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Aille, yaille yaille,

C’est pas l’année de plus que j’ai pris au tournant, mais une bonne session au coeur de la baie de San Francisco qui m’a donnée tant de courbatures ce matin.  Avec la marée descendante un bon 20 nœuds c’était le TGV direction Embarcadero.  Ma 5.0 bien remplie par un vent solide, il était bien facile de remonter au vent.  Les jambes ont bien travaillé aussi car les nuages proches avaient crée un bon Bump and Jump.  Bref une session qui compte qui amene le sourire au lèvres tout dégustant une Sierra Nevada bien méritée en rangeant le matos au son de Porcupine Tree.

Et deux dans la musette !

Log number 2 for windsurfing.


I left the rust at Embassy Suites the day before and yesterday was all fun windsurfing.

With the forecast, blue sky, ebb and starvation I was surprised not to see more ‘regulars’.  You know who you are, don’t hide.  Jerry must be prospecting the Midwest to mention one of you.  So there it is: 

It looked very promising at first but dropped and, the 3 sailors at sea using big floaty boards and large sails did not help assess the situation.

When SFO reported 20 and clocking West, I gambled, dropped the kite pump and rigged 5.5.

It was a struggle to get out, on the plane with 80ish Liters and strangely enough with 280 direction I was heading big time to the bridge in order to stay on the plane.

But once in the beloved ebbing channel I could feel the baggy 5.5 and headed upwind enjoying a few jumps along the way.

It felt like 19 and I had no problem for a small hour.  They were a few swells nothing exceptional but enough to play with them and find automatism left in Maui last November.  A great feeling.  But suddenly I came to a halt and had trouble to get on a plane again  I saw everyone leaving the channel so I counted my blessings and pumped my way back to shore.

Number One on the books!

Not the longest first windsurfing session by any means, but it served its purpose: refresh setup, wake up muscles, stretches wetsuit, etc…

I do not know if Bob set a trend but I’ve heard several bored sailors mentioning ‘naps’!!

Tired of seing whitecaps very very far away, and not progressing to shore, I followed Brian who said Embassy would be the place.

He had disappeared when I got there, but the whitecaps were close, small but here.  I finally rigged 5.5 and glad I did not go smaller as the wind was going bye bye.  The tide was going to be a factor as well as I could fell the sand bars.

With the weird wind direction, I had lost lots of ground after 2 jibes!!   And with the gusty/holy wind it was tough to get back upwind on a wave board (Big sister, where were you?).  In any case it beats RAIN ;-)

I

There was much less wind yesterday at Embassy Suites than when this old picture was taken

I chose the wrong K

To maximize on the water action I thought Kiting would be the ticket.  Needing less wind minimal and not so flood dependent I expected to increase my days on the Bay.

Well my wind thirsty friends, the correct K is kayaking!

I have to give to two veterans "regulars", who used to haul their kayaks in or above their vans.  They must know something that we don't.......Although one of them became a kiter!!!    And the other one is Mike.

Klaude

                    

My session this week end..........

With no wind again, I had to go back to the simulator to pump up some.




Notice the fashion statement!!!   Not exactly T-shirt weather yet   :-(

Landing or taking off?

Alamega has no rocks......

.............but a fence!
After a 'more better' 2nd session on the 16, I was walking back with the kite in the air.
The landing tarmac had a long line, so, spotting someone pumping up on the beach, I flagged him to land my kite.  It looked like the guy was not moving too fast to grab the kite.  Little did I know that I made this old guy (~my age ;-), jump the hidden fence that I could not see from the beach.  I missed the fence by 5 feet  8-(
What I should have done If I was thinking straight instead of being on an adrenaline high, was  to walk back out in the water to allow enough distance to see a landing spot.
Someday I'll learn.

First Session

I know Jerry was the first one out of the gate!  I also suspect he was the last one out ;-)

For flooding and safety reasons I went to Alameda on my way to Sacramento.

It was even lighter than I suspected.  Half a dozen kiters, one windsurfer.

Everyone but one went downwind.  The big Kahuna (Naish Aero 16M) got his promenade and relaunch.

He was very happy to leave hibernation.  A good first session.

How did you guys do?

 

Rights of way.

As we wait for wind, I am brushing up on rules of navigation.



But.... there is alway the bully!!!

No picture......but picture this.

Escaping rain we found wind.  It (and she) was blowing!!  Gusting 45mph + at Heavenly made them close the upper mountain so on Stagecoach we refined our skills skiing and snowboarding .   Even windboarding uphill (yes not upwind) as not only the gust stopped  my forward motion but gently pushed me backwards!!
And blowing it was!  On the way back on higway 50 we almost found the ravine when a scene from a Fellini movie made us look at each other and be speechless for 20 seconds which is a eternity for Fredstem ;-)  Revealing a huge tatoo on her large bare "cheeks', she was probably trying to cut with her teeth a thread on the zipper of the standing man in front of her.  That's what we had to say to our young audience.  And this in 37 degrees F!!!
I would not be surprised if highway 50 reported a few more accidents yesterday.
Happy Easter