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MASTHEAD is where i experiment with my fotos - thanx for being tolerant with them........................................
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Well, I saw it advertised at a price under $100 and so; I just had to try it ... :-)
Michel came from Lac St-Jean on his way to Australia and dropped it off ...
Hmm, that was like two (2) weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic announcement ...
I did not have any pics yet and so posted one with the SailWorks stamp of approval ...
Mine is NOT quite so colourful and must be an older version since it does not have the arrow. It is the more of a star shaped design
Seems mine is a 2007 based on dimensions - except mast sleeve looks open - specs say closed
475 cm median on the downhaul and I was using a PX RDM 460/90% mast
and 204 cm outhaul on the Chinook aluminum boom
I tried downhauling it with the winch, but forgot how much force Sailworks sails need
Once I thought I was done, I pulled and poked n looked and put at least another 5 cm downhaul. I was looking at the sail and thinking either the mast is wrong or this sail loves downhaul. Well I read that many have used PowerEx masts with the Huckers successfully... So I just gotta put MORE downhaul - more than I ever do !!
My wife asked what are my plans for this sail. There are many. I hope to use it on the MEQ2 longboard (especially with newbies or bigger winds) , in higher winds on smaller gear and maybe even in the winter - like in the next post :-)
and of course I hafta put that infamous video from the Sailworks crew !!
Somewhere in-between, I set the RDM extension to 10 cm. It is now end of April 2020 and we are still in the "middle" of the pandemic i.e. still in "lock down". ("They think" the COVID is at it's mid-point, but no-one knows ANYTHING for sure. Just the concept of "THEM thinking" is preposterous :-)
I tried rigging the sail in the backyard, just to see ... butt ...
The downhaul setting of 460+10= 470 cm is FAR from ideal in theory and reality. The sail is flagged as 473-477 luff. Even though I have now set the extension to 14 cm, we have barely reached the minimum.
When people say these sails take a LOT of downhaul, they are NOT kidding. I use a crank/winch now and had to use it twice during one downhaul session and to a less than minimum setting !!
The outhaul is 197-200 boom , but what I tried today is irrelevant since the downhaul was not even close to ideal. (Believe I put 180+17.5=197.5 which is at minimum and I had to PULL to get there...)
Checking the sail from the SW cog, it showed we were still missing lotsa downhaul !!!
Which we knew already (sorry about the royale oui).
I made some dorkie videos that I will share for now in the hopes I can offer something better in the pan damn it future - like on the water !!
Dorkie Video No. 2
Summary of my trial riggings:
It took me three(3) trial riggings b4 I felt we were approaching the proper setup.
Sailworks' sails and this one in particular require a lot of force when downhauling.
I am NOT sure the Powerex 460/100 RDM is the ideal mast for this sail.
Also read somewhere that Sailworks suggests SDM for this sail - Dale Cook sail !!
Need to inspect used sails better - were 2 monofilm issues I missed @ purchase.
Power can be controlled with the outhaul
------------------
I have a SW Retro 8-oh sail - rigged with a hardtop MS 490/75 mast and a soft top NP 490/90 mast.
Ironically the soft top NP 490/90 won !!
and I consider the PowereX mast a soft top - I use it with an HSM Fire 6.4
In March 2023 I sailed the 2007 SailWorks Hucker 6.6 sail up north on the chalet lake:
I posted these pics on the QuebecWind forum and BGood suggested MORE downhaul and less outhaul --> like in this pic:
24FEB2024 ... I set the SW Hucker up to go out on the ice n snow :-)
BeGooD told me I did not have enough downhaul and too much outhaul ... This
time I went with 12 cm extension on the PowerEx 460cm/90% RDM mast and
there are 4 cm at the top of the mast to the cap which equals 176 cm and
the specs call for 175 !! The battens popped to the other side when I
downhauled and that's how I like it !!
The
outhaul was at 180+20 cm and was still 4 cm of outhaul extra. I put it
to 180+17.5 and there still was some slack. As the sail calls for
200-204, I AM giving the sail less outhaul than specified ... In any
case, I enjoyed the ride man !!!
Here's my fave clip of the 2024 winter session so far !!
Just when ya thought your windsurf season was over !!
Went and worked from the chalet and was on the water in the early afternoon
Wind only lasted about an hour and I was never in the harness
Just the same, it was a 7.5 outta 10
I was glad I went cuz while rigging my sail in the morning I saw three
to four crows chasing a hawk/eagle - it was amazing
Saturday 24OCT2020
Yesterday was WARM and windy from the SOUTH
The Champlain dudes like Georgie were out
This morning was getting COLD and wind NW
Warmed up a bit more than expected and I shoulda gone :-(
between ten and noon was NW and good
but NW is my least favourite @ La Crête
ever since I spent 2 hours in cold water there :-(
waves and wind go in the same direction then
Thursday the 15th - next day
As usual, THIS was the day to go
BIGGER winds from the SW, warmer and finished @ 15h00
#$%?&*?&*())_+ shit shit shit :-)
Wednesday 14OCT2020
worked the afternoon from OKA Parc using my hot spot on the phone
there were not a lot of people and my conference call lasted long - until 16h30
by the time i got on the water the wind had died and all were getting OFF the water
until I was the only one out there - it was beautiful, but a bit light on the wind
since i got a smile out of it will give it a pass 6 outta 10
winds NW 15-25 kph Shark + SPF + weedfin
Thursday the 8th I am, I am
Today the red zone rules of covid are supposed to start, but no-one knows what the fuck {pardon my French} that is supposed to mean - nor the future implications thereof...
Oh yeah - last night was the american vice-presidential debate
Much better than the presidential fiasco & the highlight was the fly on Mike Pense's head
{for two minutes !! ..............................................it mustah smelled some good bullshit}
Yes, I was drooling to go out windsurfing again !!
However, it is once again NW gusty 20-50 kph winds and cooler
Bad day at work too - thus , NOT a good start to things
Let's hope for Saturday :-)
Saturday -- La Crête - Shark HSM SPF + 40 cm weed fin NW-SW 20-50 kph 9/10
see the secret journal ...
Wednesday 07OCT2020
That's right - big flub yesterday = gotta go taday !!
When I got to the Parc winds were from the NW and not the SW, but they were lighter
Looked like they were about 20-30 kph, but stronger further out ...
I was hoping for SW cuz then I can run parallel to the beach and practice stuff in not so deep water ..
Set up my Fanatic Shark HRS 145 as usual with the HotSailsMaui SpeedFreak 8.5 m² sail ...
The wind kicked a bit and I loosened the luff on the sail a bit with the lower outhaul hole
As both the wind and waves were from the same direction, tacks were not very pleasant
and i hadta do a few unpleasant uphauls ...
There were about ten kiters and maybe four windsurfers.
I was practicing beach and water starts and staying closer to shore - did not feel right
And then the wind really kicked at around 17h00
I carefully and diligently took my stuff off the water !!
Even Sylvain was getting off the water - he usually stays longer than anyone !!
He mentioned the wind was solid and too strong for his setup too
Sylvain is a kite foiler and I have seen him in the lightest of winds with a 20 m² kite !!
As we were packing the winds howled even more - this was getting closer to 18h00
Just when I got all my shit in the car .... it started to pour = woohoo
Not an ideal day on the water, but there were smiles all around = 8 outta 10
Oh yeah - had Chocolate Fondue after the session - even better !!
This shows the wind strength which is like what we had @ OKA Parc except we had NW winds
Forgot to mention à
windsurfed between storms (kinda did)
And when
my wife got home from picking up sixteen year old Bee from school
She
was freakin out about the lightening, etc
Told
her - will be gone by 17h00 & I will be ON the water J
Thought
about going in my bathing suit, but
wore wetsuit and booties J
Tuesday 06OCT2020
Wind is supposed ta be 20-40 kph WSW
Had a REALLY shitty day at work
and decided to go no matter what - with a bad feeling in my gut
fixed my NS Duke 6.9 with some tape before I left ...
wind was about 20 kph when i got there
Eric was getting off, Georges was playing with a drone, Sylvain was jumping,
one kiter was having trouble coming back and Marie was dragging her ass across the water
When I decided I will go across the water and wind seemed to be picking up ...
i realized that I had forgotten my boom ...
Fuck it - went home ...
Almost 1400 new cases of covid-19 in Quebec today
They will be shutting down the parks soon !!
Sunday the 27SEPT2020
All week I was watching what was going on - wind, weather, apple picking, etc
YES, apple picking - last weekend it started and it was not as nice weather as we are having now...
Which means the highway to OKA will be JAMMED
However, i woke up NOT feelin good :-(
Even though wind may swing to SW and 20-40 kph ...and
I have braved the crowded apple picker roads before ... NO windsurfing
this means I MUST be ill !! called the hotline and I have a covid test tomorrow ...
(Luckily for me ... I don't think we got the 20-40 kph SW winds @ OKA )
and yes, i DID get poison ivy - once again :-(
Wednestday the 23rd of September
Wind was supposed to be WNW 20-35 kph in the afternoon
The forecasts did not all agree and that is a bad sign !!
When I got there, the UNIX consultant I worked with @ Bombardier was there :-)
Actually met Eric from work, who called 911 on me last year
Met the kiter who I used to chat with on the train ...
The parking was fairly full and I went to the 2nd section
where I caught poison ivy last time :-(
Wind was very light and I never planed with the Shark and the HSM SPF 8.5
even though I rigged it loose
It was about 25 degrees C and I went out with my bathing suit
I did fall in once and buddy asked me if I was cold
Told him I was a polar bear!!
It was mostly kiters on foils with a few newbie windsurfers ...
Looked like Sylvain was out with his 18 meter kite on his foil !!!
Shoulda have had my MEQ2 and GA Swift 10-oh !!!
cannot give this session more than a 6.5 outta 10
and only got good marks becuz it was a work day, windsurfed in bathing suit
sunset was beautiful
Sunday September 20th
Farque kijiji can be annoying !! %^&*()
Find a 48cm MFC freeride fin in Hamilton for $55
I go and measure my fins and decide perhaps I will see if dude comes near here
or how much to ship it - usually about $25 ...
clique on the ad and "annonce non disponible"
WTF is that supposed to mean %^&*()_
Wednesday - next day ...
My fuckin tape measure is there - was I stoned on crack ? lol
Wind was supposed to be 30-50 kph SW which is on-shore @ La Crête
Brought the Shark, HSM SPF 8.5, Duke 6.9 and HSM Fire 6.2 with lotsa fins
No parking fee any more and thus cost me only $8.90
Wife arrived hime with the kid around 15h20 and I was on the water around 17h00
Dude there was de-rigging a 6.6 - said he was there since 10h00 !!
The place was PACKED
I checked the wind and knew it was to drop and so, rigged the NS/DUO Duke 6.9
When I put it in the water, it looked like water went through a crack and it felt broken
NEED MONOFILM TAPE B4 NEXT USE !!!
I was NOT rigging the 6.2 and the 8.5 may have been too much ...
The fin I tried was the Makani 37cm freeride
When the wind gusted I was able to plane no problem
Otherwise it was too light -- should have put the 8.5 - since it was onshore !!
Cannot give this session more than a 7 outta 10
Was disappointed with myself cuz when it was over my head I swam in
rather than trying the water start from there ... :-(
Tuesday September 15th
Shit, I cannot find my windsurf tape measure metric/U.S.
Hardly use it any more, but comes in handy when you need it :-)
Good thing my spare in the garage is there, butt US only ...
Sad or day ?? 05SEPT2020
Yesterday I had already purchased my day pass to OKA for $8.90
today I had to pay another $9.94 for parking --> $18.84
wait, i am NOT using the beach parking !! it's blocked
kid knows and i tell her i understand her position
the right side of the parking lot @ La Crête was FULL
and so, I was the first one in the next section
saw benwindy, sylvain and guylain
they thought i looked like a Kanesatake Mohawk from Oka
with my long hair n beard lol
wind was supposed to be WSW, but was rather NW
which is side shore and means you gotta go almost straight out
(like when i was stuck in the cold water for two hours $%^&*()
guylain freaked that i was going out in bathing suit and wet suit jacket only
it was about 20 degrees C which perverts into 68 degrees F
told them I was already too hot !!
benwindy had a 7 meter sail ready to go and i went out with the HSM SPF 8.5
on my Fanatic Shark HRS 145 which is 75 cm wide and I tested my 40 cm weed fin
"au large" the waves were about two feet and I was jumping
if it all stayed like that I would have been okay, but the wind cranked on occasion
i put the outhaul an extra 2.5 cm out and adjusted the harness lines
it was cranking too much and I walked to the end of the beach
wind went more WSW and I did a couple of wild and crazy runs
but in the end i had to walk back to the real sandy beach
saw Marie and as I said hello I was distracted - and weed fin hit my left ankle :-(
wind cranked - i was not taking any chances
took my stuff to the end and undid the sail in the weeds
i am guessing the wind started at 20-50 kph and then cranked 40-55 kph NW !!
wind graph says it was definitively over 25 mph - which is only 40 kph !!
feels more like it was 15 to 20 knots with kicks over 25
dude that was parked beside me and went on the water when the wind was kicking ...
had an Ezzy Cheetah 5.5 on a JP 101 liter board with a 30 cm freeride fin
he was average height with a slightly muscular build
washed my booties at the water fountain - girl in carriage lost her rabbit toy
asked lady momma if they had lost something ...
sometimes kid's are tired of their toys and toss them
momma freaked out - said no way -- this was really close to the child's heart
i said oh my goodness I saved a child's life today :-)
Georgie explained why I should use a small water kite rather than a training kite on land
Sylvain was getting changed behind his curtain on his truck and chatting with us
Told him it felt weird chatting with a nude dude
He said it will generate nice dreams :-)
told him more like nightmares lol
when i left, the entire parking lot was FULL
asked Guylain aka KingKong what he was using ... in the gustier stronger winds
Fanatic Blast 130 with a 7.5 metre sail and a 43 cm fin
i might have used a smaller fin, but only 3 cm less !!
the blast is 70 cm wide which would have been perfect for those waves
slice em or jump em as you wish ...
Note: this was the one and only time I planed this summer so far !!!
A couple of times I jumped in the water at full speed and was laughing out loud
I can tell that if I was not so nervous about going out in the deep ... then
it feels like I could actually crank it in those winds with way over-sized sails !
FRY day the 4th of September
windsurf day - i am workin - wife has car stuck in traffic
bought my OKA park access ticket online for tomorrow
after work took the training kite out for a spin
winds WNW between about 10 and 35 kph
fun fun !!
Sunday the 30th of August ...
Went to the country to pick up the Shark and the HSM SPF
because I was drooling to go to OKA at least once this summer
Up north winds were again to be NW 20-40 kph
and it was the same story as last Tuesday
BIC SL200 with the SPF in gusty very concentrated sections of wind
go from wind shadow to some wind and then POW FULL ON wind and then none
at least it was warm and i had on farmer john pants and booties with T-shirt
Maybe I'll get to go to OKA and maybe I won't = oh well
Tuesday August 25, 2020
Winds were to be NW 20-40 kph
Brought the full GA Swift 10-oh kit since it was just me in the car
That sail is what I call being a little overzealous
The wind was VERY gusty and NW 20-40
I tried the SHARK with the SPF, but the wind was just too gusty
making it an unpleasant sail
tried the BIC SL200, but that was not much better
zokay - not bad for a day's work - work, windsurf and home for supper
wait - no-one home - okay - ate some donuts lol
looks like others had a similiar day like mine -- 10 to 25 knots NOT easy
Saturday 22AUG2020
We go to the chalet on weekends and I windsurf when there is wind
Last weekend and this weekend the wind often seemed to change direction
N, S and SW seemed to be the common directions
Never enough wind to take out the SHARK - damn
WED 12AUG2020
Just one week later and me bro-in-law is quarantined at the chalet ...
Got the ok to go up with groceries during work hours and continue from there
IF the data hotspot works well enough or at all ...
Had to disable security with no password and it was better than @ the other chalet
Got to do a quick session with the standard equipment
Musta bin overexcited becuz I did not have shoes nor booties and some "ropes" were not attached
Did not need the harness, but as Georgie allways said - ya can skip the PFD, but NOT the harness
Ironically it kept slipping down about to impede my sailing + I didn't need it @ all ...
Wind was NW 15-20 kph
Wednesday 05AUG2020
Wifey had the car and the day started out with rain anyway .... In the afternoon the wind was still kicking and there was NO rain - some clouds looked ominous, but kinda ok. Went out with the 3 m² kite to the local soccer field. There was a lady with two young girls, who squealed whenever the wind picked up - and it did - to the point that I emergency landed twice - it was just pulling too hard for me from the W/NW - guessing over 40 kph ...
Tuesday the 28th
Yesterday was rainy with not much wind and so no windsurfing
On this day, it was a beautiful lake kinda day
that actually started as a "red sky morning warning"
The wind was strong at times.
My tacks were NOT good
Fell in three times in a wind shadow
Winds were SW 10-50 kph about
Obviously SL200 and SPF 8.5
Franco tried to go to OKA, but they would NOT let him in - you MUST buy your ticket before online !!
He went to AAO instead. Had a hard time with his 5-oh wing and windsup. Sunny day on July 26th, 2020
It was supposed to be a rainy day with BIG winds
well, big for me - up to 50+ kph from the SW
When it did rain on this day, it was drizzle
what about the wind ??
When it came time to set up the equipment,
I kept asking myself, rig for now or 4 forecast ??
This was because the wind was quite light
Rigged the usual SL200 + SPF 8.5
As I was rigging, the wind started to pick up
like A LOT
to the point where I was wondering whether I should rig down
instead (as I am lazy and always doubting the weather), I rigged tight
the downhaul was pulled tight, outhaul tight AND on the lower hole
i probably should have rigged down and I would have been able to stay out longer
there were times when i thought the sail was gonna be ripped from my hands
some of my tacks were quite messy too :-(
too bad i did not put the 7-oh on the Shark
then again - the holiday week is just starting :-) Saturday July 18th
Lovely summer day with a SW breeze under 22 kph
The whole fam damily went up north - well almost all of us - missing three
Which ain't bad since the baby's other grandparents came up too
So, we were nine(9) people in total - seems pandemic max is 10
As usual BIC SL200 and HSM SPF 8.5
While downhauling with the winch, I thought I would give it just a little more
and the rope snapped - that was a first for me - i guess if outhaul was on
it would be less dramatic for the sail
Sunday July 12th
Yes, still going to the lake
Winds from the N/NW and supposed to be 20-40 kph
tried with the Shark and SPF, but it was unstable winds and I was in the water
went back and got the BIC SL200
the wind was quite narrow in its bandwidth and thus i was often trying to get back to it
thus it was NOT a great windsurf session, but it was such a nice day
me wife was there with me and that made for an even nicer day
even tho that meant NO cheats on the alcohol lol
not that that is a regular event !!!
Monday June 29th
I am still on holidays and the prediction is some rain with some wind up north
Now my go to stuff is there and that is where I will go until I am convinced it is safe to go where there are lots of people. People are NOT doing social distancing on and near beaches :-( Winds were from the East and ranged from 10 to about 25 kph
Managed to go in the harness a couple of times
The weather was warmer than anticipated and not much rain
Obviously was on the BIC SL200 with the HotSailsMaui Speedfreak 8.5
Thought I could use the HPL carbon boom, but it is 220 cm minimum length
The HSM SPF outhaul is 180 + 32.5 = 212.5 cm which is too far away to even try :-(
I added about twelve inches to the uphaul line - a suggestion from way back
and YES, it actually DOES make it so much easier to uphaul a BIG sail
You are already standing straight and using the full body to haul
made the mistake of going out one more time when it looked
like the weather might change and it did
there was a little bit of rain and then
the wind changed direction from the North
and then back to East which made getting back difficult
which means, yes, i did fall in and had to get in the water to get off :-(
relaxed afterwards with a shot of CC and some BD
NOT a fan of CC and so last time for that one
time to go back on the wagon !!
Thursday 25JUN2020
Yesterday I was hoping to head up to the chalet and hit the water, but that never happened ...
Instead we went to my son's place and my wife held our new first grand-daughter :-)
AND I flew my 3 m² training kite afterwards in SW 15-35 kph winds
it was GOOD
Luckily there was wind again today and I am OFF on holidaze :-)
Headed up alone with the Fanatic Shark 145 HRS and 50 cm fin ...
Wind was 15-40 kph from the SW again which is not ideal for the lake
Obviously I had the HSM SPF 8.5 on the Shark with mastbase at 140 - later 135
Had a difficult time getting out of the bay, managed to finally and moved harness lines back
Oh yeah, I downhauled MORE and also had the outhaul @ 32.5,had wetsuit n booties
Traded the boards out to compare & it felt like the BIC SL200 planed better :-(
It was a great fun day and I sat at the water's edge for a break and afterwards as well
Why did I feel like ISIS and the US afterwards had anything to do with the greatness of the day ?
Ah yes, I cheated and had half a bottle of Coors Light on the dock afterwards :-) 😎 😎
I am an alcoholic and like to cheat once in a while, but never with more than that FRY Day 19062020
Finished my work day @ the chalet
we call it the White House
Yes, it is white and BIG
There are six giant bedrooms upstairs ..
Wind was from the WNW and between 16 and 24 kph
As usual I was out on the BIC SL200 using the HSM SPF 8.5
Adjusted the boom down to slip in and out of the harness more easily ...
It was too hot to windsurf - we have temps I am NOT used to 33° C
which in Fahrenheit is 33x9/5+32=~92°F WOW
In the sun it was unbearable - shade was good
Took some Coors Light to cool down
and found some of Chas' GC
good work day :-)
fry day lol Sunday 14JUN2020
One day before my daughter-in-law is to be induced and i am to become Opajo :-)
Wind was 10-20 kph from the East
I knew it was light wind and I enjoyed it
Obviously BIC SL200 and HSM SPF 8.5
It was a pleasant day on the water - just what I needed ...
Oh yes - I am still ONLY going windsurfing up north - keeping social distance !!
The wife came along and we did chat nicely with Unca Freddy and Joanne ... Friday 12JUN2020
Worked from the chalet in the hopes of windsurfing after work
Set up the stuff at lunch time - BIC SL200 and the GA Flow 3X 7-oh
just to be safe ....
Wind was REALLY gusty and did not settle down
i gave up at around 17h00 - was not going to wait longer and be disappointed
and so - headed home
This is what OKA looked like yesterday - GLAD that I did NOT drop bye !!!
Nice Social Distancing
Pan Damn It !!
After reading the reports on QuebecWind, I no longer feel like I am a windsurfer :-(
They are all out on their 4.x sails and < 100 liter boards jumping and jibing
and in the middle of it all Georges tells us of his jumps with his 9 meter kite.
At this point in my life I realize that I will never reach that level - oh well
Saturday 06/06/2020
Yesterday we visited Gary, the bro-in-law from CT up north
I brought my HSM SPF 8.5 and NP mast, butt wind died
Tried to tell the wife that i needed to get there earlier for wind
She did not understand that and so, today I went back up again
Dropped her off at our daughter's on the way ...
Saw this while checkin the wind ...
Poor feller :-(
Looks like he mighta hit the window
There was NOT a lotta wind when i got there
Decided to set up the SPF to review its setup
My phone notes say 17.5 cm extra downhaul and 32.5 cm extra boom length/outhaul
Tried downhaul with what was there.
That did not feel right and I added another 2.5 cm
It seemed better then - especially after some Chocolate Fondue
Went out in the light wind and then came back and got the harness
Next run out I adjusted the lines to longer and slid the boom down about 2.5 cm
Was able to hook in and out plus be comfortable
Good thing cuz the wind kicked in
Had some fun and then saw text from my wife during a break - was she asking me if i was done
Oh well - i am kinda tired from those runs
I would not have minded some more light wind stuff lol
btw I am an idiot - forgot my booties and was not wearing the good crocks
rode the board quite straddled - always one foot against the mast base
earlier I hurt my foot and never looked - seems it bled a lot - oh well
wife freaked out when she the blood and cut - oh well
Somehow I managed to not fall in, break another BIC clip and chip the front mast base "hole"
29MAY2020 - it's a beautiful Fry Day !!
So, at lunch I drove up to the White House bringing my harness and boom; finished work early and was on the water by about 15h15
I almost hit Christiane who was doing her swim - Louis did not warn me !! He just looked at me with his blank stare n smile. Like he always does ...
The sail was set with the winch and was best when FULLY downhauled; with +25 cm outhaul (180+25 = 205cm total)
I fell in a couple of times but the water was comfortable. We have had blazing heat lately ..
Obviously the session was with the BIC SL200 board + Gaastra Flow 3X cambered 7m² sail on the MauiSails 490 hard top mast. I tried using the harness, but the lines were not set well ... Was having too much fun to worry about those details on that day ... I was out for about an hour - and is was just heavenly - especially after a shot of spiced rum and a hit of Galiano ... wine :-)
The winds were 20-40 kph from the west, but swung south at times & hit 30-50 kph at times - I was practically planing with the BEAST !! Fun, fun ...
Oh yeah, I almost forgot - the deck of the board was quite slippery I wished I had brung me booties - good thing for Ken's crocks !! These are some kinda special crocks - mine used to slide like crazeeee
14MAY2020 - yupp, we are still in "lockdown"
- some primary schools are starting up and people are "misbehaving"
- all this sit at home stuff just makes me drool and shop 4 stuff
- this is NOT good !!
- in the last five(5) years I have spent under $400 a year on windsurfing
- if we assume that one can windsurf here six(6) months of the year,
- that's around $65 a month or $2 a day and VERY reasonable
- I have been looking at a Fanatic Hawk 120 for $650 (Maxime)
- this would require selling at least one or two boards - which one(s) ??
- also looking at a Simmer 2XC 8.5 with mast for $800 (what 2 sell??)
- for this one - it is more difficult since people are NOT using large sails
- everyone is going foiling with smaller sails now
- perhaps it is best to just "wait and see"
10MAY2020 - this weekend the winds were stronger than usual - WNW 20-50kph
- and i was curious how i would handle this
- went out today and found winds to be all over the place W, then NW
- winds went from cannot keep sail/kite going to had to let go
- it was so strong at times!!
- also practiced keeping sail at 10h00 and 2h00
- how the F do they kitesurf with this kind of instability ?!?!?
07MAY2020 - supposed to rain and not a lotta wind from the W/SW
- oh well, maybe time to try and make a video of this insanity ...
- so, that's what I did ...
and here is the 2nd part - seems no cheap n easy way to join em ??
03MAY2020 - SUNDAY and a nice one at that ----------------------------
- it started with rain and then turned into a beauty
- Marc said he was going out on the water - will check back with him later
- wind W-SW 20-35 kph and some chambers look torn = oh well
- grande fun !!!
01MAY2020 - a picture is worth a 1000 words :-) Fry Day woohooo
27APR2020 = Mundane Monday
- wind was light - about 20-30 kph and again from the NE
- thus I went alone and tried a whack of stuff
- even tried pumping the kite to get it up higher
- managed to fly the kite quite high
- different dude came as I was getting off @ 17h30
- he did not say a word to me :-)
- none of those dudes seemed to be there when I arrived @#$%^&*(
26APR2020 - SUNday = NOT (cloudy n gray with threat of rain showers)
- this time wind was from the NE 20-35 kph - up n down with slight
shits in wind direction
- Jayroh did a good job today and got nervous when he felt the power !!
- when I had the kite, I felt in full control and actually did a full loop
- did some quick saves and had NO issues starting the kite from the
ground
- some other people were in the next field with their dog = open space
23APR2020 - Thursday & almost Friday
- wind was from the West about 20-35 kph, but to go down later
- waited for my older son at home to finish work - mistake
- wind was more like 20-30 kph and difficult to keep trainer kite up
- young dude in red vest came and told us in English that we are not
allowed in Rosemere parks - told him there was NO sign
- he said it was a town ruling - told him we would be done in 5 anyway
- NEXT time will tell him open spaces are allowed !! and
that I asked the cops :-) who have passed on numerous occasions !!
- we left 10 minutes later anyway cuz the wind died
19APR2020 - skipped Friday, but was yearning for outside activity
- think the windskate is on the back burner and kite training has
"moved up the totem pole" (in the words of my sister)
- field was finally dry enough for me to go in my shoes
- thus the boots were used to hold the kite down
- i practiced ALL kinds of stuff and was feeling VERY confident
- ran gentle figure eights through the power zone too
- landed the kite at the edge of the windzone, but learned it was difficult to
launch from there (only for when done with the session ??)
- definitely feels like "I am getting the hang of it" - pardon the pun :-)
- oh yeah, best part was the planning - got wind, got off n then drizzle started !!
- managed to fly the kite high
17APR2020 - it's a FRYday and I don't feel like going with the training kite WTF
- guess I went too many days in a row ... don't want it as a routine ...
- btw all this kite activity and pandemic does NOT stop me from
shopping for windsurf equipment
- one lady said people were coming by the next day to look @ stuff
WTF
16APR2020 - yes, the very next day, I was OUT on the field AGAIN
- in case you have not seen the kite: HQ-RUSH-v300-pro.html
- had issues with the strings at first as usual, but got it all figured out
- with the help of Phillippe, a kiter from Rosemere
- he reviewed a few things, gave me more tricks and said:
"You are ready for kite courses with Gilles @ Parc OKA" :-)
- btw it is EASY to maintain distance when working with a kite !!
- I was doing figure eights, starting from upside down, dropping the kite
from way up high and starting it up before it hit ground
- BEST kite practice day for me EVER !!! :-)
Forgot to mention:
At lunch I searched for a BETTER place to practice
Parc in front of the arena is closed
Too hilly with trees in front of the Catholic Church/School
Reno Depot had an area in the parking lot, but there was BIG puddle
Private Rosemere golf course looked full of trees n tight runs ...
Secret: I tried to hold the kite by its lines and cut my hand and finger - no blood tho -
just some skin lol Propolis ALREADY doing its job !!!
15APR2020 - managed to go out after work
- winds were a little stronger & once again a fellow came and helped me
- my lines were tangled and I could NOT get going
- shoes to hold down was good, but again tree blocked wind down low
- where is a better place to go ??
- also, when kite goes over your head towards the wind - what to do ??
14APR2020 - We had NO power all day and I am WFH\workin from home ...
- Had a SUPER windy night and power died around 2 a.m.
- Late in the day I went to the same field as Sunday, butt was wet
- Also, the wind seemed quite high
12APR2020 - Yes, we are in the "middle" of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Parcs are closed and everyone is "social distancing"
- It is Easter Sunday with a nice W/SW breeze of 20-30 kph
- Temps to go up to about 12 degrees C with the sun showing her face
- NO better day than to kite my HQ Rush V300 PRO - obviously 3 m² HQ-RUSH-V300-pro.html
- This was like my 2nd time flying this thing and a gentleman came by
- He watched, asked some questions then helped me - from the distance
- First he threw the kite up, then launched it while I threw it up ... nice pun
- Showed me the ropes and then I continued on my own ...
- Wind was a bit light and tricky
- Oh yeah, it is Easter Sunday and I am afraid to try the windskate
- That's because I busted my shoulder on the ice Easter weekend 2008
- I am not usually superstitious, but I will make an exception on this one :-(
- Before I forget, the centre line was loosened & I steered from the ropes
- NOT just steering with the handle - pull on those ropes !!
07MAR2020 - The One and ONLY windsurf session on ice this "winter" of 2019/2020
- https://joewindsurfer/2020/03/winter-session-march-2020.html
- I had two inguinal hernias repaired in November 2019.
- That pretty much killed ALL winter activities for me
- I actually had six(6) weeks convalescence
Would like to revive this subject, since the air and water are too cold for me now ...
My average for on the water in December is a BIG fat zero and ONE for ice windskiing !!
The cold weather is only just starting now - the 10th of December 2017 ...
and YES, here we are in APRIL 2020 and I am reviving this subject AGAIN !!
with the COVID-19 pandemic one has ta find things ta do !!
so, I am continuing with the windskate that I started b4 - 2016 ??
The experiments I did earlier for windskating (on a skateboard) and discussed below were fun, but did not go well - NOT to my tastes anyway ... I found the windskate idea interesting , but dangerous. Learned quickly to dump the sail if in ANY kind of trouble. I found the board a bit short and narrow.
My first experiment to change all this was with some wood laying about - it was 50 inches long and 17 inches wide. I was looking to go 8 or 9 inches wide and 48 to 54 inches long. So, I stuck with the 50 inch length and tried the 9 inch piece first. Initial tests on the press wood suggested it would not break with my 105 + kilo weight. When cut to size, standing on it felt very comfortable - not too wide nor long. Put the wheels on at 7 inches from the ends. It rolled well and i stepped where the back wheel was and it was ok. Put some stress on the board in the middle - hmm. Ok, stress test time and it broke, This is okay - because I really do NOT want it to break while riding on pavement. Now I will search for a more appropriate wood and probably do more stress tests before assembling the wheels and mast base ... All just part of the fun ...
And what does a search for home made skateboard wood bring ?
Quick search on internet and it seems maple and plywood are the best choices ...
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Well, it seems local freestyler, gtj/Guy Trudeau jr, is starting to influence me...
He runs a website called http://windskate.ca and is also know for his freestyle tricks on the water.
First I tried a windskate where I took my son's 31 inch skateboard, changed the wheels and put a hole for the mast base ...
These wheels are wider and come from a longboard. They also roll "better"
Because the board is short. the mastbase had to go in front of the wheels...
Most people including Guy, put the mast base behind the front wheels. The boards are also longer. Putting it front means the board often tips up when moving it about (without people weight holding it down).
When I saw Guy today in December 2016, he suggested many things... He keeps BOTH wheel bases long. I can switch the wheels onto the longer truck from my son. Guy's boards are longer, as discussed, and also FLAT. He makes them thicker now so that they do not break. His wheels are also even wider than mine and finds the really wide and large wheels just slide too much. Would need a harder rubber on those wheels ...Next spring 2017 I will purchase a full kit from Guy...
When I did my experiments, I only had my HSM Fire 6.3 sail here and not my smaller junkers. I don't have good smaller sails ...
(need a better pic of this sail ...)
how about this one - NOT me obviously
The good news is of my windskating sessions so far - nothing was broken and I did not get hurt. I do have my windsurf helmet, knee pads, good gloves and purchased elbow pads ...
I did try to make a "longboard" windskate ...
As I wanted to see which lengths would work best for me, the first attempt was not expected to be great ...
It was press wood from some old TV cabinet that was laying about ...
Made it about 50 inches by 9 inches , which passed the length and width test, but not the durability test ...
So, went to the hardware store to check out wood prices ...
Maple is just too expensive for me at this point - am still in the experimental stages ...
Found some crude dried pine which seems sturdy, but will probably NOT last long ...
Made it the same 50 inches as the above experiment with the trucks 7 inches from the ends ...
Left the board at its current width - for now ...
Forgot to change one of the trucks to the wide truck ... later ..
First experiments showed that the board was sturdy enough and width did no bother me ,,,,
Very ruff looking at this point - thicker than the final result will be too ...
Well, I put the wide trucks on and am experimenting with a wide angle lens on my phone...
So, now in April 2020 with the COVID-19 virus and people doing "social distancing", what is one to do ?? How about continuing windsurf projects that shoulda bin dunn long ago ?? cuz even windsurfing may go "on hold". My current "masthead" on my blog is a sign saying Canada Parks is closing ALL their parks ...So, I finally added the mast base to the new POC board:
Here is a different angle of the same thing ...
At time of writing, the setup has NOT been tested yet.
It promises to be dangerous and exciting :-)
The smallest sail I have here at home seems to be the WindWing 4.6. Here I rigged it with the PX RDM 460 mast and the blue Maui boom, which had to be extended one notch - not easy. Downhaul setting was 16 cm, but can go to 10 or even 8 cm on the extension ...
So, on Easter Saturday 2020 I did the POC(proof of concept) run in front of the house
Winds were 90 degrees to the street and fairly light 20-30 kph W
It looks like the setup WILL work, butt needs more space :-)
Perhaps this afternoon I can try the Walmart\Reno Depot parking lot
It seems it all closes at about 17h00 today and that is when it is the warmest
part of the day ... Let's hope it all goes well ... Wait a second - please check reminder below
Reminder: It was Easter weekend when I broke my shoulder doing my first wind run on ice :-(
I must have really scared myself because I still have NOT tried out this kit since Easter 2020 and I have been out with my 3.0 m² training kite at least three(3) times ...
With all the good things Guy is doing, why not copy his windski as well ??
I had thrown out the skis from Helmut because they were at the chalet and I was NOT going any more. Did keep the boots just in case.
Since my boots did NOT fit the skis I got from Marc's garage sale, I had to move the back bindings:
Guy suggests cutting the clips, but mine come off - leave them off ??
For the boots I unscrewed the top portion
and cut the backs as suggested by Guy
the cross bar was purchased from Guy
and now ... almost ready to get the rest of the materials
nuts, bolts and washers as suggested in the video
okay, got some nuts, bolts and washers
and moved to NEXT step:
where pucks are attached to the crossbar
need to ask Guy about the bolts and how long is really necessary
What I did for now, was add some more washers. The setup looks okay and ready to mount pucks onto the skis. Guy suggests seven to eight inches up from the bindings. Did an experiment about where to place the pucks on the skis and it was 7.5 inches from the bindings. As such, that is where I will place the pucks ...
As it gets wider further up the skis, I decided on eight inches from the front of the bindings. As I could NOT find my protractor, I had to print one from the internet in order to measure 360/5 = 72 degrees between the screws and decided on 1.1 cm from the edge. Here is the first puck mounted ...
and now just need to let things dry - silicone and loctite - before testing it out 😊
Was going through my winter posts and looking for other windskis. There used to be a company called windski that built something like American "magic ride" who posted on Auzzie windsurf forum: (says it does not tack or jibe well, but then none of my models seem to either...)
Apparently this was a water ski - something I tried with an older ski that did not work out for me ...
Here it is in action ...
"my ski won't perform well with larger sails. The ski seems to bite too
much to the snow at the bottom of the ski 3/4 to the front end area of
the ski. Found any thing less than a 5.4 and down works perfect."
Will look for pics from "original" windski ... They used to be @ www.windski.com, but that address does not exist anymore and is available ... Here is a sample:
They claimed that the windski and "windski carve" could go in ANY depths of snow ...
In March of 2021 I found an old video with the "original windski"
Found pic at a site where they "talk" about classifications of winter sailing ...
and for me these below are ALL sleds, but all completely different !!!
This fellow says he simply attached the sail to one ski with a rope ??
Here's another single ski, but with snowboard(s) and a platform
Well, brought the stuff up north to the out-law chalet cuz the ice is supposed to be frozen. This is on TUES 27DEC2016, my birthday... when i tested the ice at night/evening, I managed to break through top crust and find some water before next layer 😒 and it looked light / perhaps water ? near the middle of the lake $%^&*(( On the following morning put on the BIG boots and wandered further out. The ice made a BIG BOOM like lake was a GIANT WOOFER. Was afraid for about 2 seconds. Went and got my other sleds and took out my favourite ice sled with the HSM Fire 6.3. Ice was fine (8 outta 10) but the wind was too light - off n on around 10 kph (6 outta 10). It was good to go out though !!! Just been too long - think i have a serious addiction 😊 This is the ice sled:
The next day I tried again, but wind was even less - 6 outta 10. Tried my ice sled, but the ice was too sharp and rails too sharp - did NOT go better than above sled. When I rigged the SW Retro 8-oh, the wind died !! This is my blue ice sled:
I must have spent over one hour looking for a specific board on this blog that buddy Claude Belanger showed me @ OKA. He met Langis Caron @ WISSA in 2010 I believe and based his boards on that/those meetings ... It is a combination of skis and snowboards with an angle of about 23 degrees. What is interesting is the mount of the platform AND the joining/amalgamation of the skis with the lower snowboard (which has been cut in order to match the 23 degrees of the skis !!
What differs between Claude's model and that of Langis Carron is, Langis only had one ski coming out the front : (in case you did not know - Langis was a Québec race car driver who also won WISSA windsurf races on ice n snow)
Here is a windski from Langis Caron in action !!
Here is a local fellow using a windski like mine ...
Here's Brian Foster aka magicride on his windski @ Lake of the Woods, Oregon
another video bites the dust - even Brian cannot get it :-(
Oh well - replaced with another of his videos ..
Well, it has been confirmed that this WindSki and Guy's version do NOT go well in deep snow. DEEP is not a number and so, what is meant by deep snow. Ironically, it is NOT a big number. For me 6 cm of snow can wreak a day out in the winter and ten cm for sure. Need more wind and more effort. On the ice 15 kph winds can make the ice sailboard fly. Need 15 knot winds when the snow is over 10 cm. Starting to sound like summer planing requirements ??
In any case, I am constantly wondering how i can overcome this deep snow "issue" and often come back to this idea:
The idea is to keep the weight and drag up and over the snow line. How much height is required ?? At first I was considering 12 inches in order to ensure one is over the snow... Went outside with deep, wet snow and measured how deep do I sink with my weight in these conditions = ten inches. Okay, does it make a difference if one is on a ski ?? With one ski and my full weight on it, it sank about five inches which is obviously ONLY half the amount. This seems to indicate that 12 inches of height may be too much and awkward for nothing. A typical step in a stairwell seems to be 8 inches and so, since this seems to be a comfortable height, that is what i will start with... Have skis in the garage and an old snowboard from my sister up in the chalet basement. Will put three crossbeams one foot apart under the snowboard. Maybe I should NOT share all this information until I have patented the model ?? 😊
What about deeper powder snow ?? That happens rarely here and if so, at least the weight and drag will be up higher and perhaps able to push the extra fluff out of the way ??
What about spin-out as there is NO fin nor angle of skis ??
Have thought of that and have a potential solution, but cannot share that here - not until patented 😊
may as well add some new stuff since I brought the post back to the fore front ...
