Where We Sailed Today

bert · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 665

W1 had the best reason for getting into windsurfing. For me it started with longboard lessions at Foster City lagoon in '83 with a group of coworkers. Later started sailing shorter boards in Kailua the summer of 84. Took the next 5 yrs off working 2 jobs to support my family. Got back to sailing in '89 and have not looked back since. First board was the Bic Astro Rock followed by a Mistral Stinger..both great boards.

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

What got me into windsurfing, from surfing in San Francisco and working at Wises was the increased crowds at Ocean Beach in 1982, me getting old and over 40, and the cover of Sailboarder Magazine, summer '83, of Pete Cabrina jumping an 8'6" windsurf board heading out at Diamond Head in Oahu. Inside pics of Lynn Boyer didn't hurt, nor the fact I had shaped over 25 8'6" medium big wave surfboards by then.

windward1 · Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1400

Maybe Bert's wanderlust inspired me a bit. I windsurfed up to Wilder Ranch in light winds. Sailed back in light winds. Not much swell today. Tried to find what I could along the way. Wind came up after I got back and I played with getting runs on the swell and wind gusts off of the park. Then, when I came in after about 2-3/4 hours because the wind was slackening, the wind really came up. Thought about going back out, but thought better of it and that was a good thing as it came up really strong and I would have needed to rig a set of whole new gear. Had it in my van, but not enough energy left to go there.

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

Ok ... this was a slogging day ... but I did get on a plane for about 15", twice.

Today Crissy, let's see how that goes!

dsgrntlxmply · Joined: 16 Jun 2010 Posts: 255

My first real notice of windsurfing was seeing gear on top of a colleague's car, and asking him what it was. This was in Mountain View, CA, circa 1986-87.

By October of 1993 I had somehow begun reading Windsurfing magazine, and decided to take a Maui vacation with a first try at windsurfing as the central theme. Somehow I never thought to try it locally around SF Bay, but built a couple of subsequent Kauai vacations around more tries at beginner instruction.

My physical condition was terrible, and I did not make much progress, but it made for interesting vacations (with some of my Kauai vacation pictures being X-rays).

By 2010 I had greatly improved my physical condition and decided to try Maui again. I got some more instruction on the now vastly improved beginner boards, and eventually discovered that Boardsports offered instruction at Alameda.

bert · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 665

Palo Alto had 20-23 mph gusty winds after 2 pm today. Sailed in flood conditions on a 5.0 Volt/90L freewave..could have easily been on my 4.3 Hucker. Flood chop came right at you in the somewhat westerly winds..no problem when you have the right board for the conditions. Anyhow, it sometimes it feel good to get beat up by the chop Evil or Very Mad

A dozen sailors going in at 3pm at the start of ebb as I was leaving the lot..for some it was their first day out for the season.

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

Crissy delivers, out with 4.3 could have been 3.7, but the wind is not crazy. The chop is. Highest and most vertical I have seen in a while: 6-8 feet in places and it brakes with gusto!

Very taxing conditions and turns out I am over rigged. After a while, an a couple of unavoidable jumps way higher than I like to, I come back and wait a good half hour. Slack is coming up (yes the huge chop was on flood) and I am betting for conditions a bit more friendly. And it works, when I go out it is much more controllable, the wind has dropped, and ... almost fun.

Some great swell a bit outside, with loooooooong jibes on the wave. I stop at around 5:20 just when racing starts (yep, slalom racing Shocked

)

windward1 · Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1400

Tried to go out with my smallest gear. 91 L JP FSW and Ezzy 4.7. Should have realized it did not bode well when I saw crows trying to fly over the parking lot getting blown out of the air. I tried anyway and got blown off the water. Long Marine Lab was showing 30 mph with gusts at 40 mph. The real trouble was how gusty it was. Twas like 6 knots to 25 knots to 6 knots just outside the launch. Decided to surrender rather than just get beat up. I know, I know....I am a wimp!

ctuna · Joined: 27 Jun 1995 Posts: 1126 Location: Santa Cruz Ca

Best to choose your fights carefully.
Besides isn't this suppose to be fun.

Jrobb · Joined: 20 Aug 2005 Posts: 217

Hit up Marina Bay West Launch. Nearest sensor I think is Pt. Isabel reading 14-24 when I went out. Seemed more like 9-27 but decent enough. Not a great wind direction but doable. 5.9 and 110L as I left my small board at home...go figure. It was super gusty and shifty half way across the reach. Slightly OP'ed then falling off plane and in the drink before I could unhook. Tall 2ft chop with close spacing made jibing fun. It was a nice day...first real good wind day in over a year and 3rd day since my new job.

It's nice to be sailing again!

J