Could it get any better?

So after an epic weekend of skiing I had just enough time for my legs to recover before the wind picked up around the Bay starting Wednesday. Sorry, I didn't take any video because I was testing new gear, the conditions were full on, and there were some issues coming in at the end of the day because of low tide. Frankly the conditions were so crazy it took me some getting used to. Here is the wind graph from the 3rd Ave. channel Wednesday.
There was giant swell all afternoon because of the ebb that was running until low tide around 6pm. I was out on a 4.1m sail and 78L Goya Quad and was pretty much overpowered the entire time. I tried sailing until 6:45 when the tide would have been high enough to make it to shore but as you can see from the graph the wind really started pumping at 6 and after feeling like the sail was getting ripped out of my hands during jibes I decided to trek through some mud to make it in. Sailing the swell is an incredible experience in these conditions. There are sections where sandbars and weird currents cause mogul chop to form but once you make it through that into the middle of the channel the swell is smooth and from my perspective mast high. The wind blew through the night into Thursday afternoon making the swell even bigger.

Thursday I got right after it so I could make it in before low tide. No practice jibes on the inside or making sure my gear was tuned right, I went straight out into the thick of it. The wind was pretty much the exact same but the swell was bigger (mast+) and more organized. When there is that much current and wind it takes some courage to turn downwind into the bowl of swell but once you do the sail pressure eases up and everything gets quiet. You can really concentrate on steering the board down the swell and enjoy yourself before turning back up onto a reach to the roaring wind. This video from Kevin of Sunset Sailboards sums up what I am talking about completely:

I had Friday off and got a little surprise when the wind filled in at Crissy and I got a nice booze cruise session on a 5.8m sail 100L board under the Golden Gate Bridge. I hope you enjoyed the write up and video from Kevin. I hope to have more to show you next time... which shouldn't be long from now.

Good Day at Ho'okipa

Nothing beats a nice day on Maui. Can't wait to get my 78L Goya quad out in some waves in Waddell as well as make my first trip to Maui at the end of this summer. Keith Taboul really knows how to get vertical and spray 100 pounds of water off the lip.

The Best of Both Worlds

Last weekend was epic whether you were trying to harness the wind on the bay or conquer the Sierra Mountains. A storm that dropped 6 feet of snow on the mountains led to epic clearing winds in San Francisco Bay. Elizabeth headed up to Lake Tahoe to enjoy the fresh snow while I stayed in the Bay to enjoy the breeze. Even though it took the crew heading to the mountains close to 10 hours to get there due to snow and hi-way closures the snow was worth the wait.

All of the new snow definitely made for some hair raising conditions!

Saturday I sailed a J105 out of St. Francis YC and consider it the first time I sailed in SF bay conditions. The experience was exactly as I imagined it: windsurfers & kiters bombing out of Crissy Field while tight packs of boats rounded a windward mark just before the Golden Gate Bridge all the while you could see the Oracle America's Cup boats practicing. I was able to get a quick session in at Crissy Field Saturday night and Sunday morning before heading to 3rd ave for a long afternoon session. Here is a video of what it was like at Fort Pt. in the afternoon. I was there in the morning and the wind was less consistent but the swell was pumping all day.

Video from Kevin of Sunset Sailboards SF

3rd Ave. That's the good stuff

Finally got a really good session in at 3rd Ave. as the season is winding down.  For some reason the wind sensor in the channel went offline right when the wind peak but I was sailing right next to it and was completely lit on my 5.8 100L board setup.  When I first went out I was perfect but man did the wind freshened up.  Rather than rigging another sail I de-powered the 5.8 as much as possible and hung on.  The best combo for the day once the wind picked up probably would have been 5.0 85L but I didn't bring a smaller board and wanted to maximize my time on the water.  Of course today I brought the small board and the wind didn't come in at all... why do the wind gods always play these cruel and unusual tricks on us?

3rd Ave. is an amazing spot that creates a natural playground whether you or using a kite or sail.  Near the shore there are some flat spots and plenty of small chop that is close together and better suited for kitting.  As you sail further out the wind really kicks up and the chop turns into swell that you can play around with.  At this point in the season the wind doesn't pick up until later in the day and I can only imagine what the swell is like during the peak of the season.

All of the technical details aside I was really happy to get a good day in the resembled the natural breeze of San Francisco Bay.  There was a moment when I was sailing that I finally felt like my ship had landed and I was no longer an east-coast transplant but someone who found themselves at home on the west coast.

My day wasn't as epic as this one but the video shows some of the best conditions you can get at "Turd".

Surprise Post-Work Session to End The Summer

From Cape Cod to New York City this has been the worst summer in my memory for wind.  All of us wind-kooks have been going through phases of giving up all hope and going insane thinking its blowing 30knts whenever a truck goes by and blows around a nearby tree.  I don't think anyone saw it coming when a meager forecast turned into a great day on August 24th.  It was a great way to bid farewell to the east-coast and the sailors I have met while living in and around New York City before heading west for San Francisco.

The conditions weren't epic but it was a good day and despite it being a workday everyone seemed to make it out for a solid post-work sunset session.  I was a little underpowered on a 5.8 and 100L board at times but after sailing way out I got some sweet rides.  I unfortunately didn't start using the camera until after 2 hours of sailing at which point I will admit I was getting tired after sailing around Beach Island and finding some big breeze and small breaking waves.

Since the end of August I had to evacuate my apartment for Hurricane Irene and drove cross-country to San Francisco.  I promise to post some pics soon.  I am now back on the east-coast for work but hope to get back west soon. Fortunately, I was able to piece together a small quiver that  I can keep on the east coast so I don't miss any good days when I am back as I probably will be often.

Think back to windier times

Here are some shots from Cape Hatteras.  Since we are all going insane in the northeast I thought I might as well think back to windier times.  This particular day the wind picked up to 25+ as the sunset.  I was on a 4.5 and trying out a 95L Fanatic free-wave.

Graphics on the Fanatic boards are sweet

Best Sunset Session Ever

The trip to Hatteras has come and gone.  It was nothing short of epic.  The trip started off mellow with no breeze and some small waves left over to get some SUP rides on.  It was a refreshing chance to get away from it all and appreciate everything Hatteras had to offer. 

Taking words of advice from the local sailors we headed to Ocracoke Island for a day that was forecasted to be light.  To our amazement the ferry was free for both cars and passengers.  After a trip through a precarious channel we were dropped off on the corner of the island that is uninhabited.  We chose a random turn off to setup shop and catch some waves.  The conditions were perfect for some first time paddlers to try the waves.  After 3 hours on the beach we headed to the end of the island where there was a small town.  Taking advice from local sailors once again we tried of all things the local Thai restaurant for lunch.  Delicious and spicy.

The next 3 days were full of wind and heroics.  Many of us were taking kiteboarding lessons which meant getting up at sunrise to do as much windsurfing as possible before the lessons.  The only time we were able to all sail together was at sunset and we sailed hard.

During one epic sunset session I realized how many different ways there are to have fun on the water.  When you are around the water enough you look at everything differently Ken (from Ocean Air Sports) took out a Hobie Wave catamaran with a SUP board with the intention of getting someone skurfing behind the boat.

Not the windiest day we had but probably some of the best fun we had all trip.  Most of the time we were weaving in and out of each other: Garth-kiteboarding, Nat-windsurfing, David -windsurfing, Sarah Flow-windsurfing, Ken-Sailboat, Spike-SUP and all of the other sailors out there who had no idea what we were all doing.

3 ways to use the wind

Garth ripping

Easy airs all day on the inside

Lining up to buzz the boat

Special thanks to Ken and Sarah for sharing their stoke and local advice as well as the shops they work at Ocean Air Sports and WindNC.  I wish I could be there right now.  I think everyone in the Northeast has been watching the wind reports in Hatteras with envy.

Time to reflect during a break in the wind

It has been a great year so far. When the wind doesn't blow you realize how precious great days are when they come. While there have been some epic days so far this year the wind seemed to drop off once I started using the camera. As a result I was reluctant to use it a couple times when I was dialed in. Here are some shots I got before the wind died:
Day 1 I was on a 5.0-100L and Day 2 4.5-85L

Here is to no longer wearing gloves or a hood.  I can't wait to be in Cape Hatteras in a week to Windsurf, SUP and even try some kiteboarding.

For now the wind looks dead all over the east coast for the most part and the forecast doesn't look much better.  That said, the last awesome day I had the forecast wasn't good.  Hopefully this weekend shapes up there are tons of fronts heading for the northeast as we speak.

Decent March Windsurfing Session at Todd's Point

Sometimes you head to the beach knowing that you are going to rig your smallest sail and rip in incredible conditions.  You turn on your pump up mix as you get closer to the launch and your hair stands on end from the excitement.  However, there are the times you head to a nearby spot expecting to see the conditions aren't good and run some errands.  This was one of those days...but it turned into a good warm up session for the season.


I have seen so many people drive up to a windsurfing spot and turn around even when the conditions are good.  I guess we think that if we know the conditions aren't good doing errands etc... won't feel so bad.  On this day I showed up to Todd's point planning to turn around but was surprised by the 20knt puff that was there on my arrival.  Sailed a 5.8 - 120L.  Probably could have been on a 100L but didn't bring it, given how cold it was and how large holes were between gust the 120L helped maximize time and fun.  First time using the GoPro camera windsurfing and I mounted it on the most important part of the boom for maneuvers.  All and all a nice surprise session with first attempts at filming.