Bob was tied up with a church function, and it was the weekend, so I would not have wanted to sail anyway. Temps and humidity were low for July and it was a fabulous day to be outside. Karla and I were chilly when we got wet. This is great camping weather!

What sailing means to Finian Maynard

What does sailing mean to you?

It means independence, a time to harness the power of nature. Without being on the water I don’t know how I could stand being on land so often.

– Finian Maynard, World Speed Record Holder

Day #23 on the lake!!!

Max Temperature 95 °F / 35 °C
Forecast: SW 5-15
Wind Speed 3 mph / 10 km/h
Max Wind Speed 15 mph / 24 km/h
Max Gust Speed 24 mph / 39 km/h

NEW GPS RECORD!!! 23.8 mph

They called for wind, but not this much wind!


I got on the water at 11:30 with the Fanatic, 7.5 and 13.5 ATX fin and had some great runs! Tim finally got on the water about an hour later. I had just thought how great I was pointing and how rusty Tim must be, but he shot upwind like a rocket and I worked for 30 minutes to get upwind to him. Winds were really gusty and shifty; we rarely caught the same lift or header.

I sailed from 11:30- 2:00, took an hour break, went back out for 30 minutes and was done.

Day #22 on the lake

I went to Hamilton Creek for Karla’s second lesson. I considered rigging the 9.5 and going out on the Superlight, but the wind was so light that I didn’t bother. I rigged the 5.3 for Karla and went out in the cove.

I thought Karla got home from work at 5, but she actually leaves Green Hills at 5. She arrived at HC around 6:30 and did really well again.

At one point, she was going to weather, but made a big downwind turn, sailed 50 feet, tried to tack, got backwinded and fell. She asked about this later and I explained what happened.

She has a bad habit of looking at the sail and not watching her direction, but at the end of the session I got her to steer the board back and forth, so I believe she will really make progress next time.

Also, she tends to drop the sail anytime she gets overpowered, so I told her to drop her butt next time. I hope this works so we can get her out in more wind and get her speed up!

Day #21 on the lake (barely)

Today was to be Karla’s second lesson. She was coming out after work, so I went and rigged the 5.3 and put the Superlight uphaul on it. She ran home first and I was all rigged, so I went out to make sure the uphaul was going to stay tied. After 30 minutes of messing around I dropped the sail, grabbed the uphaul and it broke in half. I was sure glad this happened to me rather than Karla.

I unplugged the mastfoot, dropped the sail, grabbed the boom and tried to stick the foot in the base, but did not want to scratch up the board, so I just held it for a few minutes and reached the far shore.

Day #20 on the lake

Wind: 3-10, gusts 12

Tim met me at Hamilton Creek at 10:30 to sell me his 5.3 ProgressLine, which I will use for teaching. Karla, who found me on the Internet a week ago, arrived an hour later for her first lesson. Tim took off, but came back several hours later and took some photos which you will see below. THANKS, TIM!

Since this was my first beginner lesson this year, I thought I better make some notes last night and was glad I did. I printed and followed them for the land-based instruction.

Karla did really, really well and stayed upwind for the first part of the day, but began heading downwind later. Once when she sailed way downwind, I got her to meet me at the shore, I took over, and she first knealed and then stood up as I took us upwind.

She did so well that I taught her to bypass the uphaul on tacks, instead grabbing the mast as she steps around.

It was a true pleasure to have her as a student and I think she will be around for a long time!


Nice uphaul form!






Look how light the wind is. Look at that little 5.3.
Look at the trail behind Karla. That is good sailing!

YouTube - Stand Up Paddling (SUP)

Standing on your board and paddling is all the craze. I've sat and paddled several times and didn't see what all the fuss was about until I saw this:

Day #19 on the lake

Max Temperature 89 °F / 31 °C
Wind Speed 7 mph / 12 km/h
Forecast: NW 5-15 or NW 10-20 (wunderground/weather channel)
Max Wind Speed 13 mph / 20 km/h
Max Gust Speed 22 mph / 35 km/h
GPS: forgot to start the timer :(

I got busy building a new trailer box and then the rain kicked in and the wind died. We finally got some today, but boy it was trashy.It rained this morning, then the sun came out, but there wasn’t any wind until around noon. I took the trailer first to the dam, where I saw wind come from every direction at the same time, depending on where you were.

Then I drove to Cook and wished I’d brought the Superlight, as it was perfect 6 knots and not a soul in site.

Then I went to Cool Swimming Area and it looked like 8-9 over by Elm Hill Marina, but it would been iffy to get there.

Finally, I went to Hamilton Creek Boat Ramp and it was really dead all the way to Bear Island. After I picked up trash left from 4th of July fireworks, I went and gassed up and hit BK for a sandwich.

I went back to the boat ramp and thought I saw a couple of whitecaps. The wind was a litte more Northerly now and I thought I could make it out, but I wasn’t positive I would plane and wished I had the 10.5. I rigged the 9.5 with minimal downhaul.

Winds were so light I had to uphaul even though there were some gusts at the ramp. 30 yards out I fell when the wind died. As soon as I uphauled, the wind picked up, I got in the straps and was flying upwind. I was pointing really high and was getting so overpowered I had to bear off. I headed to the end of Anderson Road walking trail up by Bear Island to batten down the hatches. When I got there, I hopped off and looked upwind to see solid whitecaps! Damn, I wish I was on 5.5 right now and I’m quite sure 5.0 would work, too.

The water was really rough and I didn’t want to lug everything to shore and downhaul, so I moved the outhaul to the bottom grommet and maxxed the outhaul.

I was so OP’d going back toward the boat ramp that I stopped at the Anderson Rd. boat ramp to downhaul, but now it had let up and I decided to head in. Only the wind shifted and I had a terrible time getting back; I must have tacked a dozen times.

Once I got on the other side, the wind was alternately huge gusts and huge holes. I would see a gust coming, it would hit, off I would go only to get backwinded by a gust coming from the opposite direction.

I sailed for 40 minutes and that was enough.

The wunderground graph is complete bull as are the “Max” numbers above. I know I saw solid mid to high 20’s.

Another Sailable Day - 4th of July

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007

Though they only forecast SW5-10, it’s been blowing for a couple of hours as of 9:30 AM & is currently SW12 gusting to 17. Oh, how I wold love to be out there, but I drove over the dam yesterday and saw more boats and PWC on the lake than I have ever seen. Besides, I am going to give the new trailer one more day in the sun to dry, it still has no roof and no rack.

The Proper Roof Rack Strap Method

It is best to twist according to the following formula:

Number of twists = strap length / board volume + number of cams in largest sail. ;)

– Glenn Woodell

Day #18 on the lake

NEW GPS SPEED RECORD! 24.0 mph

Max Temperature 88 °F / 31 °C
Wind Speed 3 mph / 9 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 15 mph / 24 km/h, mostly NE
Max Gust Speed 22 mph / 35 km/h
My Max Speed: 24.0 mph
Avg Speed: 5.6 mph
Distance: 17.33 miles

AHD Attitude Inspiro
9.5 V8
Techtonics Maui 58cm

I got on the water at Hamilton Creek Boat Ramp at 11:30 AM and sailed pretty much solid for 2 1/2 hours. I came in when I saw Bob H. rigging a 9.0, gave him a downhaul tool which he so needed, and was back out in 10 minutes.

I soon hit 20 on the GPS and hit 22.8 at one point, but I really wanted to hit 23. My last run in was a broad reach and I believe that is when I hit the big 24. I would guess, partially due to the smallish chop on that run, that max wind was 16 mph.

First sesh: 2:20 hours
Second sesh: 30 minutes.

Here is my course:



It was great day and I am tired.

Longboard Sailing

HOT Sails Maui owner Jeff Henderson says in an interview at Robert Masters’ Stable Road website:

Longboard windsurfing is the yoga of windsurfing.

So true.

Day #17 on the lake

Thursday, June 14th, 2007

Max Temperature 92 °F / 33 °C
Wind Speed 2 mph / 4 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 14 mph / 22 km/h (I saw this when I got home this evening)
Max Gust Speed - none
GPS: Yeah, right.

I went to Hamilton Creek even though the forecast was NE 5. I arrived at noon, rigged Superlight/6.3 and putted around. There were some decent 7-8 puffs, so I worked on fast tacks and got them down much better.

Robyn finally made it out around 3:30 and we worked on her tacks and upwind techinque. She only sailed for 30 minutes and had to leave. I headed out of the harbor into the lake and there was a solid 9; I might have had fun on the 9.5. I made just a few short runs, then headed back.

The Only Suit That Matters Is A Wetsuit.

We’re playing “pass around the quote”. I found this on Bunts Blog. Bunty found it on Boardseeker. The person who posted it in Boardseeker apparently found it on a South African windsurfing site that is unidentified.

“Windsurfing is not just a sport, nor is it just a pass-time or something to do on a weekend, not to me anyway. It’s a partnership between man and the power of the elements, a relationship with the wind and the water. Windsurfing is like swimming with dolphins, or riding on the back of a lion. It’s humbling and empowering at the same time. It’s everything.

People are forever changed by windsurfing. It alters your priorities and it fills you with a sense of awe. Suddenly, the importance of your bank balance and the car you drive diminishes. The only suit that matters is a wetsuit. People’s opinions become less important. Investment-trust pish-pash, anti-ageing cream big whoop.

The allure of the city lights grow weaker and the call of the wild grows stronger. Bad weather is good weather, terrible weather - even better. When the parasols are hurredly removed from the beaches in the advent of a storm, when the sky and the water seems furious and sand stings your legs, that’s when the windsurfers appear.

So if it seems that we’re uninterested in your board meeting, or our glaringly absent faces betray our indifference to your marketing pitch, it’s not that we don’t like you, we just don’t care. We answer to a higher calling…”

Borrowed from The Peconic Puffin

Day #16 on the lake >> YEAH, BABY!

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

Max Temperature 88 °F / 31 °C
Wind Speed 4 mph / 8 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed 18 mph / 30 km/h
Max Gust Speed 24 mph / 39 km/h
GPS Top Speed: 20.7 MPH

What a great day! It’s 6:15 and still blowing 15 gusting to 21. The forecasts all said NE 5-10. Once forecast last night said 5-15, but this morning that was gone. Still, I had a feeling it would hit 15 and boy was I right! I sailed 7.5 and I bet I planed all but 10 minutes at most.

I checked the dam, but parking was pretty busy even at 11:30, so I went to Hamilton Creek boat ramp and it looked great; side-on and a fair amount of whitecaps up by Bear Island. I thought I could make it up there on 7.5 and AHD, so that is what I took and I was right. I had a bazillion great runs and worked my way up even with Anderson Road Swimming Area and the Elm Hill cliffs. It wa sha-weet! I sailed for an hour and 55 minutes, then came back in. Robyn was finally bringing her own gear, but had no mast and I needed to be there to lend her the correct mast and get her rigged.

Robyn has a narrowish 9′10″ Seatrend and about a 1988 Pryde 6.2 Sprint RAF. My 460 was a bit stiff for the sail, but it rigged okay and off she went. She immediately went downwind as she always does, but she stuck it out and worked her way back upwind. I guess she was out about an hour and I was really proud of her.

When she came back in, I sailed the board across the lake and got planing with the 6.2, but could not make it to the straps, so I moved the mastfoot back and inch and got in the front strap on the way back. What a nice day!