Finning it in the gusty NNW wind

For those windsurfers who are addicted to windsurf and windwing foiling, going back to a regular windsurf board is now called "finning" it.

Blasting into the harbour

The NNW wind was spectacular with warnings across Ontario about the intense wind. People were surfing on Lake Huron and southern Georgian Bay. The weather said it would be best near us around 4pm so we headed out to the Launch Pad after lunch. I got the plumbing going with the least drama we've ever had on the island and we did some more tidying up.

By 3pm I couldn't wait anymore and headed out on my FreeWave 116 with the 4.7 Duke. Launching off the dock was a bit of a fail, but eventually I swam/floated down to a spot where I could beachstart.

This eventually ended with a swim down to the windier area

Jen came out to the point and took a few videos and then kept an eye on me through the windows at the Launch Pad.

The wind on my old weather station said it was 20 knots gusting 17-30. and the new Tempest said 20 knots avg. It looks like I got the best part of the day.

20 knots and 5c

Or 7c outside depending on the thermometer 

I was out from 3 - 4 pm - pretty good gusts at 3:20

Watching the video it is clear how gusty it was. Thanks Jen for heading down to the point to shoot that!

As this was just my second "finning" since the fall I felt rusty. (And even that short March 11 session is actually a long time ago too.) I had that feeling I've experienced in past years heading to an IWT event where I felt quite awkward getting back on the board in gusty conditions. Around 1/2 an hour into the session I was finally able to feel in control and managed some nice jibes (even one duck jibe). But after 15 km in an hour of windsurfing I was pretty spent.

15 km and planing most of the time

Nice to see the north side of the windfarm running today, but this time the south side was shut off despite the huge winds.

While I have often disliked the gusty NNW winds, with a relatively floaty board and some patience, it worked out ok. And I'm guessing I will like north winds even more for winging in the future. It was great to have the heat on in the Launch Pad and the shower running for a nice post session warm up.

Warm foiling in the cold

It was over three times as warm as yesterday! Fully 3.5c which I could check on my cell phone having now set up my Tempest weather station. (The first station which arrived last fall had a malfunctioning wind sensor when I first set it up in the winter. They replaced it promptly and I’m excited to have remote access to the Launch Pad weather conditions.)

Returning from a nice foil session

Thanks Jen for the video!

Tempest weather station wind data - I can see it remotely now!

So with all the data of course I went out when the wind picked up to 8-12 knots. The water was reading 10c at the dock for a combined 14.5c  (I realized that yesterday set a new record low of 11c combined air and water temperature beating the 14c from last fall.)

Overall 10 km in just under an hour

This was the first time I tried the new 3 mil hood under the 5/4 wetsuit. It worked very nicely and is so much easier to put on than the hooded 6/5/4.

I really had to pump to get going. And still having the wrong boom (for the 7.0) I was using my front hands a lot as the harness lines are in the wrong position. Oh well, something to fix before my next session.

Foiling on the big 99 cm Slingshot wing is so quiet I could hear the wind farm 3 km in the distance while foiling. But at least the turbines were running, unlike most of yesterday.

We cleaned out the back part of the windsurf locker so I’ll have room for one more rigged sail! Back to the city for a few days for Jen’s Covid vaccination, but nice to get on the water 3/5 days.

Winging - very cold proof of concept!

I've never ventured out in 1c weather. But I was determined to see if the wing foiling was going to work for me. I'd used the wing in the winter on skis and skates, but how would it work in the water with a foil?

The 99cm slingshot foil was already on the board without any footstraps. I know many people are using dedicated wing foil boards but I figured that the 140 litre Fanatic Stingray would be a suitable board for winging too?

First though I needed to get psyched for the coldest gusty north wind I've ever been out in on the water (not ice). The hardest part was getting my 5 mil booties on. I wound up having to put a plastic bag on my heels to get in. So I was nice and warm as I headed out.

The wing felt pretty easy, but the gusty wind and very short fetch meant I was changing direction constantly. I don‘t know how people stay on the same stance, I definitely need my feet to switch each time I change direction. And I lost a lot of ground downwind during some very inelegant attempts at water starting the wing. That doesn‘t work. I could however easily stand on the board and eventually flip and orient the wing after falling.

Heading upwind nicely

Weird footwork when tacking.. the 140 l board works well though

Here is the video... (Thanks Jen for standing out in the cold!)

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Super cold outside! 1c

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Back and forth in the channel with the gusty north wind.
Lost some ground downwind but had a few
good foil runs (red) carving back upwind

Overall 2.5 km in 30 minutes plus a bit as my Vivoactive 3 watch stopped recording - maybe due to the 1c cold? Thankfully it missed the walk of shame I had to do as the wind then died off. The few times I got going, I did make great ground back upwind. I have a lot to learn about tacking and jibing. One time I did get most of the way through a tack at speed which felt very nice.

Wing fits in the Launch Pad locker

The wing fits nicely in the windsurf locker. It is also way easier to carry than a windsurf sail. The board however is really hard to carry without footstraps. Now I know why wing foil boards have handles built into the bottom! I may try a shorter leash, or attach it to a footstrap screw instead of the universal.

Post session warming coffee/fuel

My left shoulder is a bit sore after day 1, but overall a great if somewhat short introduction to wing foiling.

First foil of 2021

A pretty strong and cold west wind day had greeted us on our Thursday spring arrival. I was temped to race out and try and score a quick late day session but decided to enjoy the slower pace of retirement, knowing that there would likely be wind the next day.

So indeed Friday after lunch, we got out to the Launch Pad. I set up the old NP 6.5 (with the wrong boom) and 99cm foil. I had a mellow 1 hour session in the 10c SW wind. I didn't check the water temp but was glad to have my 3 mil booties on - figuring it was 6-8c. I forgot my gloves but my fingers were ok. I started without the hood up on my 6/5/4 wetsuit but pulled it over my head after 30 minutes as the cold wind cooled my noggin.

The water is super clear, unusual for the spring but there hasn't been much rain. The water is also down around 30 cm from last year. Some traditional shoals I didn't need to worry about last year are fully back in the danger zone.

The foil felt very natural to use and I felt like my riding was very relaxed for the first day of foil season #5. I never overfoiled and was feeling like full foiling jibes will be happening for me this summer. Not having footstraps on the board definitely helps with making the foil jibe feel easy and I had two jibes where my speed stayed over 10 km/h.

Thanks Jen for the photo. Warm in my 6/5/4 wetsuit

Low speed near the Launch Pad
Nice foiling tracks out in the SW wind

Mellow top speed but over 10 km/h through two jibes. 

The Launch Pad survived the winter pretty well. The old log and fire pit on the point got moved in a fall storm and a bit of gear got eaten by the minks. It will take a few days to get it cleaned up and the plumbing going so I can have a warm shower after a cold session!

Glad the log was tied down, it moved the fire pit in the fall

Minks like hats apparently

Working on my Windsurf Instructor certificate

I signed up for the Ontario Sailing Association instructors fundamental course to get my Cansail Windsurf Instructor's certificate. The last few Tuesday nights have been fun online zoom meetings going over teaching methods

For my final assignment I needed to give a "land lesson". The introduction to windsurfing that I normally do on the Launch Pad simulator seemed to be the best way to try out some of the teaching methods. While we weren't actually at the Launch Pad, I found a nearby pond to use as a backdrop.

Setting up for the windsurfing land lesson

Below is the video. Definitely more fun when there are real students reacting and interacting. Let's see if I pass the course?

Good skiing till March 31st but no windsurfing at all in the last 5 weeks... we did head to Collingwood harbour with gear to check it out March 30th, but not enough wind for a 2 sport day...

March 30th wind tease - didn‘t end up launching though