A bit of humble pie - Halloween nightmare windsuffering in Carro

I'm back in France and the wind reports looked solid. 18 degree warm wind from the south. So I headed back to the legendary windsurfing spot Carro where I had fun last time. There were around 100 sailors out. Most of the sails on the beach were 4.0, my smallest is 4.7, and my 108l board looked huge next to the 80l wave boards that everyone else had. It also started raining, adding to the windspeed, 30 knots gusting to 35.

I rigged up and could barely walk down to the beach. I was able to get out to waist deep water. Several failed beachstarts got me out into the shorebreak, where I got washed several times. A few more waterstart attempts, and I was out into the breaking waves, where I got pulled over the handlebars each time. Started swimming after my gear, and felt the current ripping me straight down wind at an alarming rate. I dragged myself and the gear back to shore and did a walk of shame back to the car. Got out of my wetsuit in the sideways rain, and could barely get the board back on top of the car due to the wind.

There were only 40 sailors out at this point, and my wife and I watched them in comfort from the front seats of the car. Still more to learn about this sport - like make sure you have the right gear. Maybe I'll rent from the local shop next time it is really windy. Does this count as a day of sailing?

Carro Windsurfing Nightmare from Canadian Guy on Vimeo.

Canada for a week - Georgian Bay Windsurfing Memories

Well I'm back in Canada for a week of work functions and also to close up the cottage on Georgian Bay.

Funny that just after I get back here, there is a new post on the Original Windsurfer Blog. The post was about how Ted Schweitzer visited Toronto and then drove up the same highways I just drove, to deliver a windsurfer to his dad Hoyle who has a cottage on Georgian Bay.(Yes that Hoyle Schweitzer AKA the man who brought windsurfing to the masses).

I learned how to windsurf on Georgian Bay on an original teak boomed windsurfer around 1981. Here is 8mm family film footage of those early days, just after I got my own YPSI Wayler from JD at Windsurfing Toronto on Yonge Street.

1985 Vintage 8mm Windsurfing Footage from Canadian Guy on Vimeo.

Oh, this weekend there was almost enough wind to sail, but not enough time after shutting down the plumbing for the winter.  Back to Provence on Wednesday.

#10 First time sailing at famous Carro beach

OK, for my 10th session, I finally got up the nerve to sail at Carro beach.  The windsurfing guide book from Stoked Publications suggests that Carro is one of the top spots in France. So I was a bit intimidated, but with my wife and family there with me, I got up the nerve.

Well, actually the kids just stayed in the car. But my lovely wife watched from shore and took these pictures.

The bottom is rocky, so I wore booties for the first time this year. I only cut one guy off on a wave (merde, pardonez moi) and despite the crowds, I look forward to getting back to this spot again soon.

Jumping!

Navigating the crowds - 100 sailors - a few waves

Got my own wave!

Cdn Guy is Stoked!

Only 2 vulcan attempts, but number 76 slid for a mile (well maybe 2 metres). I need to get my hands to the other side. Shove its started having a bit of backwind. More to do there too. My jump looks better than I remember it, I'm looking forward to getting a really good one.

Here is a map of the areas I've been profiling in this blog.

Map of windsurfing locations I've tried so far near Aix-en-Provence

Did you know tomorrow shortly after 10am will have a cool date?  10:10:10 on 10/10/10.  Cheers, Carl

#9 Windsurfing in Almanarre for the 1st time

I've met another parent here in Aix-en-Provence who loves to windsurf.  He actually ran a windsurfing school in the British Virgin Islands and raced several times in the HiHo.So with the wind reports looking good for an east wind, we met at the morning school drop off and headed to Almanarre.

As we had hoped, there was a windsurf rental place on the beach, and Roy was quickly set up with a nice board and sail.  I rigged the 5.4 and it was perfect.  Nice sand underfoot, and small shorebreak that created a few ramps, but challenging for someone not used to getting out through the white water.

I sailed 2 hours and 15 minutes, and over 40 km.  It is amazing how much time you spend in the water when you are trying some new moves, and also learning to deal with shortbreak.

Here is a NICE HQ VIDEO of how I start the camera, a few chop hops, a nice gybe and then a few small jumps. 90 great seconds of my day.


Windsurfing in Almanarre from Canadian Guy on Vimeo.

I'm thinking this video is much nicer quality than the last ones.

Here are a few stills as well.

Shaka!

Carving Gybe

Cool image through the sail!

It was really great having a fellow windsurfer to share the 100k drive with. I'm thinking Roy and I will have a few more sessions this fall!

Night time craziness in Sylt

Last night is well worth commenting on. The PWA put on a night time tow-in freestyle expression session. This was after a full day of slalom races which were broadcast with live GPS timing on the web (see chart). 

The night time tow in session was a very challenging situation. The 7 best freestylers in the world took turns being towed in by a jet ski over big breaking waves to finesse spectacular moves in random winds, just meters from shore in front of floodlights (and even headlights of the sponsoring Range Rover vehicles) illuminating the action.

I stood on the shore with Maarten Van Ochten H72 who gave me great play by play insight into the specific moves that his PWA colleagues were doing.

World Champion Gollito
 from PWA Website

The action was enough to coax many of the partiers out of the beer tent to watch. Inside the massive tent it was virtually impossible to move, only those like me with hand stamps from earlier in the evening were allowed back in, and the line to get in was crazily long. The party was so hot that condensation on the tent roof was dripping down in many places!  Maybe it was the Octoberfest spirit, or a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the German unification of Oct 3, 1990. Or maybe it was just Saturday night in Sylt.

This morning, with more wind and sunny skies, I was hopeful that there would be a freestyle competition. A few freestyle sailors went out to try the conditions, but it was too gusty close to shore where the judges would have needed to be to rate the tricks.

Team Canada at Sylt!

I said goodbye to several people I'd met and got a 'go Canada' photo with freestyler Philip Soltysiak CAN9. The slalom fleet was just starting their first heats in the surprisingly warm (17c) wind. Not bad for northern Germany in October. For more contest info see: www.pwaworldtour.com  FYI Dunkerbeck won the Slalom portion of the event, and finished the year in 2nd.

I headed off to catch the Auto Train shuttle off the island, to start my long drive home before Sunday weekend 'rush hour'. Sylt was a lot nicer, busier, accessible, warmer and drier than I expected. No wonder it is such a popular windsurfing stop on the PWA tour.

Did I mention that some of the taxis in Sylt are Porsche Cayennes? Yeah, it is a bit crazy there.

#8 Sylt (not part of the world cup)

This morning I got to watch my first ever live PWA slalom races. It was fascinating to see that a huge part of the racing is having all your gear rigged on the beach and ready to go. Like the few races I've been in, it is also a challenge to figure out what heat you are in and when your start time is.  The racers were way out to sea, because of the offshore wind.

Bjorn Dunkerbeck and Sebastian Kornum head out to race

Later, after winning yet again, Bjorn was swarmed by the media.

Bjorn in media scrum

Crowds line the beach

The Beer Tent

Crowds on the Boardwalk - Checking out the event results

More Crowds

My sailing: I headed off in the afternoon to the far end of the island to do some sailing myself. I was at the most northerly spot in all of Germany, and could have sailed across the bay to Denmark with the right wind direction.

6.2 on my 108l board was perfect and the combination of 14c water and 13c air was quite tolerable in my new wetsuit.  After 90 minutes I really didn't even notice the cold anymore. I'll be interested to see what my minimum combination will be later this fall, likely somewhere around 25 combined air and water temperature?

I got a nice upwind 360 on video, and a few more failed Vulcans I'm up to attempt number 75?..

Quick failed Vulcan

Upwind 360 into Heli Tack

Nice planing duck gybe into failed Vulcan