No photo foil session

So even though we were hosting a professional photographer overnight at the Launch Pad - instead of a photo on this blog post, I just present a wind graph. 

It is definitely good to go out when the wind actually shows up! The wind wasn't supposed to be there until late in the afternoon. But when I got to the launchpad at 12 o'clock it was already blowing 12 knots.

I decided to go out on the 5.6 Idol with the 99 cm foil. It was perfect. I got around 8 km of foiling before the wind dropped off a bit. The engineer in me figures that dropping from 12 knots to 8 knots drops the wind strength by 75%? (The chart is from my new Tempest online weather station, my readings of 12 and 8 knots from the AcuRite weather station I’ve been using since 2018.

Catch the wind when you can!

On my last 2 km I enjoyed doing some upwind 360s and especially appreciated the super clear water as it has not rained any significant amounts this spring. The water looked and felt cold but was actually 17c. I wore booties anyway for some extra comfort.

My GPS initially didn’t show the session, but then I found it on the Garmin website showing as Saturday. Weird. 10 km distance with a max speed of 24 km/h. It was neat heading upwind cruising right next to the old Key Harbour crib which I could see clearly through the water.

3 for 3!

Three days up north, 3 sessions on the water. After yesterday’s epic 55 km day, I wasn’t going to go out for long, but I wanted to get a session in. Afternoon wind was just 12 knots, but I decided to try the 5.6 Idol again on the 99cm foil.

GoPro screenshot of the foil underwater
 - clearer than I expected!

The wind was cold - I wore my 5/4 wetsuit and my neoprene Santa hat. And booties which I didn’t think I’d use again with the 17c water, but why not be comfy? It was sunny and super easy to see the shoals.

This was the first time since the winter that I took out the Go pro. I hadn’t charged it so I only got a bit of video. The clew view mount works well but the battery had died so I missed the part where hit my head on duck jibe! Looking forward to figuring out the GoPro more and putting a real video together - here is a quick taste...

Some video of my session from Vimeo.

2 km stretch in the middle - 100% on the foil with two good jibes!

I feel like I’ve got the hang of pumping the small 5.6m sail in lighter winds. It takes smaller, higher frequency pumps and more toe action instead of moving my hips. And it is so much more maneuverable in tacks or jibes than the 6.5m sail. Some back to back comparison will happen for sure though.

Overall 10 kms in 50 minutes. A fun session for sure.

3 sports - 5 sessions - 55 km

Wow, what a day. Windy had the prediction 100% accurate. Decent wind in the afternoon, building to "strong breeze" conditions in the evening.

I'm enjoying foiling with my son also out with me on the water!

The forecast was looking good!

And building in the morning...

Phillip and I headed out to the Launch Pad and I got him set up at the point on the 5.4 Duke on the Young Gun 115. He was good at slogging and tacking but didn't quite get going. 

I brought him the Techno and that was a bit better but he soon headed back to the dock to get a bigger sail. He had a great time with the 7.0 and some of his fastest runs (ever?).

I joined him with the 5.6 Idol on the 99 foil and we were out together for a while. Jen got some nice photos and a video of Phillip. I was getting a few foil jibes but didn't complete the carving 360 attempt.

Wind foiling tracks

Wind foiling speeds

We both headed in for a break and the wind was continuing to build. 

I headed out next on the 4.2 wing with the 99 foil. That went pretty well but I didn't want to overdo it on my shoulder which was feeling ok after a physio session in the city. My speeds were higher than I expected.

Wing foiling tracks

Decent wind foiling speeds

As the wind was still building, I took the 5.6 Idol to the point and launched the Skate 108. It was interesting as that was my first full power shortboard session of the year. After getting used to not being nearly pulled over the front of the board, I got my balance back and actually found it easier than windfoiling or winging. Both legs are straight when underway so there is less thigh fatigue. My one vulcan attempt was a fail but I think I'll be trying more in the flat waters in the southern part of my explorations (arrow).

Windsurfing 5.6 Idol on the Skate 108

Good speeds on my last 4 downwind runs

Back to shore for another break as the wind kept building. I decided to rig the 4.8 Idol and took that out to the point where I'd stashed the 116 Freewave. That was a very comfortable setup. I was actually able to make upwind ground a bit better on the Freewave, even with the wave fin. And it is a more comfortable ride, less slappy than the Skate. The wind had shifted to due west by this point. and there were some nice swells building for jumping.

4.8 on the Freewave 116 windsurfer

Best speeds as always on the downwind runs!

4 of my 5 sessions - 55 km!

My last session was just a run out and back from the point to return the Young Gun board. I'd rigged the 4.2 now as the wind was continuing to build. I even debated just walking back as the wind was blowing spray right over most of the shoals. But I'm glad I did try, and realized again how smooth that board is to ride in high winds. I will definitely be recommending it to my wife, son and daughter for future high wind days.

So 5 sessions, 3 sports, 55 km. A great day - as predicted.

Just in time

Our six errands and a conference call on our trip north were completed earlier than expected. So I managed to get a surprise after dinner foil session.

Just in time as the wind was dying at 8pm. I headed out and the few runs and nice sunset made it all worthwhile. 17c 12 knot SW wind helped too!

Nice Friday night foiling

Thanks Jen for the video!

3 decent jibes in the SE corner

Catching the dying wind..

3 nice jibes over 12 km/h

Happy about the 3 jibes which stayed over 12 km/h. Being strapless on the board helps too.

Nice sunset!

Quick Sunday foil with my son

I was packing up to head back to be with my mom in the city when the wind started building. I told Phillip to go enjoy himself for the afternoon and he gently suggested I might still have time for a quick session before departing.

He was right. We headed out to the Launch Pad and set out. Phillip was on the 6.5 NP, Stingray 140 with the 99cm foil. I had the 7.0 NP V6 with the Techno 148 and 76 cm foil. (The 7.0 is now in dire need of new battens.) The wind was showing 9 knots avg speed.

Phillip post foil - next time with the harness and a haircut?

The foil setup for the 99 cm front

Foil setup for the 76 cm front

I explored the old dock crib a bit as we tacked upwind for 15 minutes and then some 12-15 knot gusts came. My hope was to get up on the foil twice, I wound up having 3 runs; one right near Phillip which is so cool to see him foiling - floating confidently above the water.

My 3 foil tracks

Mellow speed on the 76 cm foil

The weather is getting nice. The water showed 16c near shore and so I went in my 5/4 but without booties for the first time this year. Phillip is already wearing his shorty! 

The wind chart is interesting to compare with the temperature chart. Since Georgian Bay is still cold (6c at buoy 45137), the air temperature actually dropped to 11c in the middle of the day as the onshore wind picked up.

We got the wind from 1-1:30

Interesting how the temperature drops mid day
when the wind picks up off the water

I packed up the broken wing from Friday and will get it fixed this week. Gonna be 10 days before I have a chance to be on the water again - likely my longest dry spell since March 11 to April 23. I do have a new board as well to set up next time I am at the Launch Pad - a new Techno 148 that will be dedicated to my goal of windsurfing to the Bustards and back when it is warmer.

Wing research

Phillip tried out the 4.2 wing in 6 knot winds just to research what it feels like. I took him upwind in the boat and he got the hang of it easily. Now we just need a day with more wind.

It looks like Phillip is foiling but that is a shadow under the
190 litre Fanatic Viper 80

I had some time to research more about my wing failure yesterday. I think I may have sliced the wing open with a burr on the screw which is part of the handle I created for carrying the board without footstraps. Argh. The diagonal slit is very clean, and then the fibres are at 90 degrees where it continued tearing. So I don’t think it was a manufacturing defect or abrasion from the non skid. Let’s see if I can get it fixed.

There is a pretty clean diagonal slit and then tears on either side

Larger view of the slit and tears

I think this is the culprit - I created a metal burr on the screw by
using the wrong screwdriver once

I need to rethink the carrying handle

Wing failure

It had been a pretty good day and the wind was showing 12 knots as I headed out to the Launch Pad. I set out the Fanatic Stingray 140 with the 99cm front foil. I took the 6m Echo wing out and remarked to myself about how nice and light it is vs. windsurfing rigs.

That's not right?

I worked my way upwind with the wing and had some short foil runs between tacks. I was getting the lower end of the wing stuck in the water a few times and heard it sliding/scraping against the side of the board. Then around the 3rd time I was pulling the wing up along the side of the board I heard a pop and I fell in the water. The wing had ruptured; likely from the sandpaper-like non-skid on the board. It may also be due to the fact that I'd left it inflated to 6 psi for the last week? In any case I got lucky that the bladder didn't explode, just the outer housing.

Drying out the broken wing.

I let some pressure out of the wing and floated back downwind to the dock, sadly put the wing into the locker. I got out the 6.5 and headed out with that sail and had a wonderful 20 km wind foil session. It was my first time getting to the swells out past Wedge Island this year. Even though the waves were small it was fun. My speed was slow and I did have some decent jibes. The trick on the jibe seems to be commitment to keeping the carve instead of easing and wobbling half way through. My two downwind 360 attempts didn't work with the cambered sail - need to save that move for my freestyle gear.

My 20 km / 1.5 hour session.

Closeup of 2 tacks and happy with my speed on 2 out of 4 jibes.

Foiled over a shoal and headed back to see how deep it was.
The foil was touching my knee when I stood on the shoal,
so just enough to go safely over that one...

The weather was 13c air, 14c water and I was super warm in my 5/4 wetsuit, hood and booties. I didn't really need the gloves.

12-14 knot winds

So I'm going to try repairing the wing with Tenacious Tape? Or I'll start searching for a true wingman or woman who does kite repairs in the city. I can't help play and sing Mr. Mister, Broken Wings as I write this though.