Old school on the Astro Rock

I've been curious for many years about trying out my old gear again. I have fond memories of my BIC Astro Rock from the late 1980s. I remember it making a list of 10 all time classic windsurf boards in (the now departed) Windsport Magazine and I'm glad I kept mine under the cottage for the last 2 decades. I'd tried it once during a fun session with Vanessa and Len 3 years ago but didn't get it going.

So today the wind was 16 gusting to 22 knots and so I figured I'd get the old 6.5m NP V6 sail I've been using for foiling and pair it with the old, long, but surprisingly light Astro Rock.

The west wind was pretty much perfect. Air was 11c, water 15c. and I was fine in my 4/3 full suit. Even though I didn't have enough downhaul on the sail for the first half hour it was still a super fun session. And surprisingly I went almost as fast (41.5 km/h) as the day before (42 km/h) on my modern gear. The Astro Rock accelerates very slowly but doesn't tempt catapults the way modern boards do. It rides very smoothly through the waves and jibes amazingly well. My lovely wife came out and took a few photos:

The Astro Rock at 125l of volume was also easier to tack than I remember. I guess my skills have improved a bit over the years. I can still remember the exact place (Humber Bay on Lake Ontario) where I was so excited that I had tacked a short board for the first time - that same Astro Rock in around 1992?

I'm sure I will send intermediate windsurfer friends out on the Astro Rock in the future - it is still that user friendly and can be uphauled in a pinch. And I will put some nicer footstraps on it and redo the non skid for the next time I take it for a ride.

Time for some new footstraps on the old board!
(Mast foot is a bit too far forward)

There will be more windmills here soon. 

But this view will remain the same

 

My GPS trail looking west - a very west wind!

More details with speeds and weather

First Vulcan attempts since March

It was the last Friday in September at 4:30pm. The wind was west and blowing 18-23. I took out the 5.6 Idol and Skate 108.

Water was 16c and the air cool at 13c and I was wearing just a thin 3/2mm wetsuit; likely for the last time this year! My wife came out and took some photos half way through my session, luckily that was the sunniest part of the session and the photos got even brighter in Picasa's "I'm feeling lucky" photo editor.

I tried and completed some duck jibes and many heli tacks and regular jibes. I tried ducking the sail to windward for a duck tack with no success. I found it very hard to commit but finally tried two Vulcans; the first I've tried since March. I'm still wearing a seat harness to take it easy on my ribs! I'm not sure the sail is rigged perfectly, it seems like there are too many diagonal creases?

After an hour the wind had dropped to 13-18 knots and I was having a harder time getting planing so I called it a day with a big grin on my face. That Skate 108 is still my favourite board - even better with the very light Idol sail.

Nice 1 hour session. View facing west. 18 km distance.

Speed chart - top speed 42 km/h downwind right on my way back in.

September Gale - 54 km/h on a 24 year old board

The wind was predicted to be 20-30 knots all day but with a thunderstorm in the middle so I figured I would get two sessions in, one before and one after lunch.

My morning session started on my Fanatic Freestyle Wave 116 and the new Idol 5.6. I was sailing ok but the board was definitely too big for the wind which was now generally over 20 knots. My wife nicely took some photos with her cell phone. I hit 45 km/h though on one run back into the smooth water near shore.

First part of the session on the 5.6 Idol and Free Style Wave 116

Blasting at 45 km/h

All good and thanks for the cell phone photos dear!

So then I tried something I’ve been wanting to do for some time and got out my old Axxis 272 from 1998. It is so different, narrow and fast feeling. A smoother ride and way easier to point upwind. But it definitely took some getting used to. I can’t believe I used to have my footstraps so tight though! Once I got the hang of it, it was fun heading up into the big waves out by Dokis island. I did wind up hitting 51 km/h.

Since the wind was still building and now touching 25 knots I pulled out my oldest board, the poly plastic Tiga 257 and my new 4.8 Idol on an old standard diameter mast. The footstraps were all degraded and also too tight, but I quickly got a feel for it again. What a comfortable board to ride. Smooth and buttery since it weighs so much and because it flexes too! It felt slow and comfortable and I was having fun slashing down some wave faces. When I headed back into shore I was amazed at the speed I was getting. My wife had brought out the camera with 400mm lens and got some shots.

Involuntary jump!

Getting comfortable

View from the launch point before it got really windy
The old learner board is still there!

Ok, what is my speed? 

On my way to 52 km/h

I hit 52 km/h on a soft ancient board with an imperfectly rigged tiny sail. I guess being comfortable on the board let me really sheet in and scream downwind in the increasing wind. I was starting to get tired so I sailed back to the dock on the Tiga.

Taking the Tiga back in after sailing on it for the first time this millennium?

Then I luckily found a lull in the wind and sailed the 5.6 back in on the Axxis as the wind was still building.

A story of 3 boards and increasing winds

After three 30 minute sessions I was done and ready for lunch and some email catch up. Of course the hydro was now out due to the increasing wind across Ontario.

Later in the afternoon I put new footstraps on the Tiga and rigged the 4.8 on the proper mast. It was so windy now and had shifted to the west so I could launch right from the dock.

The oldest board and newest sail

Let's give this a try....

Launched right from the dock

I hit 54.4 km/h as the wind had increased again! But suddenly and just 10 minutes into my session the wind was shearing the tops off the waves and I was barely able to hang on. I sailed back to the dock as the winds started hitting 35 knots. I debated for a moment about rigging the kids 3.5m sail but decided against it.

Short session and last run of the day hit 54.4 km/h

Then the wind really started!

Smoke on the water

My new wind gauge and overacting wife!

Serious wind 15 minutes after I came in

Oops the old learner YPSI  windsurfer is gone!

Leaning into the wind

What a beautiful launch spot - but 35-40 knots is too much wind for those chairs

While derigging and putting things away we saw two rattlesnakes under the windsurf locker doors. The wind had them a bit confused apparently and seeing them both was a bit unsettling for me. It was now getting to the point where it was hard to walk, waves were exploding on the shoals and the water everywhere had a layer of mist above it from the intense wind. A neighbour recorded 47 knots (87 km/h) at his island. We headed back into the harbour in the boat and called it a very exciting day.

The next day I took this shot of the 3 boards I'd sailed and enjoyed each one in a different way.

Three very different boards - 2015, 1998 & 1994

This was a lot of wind for September. I'm hoping for one or two more sessions like this one later in the fall!

McGyvering the broken windsurf foil

I had a challenge to remove the two sheared off bolt ends from the foil mast. I had broken the Slingshot hover glide FWIND2 foil on a shoal during my last session. The first titanium bolt shaft was protruding out a thread length and was easy to unscrew by hand. The second one broke off a thread length inside the mast and couldn't be reached with any finger or tool. So I started drilling into the broken bolt shaft with a small drill bit. It cut fairly well into the bolt and I was making progress. I then tried pounding a nail into the hole and tried to unscrew the bolt but that wouldn't stick or make it rotate. I made a left hand rotation larger drill bit (that I created by grinding down a regular right hand drill bit) drilled out the hole in reverse. It cut surprisingly well but now I had a larger hole above a small hole with no way to jam something in to unscrew it. I tried drilling again with the small bit and the bolt started turning into the hole. I reversed the drill and it came back out a bit when I caught the side of the hole with the bit. But then the small drill bit broke off in the bolt. Grrr. I put in the larger bit back in and drilled in reverse and when it suddenly caught the drill bit in the bolt it unscrewed it easily. Yeah! My foil was ready to use again - this time with stainless bolts. I felt like a real McGyver!

The next day foil session was just 8-10 knots and so I barely got planing and only by pumping like crazy. Still fun to get it going again.

Short foil session - lots of pumping to get going those few times

Broken Foil!

There was great wind predicted for late in the day but naturally I got skunked - the thunderstorms started just as I arrived up north.

The next day there was no wind predicted, but late in the day a bit of SW thermal showed up.

Heading out for light wind foiling

I got out in very light winds and started going back and forth on the foil. I got up on it by pumping like crazy a few times.

My few foil runs until I hit a shoal!

Then I came in close to shore, gybed and then hit the shoal right in front where my wife was sitting. I fell gently on my sail, waded out a bit and then headed out again. On the way back, I caught a gust and got going on the foil again. I thought I could make it over that same shoal at speed, but the wind died, I came off the foil and it hit the shoal. I fell and saw that the two titanium bolts connecting the fuselage to the foil mast had sheared off. I went and got the fuselage with its wings off the bottom. I windsurfed back just using the 39 inch long skeg and called it a day.

The next day I stand up paddleboarded out to the island in a brisk west wind, but not enough wind to go out without my foil! The SUP trip back was much faster.

IWT Baja Desert with Family

Here is my detailed blog from the epic family trip to the Baja Desert showdown 2018. The photos tell the story better than the text!

Friday August 17
We landed in San Diego picked up a rental car and headed right to Encinitas for a quick lunch at the Lotus Cafe. Len, Vanessa and Phillip rented surfboards at San Elijo State Beach and headed into the Pacific surf. I had a little nap and finished up some emails and calls.

The family surf session in Ensinitas 

We had a lovely drive back along the coast to our hotel in San Diego’s Gaslamp district. The Padres were playing so despite being super tired Phillip Len and I we got some cheap tickets and watched innings 4-7. The food selection at the stadium was outstanding and even the foot long were memorable. Our hotel beds were a welcome rest after a long day.

Saturday August 18
We met a bunch of Solosports regulars at Brown Field and had nice flight down to Baja.

Ready for the flight down

Landing at Solosports

After settling in and a quick lunch Vanessa and I went out for a hour long windsurf warmup session. She was much more comfortable in the solid 20 knot winds and moderate waves than the extreme conditions of 3 years ago. We managed to share a wave together which was a huge surprise and wonderful moment.

A nice spaghetti dinner and then we fell into our tents and sleeping bags. My right ribs that I bruised/fractured in Bonaire were hurting from using the waist harness so I had the sleep only on my left side for the first time in many weeks.

Sunday August 19
The first day of competition and the call was for the Pro men and women. I sailed down to the staging point with Vanessa and we waited for her first heat. There were 8 women registered and Vanessa’s first heat was against fellow Torontonain Cee and also Maria from Spain.

Vanessa rigging up!

Ready to compete!

Sadly "Girl on wave" star Sarah Houser was too sick with a stomach flu to compete. Vanessa made it out through the the shore break and caught the first wave of the heat! After that it was a bit of a struggle. I was worried it was because I suggested she not take the 5.7 I’d rigged for myself. Instead it was that her 5.3 was too big in the stronger wind at the point and Chili bowl. Vanessa persevered for the full 30 minute heat and headed for the bowling ball beach. Walking back with her gear we found that her first wave was enough for 2nd place in her heat and she progressed to the semi final!

Vanessa on a wave!

After a long break and lunch watching the pro men in the distance, Vanessa rigged up and sailed down to her 2nd heat. She stopped in the deep water and adjusted her harness lines and sail and I think everyone (including Vanessa) wondered if she would sail all the way to the point for her heat. Well she did and windsurfed the full 30 minutes struggling to find waves but looking more and more confident in her jibes. Local rider Elise did find a number of good waves to secure the win and Japanese windsurfer Kana (named after Kanada) found a few waves in the last minutes for 2nd place. Vanessa then sailed upwind like a pro back to Solosports.

My ribs were feeling a bit better. Colby had kindly offered me his seat harness but I fell asleep hoping I don’t need it.

Monday August 20
Now a month after Vanessa and my firefighting adventures and so nice to be back out windsurfing and enjoying the wind and water.

There was a morning skippers meeting where we all introduced ourselves. The fleet was released for the day and Len and I went for a bike ride in the desert.

Morning skippers meeting

Then after lunch Vanessa, Phillip and I all headed out to SUP in the small waves and light winds. Len was on a surf board which is his preferred water sport.

Fun catching waves with Vanessa (caught one with Phillip too, just no photo of that!)

Solo wave at Solosports

Styling!

So much fun

Yeah!

Phillip catching some nice ones

Perfect waves for Phillip!

Phillip and I also caught a wave together which was another major thrill. After some afternoon quiet time, most of the camp headed out to the water for a 5pm SUP session. I was the only one wind-SUPing and caught a huge number of waves.

Enjoying a nice late afternoon wind SUP session

Mugging for the camera

Phillip surfing without a wetsuit - Canadian boy!

Interesting GPS stats for the day
1 hour of mountain biking = 7km
1 hour of suping = 4 km
1.5 hours of wind-SUPing = 9 km


Tuesday Aug 21
At 7:30am we were all ready for the group video shoot and then enjoyed heuvos rancheros for breakfast.

IWT BAJA 2018 RECAP from International Windsurfing Tour on Vimeo.

I went for a solo bike ride up Downhill then to the cool new Mr SSmith trail and down Stan’s. 7km in 45 minutes. Max speed 24 km/h.

After lunch, the youth fun heat was announced. At the last minute head judge Simeon convinced Phillip to enter. Phillip headed out and quickly got the first wave of the heat on his 5m sail and wind SUP.

Phillip out windsurfing with the youth fleet

Naturally the 4 youth who were actually using wave boards and had been training here for a week or more found some bigger waves. It was great fun to see Phillip in 5th place on the mock podium!

Phillip and the youths getting some tips!

After the youth expression session almost everyone in camp went out surfing. I took a wind SUP and a 5.0 and had my first ever wave ride from the Bombora to shore. Over a one minute wave ride and 400m!

After a great salmon dinner I feel asleep listening to all the Canadians laughing and drinking at the bar!

Wednesday August 22
Len, Roy and I went for a nice 9km bike ride.

Len and me on a bike ride

I love this shot of Len and Vanessa! - Thanks Amanda @sweetwater hawaii

The afternoon post hot dog lunch was pretty mellow and then at 4pm the juniors went out for their serious heat. Everyone was cheering and using the cowbell to great effect.

A quick sunset windsurfing session had everyone out tuning their gear and getting ready for the heats that are planned for Thursday!

Thursday August 23
We woke to fog and wind from the wrong direction so it looked bad for our event. But by the time lunch had been served the wind had filled in and the amateur heats started. I was in heat #2 and was completely thrilled with the one big wave I caught in the Bombora and rode all the way into shore with a few turns and one well timed smack on the breaking lip! Yeah, that felt good and I could hear the cowbell and cheering from the beach.

I came in 3/4 on that heat and 2/3 in my second which ended my amateur round. After watching and cheering the rest of the amateurs we were all released. Vanessa headed out first and then I joined her.

Some waves for me!

Good times!

Shortly after Phillip came out for his first shortboard session of the week. He rocked it doing tacks on his board, keeping upwind, even trying some jibes and catching some waves. All without a wetsuit. Phillip and I even shared a wave windsurfing on the way in which ranks right up there with sharing a wave SUPing with him from earlier in the week!

Dinner started with fresh crab and it was a noisy evening with a crew of Jeep drivers visiting camp. When I headed to bed I found a very tired monster energy dude who had mistaken my tent for his!

The visiting monster energy jeep group!

Friday August 24
Last day of competition. After saying bye to the fleet of Jeeps, we started heats down at the point. My masters heat went well and I was happy with the waves I found and even hit the lip on. I sailed back upwind for lunch and a second Masters heat was called. So I sailed back down again on the 6.3 Goya Banzai and my favourite board an RRD 108 freewave. The second 27 minute heat was also tiring but I felt happy with my efforts.

Last day of competition - master's heats

Heading down to the Chili bowl

Another long sail back upwind and then Phillip and I walked down to see the women’s final. Len was out on my board and sail which seemed to work for him for his only non surf session of the week.
Before dinner the awards were presented. Simeon and I shared the stage for the Masters.

Simeon the champ and Carl in 3rd.

Full results

Saturday August 25
I woke up and was determined to get the best out of the morning before our flight home. I went for a bike ride alone up to to the badlands and then down to the rock picking camps.

Morning bike ride

Then I went out for a SUP sail session. Another 400m, minute long wave ride in from the Bombora!

Last SUP session with some 400m long wave rides

Group photo after a great week!

We boarded the small planes and cleared customs in Tijuana. Then the shortest international flight in the world to Brown field where we saw two F18s take off. Wow.

Full culture shock in San Diego and our nice hotel rooms. A bit of danger zone undercooked Top Gun chicken BBQ food poisoning for Vanessa and me from our dinner that night but we still managed to catch our flights the next morning and got back to the real world after our wonderful adventurous vacation!