Sometimes You Have To Trust The Forecast...

Forecast for Sunday, Dec 28th was SW winds 10-20mph and temps in the 60s. I figured it would be a great day for my still fairly new 8.0 sail. The wind window of opportunity looked to be between 10am-1pm. I was on the water at 10:30am and it was only blowing around 10-15mph, and still foggy with a light drizzling rain. I start thinking bad thoughts of a skunk. I'm schlogging around out in the lake channel and just hoping for the wind to pick up some. Around 11:30am, it does. A solid 15-20 with gusts to 25. I get to a shallow spot off a land point and add more downhaul and outhaul to my 8.0 and it then proceeds to sail like a dream with good control. I could have been on my 6.4 at this point, but it was a long way back to my launch point and to relaunch from there meant tacking back upwind for 15 minutes or so to get back out in the open channel. I'm back on land just after 1pm as it starts to rain some more. I'm back at home with my family soon after, surrounded by my kids watching that awesome Carolina Panthers win over the New Orleans Saints. A great day all around. Just goes to show....the forecast should sometimes be trusted, even when in doubt. Of course, this doesn't always work and sometimes a skunk happens. When it does, then you write a blog post titled, "Sometimes You Can't Trust The Forecast".

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family...

Enjoy the windsurfing and paddle surfing Santas!

This is John Fulton in Canada...raising awareness for homelessness by windsurfing across the Niagara River as Santa Claus for the 24th consecutive year -


Thanks to Glen for first posting this one of a fellow paddle surfer as Santa in the UK -


and my favorite Christmas ornament...

The Gift

Things happen for a reason. I had a big customer meeting scheduled for today. Two days ago, that customer called to tell me they had a new conflict come up and needed to reschedule. I was disappointed until I realized what the wind forecast was. I took other meetings this morning, then took the afternoon off (and working some over the holidays to catch up and make up for it...amazing how things pile up) to go windsurfing. It was a gift. Air temps in high 60s and it blew SW 20-30. Many of the local crew showed up...about 10 windsurfers and 3 kiters.

Last year by this time, we had several good days on the lake in late fall/early winter. I haven't sailed since October and I felt it too. I'm so not in windsurfing shape right now. Note to self...start the daily pullup routine again (and stretch). Plus, I was on my new board (RRD Freestyle Wave 100lt) and spent the first hour trying to get used to it. I finally got it dialed in and love it.


Donald duck gybing


Dmitri one footed jump...I'm sure that was on purpose ;-)


Tommy blazing a path


James in hot pursuit


Dave kiting towards sunset

Looks like some wind for Sunday too!

Mavericks

Its that time of year when Mavericks is firing. Check out this footage from a big swell there on Nov 30th. This is from the "official" Mavericks web site. Scary stuff....can only watch in awe...

Sigh...

Yes, I'm jealous of those bastards on Maui (and I mean that in the nicest way). Here is video evidence of why I'm so jealous....courtesy of pro windsurfer Kevin Pritchard. Also more evidence of why those new wide angle Go Pro cameras are pretty sweet. Christmas is coming.