ARCHIVE: Where We Sailed Today, Thread Part I.

victor · Joined: 03 Aug 1998 Posts: 581

... (it was enjoyable to smoke a kiteboarder, if only briefly)...

aren't they a little hard to keep lit?

beallmd · Joined: 10 May 1998 Posts: 1154

Take it from a Washoer, when it's windy we have an extra gear and can outrun them if we want. And yes there might be smoke on or around the beach in some cases, some are Burning Man folks...

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

Yeah, STAY AWAY FROM CRISSY!
We don't need more windsurfer's there, it's already 1/4 crowded.
Stay in your inland lake and fight the trout.
Now if you're a girl, I'll tell you it's totally safe from sharks, as the nearest bite occured at both Baker'sBeach and KirbyCove, both in waist deep water.
Surfing easy 1,000 days at OBSF, windsurfing at Crissy close to 700 days, never encountered anyone who got bit or saw anyone get bit there.
But stay away anyways.

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

As for windsurf vs kite, ws advantage in speed, by about 5 mph for most rec windsurfers vs rec kiters.
In course racing, Formula goes faster but lower upwind, so the kiteboards with THREE 40cm TetonicsGoldwings beat the windsurfers upwind AND downwind, as they can go almost straight downwind, slower speed, much better angle.

KevinDo · Joined: 02 Jul 2012 Posts: 426 Location: Cabrillo Inside

Didn't bring enoug cash so I'm currently waiting outside cabriilo beach for wind lol

veterduet · Joined: 29 Jun 2000 Posts: 268

Nice day at Marina Bay. Said Hi! to a seal 50yards out from the beach launch. Sharks can't be far behind. Better stay away from here as well.

Of course windsurfers don't need to worry about moving faster than a shark - they just need to move faster than the nearest kiter! Very Happy

NickB · Joined: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 510 Location: Alameda, CA

Was able to get off work early Tuesday and caught some (barely) 135L/7.0@145lb conditions in the Harbour Bay Ferry channel 3:30p-4:30p, mostly planing but took some subtle trim, back foot often in front of its strap. Then a 10 minutes slog back.

Yesterday (Wednesday) looked like it would be a repeat, so I opted for 260L/7.7, and the wind decided to crank up to 15-20mph (4p-5:30p), filling in nicely all the way to the beach. Quite a workout on that setup, with a new PB of 23.6mph on this monster (straps removed for a good old-school feel, so a few very close calls in the chop!).

Thursday repeat of Wednesday, a little less gusts and chop. 260L/7.7 4p-6:30p.

tajella · Joined: 23 Oct 2001 Posts: 53

What brand and model board and sail are you using. Pretty cool that you are getting all these good days in at Alameda.

NickB · Joined: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 510 Location: Alameda, CA

Hi Bob,

Alameda is now the only spot were I windsurf (I just pull my gear on a caddy through a couple of streets and a park to the beach), so I had to adapt my equipment.

For the white-cap days and/or very low tide, I use a RRD Fireride 135L with twin 24cm weed fins (Unifiber/Lessacher) with a 7.0 Ezzy Freeride IV sail. This has been my favorite Alameda setup for 3 seasons, getting me planing sessions pretty much every time I suspected enough wind (even if far outside, likely when OAK is reading >17mph). It has also always brought me back through countless boring hours of slog between the beach and the capricious wind line. The Ezzy is extremely tunable and pulls like a horse when bagged out, yet I can handle it up to 25mph gusts when flat (rare, and I usually stop then to preserve my ankles).

This year, in an effort to extend my TOW to non-planing days, I added a 2012 Starboard Phantom 320, which I use with an old NP Hellcat 7.7 bagged-out for light-wind. Even though I don't use it for its intended purpose (and I'm sure it'd be awesome with the recommended 8.5/9.5 race quiver), I have been having a blast and planing much more often than I would have thought: I leave the beach with the 78cm centerboard down and the mast track forward, I ride/foil it upwind on the rail looking for more wind outside. If I don't find it towards the aircraft carrier, I go look towards the Harbor Bay ferry channel and the Oakland airport. Worst case I'm having a nice and warm glide session, old-school summer vacation style. But I almost always get to a point where it's hard not to capsize with the centerboard down, and that's my cue to retract the centerboard, move the mast track back, and plane downwind. If the wind picks up too much and the 260L get iffy to handle strapless in the chop, I put the mast track forward for more control until I get to the flats by Crab Cove and I'm then rewarded by glassy long-board speed runs (a bit slower than those though).

Probably more info than you asked for, but I feel Alameda is so under-rated. It's a nice park, a 2 mile long sand beach with onshore safety, it's sunny and warm where everything else is cold and damp, I got over 40 planing session since Feb. 26th. We need more light-wind adepts over here! Bring your families and your sailable SUPs for guaranteed fun!