Can we make a fire!! Yikes, that’s going to be chilly. I missed the last one so I am thinking I got to show my face to keep my Wing Card active. Traffic has been absolutely miserable just trying to get out of Dunwoody, but if I don’t get caught up in adult things again I want to join.
Neil
I'm definitely maybe going. Probably. I just have to do my Christmas shopping...
Speaking of Christmas, 60º and breezy looks like a nice gift
60 and breezy - you got it Chris! Just have to drive south a few (+) hrs. It was actually even warmer (70) and more breezy (18-30ish) today.
Pic below from Fred Howard park today - lots of wind, lots of sailors of all types. I rigged 4.7 and could have done 3.7 and be happier I think.
Yesterday was Skyway bridge, nice breeze for 5.7.
Tomorrow is Dunedin or back to Fred Howard - in discussions with Gene on location.
All in all, especially being that schedule was set months earlier, didn’t too bad in the ‘luck with wind’ department.
This was my 97th day windsurfing this year, and it was lots of fun! There was a long lull about 1PM and I set up my foil board, but the wind came back & I never used it, going back out on my 120L windsurfing board. For mid-week, we had a great turnout at Van Pugh. Haizar windsurfed, Alan, William & Chris P. wind-foiled, Neil, Richard G. & his son wing-foiled.
171 days on the water so far in 2021. Years not over. For context, most of 2021, I was a 1/2 mile Golf Cart ride from my favorite launch spot in Vero and I don’t work in the traditional sense. I guess this begs the question: How come I am not better at Winging!!
I guess this begs the question: How come I am not better at Winging!!
Finally, somebody says the quiet part out loud.
Just kidding, your winging skills in less than two years exceed the equivalent windsurfing skills of some people who've been on the water ten times as long.
Yesterday was really, really good, imho. I had to run some errands and got there just as the big mid-day blow was ending so rigging a 5.4 on the foil was the right call. Unlike previous sessions, the wind didn't tail off towards sunset but stayed pretty consistent all afternoon 12-20+. Did some upwind/downwind runs by going up almost to the gap between the Three Sisters and Lake Lanier Islands and then heading down in about three jibes below the swimming beach at VP. Towards the end of the day, Barrett and I reached together. I was pretty overpowered but tried to keep up with Barrett which made me forget about how windy it was and that improved my overpowered jibing a good bit. It's interesting how much chop a finned board generates, though. I'd sail past his jibe point just to get to flatter water. The NW wind also limited the swell so downwinds were fun but not as much to surf on as I would have thought.
Observations:
- I've said it before but it's amazing how deep you can go on the foil (off wind) and in powered to overpowered conditions, it really kills the power. In the same insane gusts that I'd be feathering out going upwind, I could hold on to down with barely any pull on the arms. It's really cool.
- I keep using longer and longer harness lines. I don't know how accurate the cheap adjustables are that I was using yesterday but they are indicating 27 inches. I used to sail small sails with 24s and bigs ones with 26s. I'm short and use a waist harness. I use the frog position a lot when overpowered and it helps keep things in the water.
- My foil keeps hitting a barrier at 21 mph or so. If I want to keep up with Barrett, I need to go down a wing size. I've hesitated because the wing I'm using will let me jibe in pretty low winds even with a small sail. But, I think I need to give it a go.
- The more powered my jibes are, the more they resemble windsurfing jibes. I was talking with Neil yesterday that about something he'd noticed too, as my skills have progressed, the more ugly, ugly jibes I can save. It's almost unfair. I think it goes back to when I learned to regular jibe or as I put it, "Learning the 1000 ways that don't work". You don't so much learn how to do one as to fix the myriad of ways it can go wrong real time. I got lazy on one yesterday and didn't open the sail enough. I started to feel a bit of a push on the sail and before I got the backwind/handslap of god, I was able to push the sail open and carry on.
To sum up what you said in your short novel, got ya, trusting the glide of the flying foil seems to provide more time then we think we have. Same on the gybes & yesterdays Tacks, there’s lots of time to relax and not tense up. Just ride out the glide and a few foot pumps can also buy a couple precious seconds of flight to complete whatever you’re trying to do.
Congrats to Neil! 171 days on the water this year, and I thought I'd sail a lot. Neil's made great progress. Clearly the way to get better is to spend time on the water.
Now I know why William jibes away from me - to avoid my wake Thanks for the good comments about speeding the learning curve of foiling.
I hope to get to go
I would be joining the party!!
Hoping to join y’all at VP.
btw, Thursday is looking good, too, at the moment on the Euro/GFS. WeatherCat (NWS Hourly) doesn't seem to have caught it yet.
Can we make a fire!! Yikes, that’s going to be chilly. I missed the last one so I am thinking I got to show my face to keep my Wing Card active. Traffic has been absolutely miserable just trying to get out of Dunwoody, but if I don’t get caught up in adult things again I want to join.
Neil
Count me in for Wind-surfing-foiling-winging Wednesday.
Barrett
I'm definitely maybe going. Probably. I just have to do my Christmas shopping...
Speaking of Christmas, 60º and breezy looks like a nice gift
60 and breezy - you got it Chris! Just have to drive south a few (+) hrs. It was actually even warmer (70) and more breezy (18-30ish) today.
Pic below from Fred Howard park today - lots of wind, lots of sailors of all types. I rigged 4.7 and could have done 3.7 and be happier I think.
Yesterday was Skyway bridge, nice breeze for 5.7.
Tomorrow is Dunedin or back to Fred Howard - in discussions with Gene on location.
All in all, especially being that schedule was set months earlier, didn’t too bad in the ‘luck with wind’ department.
AWD_Tiger
webguy
Langdon
channeysurfer
What time is party starting today?
I was thinking 1:00, just to give it a chance to warm up a little.
+1 for 1pm @VP
Can not make it ...work imploded
At VP now,
Lots of caps and not real cold.
On my way to VP
Some pretty hefty winds reported at Gilmer today like 17-35. So how was it? I rode my Monster Truck today with 4.6 Lift (what else?).
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
FoilDodo
webguy
AWD_Tiger
This was my 97th day windsurfing this year, and it was lots of fun! There was a long lull about 1PM and I set up my foil board, but the wind came back & I never used it, going back out on my 120L windsurfing board. For mid-week, we had a great turnout at Van Pugh. Haizar windsurfed, Alan, William & Chris P. wind-foiled, Neil, Richard G. & his son wing-foiled.
Barrett
webguy
FoilDodo
Wow 97 days !! Way to go Barrett. You must have racked up a lot of those in OBX and other spots you've been. Hard to get that many here.
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
171 days on the water so far in 2021. Years not over. For context, most of 2021, I was a 1/2 mile Golf Cart ride from my favorite launch spot in Vero and I don’t work in the traditional sense. I guess this begs the question: How come I am not better at Winging!!
Finally, somebody says the quiet part out loud.
Just kidding, your winging skills in less than two years exceed the equivalent windsurfing skills of some people who've been on the water ten times as long.
Yesterday was really, really good, imho. I had to run some errands and got there just as the big mid-day blow was ending so rigging a 5.4 on the foil was the right call. Unlike previous sessions, the wind didn't tail off towards sunset but stayed pretty consistent all afternoon 12-20+. Did some upwind/downwind runs by going up almost to the gap between the Three Sisters and Lake Lanier Islands and then heading down in about three jibes below the swimming beach at VP. Towards the end of the day, Barrett and I reached together. I was pretty overpowered but tried to keep up with Barrett which made me forget about how windy it was and that improved my overpowered jibing a good bit. It's interesting how much chop a finned board generates, though. I'd sail past his jibe point just to get to flatter water. The NW wind also limited the swell so downwinds were fun but not as much to surf on as I would have thought.
Observations:
- I've said it before but it's amazing how deep you can go on the foil (off wind) and in powered to overpowered conditions, it really kills the power. In the same insane gusts that I'd be feathering out going upwind, I could hold on to down with barely any pull on the arms. It's really cool.
- I keep using longer and longer harness lines. I don't know how accurate the cheap adjustables are that I was using yesterday but they are indicating 27 inches. I used to sail small sails with 24s and bigs ones with 26s. I'm short and use a waist harness. I use the frog position a lot when overpowered and it helps keep things in the water.
- My foil keeps hitting a barrier at 21 mph or so. If I want to keep up with Barrett, I need to go down a wing size. I've hesitated because the wing I'm using will let me jibe in pretty low winds even with a small sail. But, I think I need to give it a go.
- The more powered my jibes are, the more they resemble windsurfing jibes. I was talking with Neil yesterday that about something he'd noticed too, as my skills have progressed, the more ugly, ugly jibes I can save. It's almost unfair. I think it goes back to when I learned to regular jibe or as I put it, "Learning the 1000 ways that don't work". You don't so much learn how to do one as to fix the myriad of ways it can go wrong real time. I got lazy on one yesterday and didn't open the sail enough. I started to feel a bit of a push on the sail and before I got the backwind/handslap of god, I was able to push the sail open and carry on.
Thanks for the compliment, I think!!! LOL
To sum up what you said in your short novel, got ya, trusting the glide of the flying foil seems to provide more time then we think we have. Same on the gybes & yesterdays Tacks, there’s lots of time to relax and not tense up. Just ride out the glide and a few foot pumps can also buy a couple precious seconds of flight to complete whatever you’re trying to do.
Congrats to Neil! 171 days on the water this year, and I thought I'd sail a lot. Neil's made great progress. Clearly the way to get better is to spend time on the water.
Now I know why William jibes away from me - to avoid my wake
Thanks for the good comments about speeding the learning curve of foiling.
Barrett