20 knots

The last one...

2011-11-19T20:31:00.001-06:00

Today we closed the season with a killer session at Wolf, with 20 mph from the South, and warm air. The lake will freeze in a couple weeks, so this was truly the last session, at least for me.
This was an amazing season; the Summer was slow, but the Fall was the best since I moved to Chicago. We got to sail in a bunch of different spots, meet new wind junkies all over the Midwest, and sail in some of the gnarliest conditions I've ever seen. Now it's time to finally take the gear off my car roof, patch the 5.2, put everything away, and get ready for snowboarding season...

Another great pic from Ella Geen (this one from last Sunday). Check out the scenery, that's Hammond Indiana baby! That's were we sail.

Overpowered again!

2011-11-13T19:16:00.000-06:00

I don't know if it's global warming, but truth is that we are having some insane conditions here in the Midwest. I'm talking about rigging in a T shirt in the middle of November, and going out to 40 mph winds, at Wolf! Maybe the gods felt bad for an awful summer, and are trying to make it up to us... We certainly appreciate it. I honestly think this was the last one of the season, but who knows?

Sail 360, first attempt

Check out these pics by Ella Geen, and if you want more, go to her website (click here)

By the way if it is global warming we better start buying Chevy Volts, because this weather is way too weird.

Flat water madness

2011-11-10T22:50:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday we had 25 knots from the South. My buddies were going to Wolf. I decided to join them for a flat water extreme session, and the pond delivered again. We had hours of pure fun, hanging on to our smallest stuff and crashing graciously. Everybody was there, except Steve... (where is Steve???)
Last session of the year? We'll see...

The result of that session is Windsurfing Movie 4 by Andrew, the mastermind behind Wave-hog, check it out...

Waukegan once again

2011-11-01T20:48:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday we had amazing conditions at Waukegan. 25 mph side off with nice waist high waves... Too bad I didn't get any pictures... Too bad that I don't have time to write mote about one of the best sessions of the year, but such is life, and such is windsurfing...
Carving a line in the water, ephemeral, purposeless, and beautiful. What a great way to spend your life!

October continues to deliver

2011-10-27T23:35:00.001-05:00

The good days keep coming here in the Midwest. Last Tuesday we had a SSW breeze, and I ended up at Wolf for an after-work session. It was good to see all the familiar faces once again, ripping in anything from 6.5 to 5.2. It was as gusty as Wolf can get, but overall it was a good session. The days are getting colder and shorter, so it's time to bust out the dry suit and enjoy what's left of the season before Chicago goes into hibernation mode.

Chop hop at Wolf. Courtesy of Brian Geen.

In the news!

2011-10-23T15:39:00.000-05:00

Check out what Reid Fillman from www.windsurfillinois.com found about the insane session last Wednesday... I saw the photographer, but I didn't know that we were going to make the news! This gives you an idea of how inane the conditions can get in the Midwest in the Fall, and how respectful you have to be of Lake Michigan.
Fall is not over yet! I hope we get a few more good days... although we may need a smaller boat...

Check out the two links for more pictures!

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/86194,in-pictures,picoftheday,windsurfing-in-chicago-picture

http://www.newser.com/story/131480/25-foot-waves-pound-chicago.html

Another boom bites the dust

2011-10-19T19:48:00.000-05:00

You gotta love the Fall, pumpkins, apple cider, colored leaves, and insane winds. Today, for the first time since I moved to Chicago, I had to leave the beach because I didn't have a small enough rig. The wind was in the 40s (mph) from the NNE, a perfect Montrose setup. I got there by 1 PM, and Steve and Andrew were on the water already. Steve said he was super overpowered with his 5.2; bad news, because I have almost the same rig (both of us have Ezzy Wave 5,2 and 105 boards, his is an RRD though). I pulled the crap out of my downhaul, and prayed my already banged mast held the tension. But still, the wind was too much. I could not get the board under control and every piece of chop was throwing me up in the air. After an hour of kamikaze runs, we decided to call it a day, the wind was gusting well into the 50s by then.

In one of the hundreds of wipeouts, I killed another boom, confirming that my thing is destroying booms.

Tomorrow it looks insane too, should I say "Pray for less wind?" NEVER!
Here is a video of the session by Andrew. Let's hear what Bill Clinton had to say about the day...

Big Fall day at Michigan City

2011-10-16T13:08:00.000-05:00

There were 30 knot winds and 10 foot swell this Friday in the Midwest. We headed to Michigan City where things looked pretty intense. The wind was side on, with enough grunt to push you through some chest high white water. Outside there was no place to rest, it was a jibe and head back business, as some pretty big swell was coming at you. I never felt at ease, although I was making it out and back, something was just too much. By one PM I decided to end my wave riding session and go to Wolf for some speed runs. I was in one piece, and so was my gear, which is more than I can say about my last session at Michigan City.
Fall is here!

Great fall session!

2011-10-02T00:05:00.000-05:00

A big front passed through the Midwest for the past three days with winds up to 25-30 knots. On Friday, Matt, Andrew and I tried a new spot North to Chicago called Wilmette, in Evanston IL. The wind was side shore but not super strong. The waves were pretty big, with that relentless pounding typical of wind swell. We struggled for an hour, and then we decided to retreat to Montrose, where the wind was more on shore, but the waves were less intimidating. The story continues, but since I'm not that good of a writer, I put together this video, just to show some of the action. I hope you enjoy it!

Warming up

2011-09-29T21:57:00.000-05:00

One day this jump will end up in a forward, I just need balls and skill

A huge front will be hitting the Midwest for the next three days. As I write this, Michigan City is showing 40 knot winds. Today we hit Wolf to ride the beginning of the storm, a warm up session. We had some fun but the real deal started right after sunset, so we missed it. Tomorrow it will be serious business.

Being irrational paid off (this time)

2011-09-27T10:21:00.001-05:00

So what if the forecast said the wind was going to drop? Well, I should know better at this point. C'mon man, I've been skunked in all forms known to mankind, and the forecast really sucked! Why on earth was I throwing my gear on top of my car, on this particular Monday afternoon? Because windsurfers are like compulsive gamblers: we care very little about odds.

So I got to Wolf and the gods decided, this time, to reward my irrational behavior. Next time it may or may not happen, only one thing is for sure: I'll be there.

Surfin is realy good

2011-09-15T18:51:00.001-05:00

The days are getting shorter here in the Midwest, and we are entering that time of the year when the water is warmer than the air, the North winds kick in, and the surfin' gets good. Or at least that's what we thought this morning when we hit Montrose. The reality was that the wind less than perfect, the air was chilly, and the surfin' consisted in 10 seconds of planing and a long walk back, smiling though.
The short wave riding reminded me of a song that my friend Jordan Yaruss made a few years ago. He is not a windsurfer, not even a surfer; he is a white water kayaker and song writer who captured like no one else the essence of a short sesh. I hope you enjoy the video.

Puerto Madryn

2011-08-30T16:10:00.000-05:00

My brother Carly is a windsurfer. He is actually the one who introduced me to windsurfing. As many of us, life took him to a bunch of different places, but ironically never close to the ocean. He would drive 8 hours from Madrid to Tarifa to score a weekend of good conditions, and also as many of us, he became addicted to weather forecasts. Finally, last year he decided to fulfill his dream and live close to the sea, so he moved to Puerto Madryn, in the Argentinean Patagonia. He quickly found a group of windsurfers, who apparently rip, and he is now one happy dude.
So if you're thinking about going South, go knock on his door, tell him you know me, tell him that you're a windsurfer, he'll show you around.

Off shore wind, and some flat water. You gotta be careful though, the place is a whale sanctuary

Sunset in the Patagonia

Simplify

2011-08-29T21:14:00.001-05:00

I once read an editorial in a kitesurfing magazine about some dude who started using the motto "simplify" to guide his kitesurfing lifestyle. Less gear, less over reading forecasts, less trying to get to the perfect spot, and more about enjoying what he had at hand at that moment. The piece was nicely written, but to me, at that time, it sounded like a bunch of self sufficient crap.

The forecast for this weekend was 17 to 20 mph from the NNE and I, as usual, spent hours trying to figure out things. After much deliberation I decided to go for the simplest option, good ol' windsurfing at Montrose, in front of my house. Simple plan. What followed was one of the best sessions I had since I moved to Chicago. The wind kept building all day, it was sunny and warm, and the beach was packed with kitesurfers and windsurfers with big smiles and tired arms.

Crib run from Montrose beach

By the end of the day, we decided to do a crib run, about 2.5 miles out and back. Three windsurfers, two kiteboarders, out there, in the bluest water I've ever seen. Simplify, I'm not going to tell you that it always works, nor that I live by it, but occasionally it may be worth trying.

Montrose wind swell will make you a better human being

12th Street Beach

2011-08-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

12th Street Beach

There is always something unsettling about launching at a new spot. Yet there are a few things that excite us more than throwing ourselves into uncharted waters. I don't know why this happens. Maybe we do this because we want to see how things look from the other side.

12th Street Beach is not the easiest launch, especially when it's blowing SSW. But once you get out the wind gets clean and the water gets blue, and things begin to fall into place. The real treat though comes after jibing outside. Then, you are standing on Lake Michigan, on your 8 feet bard, facing the Chicago skyline.

Seeing things from the other side, yeah that's what throws us into uncharted waters.

Going back to shore, making the most of a puff of wind

Heading out

Lake Huron

2011-08-14T23:15:00.001-05:00

Just came back from a three-day kitesurfing road trip to Tawas, Michigan. We had all sorts of different conditions, from barely keeping the kites in the air to 100% overpowered. As of me, I was just fine kooking it out and walking upwind. We also made some good friends, had barbecues and bonfires by the beach, and learned that kitesurfing is, as I suspected, also addictive. Good times.

Maurice throwing some spray

Warm waters

2011-06-22T23:33:00.000-05:00

In order to sail in the Midwest in the summer you have to be prepared. Prepared to drop anything you are doing and hit the water in 45 minutes. The funny thing is that there is a bunch of folks who seem to be always ready: the Wolf Lake crowd. I sometimes wish the forecast was as reliable as these dudes. Anyway, today was another great day at the dirty pond.
GoPro notes: As you can see, the GoPro is back, but I got this one for cheap on Ebay, and the pictures are kinda blurry... Well, I'll have to live with it...

Chop hop... enough for a forward? We'll see...

Two in a row

2011-06-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

We had two days of SSE wind in the Chicago area. Today in the afternoon every Chicago windsurfer I know was at Wolf having some... The launch was packed with boards, kites, harnesses, and tired yet smiling riders. Once again Wolf delivered a ton of fun to its loyal crowd, which does not ask for much, just for some wind.

Wolf's new launch

Memorial day and the beginning of summer

2011-05-30T22:36:00.000-05:00

Memorial day is a date to commemorate the heroes who gave their lives for this country. It also marks, for 98% of people, the beginning of summer. For the weekend warrior, who has been wearing neoprene and going to the beach since the lakes melted, these are some not-so-awesome news (what do you mean parking fee?).
So let's say hi to the dog days of summer my friends, and as every year, everywhere from May to September, let's pray for thermals.

PS: I lost my GoPro Hero today. It went down the way it should, smashed against a buoy on a hero jibe. Don't worry, I'll try to replace it, because I know that I'm not Hemingway and this blog without pictures will get a little dull...

El Lobo and some other weird stuff

2011-05-22T21:55:00.001-05:00

For the weekend warrior, buried in daily obligations, there is one place to go when the winds come from the SSE, or SE: El Lobo.

So today everybody was there: windsurfers, kitesurfers, fishermen, policemen yelling at children, and me. I got there in the afternoon, and a complicated weather pattern already was forming in the sky. One dude pulled out his phone and showed me what was coming, it looked like... There is a tornado warning? Nahhh...

So I went out, planed, and then the wind died. I barely came back to the launch when hail started falling from the sky. That and the thunder were a clear sign, the sign said: DE-RIG. But some waited, and the storm passed, but the wind never made it back. So I left, and on my way back I could see Lake Michigan full of white caps, and I kept thinking, did I make the right decision by derigging? Well, there is always next weekend, right?

Who cares about going back? Going downwind is always fun...

A hell of a session

2011-05-15T00:49:00.000-05:00

Crazy power session today at Waukegan. We had some rough North wind pretty much all day. The Northern wall was stopping all the waves, creating some flat water buffeted by 25 mph winds. I rigged a 6.5 with max downhaul and had some pretty fast runs. Outside, close to the end of the wall, you could see the waves in that chaotic Lake Michigan pattern that we love and fear so much. All and all, Waukegan is becoming my new favorite spot for North wind.

The North wall, with some pretty self-explanatory warnings

Jibe or die

Waukegan, where you don't want to miss a jibe

2011-05-01T14:14:00.001-05:00

Zen and the art of launching in wind swell

Spring is all over the Midwest, and the wind gods are being benevolent with those who endured the winter, and didn't fly away to Bonaire to never come back. By Tuesday the charts started predicting some wind for the weekend, but in a typical windsurfing tradition, the blogs, websites and forums were silent. No one in this area would dare to say anything prematurely, piss off the gods, and screw it up or everyone else. But by Wednesday the tension was too much, the charts looked strong, and a got my first text: get ready for Saturday. Just that.
This time the charts were right, the wind was plenty, and smiles were everywhere. We tried Waukegan, and new spot for me, with almost on shore wind and that typical Lake Michigan wind swell with a period of 5 seconds that destroys your will and your gear. The place where if you miss a jibe, you get washed ashore like a sock in a laundry machine. But you know what's waiting past the white water, awesome shoulder high swell that invites you to jump, ride, surf, whatever you like. Good times.

No gloves on Lake Michigan: spring is here!

Back to the Midwest

2011-04-24T01:14:00.000-05:00

It's finally spring here in the Midwest and we're getting some kick ass wind. Today it was 5,2 until 3 PM. But to me, nothing says spring more than being able to sail with no gloves, what a treat!
Everybody was there, some were removing the rust from the winter, some looked like they've been practicing all winter (I saw some forward loops and some nice duck jibes).
Anyway, it was just another great day at the pond, hope to see you there soon!

No gloves!!!

Final destination: Maui

2011-04-19T00:09:00.000-05:00

We were hanging out at Oahu's North shore when one of my buddies mentioned that he was leaving for Maui the next day, and that sounded like a great idea. A few clicks later I had cancelled my hotel in Honolulu and had a ticket to Kahului. We arrived in the afternoon, with just enough time to do what any reasonable person would do: check out Ho'okipa.

We hadn't even pulled over at the parking lot and I was already out of my mind. We sat down on the rocks, and discussed for hours how would we launch if there was wind. But I sincerely don't know if I would have had the balls to go out on a windy and wavy day. After that we visited the Naish shop, the Hot Sails Maui shop, and other places, me and my little camera, like the good ol' mainland kook that I am (people were very friendly by the way).

Kite beach is 10 minutes from Ho'okipa, so my buddy who is a pretty darn good kiter and I went a checked it out too.

As the sun was setting behind the mountains, we saw some humpback whales playing in the water, giant animals who have been swimming i these waters way before all the kitesurfers, and most of the windsurfers were born. They come to Maui for the winter, they know that the place kicks ass.

Hot Sails Maui shop

Ho'okipa, one day I'll be back and sail this spot

Oahu's North's Shore

2011-04-15T00:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we left Honolulu and headed to Oahu's North Shore. We arrived in the afternoon, right on time for a sunset SUP session. The highlight was watching the whales throw big spray right in front of us, right where we were SUPing minutes ago, kinda freaky!

Oahu day 2

2011-04-12T12:18:00.000-05:00

The East winds were still strong this morning at Kailua, and the ramps were head high. I keep sailing like there is no tomorrow, because where I come from, when it comes to sailing there might be no tomorrow. Going to bed now, sore and happy.

Oahu day 1

2011-04-11T06:04:00.002-05:00

Awesome first day in Kailua! 6.5 and 104 in the morning (provided by Naish Sports Oahu), brief lunch and 5.8 and 95 L in the afternoon. I lest the water at 6 PM, unable to hold the boom any more. The conditions were massive bump and jump on the inside, and some beautiful waves on the outside. More to come.

Last post before the departure

2011-04-07T22:59:00.000-05:00

I'm heading to Hawaii on Saturday. The bags are all ready; the cameras, the harness, the rash guards. The injured shoulder is not allowed to misbehave for a whole week. Only one thing is left to do:
Pray for wind.

Busy weekend (Montrose is open for business)

2011-04-03T14:26:00.001-05:00

This was a pretty unusual weekend. Saturday's forecast was high teens to twenties from the NNE. The kitesurfers were going to Miller beach, IN, and I thought that was a good choice. Miller faces North, so Miller should have worked, but it didn't. We could not explain why but Chicago was cranking, and we didn't get anything. On my way home I stopped by Wolf, and to my surprise there was plenty of wind there, so I quickly rigged up and had my redemption session.

Today I went to Montrose for the first time since the season started, and it felt great to be back on Lake Michigan. The wind was SSE, so about 500 yards outside it was great, but inside I needed more juice to feel safe, so I called after a few nice rides.

Spring is definitely here, and we have to enjoy it while it lasts!

The crowd waiting for wind

The season opener

2011-03-26T21:02:00.000-05:00

The birds are back, the ice melted and my car smells funky again. We are up for another season, my sixth, and what a better opening than good ol' Wolf Lake on a chilly, 13-20 mph NNE day. I hope this year brings more toys (I could really use a new mast), more friends and more fun.

See you out there!

First ride

2011-02-13T19:02:00.001-06:00

Remember the first time you rode a bicycle? How about the first time you got up on a windsurfing board? This weekend was packed with work for me so I had little hope of going out; but the wind picked up right during my tiny window of opportunity, unbelievable!
With 18 mph wind, I was going to take it easy, again, and work on flying my kite. But my buddy Jim had another agenda to get me out of the mental block. So he put a board on my feet, gave me a few invaluable pointers, and sent me riding on a broad reach like a madman. My first ride on real gear.
For the rookie kite rider, every fall is a massive crash.This learning curve will be a steep and bumpy one...

Kiters heading to the playground

Maurice and his trusty Flysurfer

Base camp

Whare am I?

2011-01-23T18:05:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of Lake Michigan taken from my window today . It reminds me that not so long ago (in geological terms, of course...) the lake was a giant glacier. No snowkiting this weelend, maybe next week.

Snowkiting in Grass Lake

2011-01-16T12:41:00.001-06:00

We finally got some snow here in the Midwest, and on Friday night I heard from Maurice that he and his buddy Jim were going to hit Grass Lake for some snowkiting. We arrived to the lake at 10 AM, and stayed until 4 or so, and I must say that the place was incredible. There must have been eleven kiters out on the lake, all sharing the stoke. I spent most of the day flying Jim's 3m foil, and learning kite etiquette. Maurice was on a 8m Flysurfer foilkite, and Jim was on a 12m Cabrinha. The wind must have been 11-12 mph gusting to 16 or so, and there were around 4 inches of snow on top of black ice. By the end of the day I was feeling comfortable enough to put my Liquid Force up in the air, but the wind had died, so I flew it just for a few minutes. The thing flies beautifully, so next time it'is play time!
Some final comments: For those conditions, 12 meters was OK, but people were asking for a little more wind, or more kite, so maybe 15 would have been better for a 170-180 pound person.
Jim rigging his Cabrinha

Unknown kiter flying another Cabrinha

Maurice getting some...

Park City, UT

2011-01-11T19:36:00.000-06:00

I am waiting for the shuttle to take me to Salt Lake City airport. The sky is clear, despite the fact that it snowed all night... The mountains must be full of fresh powder, but it's time for others to enjoy it. I had my share of beauty, Jessica did too (it's our honeymoon!!!). Someday we will be back, that I can say.

Power

2011-01-02T18:09:00.000-06:00

This is the first log of 2011, and it is about kites. Today I put up the Liquid Force 12 m in 15 mph WSW, at Montrose. The safety features, the most important part of the kite (for me) work fine, but even at 15 mph it generates too much power for snowkiting, which is amazing because 15 mph is not a lot, but it means that most likely I will need another kite for this purpose. Let the gear accumulation begin!

Good bye to a rig

2010-12-31T09:26:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I sold my light wind speed machine. Thinking about this rig brings memories of the places I visited, and the people I met through windsurfing. Fogland, RI; Cape Cod, MA; Cape Hatteras, NC; South Haven, MI just to mention a few. My brother Carly sailed this board on Lake Michigan, and I will never forget his face when he came back to shore, only to tell me that he was going out again "for a little more". I remember sunny and warm summer days in Fogland, sailing until late, and then coming back to shore to have some jalapeno burgers and enjoy the sunset.
My life is about people and places, and this rig has taken me to both.
Farewell my friend, it is time for you to make someone else as happy as you made me.

Afternoon in Fogland

Aging well

2010-12-29T23:55:00.000-06:00

We had a sunny and warm day here in the Midwest. Alpine Valley was packed, which I didn't mind at all. After sailing solo for years, and rigging in desolated beaches covered by snow, a little company is always welcome. There were two more ramps set at the terrain park, both around 12 feet tall, and I spent all my day hitting them with everything I had.
Some people stay young by doing yoga, some others meditate, there is another group of people who stay young by getting airborne once in a while. Air time, even a split second, is my recipe for aging well.

This dude, for instance, is 64

Snowkiting day 2. Real kites

2010-12-28T19:22:00.001-06:00

As my search for the ultimate wind powered snow rig continues, today I had my first encounter with real kites. The wind must have been 8-10 mph, WSW. "There is no way we'll be able to do anything with this wind", I thought to myself as I pulled over at Montrose. I was wrong. We put up two kites, a 6 m foil, and a 10 m inflatable. The little foil kite kicked butt, staying up in the air and pulling me pretty hard. The other kite did not get a chance to shine, but showed its potential in the short time it was in the air.
Now all i need is a board on my feet, I already have a helmet...

Snowkiting day 1. Trainer kite

2010-12-26T18:29:00.000-06:00

Today I went out with my trainer folil kite, which must be around 1.5 meter square. The wind was 8-12 mph, side shore, and gusty. The kite is very sensitive to the gusts, at times dropping from the sky like a rag, which is a little concerning. I hope bigger kites can handle gusts better... It's good to learn how to fly these small kites, also because you encounter all the other issues related to kitesurfing in general, i.e. dealing with strings, tangles, etc.
The search for the most efficient snow rig is on!!!

Next chapter: snowkiting lesson... Stay tuned!!!

Alpine Valley

2010-12-18T21:29:00.000-06:00

Second snowboarding session of the season! I'm warming up before going to Utah in January... I better get my turns tighter before hitting a real mountain.
This time it was a place called Alpine Valley, in Wisconsin. In most places, when the GPS says you are 10 minutes away from the ski resort, you can at least begin to see signs of it: maybe the slopes, maybe a hill, maybe snow... Not in the Midwest. Here you have no idea of where the mountain is until you pull on the parking lot. Then you go: "ah... THAT is the mountain"... Yes, many people would laugh at our icy, short, shallow and overcrowded mountains, but the burgers here are world class, and only cost 3.50 (cash only)... Beat that Lake Tahoe! Anyway, I had a great time, because as with wind, I am not a snow snob...

Alpine Valley Notes: This place is, in my opinion, better than Wilmot. It's bigger, it actually has a terrain park with some rails and a 10 foot ramp. The runs are about 1 minute long, there are plenty of lift chairs, an the lodge is OK. It's 1:45 hours from Chicago, and the price is the average for these places...

Snow time!!!

2010-12-13T22:13:00.000-06:00

Chicago is known for many things: culture, music, architecture, food, sports, and so on. However, if there is one thing this city is not known for, that is skiing. But we are windsurfers, and for us (and many other zen monks) the obstacle is the path. So today I headed to Wisconsin looking for some slopes, road trip! I found Wilmot Mountain, and I spent 4 hours going up and down in 800 feet of ice, and I was loving it until I discovered... hold on... is that a ramp?
By the end of the day I was landing my jumps, and that was fun...
One time, Jim Ballantyne from Sail World Cape Cod told me: windsurfing is the best sport, you have the water, the chop, and if you add to that even a little wave, then that's all you need...
That little slope, that little ramp was all I needed today.

Cold weather windsurfing

2010-11-14T01:33:00.000-06:00

It is still unclear to me why an otherwise mentally normal person decides that it is a great idea to go windsurfing in freezing temperatures. For this individual, weather has only one variable: wind Vs. no wind. It is of little importance if the wind is associated with rain, snow, ice, day or night ( I spent many nights sailing in Pleasure Bay, Boston, with my buddy Sean). For the other windsurfers out there who may think they are insane, you are not alone... Winter windsurfing rocks.

Another windy day at Wolf Lake

WIndsurfers on the road

2010-10-23T20:20:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the wind blows in the middle of the night. Some other days it blows when you are at work, or while you are getting married, reading a book, or doing anything else but sailing. Some other days, though, the wind starts blowing right as you enter your beach parking lot, it stays up to epic conditions for a few hours, and then it disappears.
Those days you sail like there is no tomorrow. Because in fact, there is no tomorrow (the next session might be in two months), and all you have is here and now.
Well, that's what happened today at Wolf, with the exception that tomorrow it might be windy again, and all my pseudo-zen BS may get blown away...
Pray for wind...

October is here

2010-10-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

October is finally here, the wait is over. This weekend the situation turned critical at Montrose, with 30 mph N winds and rollers all over the place. I decided it was not a good idea to go out in those conditions, and ended up at Wolf Lake, which was much more manageable. I was still overpowered on my 5.2 at times. It was a great session, but I still think about Montrose... The place was going off, and who knows if I would have been fine. Know your limits, I guess... Maybe next time.
Boring picture from Wolf, I keep telling myself to stop and take pictures, which I never do...

The last drop of wind

2010-09-26T18:16:00.000-05:00

Today we had another great day at Montrose. The wind shifted to NNW and there were pretty nice rollers to play with. I was on my 6.5, which was just enough to get me going. The guy in the picture was on a 7.2 and it looked like that was enough... It's been my fourth straight day on the water, Fall looks promising...

Two in a row

2010-09-25T15:10:00.000-05:00

Fall is in full effect here in Chicago. Thursday I had an evening session at Montrose with strong SSW wind. The wind was dead offshore, perfect for speed runs in super flat water. After a couple reaches I realized I was getting far away from the beach, trying to catch more wind, so I decided to call it, it was a little past 7 when I left the water, but I saw another sail cruising around. Someone else sneaking a session before dinner...
Yesterday was just another epic day at Wolf Lake (sorry, no pics). SW, powered up on a 5.2 until 5 PM, then 6.5 for the last two hours. There must have been 20 windsurfers out there, all having a great time.
Today I woke up and there were white caps everywhere! I got to the beach, but it didn't feel enough. The rollers were leftovers from last night's wind. Did I still give it a try? What do you think?
Tomorrow the forecast is calling 15-20 mph NNE. Let's pray for wind...

Montrose beach from my window

Old school

2010-09-20T23:43:00.000-05:00

So fall is upon us. And soon the wind will start cranking everywhere. In some places, it's already happening. Rocktober, the windsurfer's window of opportunity, when it's crazy windy but not crazy cold. In Chicago this window is even narrower for a simple fact: the lake freezes, so we have to make the most of these epic days. So I'll hopefully be posting a ton of notes about short sessions squeezed here and there: late afternoon, early evening, after work, etc.
Here is a picture of last weekend's sesh at Montrose (Brotherhood), iwindsurf has a forum with a thread called: oldest gear that you still use. This rig is pure beauty to me...

Brotherhood

2010-09-16T22:17:00.000-05:00

Last week I got married in Portland, OR. It was a very exciting week, and most of my family came from Argentina for the wedding, my brother Carly among them. Carly is a windsurfer, and the reason I became one. So put yourself in the shoes of a dude who is sitting at a wedding ceremony, an hour from the Gorge, and it's blowing... I swear I could hear him whispering numbers of sails and boards "5.2, 4.5, 85 liters" during the ceremony... He did not sail the Gorge in his first visit to Oregon... Again, put yourself in his shoes. Anyway, we came to Chicago after the wedding, and Carly came along... So this Sunday we went for a light wind session at Montrose, and the wind was enough to plane for a few hours... enough for Carly, who live with a smile and a promise that next time, we will visit the Gorge.

Light wind speed machine in action

Carly on Lake Michigan

Montrose wave special

2010-08-25T23:23:00.000-05:00

OK, maybe you live in Maui... I, on the other hand, live in Chicago, and I call a 3 feet roller a wave. Adapt or die said Darwin to the windsurfers, so we developed an incredible range of gear so we can have fun in the water no matter what...
The day started light, with non-planing runs on my super light wind gear. Then, it picked up to planing conditions and beyond. The wind kept getting stronger, and the rollers kept getting bigger, so I decided to give the 6.5 and the Goya 105 a try. Did it work? I must say it was fun to play around in the waves, but I think we were still a couple knots short from epic...

Montrose beach, you can spot the bigger sets in the distance (just kidding...)

Montrose session

2010-08-08T23:20:00.000-05:00

Wow... It's been a long time since I last posted... Times have been a little crazy here so I've been slacking a little... But anyway, I just moved to a new apartment right in front of Montrose beach... I can see the beach from my window, so I guess I don't have any more excuses.
Today the forecast was 15 to 25 knots from the SW, bad for Montrose, great for places like St. Joe or Oval beach in Michigan... However, the morning was rainy and there were some thunderstorms in the forecast too, so I decided to go local...
Montrose notes: Nice launch, with buoys (for the jetskis mainly) and a rigging area close to the beach... The place may work on N, NE, even in SE, not so good on SW or anything from the west (there is a big city between you and the wind, hahaha)... Anyway, it was great to be back on the water. By the way, I'm going to reformulate my yearly windsurfing goals... 40 sessions stays the same, but a sesh will be any time on the water :) Even without planing...

See you out there...

63rd St short session

2010-06-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday the forecast was 10-15 mph from the North, so I decided to go for a bike ride. As soon as I hit Lakeshore Drive I was hit by... wind? That was not supposed to happen!!! So I went back home and grabbed the gear. I went out at 63rd St and it felt good in the inside, but there was NO wind in the outside, something I've noticed on Lake Michigan quite often...
So I derigged, and went for a swim instead... Short session again, but I'm happy to be out again!

Gotta love this pond

2010-05-13T23:50:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to love these evening sessions! Today's conditions at Wolf were a little light for the 5.2, but the sail felt perfect in the gusts. There was little chop, enough for a few jumps...
Forward loop update: I'm getting used to jump and look back, but I still don't have the guts to hold on to the boom... anyway, I'll need some more courage, maybe next time...

Evening session

2010-05-10T23:49:00.000-05:00

The forecast for today was 17 mph or so gusting to 20s, coming from the ESE, great chance for a sunset session at 63rd beach. I got there by 5, and the wind was enough for a few runs. By the time i got out of the water the street lights were on, I derigged and went home.
It's almost midnight now, and as I write this I hear the wind whistling trough my windows; it must be cranking at the beach now, only 10 blocks from my house. I'm going to fall asleep to that sound, thinking about the epic evening session that I'm missing.

The boom killer

2010-05-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

Some people break boards, some others do the same with sails. I, on the other hand, specialize in breaking booms. A ridiculous number of boom have perished in my hands in my short four years windsurfing. Every component gave up at some time, and some more than once: the head, the alloy "arms", the outhawl clip; and now, my new thing: braking harness lines. Booms famous for lasting "forever" last a season in my hands...
In other news, we had a good session at Wolf today (depending on who you ask...). The wind was WNW, which according to the locals sucks at Wolf... I kind of agree now: the east coast of Lake Michigan was the place to be, with a new boom of course.

Smoke...

2010-04-29T21:09:00.000-05:00

35 mpg gusting up to 40? In Chicago? Impossible... Well, some people still say that there are no waves on Lake Michigan... I packed my stuff and was at Wolf by 5. I was not going to risk it on an off-shore day on Lake Michigan as much as I wanted... Wise decision, as the forecast turned out the be real, and we had one of the most brutal sessions since I moved to the Midwest. I was totally overpowered on a 5,2... of course I was overpowered! But that's my smallest stuff anyway... Do I need smaller gear? I hope so!

63rd St beach offered everything you will ever need

2010-04-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

OK, maybe it didn't offer everything, especially if you live in Maui and your name is Francisco Goya. But I live in Hyde Park, Chicago, I work on Sundays until noon, and my name is not Francisco Goya, but I do own a Goya board, and that is a good thing...
Today it was cloudy, rainy, and warm, so there was a great chance that the forecast (18 gusting to 28) was going to hold. I got to the beach at 2, and it was already blowing (fully powered on the 6,5). The wind was on-shore, which created a stack of rollers as far as I could see. And where there are waves, there are wave riders. Four kayakers were hitting the shore break, which made me extremely happy... Territoriality is something strange to the Lake Michigan waterman, we're just happy to see another insane soul putting some rubber on and hitting the freezing water with ANY sort of craft.
And so we shared the break, and it was perfect. The on-shore wind was just great to practice some wave riding, and to get the occasional air time. A few hours later I said bye to the kayakers, who turned out to be a pretty cool crowd, and left the beach.
The perfect session? Of course! Perfection is just a point of view.
See you out there...

These guys knew how to deal with white water...

Most of the times...

The quest for 40

2010-04-18T17:37:00.000-05:00

Now that spring is definitely here, it's time to define my windsurfing goals for this year... And since there is no harm in dreaming, I'll be extremely ambitious. Number one: to land a forward loop. I'll be happy if I land on my back once... Number two: to have 40 sessions. There are about 52 weekends in a year, so 40 sessions will take a lot of commitment, considering the lake freezes in the winter... I'll cut myself some slack here, and will consider a session anything with at least one planing run, and sailing on ice will count too...
Too much for a weekend warrior? Time will tell...
Chicago from 63rd St beach

St. Joe notes

2010-04-17T22:33:00.000-05:00

Last night the forecast for Lake Michigan read: NNW in the high teens gusting to 20s (mph), so I thought about trying St Joseph, MI... This spot has a reputation of going off with anything from the north, with a little bit of west. I heard countless stories about epic swell hitting this place. The stories come from windsurfers, surfers, and kiters... I have my own scary story about this place. It doesn't involve big waves, or great wind; it involves a swell big enough to crash you against an ice covered break wall, during a November session that went wrong...
So I spent the rest of the night remembering how I climbed the frozen ladder out of the water, and how I almost lost all my gear. The mistake that day: I wasn't fully powered close to the beach, but I could see the windline so I went for it. Coming back I did not have enough juice to make it to the beach, I fell, and got pushed by the current against the break wall...

Long story short, today I had the same feeling as I went out. I could see the whitecaps just a few yards from the shore, but near the beach the wind was not enough. I went out on a 5.2, came back rigged the 6.5, and had the same feeling. After I made it back, and as bad as I wanted to give it another try, I packed my stuff and called it a day. I'll go back though, I have yet to see the legendary St. Joe's wave...

63rd St. beach, and the Big Guy is ON!!!

2010-04-13T21:42:00.000-05:00

So... This is 63rd St beach (the southern beach on the picture), on the south side of Chicago, literally 5 minutes from my house... and from this place I launched today, my first session on Lake Michigan. The breeze was 16 mph or so, coming from the NE. The rig call was my light wind speed machine (Starboard F type, 9.8 Sailworks sail)...
On the inside the rig felt fine, but on the outside the breeze was a little stronger, almost overpowering at times...
It was pretty cool to go back to the lake... I was getting a little concerned about my avoiding attitude towards the Big Guy, always finding an excuse for not going out...
Anyway, I'm just psyched that the season on Lake Michigan started!!!
See you out there...

Saturday sesh at Wolf

2010-04-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

This Saturday we had another nice session at Wolf... It's crazy how this little lake gets packed with windsurfers and kiters. I guess it's because the lake is so close to the city...
We had a good time, I was fully powered on a 6.5 (again, could have rigged less... I know, this is becoming my motto lately)...
Sorry I don't have pictures, my camera was dead. But I'll post some pics from another day, so you'll get the idea...

Tarifa 2010 four years later

2010-04-11T11:22:00.000-05:00

Tarifa, on the Spanish coast of the Gibraltar strait, will always be a special place for me. This medieval town, right where the Atlantic Ocean joins the Mediterranean Sea is the first serious place where I sailed. In 2006, my brother Carly, a hardcore windsurfer who is as nuts about the sport as anybody else, invited me to Tarifa to go windsurfing. By then I had not stepped on a board in my whole life, so I learned the basics on the Charles river in Boston, and off I went to Tarifa, whithout knowing: a. how to waterstart; b. how to put my feet on the straps; c. how to use a harness. What followed was one of the most incredible trips I have done; sufficient is to say that I have not stopped sailing since then.

Carly's rig: Mistral Synchro 90L and Ezzy wave Panther 5.5... Thanks bro!!!!

Spin Out gear rental and the bar/lounge for post-sesh relax

Gotta love Ezzy sails!!! That 5.5 handled some pretty tough gusts...
ANYWAY, last month I went back to Spain to visit Carly, his wife Lula and their twin daughters, Olivia and Elena. As much as we tried to arrange a trip to Tarifa, work schedules were conspiring against us. While I was in Madrid, Carly, who as any other normal person, checks the weather forecast every 30 minutes, found that it was going to blow in by mid week, and in an action only understood by a windsurfer, he and Lula gave me their car, and Carly's gear and said: GO. And so I went. I drove the 8 hours from Madrid to Tarifa across Spain, an amazing road trip, but that's another story... At some point, when you reach Malaga, you can hear radio stations in English (Gibraltar is a british colony), French, Arab (Morocco is just across the stait), and Spanish. That gives you an idea of thte place where you're going to launch, a place where geography, cultures, and WIND clash...
As you can see, I can go on and on about Tarifa, so I'll just show a few pics and let you discover it for yourself... If you want to know more, just find me at the beach and ask "Hey, how was Tarifa?"

What to rig? These guys are totally spoiled by the way, 5.5 is big stuff for them. C'mon!!!

Some of the locals started to show up by noon...

East wind, also known as "Levante", can get pretty gnarly

My kind of weekend

2010-03-14T17:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had my first session of 2010 in liquid water, and it was lots of fun... But, as it turns out, the wind never stopped blowing and it ended up being one of those weekends when you get to sail Saturday AND Sunday. Regardless of the conditions, those weekends are always remembered as epic by the weekend warrior. And speaking of conditions, today turned out to be even better than yesterday for several reasons: more wind (overpowered on the 6.5), more sun, and the presence of other windsurfers!
In other news, my drysuit is dead. The neck seal melted, and I had to duck tape the pieces to my neck. Not the safest thing to do I know, so I used a wetsuit underneath the drysuit... pretty funny to look at.
I took some pics of the windsurfing crowds (6 windsurfers, 1 kiter). They are not awesome, I know, but once the season kicks in, we'll be back to the high quality pics that we're used to (i.e. Reid from www.windsurfillinois.com will be taking them)...
Anyway, enjoy the pics, send some comments, and as usual, I'll see you out there!

The ice is gone!

2010-03-13T19:20:00.000-06:00

Well, three months after my last session in liquid water, I had the first session of 2010! I hit Wolf today for a gear test drive before getting serious in Lake Michigan, and that turned out be a great idea...
Not that I was going to get on the Big Guy after three months of no windsurfing, alone, on a cloudy, rainy day; but I've done stupid things before, so nothing is for sure...
Anyway, I found out that the winter took a toll on my gear, especially the boots, and the dry suit, which may need some fixing or even replacement before I get into deeper waters.
The sesh was a pretty good one, I guess I was so happy to be on the water that anything would have been fine. Anyway, 6.5 was the call, NE wind, gusty Wolf Lake conditions, but as I said, nothing beats being on the water again!
I'm also happy to finally have something to blog about, and I hope this will be the first of many more notes in 2010...

See you out there!

Finally!

2010-01-31T17:49:00.000-06:00

Finally the conditions were just right for a killer ice sailing session! It was sunny, the wind was blowing about 15 mph, the lake was packed with thick ice, and I had the day off. I rigged my 5.2, which was plenty for the conditions. The rig finally felt right in the ice; having tried it in different terrains, I found it works best in the ice with patches of snow, to slow you down a bit... Seriously, this thing goes off, the drag of the skis against the ice is minimal, and you pick up some serious speed.
Freestyle: after a few runs and after building some confidence, I tried to make the skis spin out. Well, they spun out... of control... The helmet you see in the pictures was worth every penny, I waked my head in ways I never thought were possible... but by the end of the day I was getting more and more used to the rotation of the skis and was able to stay on my feet most of the time...
Anyway, big day in for icesailing, I'll be back for more!!!
No harness needed

Ice freestyle 101, thank God for my helmet

Windy Sunday

2010-01-10T19:01:00.000-06:00

We got some great wind today! I arrived to Wolf Lake little after noon, and it was already blowing. The lake was covered in about 10 inches of snow (still nothing like yesterday at Dunes). In regular conditions (that means liquid water) I would have rigged 5.2, but I knew that I needed more power to get going in the snow, so I went with 6.5.
I'm still having trouble controlling the windski, I either go too upwind and loose speed, or I go way downwind... Another thing that seems not right are the harness lines, I have a hard time hooking in and making it work, I go much better unhooked. Maybe I should move the mast track further, if I only had a drill...
Wolf Lake, frozen

I should get a few fishing poles if I'll keep spending countless hours in frozen lakes

Who needs Bonaire... Maybe me...

Dunes take 1

2010-01-09T22:56:00.000-06:00

First session of the year! Winter is in full speed here in the Midwest, and we had lots of snow. The lakes are frozen, even the Big Guy is frozen! This, of course, represents a minor inconvenience in the life of a windsurfer. However, windsurfers know very well how to make lemonade when life throws lemons... Anyway, these conditions were perfect to keep testing my windski. I decided to check out Dunes Sate Park, in Indiana; a natural reserve that I thought would offer the perfect playground for the windski. The wind was not huge, just enough to keep me moving, but the snow was too deep, and my 80's skis kept sinking in the powder. Tomorrow it's going to crank, so I hope to get some action at Wolf, we'll see...

Walking the gear through the snow. The frozen Lake Michigan in front of me...

Windski

2009-12-26T19:28:00.000-06:00

After the last week's experience in the ice, I've been searching the net for new and innovative ways to dislocate my shoulders. To be honest, the ice is fun but is a little bit two dimensional. The ever changing terrain is what hypnotizes me about windsurfing, 50 feet from you there is nothing, and all of the sudden there is a hill, or a mountain, or a wall, ya' know what I'm talking about.
But then I found this guy in Canada named Guy Trudeau, and he changed everything... His thing is a sled made with skis, powered by a windsurf sail. You may say "Oh! I've seen that before" to which I will reply: "Check what this guy Guy does with his windski"...
I already made mine, and I'll be waiting for you out there in the snow, or in the ice...

PS: Check Guy's website http://pages.infinit.net/gtj101/home and enjoy...

Ice!

2009-12-12T20:41:00.000-06:00

Winter finally arrived to Chicago! It was 1 degree Fahrenheit last Wednesday, and the small lakes are all frozen now. This was never a problem in New England, the ocean never froze, so I'm a little inexperienced in this matter. Luckily, our friends in the Nordic countries have been dealing with details such as frozen water and extreme cold temperatures for years. So surfing the net I found this new and exiting sport, which I will call "Spoon windsurf" a.k.a SPW (the thing at the bottom of the mast is actually a ladle). SPW is the hottest sport in Latvia, and the number SPW enthusiasts is growing exponentially (now there is three of us). Big companies are fighting to sponsor the young hot shots: Gollito Estredo just signed a contract with IKEA, and it is rumored that the Pritchards are between Bed, Bath and Beyond and Kitchen Aid. In Siberia, Antoine Albeau just hit 160 knots with a 7,5 m sail and a spoon made with titanium, he is still coming back upwind. Anyway, don't let the cold days go by and get a spoon; soon it will be spring again.
The rig, and my beach chair

Starboard just released the 2011 SPW board: 2300 dollars. Or you can steal your girlfriend's ladle: 2,25 dollars

How fast? Scary fast!!!

12 mph wind, a perfect day for your 5.2

The ice ain't smooth, so helmets are a must (elbows and knees pads are also recommended). HAVE FUN!!!

A humbling experience

2009-12-06T22:21:00.000-06:00

St. Joseph is a ENE fetching beach in Michigan. The place has a reputation for going big in N wind, with big swell wrapping arround the channel's breakwall. This was not my forst time at St Joe, but it will be one that I will remember. Today the wind was SW 18-20 mph, or at least that was what the buoy at Sowth Haven (30 minutes north of St. Joe) read. I rigged my 6.5 and sailed upwind from the wall, trying to stay in the area between the wall and the beach. The side-on shore wind felt prety safe, but I ran out of power on my way back. What followed was the inevitable wipe out, and a swim to shore. Not being able to waterstart or uphaul, I ended being pushed against the wall and had to climb one of its ladders. In doing this I lost grip of my rig, which floated astray for 20 minutes until it was pushed back to the wall when I was able to grab it.
Overall, nothing serious happened, but I learned my lesson: no room for mistakes in the Big Lakes. Things that went right: from my launch the wind was side-on, and that is what generated the waves that pushed me back to shore. My dry suit, gloves and booties were appropriate for the conditions, I never felt cold. Things that went wrong: I knew that the wind on the inside was not enough, and I still went out. I was alone, bad idea. I launched too close to the wall, worse idea.
Today Lake Michigan showed me its true power, and I am grateful that I got out of the water in one piece.

Fortunately the ladder I climbed was not covered with ice.

Lake Michigan

... and some room for artistic expression :)

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T22:16:00.000-06:00

Today was a clowdy day. There was also the fine rain and the chilly temperature. I used to love days like this in New England, days made to rip...
I paked the Goya, a 6,5 and a 5,2 sails, and headed to Wolf Lake. To my surprise, the entrance to the lke was closed, and I had to use the accesory entrance, which I don't even think is legal... but hey, it was only me and the crazy old man in overall adn rollerblades in the parking lot, and he didn't seem to care.
6,5 seemed appropriate, and it was for about two hours until the wind piked up, but it was all right, for me it was time to go anyway, Thanksgiving diner was waiting.

I felt kind of rusty doing my jibes today, that's what happens when you work too much. December here I come, until Papa Midwest winter lets me play.

Wolf Lake 10/24/09

2009-10-24T22:12:00.000-05:00

I can't believe Rocktober is almost gone, and I scored only one session the whole month!!! To be fair, I was in Argentina for two weeks, so I guess I can't complain... Anyway, today I had a fun afternoon sesh at Wolf. I sailed from 4 until sunset, and it was great to be on the water again. The wind was marginal, but perfect for my light wind gear (Satarboard F-type 145 and 9.8 Sailworks).
The temperature was fine today, but it's definitely getting colder. In New England I used to sail all year round, we'll see how bad the weather gets hare in the Midwest; I have my eyes on a kitewing though, those things look fun!!!

Wolf Lake

2009-09-27T20:59:00.000-05:00

Good day at Wolf. I woke up early this morning, with the intention to go to Michigan, but by the time I had breakfast, checked several windsurfing sites, talked to my brother on the phone, and a few other things it was almost noon... After all it's Sunday, and it's my chilling day of the week...
So I went to Wolf, 20 minutes from home. Wolf Lake is a small lake in Indiana, with a grassy rigging area, and friendly flat water. It's pretty popular among windsurfers for its accessibility. 6.5 and 105 L worked just fine, enough to get me through the lulls (being an inland lake, the wind at Wolf is notoriously gusty)...
So it was a pretty cool sesh, going back and forth and hitting the occasional mini ramp. The wind died at about 5 PM, I was home by 7.
Tomorrow the forecast is showing colors that I've never seen in my life. The guys from www.windsurfillinois.com are going out, I don't know where, chak out the site by the end of the week for pictures of the massacre!!!

First time at Montrose! 9/20/09

2009-09-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

Today I hit Montrose Beach, on the north side of Chicago! This is a popular spot simply because it's close to the city. It was blowing 12-14 knots, time for my light wind speed machine to shine...
I really like that rig, it gets me going, it's perfect for soul sessions, long reaches back and forth... But the Starboard F-type sometimes feels stiff, well, I guess I should expect that from any board carrying a 50 cm fin... Anyway, great session, I will definitely go back to Montrose when it's going off, looks like the swell gets nice over there...
(No pictures today... sorry!)

Weekend road trip: Michigan City and St Joseph

2009-09-12T00:51:00.000-05:00

Last weekend there was some wind forecasted for both days... time for a road trip. Our first stop was Michigan City, in Indiana. The beach faces WNW, and the forecasted wind direction was NNW,so we were expecting some nice side-on push... Nothing happened until 6 PM, when all of the sudden it sarted blowing in the 18-20s. It was pretty on-shore, so I rigged my 6.5 to have extra power to make it upwind, and get out of the impact zone that was getting pretty big. The ride out felt great, I went through the white water with no problem. My ride back was a memorable one: I was running parallel to the beach riding walls of fresh water. In one of those waves I wiped out, and just made it in time to grab my rig before the next wave hit. This second wave fell with all its force on my sail, and snapped my mast in half, the sail made it in one piece though, GO EZZY!!! Anyway, that was the end of another great short sesh... time for a beer.
Sunday we went ot St Joseph, in Michigan. This is a surf spot, pretty cool, and famous in the area for getting scary big... Well, it didn't get stary big, but it definitely showed up its potential. The waves looked so nice in the morning that we decided to try SUP. My first time on a SUP, and I must tell it's a great woukout!

Me SUPing in St Joseph

Time for some sailing

Crazy SUPer in shorts

Surfin' Michigan

In the afternoon the wind picked up, so we rigged and went out, but we needed a little bit more wind to make things work... Later that day, two SUPers showed up at the beach and went out to Tiscornia (the other side of the beach) where the waves were pretty heavy. One of the guys was in shorts, I really thought that we were going to have to rescue him, but he made it back in one piece...

Anyway, another great weekend in the mid-west, I can't wait to get another SUP sesh... maybe tomorrow...
Thanks again to Reid Fillman, the guy behind the camera! If you want to see more pics, check out www.windsurfillinois.com

The shortest session

2009-08-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

Does one run constitute a session? Who knows... North winds, somewhere between 12 and 18 mph, were forecasted for today. Whihala beach, in Indiana, was the call. The beach fetches NE, so N provides side on conditions, great...
When I got there I was the only windsurfer (there was one kiter, way up wind from me) which was not a good thing... But the waves looked so nice! Organized sets, clean, perfect chest high swell. I rigged my 6.5 and wet out, only to corroborate what I already knew: that there was not enough wind... getting out was tricky but I made it through the white water, and once I got past the barrels, the wind filled in and I got in the straps, heading upwind as much as I could.
This launch is an interesting spot, in the middle of an industrial area, not a typical "paradise" one would say.
Long story short, I didn't nail my jibe, and had to waterstart in front of the natsy chimneys of some refinery... not great... but the swell was so good! So on the way in, I grabbed a few super nice waves that pushed me downwind.
For the second run, I was already downwind, and when I got up, I noticed that the wind had really come down... I wiped out in the impact zone, and got washed ashore, luckily...
There was no third attempt, the cold water, the fact that I was there alone, and the lack of wind were too many factors against me...
But the swell was so great... I'll go back some day!

Wolf Lake late afternoon session

2009-08-22T00:19:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday I saw the trees moving as I was walking back from work. I thought about staying at home, I was tired... At the end I decided that if I was going to spend the rest of the afternoon checking the wind, I may as well give it a try, so I drove to Wolf Lake. I got there by 6 PM, right in time for a late afternoon session that put a smile on my face...
Tomorrow may be a Formula day, we'll see...

Oval Beach take two

2009-08-13T21:44:00.000-05:00

Great weekend at Oval Beach! I got there Saturday morning, and the weather was less than perfect, with lots of rain and occasional thunder... But after a couple of hours the weather cleared... time to rig the 5,2... I sailed for two hours with Mark and Wendell, and when the wind dropped, was pretty exhausted... The word at the beach was that Sunday was going to be even better, so we stayed at a Hotel for the night.
We got back to the beach on Sunday morning and it was already cranking, 5,2 again, perfect on the inside, but a little bit small for the outside. Nevertheless, I stayed with the 5,2, trying to land some airs (I'm still afraid of these ramps!).
In summary, awesome weekend... Check out the pictures!

Air time, trust me it looks higher from the board :)

Eric's jibe

Reid's duck jibe
Oval Beach, gotta love it...
Mark is as happy as a sailor can be...

Oval Beach, Michigan

2009-08-03T19:52:00.001-05:00

Finally I have some time to update the blog! Since I moved to Chicago I've been working pretty hard, but this weekend I was rewarded with a killer session at Oval Beach, Michigan.
I got in touch with the local crowd, through a website called windsurfillinois.com (check it out!)... These guys have been exploring and sailing in the area for a while, and are full of stoke!!!
Anyway, it was a 5.2 day, and the swell kept getting bigger, unbelievable... I know, you may think "there are no waves in Lake Michigan"... well my friend, I invite you to come here and see it by yourself...

Some of the images belong to windsurfillinois.com.
Photograper: Reid Fillman. For more, visit the website!

Oval Beach, Michigan
Eric, local ripper...
My face says it all...
Getting some air...
Scott, facing the swell, he made it though ;)

Three-day weekend

2009-06-02T21:46:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Kalmus!!!

Windsurfers ripping at Kalmus

Great weekend here in New England! Finally I got my stitches out last Friday, and the forecast was promising for Sunday, but Saturday also looked good for some Formula BAFing. I went to Fogland on Saturday morning a Igor was there with his 10.8, typical summer weekend. We had to wait for the wind, but it finally happened at around 4. It was enough to make the big stuff work, and it was kind of fun to see how you can get overpowered on 16 mph winds... Note: the formula gear, even if it will make you fly in virtually no wind, has its limitations when it comes to maneuverability. Oh well, we got wet and that's what mattered.
Sunday was a different story. Kalmus went off at 4, and I was pretty powered on my 6.5, again, could I have rigged 5,2? May be...
And then, the bonus, an unexpected afternoon session on Monday. This time I rigged small, and it was total fun, even if I was shlogging some of the time (Fogland is gusty, as we all know...).

Loop update: On Saturday I practiced throwing myself over the rig in no wind. I did that about fifteen times, and I thought "now I'm ready"... Well, I was not. When the wind picked up at Kalmus I could not find the courage to throw myself in the air and forward. When they say that looping is 90% balls, they are right... On Monday at Fogland I spotted a piece of chop and I just went for it. When I got my head out of the water, I was in front of the rig, I had been thrown forward... FORWARD!!!! That means that I started to make my way into this tricky and beautiful maneuver... Now I need to keep trying, and trying, and trying...

See you out there!

It's summer again!!!

2009-05-25T17:57:00.000-05:00

Windsurfing was suspended for me this weekend (doctor's orders...) But he didn't say anything about showing up at the beach! Yesterday it was suny and there was some wind, so I decided to go to Fogland and take some pictures...
You can tell summer is here when you see Igor on his 10.8 on a suny day!

One more comment: I declare 2009 the year of the loop. It is my goal to land a forward before Christmas... There it is, I said it, now I just need to GET TO WORK!!!! (I'll be posting here how things are going)

See you out there!

Kalmus beach

2009-05-21T21:56:00.000-05:00

Great week so far here in New England! On Tuesday I crossed Narragansett bay on the Ezzy Zephyr 7.5 and the Goya 105. It was late afternoon (around 6 PM), so I made it to the other side and back as fast as I could. Kind of scary in the middle where the channel is, but fortunately the wind kept me on a plane all the way out and almost all the way back...
Today I had the afternoon off and the forecast read SW 20 mph, so I headed to Kalmus, in Cape Cod. By the time I arrived there were a bunch of windsurfers and kiters on the water, and my buddy Davide was tearing it apart with his freestile extravaganza (in the picture, throwing a vulcan). I rigged the Ezzy wave 5.2 and again, my beloved Goya (all terrain at this pont)... Five hours later I was still smiling as I got out of the water

2009-05-11T20:11:00.000-05:00

What a session last Sunday!!! A low pressure system in northern New England generated 20-25 mph WNW wind all day. Larry and Don were heading to Horseneck, so I decided to check it out, if it was too tough, I would just head to the Cape, Chapin looked like a good alternative. When I arrived there the wind looked pretty strong, and after a few changes (and after I broke a boom half a mile from shore) I ended up sailing on an 85 L JP and a 5,2 Ezzy. The rest of the day was just great side-of wind, borderline scary waves and sun... what a day!!!
Special thanks go to my buddy Larry, who let me use his board, his sail and his boom... you can see him ripping in the last pic; and to Steve for the pictures, pure New England windsurfing spirit...

I know I said it before, but I'm going to miss this place...

See you out there!!!
No words...

Guess what happens when you wipe out in this section...

Larry going through the white water...

... and throwing some spray outside the breakwater

Mayflower, Cape Cod - 04/19/09

2009-04-19T17:33:00.000-05:00

Surprise session today at Mayflower! The forecast was not promising, but you know how forecast are... Yesterday in the afternoon, it went from 10-15 mph to upper teens - low twenties!!! By the evening I dropped a line on iwindsurf to check if other boardheads were tracking the weather... of course they were, they always are ;)
Outcast and I, showed up early, and launched from Mayflower, a couple of miles east from Chapin. I had a blast with the ramps going out, and the friendly surf on the way in, the signature of the Chapin-Mayflower area.
I know that I said it in previous post, but what a place Cape Cod is... I'm really going to miss it... Kiters and winsurfers adding color to the beach

These guys were cruising around all day!!!

Outcast after a run in the rollers

... and taking advantage of the flat water jibatorium :)

Mayflower and Corporation - Easter 2009

2009-04-12T18:06:00.000-05:00

Insane Easter weekend on the Cape. No work for two days in a row and windy...
Igor and I decided to hit Mayflower on Saturday, what a session!!! Totally overpowered on a 6,5, but it was raining, and I decided to keep going instead of rigging down, plus, if you want to catch Igor you better rig big... At the end of the session the wind had picked up and I was too overpowered, time to stop and drive home, as Sunday promised to be even better... Saturday night I had a dream about me playing basketball, and in my dream... I was able to jump...
Sunday started out sunny but as I arrived to Corporation, our meeting point, some clouds were forming above us... I was the first one to arrive, shortly after, Peter Kimball, a local guy of remarcable skill (a.k.a the dude rips!!!) Showed up, and rigged 4,7... Now... 4,7!!!! My smallest stuff is 5,2... Needles is to say that he had 75 liters on his feet, my smallest: 105... After exchanging a few words, he headed to the water and proceeded to kill it. By then, a few more locals had shown up, and even Steve was there, after his back acted up and put him out of commission for two weeks...
So Igor shows up, I was rigging VERY slowly, I thought it was suicidal to go out on so much stuff, so I hoped for the wind to... yes... come down a little bit... Igor gave it a try on 5,3 and 100 or so, and 30 seconds later he was heading back... too much... so I had no chance, I was tired from the day before, and it seemed that the call of the day was one meter and 20 liters less than what I had...
So time for plan B, Chapin... When we got there the tide was low... very low (see picture)... But soon it started filling in and in minutes the thing turned into a green pool, INCREDIBLE for fast runs in that transparent water, totally overpowered on 5,2... but no sweat, wiping out meant falling into waist deep water... As the tide raised, the chop became bigger and bigger, forming amazing ramps that we got tired of hitting at high speed...
Conclusion: It was an awesome weekend. Seeing the locals at Corporation, I got the itch for a smaller board, I would have loved to get out there, but it would have been a bad idea. If I keep going to the ocean, I might need 80 liters or something along those lines... we'll see ;)

Peter Kimball at Corporation

Lone rider

... and going back for more

Igor walking trough the dunes... Can you see him?
Flat water was perfect for kiting too!!!

Horseneck Beach 04/04/09

2009-04-06T08:17:00.000-05:00

Big day at Horseneck Beach. It started by my mid-week with a promising forecast of W wind. No one said anything though, but by Friday the expectation was too much, and we were all discussing what was the best launch. After tapping the local knowledge, Igor and I decided to go to Hosdeneck. What I saw that morning was clearly out of my comfort zone... We launched from Gooseberry Island, a tough rocky spot East to the becah. Launching from there would put us in the waves whitout having to go trough the white water, which sounded like a great idea, and so we went for it, I was on my Goya 105 and an Ezzy wave 5.2... What followed was the most memorable session of the season (so far, hahaha)
Horseneck is an amazing spot, full of waves to ride, but so much joy comes with a price: the rocky launch was a death trap if you missed your chance, with white water pushing you towards the rocks, and trashing your gear, and likely your legs... Once out, there was no resting zone, so if you whiped out you had to get back on your feet in seconds, before getting punished by the waves. Once you got caught in the white water, it was a rinsing cycle until you reached the beach... However, if you endured those chellenges, you were priced with logo high walls of clear water, massive air, and runs that will stick in your memory for weeks...
I don't know what is with riding waves that is so hypnotic, and by no means I am an experienced wave rider... But if you want to know, come find me by the ocean on a big day, the answer might be right there, in front of you...
Geting through the white water...

Larry making a tight turn in front of a big rock
Larry again, ripping...
Long run on... flat water?
Igor, fearless as usual...

Fogland some day in March

2009-03-26T21:18:00.001-05:00

There were 4 of us on the water that day... This is all I've got... Epic once again...

Test

2009-03-15T10:52:00.000-05:00

No wind... Playing with my pictures...
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Hardings Beach

2009-03-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday we sailed at Hardings beach, on the Cape. It was prety clowdy in the morning, and not that windy. When I got there Steve was ready to go on his 6.2. Close to the beach the wind was mild, but you could see white caps at about 300 meters from the coast. I saw him shloging his way out, and suddenly take off. The wind was N to NW, strange direction for that spot, but it worked perfectly for speed runs. The sky cleared by mid morning, and I was really impressed with the beauty of this place. I'm really going to miss this place when I move to Chicago.
Getting ready for more speed.
My quiver for the day: Goya FXR 105 and Ezzy Wave 6.5.

February 27, 2009

2009-03-02T20:00:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday we scored a 5.2 session at Chapin Beach, Cape Cod. I don't know if the pics are that good, if you haven't ben there you'll hace to use your imagination. The place has about 300 meters of flat water, and then some sweet shoulder high swell. By the time I got htere, Steve, Igor and other windsurfers were on the water... "It's perfect" said Steve, as he was comming back to rig his 4 something sail. It was nice to see that with the warmer temps, more people are showing up at the beach.

Face to face - 02/15/09

2009-02-15T15:43:00.000-06:00

Igor and I have been putting some hours of mini wave sailing under our belt lately, mostly at Chapin and Corporation. After a great session on Saturday with Steve and local sailors Jerry and Barry, we decided to come back for more on Sunday morning... Today, however, things got a little rougher. The wind was NW at average 20 mph, and there were waves everywhere. OK, other sailors may not call this real waves, but for us there was plenty of wave power... We got rolled over, ass kicked, we swallowed gallons of water and saw our gear stumble and get washed ashore... but a few times we were granted a run in which we could see a swell get bigger, steeper, and turn into a beautiful wave in front of us... face to face... This entry could have had different names: Wave sailing for dummies; trapped inside a laundry machine: survival skills, and others; buy I liked "face to face" the most. It represents how humbling the power of Nature is, and how grateful I am that from time to time, I get to see that face to face...

01/31/2009 Corporation

2009-02-02T21:24:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday looked promising as I was getting ready to drive the hour and forty minutes that take me to get to Corporation, Cape Cod. Steve, Igor and I were talking about it on iwindsurf for the past three days, and Jim from Sailworld also had mentioned the spot to me. I got there first, at 8 AM, not a soul, cold but windy!!!
Steve got there a few minutes later, and then Igor (he had to get the ice out of his windsurfing van...)
Me and Igor got a great introduction to the spot in the morning, with benign 13-20 mph wind, and friendly waves...
By noon the wind dropped, time for a lunch break. After lunch, Igor went out, on his big stuff, and we saw him take off... I sailed until the wind started ripping the boom off my hands, time to go back, this is no time of the year for "just one more run..."
OK, too many words, here are some pics...
Jibing? Guess what happened one second later ;)

Steve on a run...

Two tough guys...

One more...

Chapin Beach 01/24/09

2009-01-26T21:14:00.000-06:00

I came back from Argentina on my birthday, 01/12/09. I hadn't sailed in about a month, so I was a little rusty when I hit the water at Chapin Beach on the 24th. Luckily Igor was there in that cloudy morning; and Steve, who caught some of the best winter sessions, was there too... The wind was NW ~25mph, gusty. I sailed my 6.5 Ezzy wave and then went down to my 5.2 Ezzy, still slightly overpowered; the board: Goya FXR 105.
Jumps: Chapin has some nice waves on the outside, which make incredible ramps going out... On my way home I stopped by Sailworld and Jim told me that Corporation works better fir NW, and it's not affected by the tide!!! May be next time...

Speed run on the 6.5

Steve on his small stuff...

and Igor on his big stuff...

Cape Hatteras, two years later

2008-10-11T08:19:00.001-05:00

It's Saturday morning in Providence, and I am sitting in my living room, looking at the pictures from last week in Cape Hatteras. These are some of my favorite images, here we go...

Chesapeake Bridge: The bridge, known as one of the seven modern wonders, connects Virginia's Eastern Shore with Virginia's mainland. I know that I already posted pictures of the bridge, but this is definitely one of the highlights of the road to the Cape.
First morning in the campground. This is the KOA campground, which is located at about 20 miles from the Canadian Hole.
Day 1. Here I am having breakfast and updating my family about the trip. The forecast for that day wasn't promising, so I took my time to head to the beach.A quiet afternoon at the Canadian Hole. Nothing to do but wait and pray for wind :)Sunset in Palmico Sound. Watching the sunset with windsurfer friends is a must in every trip to the Cape.More images of Palmico Sound...

Well, these are some of the images of Cape Hatteras. You may ask whiy there are no windsurfing images. Well, we had one day of epic conditions, but it was just one out of my 5 days there, so I spent the whole day sailing, and forgot about the pictures...

May be the nex time ;)

2008-09-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

Windless Saturday in Providence. Time to update my Blog ;) Last weekend tropical Storm Hanna hit the region. The lady was late for our Saturday date, but promissed to praise the brave on Sunday morning. I showed up at the beach at 11 AM, late, all what I found was a light breeze... Still, those who brought big stuff had a nice morning session, the rest of us, well, we took pictures...
Alan on his Bic Formula and his signature red helmet...

Caesar (right) missed the storm for a few hours. Will he be the fastest sarilor in the East Coast this fall?

2008-08-30T09:53:00.000-05:00

It's raining in Providence, and I am sitting in a Coffee Shop, with not much to do... As I was saying, Cape Hatteras had some wind for me and my friends, may be too much. Here are some pictures of that trip, which I think are more eloquent than me. May be in the future I will just show pictures, which is the ultimate purpose of this blog: to show you what I've seen, to take you where I've been.
Sunset in Palmico Sound
Jim. Sean's friend was a key player when we had to figure out how to put our gear on top of Sean's car, with 40 mph wind blowing in our face...
Sean and I in a sunny and windy day...

Cape Hatteras, 500 miles to a Waffle House

2008-07-26T10:04:00.000-05:00

Blog inspired by The Mighty Diamonds...

Cape Hatteras is a stripe of land that runs parallel to the coastal line of North Carolina. For years it's been a prime spot on the East coast, visited by speed addicts attracted by flat water, as well as wave riders and free stilers.
In March of 2007 I was living in Boston and windsurfing in Pleasure Bay and Cape Cod. My windsurfing buddy Sean Kelly was planning to go to Hatteras for a week to try his "new" quiver: a set of North Sails that he scored at some guy's basement for $ 100. Needles is to say that by those days, necessity had pushed me and Sean to become experts in gear diggin'.

On our way we picked up two more guys: Jordan, a musician friend of Sean's, and Jim, ex dirt biker with some of the scariest accident stories that I ever heard.

Those days we were using Sean's Chevy Lumina for transportation; no roof rack (Sean's rack went flying in I-93, and a truck rolled over his Mistral Explosion, another treasure found in a backyard), just a blanket between the roof, the boards and the sails. This fine machine was a prodigy of aerodynamics, a compact bullet punching a hole on the road. Truck drivers would stay away from us, afraid that at any moment we would take off and go back to Mars.

Probably the most remarkable feature of this veicle was a hard drive under the passenger's seat with 300 GB worth of Beach Boys recordings: the band's rehersals, the band on a plane trip, the band using the restrooms after a concert, Sean had it all. When I got out of the car in Avon, NC, I was certain that there is more to the Beach Boys than California Girls... Jordan in the picture, another big time fan of the BBoys.

500 miles to a Waffle House: I think it was 2 in the morning, perhaps in Delaware, when we started craving waffles, we were listening to a jamming session the Beach Boys had at one of the member's grandmother birthday party. After passing by the Jesus Megastore, Jordan mentioned the waffles. All we needed was a Waffle House. We just passed one, no use to go back, there is one in every exit, or that's what's what we thought... beyond that last Waffle House, Finis Terra, darkness and cold asphalt, we should have stopped at the Jesus Megastore...

We found a Waffle House by next morning, after spending the night at a luxurious motel. The food was worth the wait. By then we were in the south, somewhere between New England and Mexico.

Chesapeake Bridge: In the sunny morning of our second day on the road we went through this bridge. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip, 45 minutes of highway above the ocean, the idea that we would be windsurfing in that water in a few ours was unbearable... total silence in the car... well, silence and an interview to a guy that once went to a Beach Boys concert.

Gorge Part Two

2008-07-12T17:08:00.000-05:00

Saturday afternoon in Providence, stuck in town... Tomorrow I will get my feet wet for the first time since I returned from the Gorge...
As I was saying in my previous post, my first day of windsurf was on a 93L Angulo Super Gu and Ezzy Wave sails 4.7 and 5.5, in the Event Site, probably the friendliest spot on the river. Then, no wind but still mind blowing scenery (Mount Hood in the picture).
When the wind picked up, two days later, I was well rested, ready for more. This time the forecast was East ~20knts at Stevenson, probably the trickiest spot I've been to.
Stevenson is a small town 15 minutes east from Hood River (by the way, for those of you who asked about the distances, all the locations I visited are within 20 minutes drive, very accessible by car). Stevenson is a good spot for E wind. This winter had a ton of snow, which means river currents of ~7 knts that will push you west, this is not a big deal with W winds, and actually is what creates the lovely ramps that we all like to crash our gear against. But on east winds things change.
At the launch site in Stevenson the wind is stronger than in the middle of the river, which pushes us to think that it's a good idea to try that 75L board with that sweet 4.0 sail. When people get out, they face less wind than what they expected, that pushes them to make the second brilliant decision of the day, do a downwinder to get some speed and "recover" terrain once planing... well... that will never happen... what will happen is that once you decide to turn, you will realize that the current and the wind pushed you so far down wind that it will be impossible to go back. Plus, underpowered, waterstart becomes somewhat difficult... What's left is the most painful swim across the river, downstream. If you happen to be in the swimming olympic team, you might make it back, if not, you will end up in the middle of nowhere, exhausted and with post-traumatic stress disorder.
I am the typical guy that runs into these inconveniences while traveling to remote places (I'm the kind of guy that thinks it will be easy to find an ATM, and if not, at least one open bank on a Saturday morning... in Morocco...) if it wasn't for the people at Windance that gave me the following TIPS TO SAIL STEVENSON (which surprisingly can also be applied to my beloved Fogland...): Use a floaty board. I used a Super Gu 112. I know you want to try that awesome Goya 60L, there will be time for it, relax, you are on vacation... Rig big. When I asked for a 6.0 at the shop the locals looked at me like I was asking for a spinnaker... They call 5.5 big stuff (I asked myself what would Igor think about this ;)... Anyway, they found a 6.0 for me, and I went to Stevenson with that rig.

When I got there, it looked like it was blowing for 5.0, but I stuck to my plan and rigged big, which would have awful consequences in any other part of the Gorge... once I left the launching site, I pointed upwind as much as I could, and still got dragged downwind. I was able to make a couple of nice runs, but then I felt like I needed a hair more wind, which takes me the the third advice I got at the shop: when you feel like the wind is not enough, run to shore, because the wind dies in a matter of minutes. I made it back, with enough time to see two windsurfers way too far to make it back to the beach, being carried downwind... to Portland...

Conclusion: on marginal wind, be respectful of Stevenson. I don't mean to scare anyone, may be I am too prudent, and may be people will disagree with what I say, but this was my experience in ~18 knots. Again, this blog is meant for the intermediate windsurfer, who goes to the Gorge and wants to experience this mighty river... Robby, I have no good advice for you.

Coming next: The Hatchery, mast high swell and the best day of my life... hope you liked it...

Gorge!

2008-07-08T21:00:00.002-05:00

In the end of July of 2008 I did my first trip to the Columbia river Gorge, and this is what I saw.

Airplanes: The trip started with a plane ticket Providence-Portland ($500) bought one week in advance.
Getting to Portland on a multi-stop flight can be an adventure on its own. Anyway, this is my tip: avoid multiple connections: Providence, Charlotte, San Francisco, Portland is an example; the chances of getting delayed are huge, and you can waste on precious day.

Car rental: I rented the basic car ($210 per week, Dollar). The car was a small car with no rack, they asked me if I wanted to upgrade, but I said no... then the lady at the desktop gave me a RAV4 for the same price. This might sound as a bad deal in times of G.W. and his quest for the highest gas prices ever, but for me it was a blessing. The RAV4 has plenty of space for 5 sails, 3 masts (inside), and a sweet rack for boards. not to mention the rest of the space in which my girlfriend managed to fit sleeping bags, tents, chairs, wood, cameras, and herself. So, tip: rent big, a few more bucks in gas will go a long way.

Gear: After looking at some posts on the internet, I decided to rent my gear from Windance. I called them and reserved a Goya One (85L) and a Ezzy Wave sails. Here in New England, I use a Goya FXR, and Ezzy Wave, so I thought to minimize the surprise factor my renting stuff I was familiar with. When I got there, I realized that the surprise factor is inherent to the Gorge...

The first day, my board was given by mistake to another guy, but Dave, the owner of Windance, provided me with a quiver for the day, AT NO COST... Board Angulo Super Gu 93L, Ezzy Wave sails and masts... So... TIP: call one day in advance to make sure that your stuff will be there, but don't panic, costumer care at Windance is excellent, and those guys will make sure that you windsurf every day possible.

Day 1: Event Site - great place for a first day. The beach has a flat water segment for speed freaks, and as you get to the Washington side, increasing swell perfect for bump and jump, and to test your skills and get used to the Gorge...

Day 2: Skunk! This can happen even in the Gorge, but you should not stress at all about it, since there are plenty of activities to do around the Gorge, from shopping compulsively at the windsurfing stores to hiking the numerous trails near Hood River. We choose Dog Mountain, a 5 mile stretch, which picture is shown below... mind blowing!!!

OK... I will keep posting, if you find this helpful or enjoy reading it, please let me know! See you soon,

Juan