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.