So many firsts....

Wow, what a day. It wasn‘t even supposed to be 10 knots, but the wind jumped to 14-16 knots after lunch and my calendar was clear after a morning of calls and emails.

I had my first full - no tail touchdown, fully on the foil duck jibes and even a full foil normal jibe. Longest distance ever on the foil. First time this year up past buoy DK4. First time foiling near a thunderstorm. Longest foil session ever - almost 3 hours. First time being propelled foiling down waves with just my front hand on the mast. And first time for my friend John to see me foiling.

Pretty excited after 2.5 hours of foiling

I was actually trying to go around Dead Island, I‘ve only done one circumnavigation in August 2014. I just received a replacement Spot GPS signalling device, so I felt safe trying that again. I worked my way upwind passing the spot where I proposed to Jen (and sent a Spot message and drew an attempt at a heart with the GPS). I got to the Keefer island sight line and buoy DK4 but looking out past Dead island the thunderstorms were over the Pickerel river - not too far away. I bailed and started heading back, worrying about the wind dropping and having to slog 4.7 km back to the Launch Pad while a thunder storm loomed just 10 km away.

GPS trail upwind to Dead Island and then surfing back down the waves

My attempt to draw a heart with the GPS 

The storm looming. Even with a SW wind, it moves down slowly from the NW

For over an hour, the storm kept stalling as it got to the north shore of the Bay. So I kept foiling, visiting my friend Scott. Then back to the point of the Launch Pad to see Jen. I kept on foiling, and at one point could feel the thunder in my chest since it is so quiet moving on the foil. But Jen came out in the boat to say that the cells were definitely even more threatening looking on the most recent radar reports. 

Thanks Jen for the photos

So I called it a good afternoon and headed in - perfect timing, just as the wind dropped down under 12-14 knots and I could no longer get the 140 Stingray board with 76 cm Slingshot wing and 5.6 Idol sail up on the foil anymore.

I pulled out the drone which I‘ve just recently got working again and got some amazing photos of the Launch Pad and the storm. The wind backed to north and I was grateful not to be out past Dead Island! Then back home for a Baja Fog and my favourite dinner. What a day.

Playing with the drone

Captured a lightning strike from my drone video

Northwest wind at the Launch Pad

We did eventually get a little bit of rain