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| California Dreaming - Surf - Palms - Cars |
The second event of the American Windsurfing Tour successfully raised enough money on Kickstarter and so I booked my flight to San Francisco. I was looking forward to windsurfing the waves on the California coast for the first time. Little did I know I’d also discover some other great Bay Area windsurfing spots!
Arrival in California - event registration:
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| Santa Cruz Beachfront and Pier |
I collected my surprisingly good and roomy Chevy Equinox rental car and then the windsurfing gear I rented from Boardsports Coyote Pt. near the San Francisco airport and headed through Silicon Valley to Santa Cruz. (Drove my Chevy to the levee?)
Santa Cruz is the town that is eponymous with skateboarding, surfboards and mountain bikes. 20 miles north of the O'Neill wetsuit shops on Highway 1 is Waddell Creek. This mile long beach has long waves breaking on the sloping sand shore.
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| Joe's cool Davenport Surf and Sail shop |
When I arrived at the beach the huge Red Bull tent was already set up and the pros were out for a demo session. I watched and said hi to a bunch of windsurfers I knew from past events. Cecelia from Toronto, who in a small windsurfing world way I had only met the previous week at Cherry Beach, was there too.
After the pros came off the water everyone headed to Joe's shop for the opening party. I realized I knew the sail loft from the Windsurfing Movie II. The barn is full of antiques and is a great visual history of the progression of windsurfing.
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| Selfie on the beach |
Competition Day 1 - Thursday June 3
The Youth, Women and Grand Masters (over 55) were the heats that ran once the wind built. It was great watching the skill and perseverance the competitors showed. Seeing windsurfing legend Josh Stone's son Harley competing in the youth division was great fun. And the women included Toronto local Cecelia, along with Canadian pro and F2 team rider Ingrid Larouche!
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| The last bit of wind for the day |
Late in the day I headed out upwind of the contest area to try out my rental equipment. The starboard Kode 103 and Mauisails Legend 5.7 were perfect for me. But the wind dropped (see chart) so my session was cut pretty short. The waves were reasonably forgiving as I floundered a bit in the very, very cold water. Even though it is California, most surfers wear booties and hoods along with 5mm wetsuits. The water in Toronto was warmer last week even though there was ice 2 months ago.
Competition Day 2 - Friday June 5
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| This is shark water |
The beach was very quiet for the opening announcement at 10am. I headed back to Davenport for a delicious breakfast. I came back to find even lighter winds. So the AWT hosted a blindfolded rigging contest. It turns out I won rigging my rental gear with a 4:25 time!
A few of the competitors were out SUPing, surfing and body boarding in the waves which were almost glassy with the lack of wind.
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| The perfect waves at the SC Lighthouse and surfing museum |
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| Meeting Josh Stone while watching the kids surf Steamer Lane |
I decided to head to Santa Cruz to check out the boardwalk. On the way I stopped at Wilder Ranch State Park for a hike. Then it was off to the surf museum at the lighthouse. There were Josh and Amy Stone and the Schettewi parents proudly watching their kids surfing and enjoying the famous lighthouse waves. I had to ask for a picture with Josh whose windsurfing and attitude I've admired for years.
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| Great wind for 4.7m sailing at Rio Vista |
I spent the evening doing a 7km walk through Santa Cruz’s major sightseeing attractions. Those sights include: the boardwalk which has operated continuously since 1907, the old wooden roller coaster, the Pier with its friendly seals, and Pacific Ave - the main street which is mostly rebuilt since the 1989 earthquake. What a great town on a Friday night.
Competition Day 3 - Closing Ceremony
There was very little wind and what there was, was coming from the wrong direction so the event site was pretty mellow. On the advice of a few west coast regulars (thanks Casey!) I decided to take a long 2 hour drive up to Rio Vista to find wind. As I drove through the Columbia Gorge like valley, I saw hundreds of wind mills meaning I was heading the right place!
I dropped in on ABK Derek at Delta windsurf company and he pointed me in the right direction on Sherman Island. What a community! RV parks and the state park and even overflow parking were full of windsurfers and kiteboarders and their gear. Of course I had missed the preferred ebb tide and so I found a parking spot as things cleared out a bit.
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| My roadtrip(s) |
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| The view out over Sherman Island |
But there was no absence of smiles for the people coming off the water. I rigged my 4.7 rental Naish sail and headed out. An hour and 45 minutes later I was done. I haven't sailed a 4.7 nicely powered in years! It was awesome! (And that was in the flood tide meaning the water was moving the same direction as the wind.) The kiters and windsurfers at Sherman island also seem to get along very well which is so nice to see.
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| The AWT closing party |
The drive back to Santa Cruz had me smiling from ear to ear. Highway 880 southbound into San Jose is gorgeous in the setting sun. Now I know why people love the Bay area.
The AWT closing party was fun and I got to know several windsurfers like Phil Soltysiak even better. It was a very fun way to close an event and I’m looking forward to seeing many of the regulars and new friends I met in Baja in August.
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| Crissy Field with the Golden Gate in fog |
Day 4 - Sunday June 7th
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| Better wind at Candlestick Park for 5.3m freestyle |
With no AWT heats planned for the last day it was off to San Francisco in the morning to evaluate my options. The very nice guy Kipps at Boardsports agreed that going to Crissy Field was a must do. I checked out the formula sailors getting ready to head into the fog under the Golden gate bridge. At the same time my buddy Aaron replied on Facebook that he was heading to Candlestick for a session so I drove there next. We rigged there in the shadow of the stadium which is being torn down now. Another sailor was kind enough to lock my car keys in his car. (Note to self - remember waterproof pack or combo lock when travelling.)
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| Rigging under the crumbling Candlestick Park + rental Chevy |
5.3 was the right call and I had a blast sailing with the SF locals who were showing off a very high level of freestyle. After an hour and a half and a successful donkey jibe, a few downwind 360s, a few upwind 360s, a half dozen failed vulcan attempts and a very surprising short board duck tack it was time to pack up.
I returned the gear and headed to the airport hotel feeling great about my trip to central California and the neat number of windsurfing sites I got to experience. Spending more time in the Bay area and a road trip down Highway 1 from Oregon all the way to San Diego are on my retirement bucket list now.
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| Thanks Aaron for helping me find the best wind |
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| I visited a few of central California's parks! |
The small fleet at TWC is very friendly. I just need to stop colliding with people by accident - yikes. And it is humbling though to be near the back of the pack all the time, especially when the Konas start with the raceboards.
