Wingfoiling around Bigsby Island

I’m getting more confident on my Wingfoiling ability. Today I decided to head way upwind and all the way around Bigsby Island. Bigsby is one of the most beautiful islands in Georgian Bay in my opinion and has been a painting location for renowned artist John Hartman.

Me and John Hartman on Bigsby Island in 2019

The wind switched from NNW to SW just as iWindsurf had predicted at 2pm. (Windy.com was wrong all day, not showing any SW at all.) Jen and I were out at the Launch Pad getting a visit from the Coast Guard boat when the wind started hitting 13-15 knots. Key Harbour was again the windiest spot in iWindsurf.

My GPS track around Bigsby Island

A good number of jibes in each of those 15 minute sections!

I got out on the water and got up beyond the old coal wharf piers after 1 pivot jibe and 3 foil jibes. I was on my 7m Duotone Slick wing and the Fanatic 125l Sky board with 2000cm2 foil. I headed upwind having two 15 minute stints without falling off the foil. I did find wind shadow west of Bigsby and realized I wouldn’t get around it in that direction. So over to Oma’s island and then back past where I proposed to Jen. I tried drawing a heart…

Around Bigsby!

Where I proposed to Jen… off Dokis Island on Georgian Bay

The best GPS heart shape I could draw with the wingfoil 

Then around Bigsby and into the Small Craft Route. I hit the wind shadow again and slogged a bit more. I had a hard time getting on the board after falling the rolling swells west of Wedge Island. I was getting a bit cold and wobbly but eventually got going again.

Finally it was time to just do tight jibes downwind back to the Launch Pad to end my 28km session. I did attempt and complete my 4th nice foiling tack just before my last run to the dock. Perfect. Well except that I made us late for dinner - on Bigsby Island. 

Windy.com wrong!

iWindsurf.com nailed it - wind shift at 2pm
& windy all afternoon in Key Harbour!

The view back to the Key Harbour from Bigsby

The windiest spot on the Great Lakes!

I checked the wind. Again, Key Harbour was the windiest place on the entire Great Lakes. What a special place. Thanks Katie and Dana for hosting us for dinner.

No shoes, no shirt, no problem!

4 wingfoil sessions in 44 hours. We really weren’t up for long, but I got a session Monday evening, two on Tuesday and one today at noon just before we left. With 11-13 knots being enough to wingfoil, my number of fun days on the water are increasing vs. waiting for shortboarding conditions of 15-20 knots.

Post session joy!

It was a short session on the 7m Duotone Slick wing with the 125l Fanatic Sky board and 2000cm2 foil. I had to pump to get on a plane a few times, or wait for a gust.

A bit of foiling on the 7m wing

5 foiling jibes in a row… then time to try some tricks

I was nicely surprised to be able to do both a toeside foil tack and a duck jibe the 7m. I didn’t stay on the foil for either, but also didn’t fall in. So there is lots to work on even with the big wing. The wind was better through southern Ontario yesterday, but the Launch Pad at Key Harbour in the NE corner of Georgian Bay was still one of the windiest! iWindsurf screen shot from later in the day…

It got even windier in the afternoon,
Oh well.

The air at 24c and water at 25c meant I just wore shorts! No shoes, no shirt, no problem! Off to the city now, looking forward to being back on the water next week.

Lucky to be at the windiest spot in Ontario!

Wow, what great sessions. I got out to the Launch Pad and the wind was showing 13 knots on iWindsurf.com. (That is my own Tempest weather station reporting that data!) I took a quick look at the map on www.iWindsurf.com and yeah, I’m at the windiest place in Ontario!

I launched at the only place showing 13 knots on iWindsurf!

I took the 7m Duotone Slick and 125l Fanatic Sky with the 2000cm2 foil. I launched from the dock, pumped up onto the foil and for the first time ever made it straight all the way out past the old cribs in Key Harbour. One slow pivot jibe and I was upwind out into Georgian Bay. Sweet.

With an old 30cm windsurf harness line on the boom of the Slick, it was easy to go upwind. I wingfoiled for over 30 minutes before I finally fell in. I was in shorts and a lycra shirt - not many days like this. The water and air both at 24c, as warm as it gets here! Foiling is nice as you are up high and don’t get a chilling spray like when shortboard windsurfing. You can also see the shoals better from up 30cm higher!

Spot message - I’m heading upwind (south)
Fun to see the Launch Pad on Google maps

Trying to imitate the best John Vu foil tracks…

30 minutes of perfect jibes before my first fall!

I sent a SPOT message to Jen, as I was working my way so far upwind. First time I’ve ever gone around the islands to the SE and then back north on a wingfoil. Suddenly I got worried that I was going to be late for my 4:30 charity conference call. I did a quick downwinder with only 5 jibes and foiled right back to the dock.

It was only 3:35. So I had a bit more time. I pumped up the 5m Slick wing and headed out. What is the difference between the 7m and the 5m? Well, I didn’t get on the foil right from the dock but when I started pumping, the smaller wing is so much more responsive. I foiled out past the old cribs in Key Harbour but this time I couldn’t go upwind as well as I did on the 7m. I slogged back, finally finding some gusts and then the wind filled back in. I did some tight jibes, a perfect toeside foiling tack (my 3rd!) and then another toeside tack where I dropped off the foil but stayed on the board. The 5m is so much easier to do transitions on. And I don’t catch the tip in the water when pumping the 5m I was thinking about how much I’ve improved in getting upwind - and I might not need to use the old 99cm slingshot foil as much in the fall when it is cold and I don’t want to risk falling in much.

My GPS trail on the 5m Slick wingfoil

More slogging on the 5m but then a dozen jibes and foiling tack!

After my session, still the windiest place!
I had it all to myself…

The wind blew the pockets out of my shorts!

21.75km on the 7m wing first,
then 5.1km on the 5m wing

The slogging on the 5m wasn’t due to the small wing
I just caught a lull when I headed out…
whereas I was fully powered for the full 7m session

Happy post sessions selfie!

I made it back in time for my charity meeting and tidied up the windsurfing locker a bit more. What a great day.

It actually happens regularly that Key Harbour has wind while the rest of southern Ontario is in doldrums. Like Kingston, we get regular summer thermals. But with so much exposed Canadian Shield near shore I think the thermals are even stronger. There is a reason the Group of Seven painted all the windswept bent pine trees on Georgian Bay. Might also be why Henvey, the largest wind farm in Ontario is right here. And sad that an accident during the construction of the wind farm caused the huge Parry Sound 33 fire which got out of control because it was so windy on July 20, 2018.

Checking one more time this evening, yeah, Key Harbour is the windiest place from Lake Huron to the St. Lawrence! Who wants to come windsurf, windfoil, wingfoil with me up here?

Timed that session perfectly!

The wind was light most of the day while we were driving north, so I didn't think I'd get a session when we got to the Launch Pad at 5:30. Especially with the thunder in the north. But the thunder moved east and the wind built. By 6pm I got out the 7m Duotone Slick and the 140 Fanatic Stingray with the 99cm foil.

I pumped onto the foil immediately and got going. A few tacks and I was upwind enough to get longer runs.

I'm pretty sure our area was one of the few that had sunny skies and a decent wind, if even only for the 40 minutes I was out there. The thunderstorm in the distance behind me was the reason!

The thunderstorm 30km away helped the wind for me!

Floating back to the dock

Got some wind!

An hour after the thunderstorm went from west to east just above us

My wing foil trail - a few jibes, none on the foil

A good amount of time on the foil
Didn’t fall in at all

My 40 minute session was during the peak gusts of the day!
Then the wind was gone!

Teaser... on the way up I bought a YPSI Wayler on FB marketplace. It is just like the one my parents bought for me in the early 1980s. I think it is a 1983 version - the years from 1983-1985 Wayler was the top selling brand in North America? I'm going to clean it up and keep in on the point at the Launch Pad for light wind freestyle...

Little Sunday windfoil

The wind was still in the morning but built a little bit around 1pm as I was tidying up the Launch Pad and packing up some gear for next weeks' windsurfing lessons. 9 to 11 knots I didn't really think I'd get going, but wanted to take advantage of the warm weather.

I was in my shorts which is the first this year! I was on my Stingray 140 foil board with the 99cm foil and 5.6 Idol sail. I was able to pump up on a plane several times in my reverse (goofy) foot direction. I think because that means my back arm is stronger and able to pull more than when I am left foot and left and forward?

It was fun to realize that we actually have two turtles living on our island. I saw Shelly and another turtle we will name Shelley.

I also saw a big cruiser catamaran out in the harbour so now that is a total of two boats visiting Key Harbour. Both in the last two days! I don't know why there aren't more people who anchor in our lovely little corner of the Bay?

So overall I was out for 34 minutes and circumnavigated the island. I look forward to my next high wind day which will probably be over a week from now before we're back in Key Harbour.

Upwind on the WingFoil

I think this is the farthest I've gone upwind on a wingfoil. I might have gone even farther but I forgot sunglasses as it was cloudy as I headed out in the 23c wind coming from due south. The water is also 23c so I was in an old short sleeved, long leg wetsuit.

Foiling upwind into the south wind by doing a ton of jibes

I decided since it was so warm, that I should again practice tacking up through the narrow channel from the dock. I did much better than yesterday but still falling a few times. The 5m Slick with its boom might be an advantage for tacking and pivot jibes. In total it took 11 changes of direction to get upwind, I think I did 6 jibes (one on the foil!) and 5 tacks to get upwind.

My mostly slow (blue) upwind tacks and jibes
And my downwind (red) 4 foiling jibes on the way home

Once I got out and going, the harness on the Slick also made it easier to point upwind. I went way past Scott and OJs but didn’t dare going past the narrow open, and even so had one sketchy moment watching shoals pass just under my foil.

I avoided the shoal that claimed a skeg years ago on my way upwind
But then went right over it on my way downwind!

I had a fun downwind run with (I counted later from my GPS trail) 22 jibes in a row. I don’t know why I decided to slog way out west past the wind shadow of Mann island, but I managed to get going eventually. I tried setting a max speed for the day: 14.8 knots.

A nice long time on the foil during the first part of my session.

There were 2 guys on a fishing boat taking video of me foiling. Would be fun to see that sometime!

Noteable for today, my first wingfoil duck jibes this year and likely the first ever heelside duck jibe. One hour and 40 minutes, I was a little wobbly by the end but caught some gusts and foiled right to the dock. Great day.

Out on the Bay with Katie!

Whohoo - after Tuesday's great wing foiling session with my first ever toe-side foiling tacks and yesterday's amazing 6 person windsurfing lesson at the Launch Pad, I didn't have high expectations for a day where the wind was predicated to drop.

Spoiler alert - Katie and I had a great time on the Bay

A short video of our session together…

I took Jen to the highway and by the time I returned to the island and got my 4m Duotone Unit wing topped up to 8psi and got my Fanatic Sky 125l board to the dock, I could tell it would be a challenge to tack upwind in the 16 knot south wind. I went back and forth a few times and then Katie and her coast guard friends arrived.

Katie wanted to go windsurfing so we took her JP Young Gun and the 5.2 Idol up to the point. She launched and sailed over to the old cribs showing great skill in the gusty wind. She did fall on her tack and then managed to sail upwind of the point and out into the bay! Her friends and I were very impressed with her skill and Tom took some shots with my camera. Thanks Tom for taking so many great photos!

Richard is impressed!

Katie getting way out into the Bay!

Proud dad going out to sail with Katie!

I took off after her on my foilboard and we started sailing together. Katie got stuck downwind between some shoals and was struggling to uphaul. A bit more determination on her part and some encouragement from her proud dad and she was back at it! She got closer to the Launch Pad and then got a quick ride upwind from her Seadoo pals. Then it was back and forth on some screaming runs - well I was screaming and she was smiling! I stayed close by on my foilboard but still feel guilty about passing her upwind once and stealing her wind. I didn't think a 4m wing could steal wind from a 5.2m windsurfing sail!

The Launch Pad flag with us way in the distance

Dad’s words of encouragement

And she’s off again!

Seadoo and seagull

Foiling tack!

And almost made it around on the foil for tack #3

Katie getting a tow

The two of us together!

Great smile

Great form!

Seadoo doing a speed check and taking photos!

Butterfly!

My GPS trail of the session - including the walk to the point

The wind dropped off through the afternoon
But 15 knots average is enough to get Katie planing

For some reason Katie said she couldn't hook in on her preferred goofy side. Oh well, her arms were tired when she finally sailed around the point and down to the dock as the wind started to lighten up. I got to the dock first and we got a great post session selfie.

It was a great day and one that I will remember as vividly as that time Katie and I windsurfed together in Costa Rica.

Katie aged 13 windsurfing with me in Costa Rica

I think seeing us out having fun together motivated Tom, Jake and Jeremy to want a windsurf lesson. Luckily the wind was now down to 12 knots and we could head out to the simulator for some lessons. Read more on that soon at www.LaunchPadWindsurfAcademy.com/blog