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I guess I better summarize 2023, before I jump the gun on 2024 ! The reason I write about "jumping the gun" is ... every year around this time I "start the shop" ... because I am drooling and dreaming of getting back on the water !! Maybe now I understand better why the folks go south to hit the water in the winter months ...
I was out on the ice and snow eleven times in 2023 (includes DEC 2022) and thirty-eight times out on the water. Both of these numbers are slightly above the annual averages ...
For the winter season I purchased a used MauiSails Global 5-oh.
The winter season was finished up North and Charlie got this amazing shot !!
Since my van died in 2019, I can no longer transport larger boards to the beach. This is a blessing in disguise because after that I was "forced" to concentrate on "short boards". It also forced me to think outside the box:
I was also fortunate this year cuz buddy Hellmoot / Helmut brought my "longboard", the MEQ II, up north to the chalet. That board sat idle for many years and people are offering to buy it !!
I had sold my MauiSails Tr-4 10-oh sail and was wondering if I had made an error because my GA Swift 10m² is starting to show its age ☹️. The good newz is ... some of the larger sails now take a 490cm mast (of which I have plenty). So, I purchased an old 2005 SW Retro 9.5 with no cambers and so far, I am loving it !! Check the video link:
As I feel I have too many boards, I made sure that I at least tried them ALL out to see if they were gonna be SOLD. So far, none are for sale/sail lol I will most probably also keep my MauiSails TR-6 8.4 fully cambered sail too !!
We also got the Montreal windsurf SITES page available again !!
4242024When I was "up north", I investigated whether the HSM SPF 8.5 was "good ta go". Well, I tried rigging it and putting the mast inside the cup at the cap... butt ...
That did NOT go well and so ... I tried to remove the cup and again ☹
I left the cup where it is and we will try to rig when it is time to use it !!
However, this requires a backup plan --> 10-oh, 8.x, 7.0 and 6.3. The HSM Fire 6.3 ONLY fits on the PX RDM 460 and RDM cannot go on the BIC ... So, Victor can use the 6.3, 7.0, 8.x ? on the MEQ II. When I am using the MEQ with the 10-oh, Victor needs to be on the BIC SL200 with an SDM mast. The NS Duke 6.9 is currently rigged with the PX 460 also and thus, will NOT go on the BIC either ...
So, I brought the SW 490/75 CC mast home to see how it works with the Duke.
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4202024 backwards lol is a palindrome theweathernetwork 10°C 28-42W mainly sunny igetwind 10°C PM 25-42 WSW in the morning windalert 10°C 28-43 WSW windguru 10°C 28-42 WSW
6h00 8°C 17-26SW theweather ... 6h30 7°C 21-35WSW windalert 7h10 7°C 17-29WSW windalert 7h17 7°C 15-23W theweather ... 7h30 sun is coming out !! 7h37 7°C 18-35W windalert sunny 8h07 7°C 21-34W windalert sunny 8h07 7°C 15-23W theweather ... ................water temps are 7 degrees too !! 8h37 7°C 20-38WSW windalert sunny 8h37 7°C 15-23W theweather ...
Left the house at around 9h30 ... The water is even higher than on the 15th and one has to drive through some !!!
Chatted with Martin the kitefoiler. The "Egyptian" and Jean-Sebastien arrived later ... I rigged the GAastra GTX 8.5 free-race sail with 2 cambers and put it on the Fanatic Shark 145 HRS with the 50 cm Fanatic free-ride fin.
I was so anxious to get out there that when I went to hook in, I realized the hook was not hooked lol... Once I got going, I was planing, but going across the chop !! This means I was "slapping" the water constantly and going for a bronco ride. This was NOT pleasant. So, I came back in and d-rigged ...
Fellow came to chat with me as I was putting things away. He was hoping for more wind and was on a 5.7 at Venise en Québec yesterday !! When I told him about the angle of the wind and waves, he said ... oh, it's more westerly then and he was CORRECT !!
Thus, for me westerlies need to be light wind ONLY !! 9°C 24-43kph W
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15APR2024 theweathernetwork 14 degrees 21-33kph W --> 13° 20-40kph W windalert 15 degreess around noon 24-35kph @ 17h00 ->18°noon windguru 11 degrees around 14h00 23-34kph @ 17h00 ->12°@14h00 windyTV 13 degrees around 14h00 16-39kph @ 17h00 ->14°@14h00
get there at 14h00 and take my time ?? ------------------------------------------ igetwind added next day 13°C@14h00 & 20-26kph @ 14h00 =============================== 6h30 7° & 7-11kph W 7h30 same thing ... 9h30 8° & 7-11kph W has to be warmer by noon with more wind !! 10h45 9° & 9-14kph W no-one has answered my question about going there with a westerly (NOT even George's cell phone lol !!)
the wind-alert map has winds from the West, North and East with speeds from 8 to 19 !!
this does NOT look good
11h15 10° & 9-14kph SW = better than W ......when I look at wind maps ......the wind seems to be NW ......which is off-shore :-( ......okay, the temp is "acceptable" ......now we just need MORE wind !! 12h00 talked to wife about alternate plans 12h45 loaded the car ... La Crête was open and the "Egyptian" fellow was there Says he has been kite surfing since 15MAR2024 !! When I saw him on the water, he was kite-foiling now !! Martin was there with Marie chatting & I went to setup !! There was a dude who was trying to kitefoil with a 4 m² kite #$%^&*( Later when they were out in bigger winds, they had 12m² kites ... George and another went out on the water @ about 16h00 The clouds were threatening when I left !!
This is a photo George took that shows high water
On this day it was a good thing I verified my checklist before leaving ... I had forgotten my life-vest/safety-vest. Also, when I got to Oka, I realized that I had forgotten my waterproof key pack and my bag o' strings. All those issues were "rectified" !!
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12APR2024The ice is still there and I did NOT go through ! Wind is from the East 22-34kph, butt feels gusty lol
People on "MTL Kite Conditions" Facebook groupare "talking" about going kitesurfing at OKA main beach today !! It is now 13h30 and 20°C @ OKA with RAIN and 24-37kphSE. SE is NOT a good direction at that beach !!
Here is the wind map from Vaudreuils and should be similiar to OKA main beach !!
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10APR2024 So, I finally went to visit the WindSpirit Boutique since they moved. They are on the South Shore of Montreal @ 3050 Boulevard Choquette, Saint-Hyacinthe J2S 1H1 and online at https://www.windspirit.ca/ ... It was a 1.5 hour drive drive and just a little bit less coming back via a different route...
and that's 1/2 the shop
I hate to say this, but it was a disappointment. I was ready for the road-trip and the traffic, but had high hopes for the shop and was excited to see Bruno (have not seen him since he closed 2-rad).
On the way I made a mistake with the address/fat-fingered it and put 5050 rather than 3050 into WAZE lol Then it was in the back of the factory type building, with not much of a store-front and only two cars in front. One was Bruno's and the other the customer I am guessing.
There was ONLY Bruno working there and he was busy. The last time I was at Windspirit, there was Benoit Gauthier and a bunch of other people AND the repair shop right beside .
In the "store" were all the small parts/accessories and clothing. Few boards in the front and NO sails nor foils displayed. It is a small shop and even Bruno said," We are a shipping depot."
Since Bruno was busy and I was basically "window shopping", I left without even purchasing the 2 bolt mast plate I had intended to buy; since I did NOT find one.
I thought perhaps I should buy an RDM extension, but did NOT find any for US base !!
The shop is now an online shop, which means we might as well use any other windsurf shop that ships !! SAD indeed --> Did Bruno buy off Benoit ??
Also, Bruno said that I need to downsize and stop using BIG boards. The irony in that is ... that is what I was planning for this year --> just felt bad to hear it as a "criticism". Perhaps I should stop being so sensitive and consider it as a recommendation lolol
Last year/2023 Bruno did NOT sail because he broke his ankle and ripped the muscle in his right forearm = OUCH !! He told me Vincent is foiling at Parc Cartier and anticipates reaching 40 knots ... using F4 foil kit (over $3000) and Fanatic StingRay ... They come in 115l and 140 liter and none @ Windspirit !!
Ironically ... on the same day I saw this video where "Cookie" states what I believe also ... i.e. get comfortable in bigger winds on the semi-big stuff before jumping down 20 liters in conditions you're not used to !! Thanks Cookie lol
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09APR2024OKAY, now we had solar eclipse and it is getting HOT The wind was supposed to be E/NE and 15-30kph. OKA was less and I am not ready to go putt, putt. Was about 15°C and sunny = got a sunburn !! The wind never got over 15kph and the ice was finished by noon !! Sank into 3 inches of slush ... Here is a pic from Sunday.
In the clip the wind is more like 20-30kph ENE, intermittent and gusty. Then the wind picked up a notch and so did the GUSTS = over 40 kph and ice getting soft which is all not ideal lol
I was thinking of going back to scoring sessions, where I rate the ice/snow/water conditions and the wind/sail/board match, etc ... Like the ice on this day was NOT ideal, but it was GREAT for my ice sled and would give it a 9/10 until it started to get soft. Then it dropped to a six or seven !! The wind was from the East, which is a narrow corridor and it was VERY gusty. The sail suited those conditions until it went up a notch. So, wind/board/sail was only a 7/10. This still means the session was about an 8 outta 10 man lol
After that session I was so tired that I went to bed at 20h00 and had two thigh cramps and toe cramp all at the same time @ 23h00 $%^&*(
02APR2024 =I was REALLY hoping to go to OKA main beach !!
Basically until about 15h00 it was too "cold" @ Oka and lacking wind, while up north was too "warm" and lacking wind. Add on top of that that my wife was asking me to perhaps pick her up up north. (that that & up up in the same sentence lol) ...
So... I canned the idea and drooled between 15h00 and 17h00 !!
30MAR2024 =WHAT ? STILL going out on the ICE n snow ??
The day before, Charlie = me bro-in-law, kept sending me pics o' da ice !?! So, how could I NOT go out on the ice ?!? Wind was from the NW 0-35 kph with 20-50kph announced. As you can see, it was with the infamous ice sled and the 2013 MauiSails Global Wave sail with a decent downhaul. Where the surface looks grey in the distance, the ice is perfect, but the rest of the lake is what I would call crunchy smooth lol. It is perfect for the sled, yet I would not take my iceskate out onto that surface. Would have loved ta try the windskate on the "grey section" only !?! .........This makes 24 outings on the ice n snow this winter = six per month average, which is EXCELLENT !!
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21MAR2024 = ONE LAST TIME OUT on the ICE n SNOW !!
Up North with WNW winds 20-40kph. As is the case with small lakes, the winds were more like 0-50kph !! There are wind shadows, wind changes direction AND strong gusts. It had snowed and froze, with some soft snow 6 cm / 2.5" in some areas ... which made it feel like waves (analogy was suggested by 90 year old Uncle Sylvio).
It was a bit cold as it was -10°C with those strong gusts of cold air !!
It was NOT a great session, butt loved it lol MauiSails Global 5.0m² wave sail was the right call !! On the water it would have been 8.5m² !! Plus ... on the ice n snow when one is overwhelmed by the gusts, it does not seem to catapult the rider over the handlebars !! Captain Charlie feels this may be due to less inertia/friction than on the water AND makes sense !! Today many people exclaimed," Holy Shit, you were going FAST !!" However, I was NOT measuring speed nor filming ... (had to format the SD card for the video camera/GoProCopy today btw) ... hmmmm
This was my 23rd session on ice n snow this year = World Record !!
clique the pics :-)
On QuebecWind they are calling me Montreal's "Windsurf Grizzly"lol
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20MAR2024Am fixing my fins to be READY for the WATER !!!
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Watched some youtube windsurf videos and became interested in the INSTA360 camera and INSTAMIC microphone. Well, it seems the full insta360 camera kit can run you around $750. Commented on one video asking why recommend such expensive video cameras to us mere mortals lol.
The wireless instamic is less than $200 and is NOT available from the producer. Oh well ... Cookie says he used to run a wired mic to a GoPro that was in his pocket lol.
Are there wireless mics for GoPros (or copies thereof) ?? ...................Seems you need a GoPro V10 and up !!
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The funniest question I get asked about winter windsurfing is Do I ever wear a life jacket !?! Whenever I think there is ANY danger of going through the ice, I just DO NOT GO !! It's as simple as that .... "How fast are you going?" I have shown with the speedometer app on my phone that I can go faster than the wind. Other wingskier showed me his 40kph. WE GO FAST !! Does my equipment float? The skis distribute my weight and with the sail on the ground, there is quite a large surface area. Whenever I think there is ANY danger of going through the ice, I just DO NOT GO !!
For now I am hoping to go one more time !! Have been out on the ice and snow 22 times this winter !!
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12MAR2024
It has been a little colder and rather than rain they got a little bit o' snow up north. It was -8°C when I left home and about +4 when I got off the ice at 13h30. They were announcing decent winds up to 30kph, but I measured 5 knots NW when I got there. As better winds were anticipated, I stayed with the SW Hucker 6.6m² sail.
I started with a jacket, gloves and shoes, but got rid of the jacket n gloves and put boots.
Since I had put a mount on the front of the sled, I tried it, but busted the hinges on the video casing :-( No biggie --> one hinge was already busted
and this is what Brian Foster sent me of his last session
and in case anyone wondered about the ice that I was sailing on !!
The ice was more than 8 inches thick and water filled up to the 6 inch mark while I went to get the straight edge ... This was done the next day and it was still good to sail on. Was just lacking wind and the stuff I brought home lol
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07MAR2024
Well, it looks like Pte-Claire is wide open water !!
It was 10 degrees outside - offshore winds at 20-30kph
But the water temp is only supposed to be one degree C !!
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06MAR2024
It has been a little warm lately; like +2 and +10 !?! and people are going through the ice on Lake Simcoe with their jeep (in Ontario at the same parallel) ... At 6h00 I checked the ice and contemplated using the SW Hucker 6.6 on the slush in 20-30kph North winds, but the wife said,"NON !?!"
Oh well ... Too bad I am not here alone ... lol
05MAR2024
People have been freaking out about the dangers of the ice and yet ...
In Oka there are still fishermen on the ice
02MAR2024
Yes, we made it out yet once again !! This time wind was from the S-SE below 20kph and I was using the SailWorks Hucker 6.6m² sail. This sail has so much more pumping power and power in general. I find it easier to handle than the small NS Zeta 3.7m² !! Forgot to put the electric tape on top of the mast before inserting into the luff sleeve .. I also started putting something like a hammer or axe into the top section - to try and help the mast get past that part %^&*()_
Unfortunately the winds were from the S-SE which means I had like a 1/4 mile run and needed to stop before hitting the other side. Also, it was a bit warm, but cannot take off protection = ice is HARD !! I got off around noon, the clouds are coming in and the prediction is for mixed precipitation.
Will go take my stuff in NOW !?! btw that's 21 times on the ice n snow this winter !?! in the last few days the ice made lotsa noise really WARM weather on the horizon :-(
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01MAR2024
Same conditions as yesterday, except it felt a little bit lighter and not so gusty... Made a coupla runs just before lunch ... Feels like the CoE on the Zeta is up high !! Does this mean it needs more downhaul ?? Based on my "notes" under the sails category ... The leech lowers the CoE = yes, more downhaul lowers it !!
So... after some re-heated fries ... I added 2 cm of downhaul and a little more outhaul Wind supposed to be 15-23kph SW butt felt more like SSW lol Sail felt better, yet there is NOT a lotta counterweight i.e. 3.7m² is VERY small for a guy of my stature !! =============================================== 29FEB2024 last night rained, got really windy, lost power & then froze
20-30kphW and gusty = too dangerous for me !!
I was NOT taking the full force of the wind and when I lay the sail down,
I slid for another 100 meters before stopping !!
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26FEB2024 thought I was gonna git 4 in a row!!
clique the pic :-)
8h00 10-23kphW -3°C predicted
8h06 13-20kphW -2°C & flag is still
8h45 13-20kphW -2°C & flag is still
9h00 13-26kphW 0°C predicted
9h15 moved flag & trial run = need more !!
9h45 17-25kphW +1°C
10h00 16-29kphW +2°C predicted
11h15 did couple of trial runs - wind W or NW ??
11h25 14-21kphW +2°C
12h00 19-32kphW +3°C predicted
12h30 snow is getting soft and wind changes speed/direction
14h00 snow is too wet/drags + winds STRONG n gusty NW
25FEB2024 Special BeeDay for the wife and I still managed to go out !! that makes 3 DAYS in a ROW in the Winter !!
In 15-22kph winds from the south I managed a max speed of 29kph !!
In my discussions on reddit about the above statistics I realized that in those winds I would probably NOT even go out on the water ... and when I go out in 20-30kph winds it is with a longboard or JP SLW92 and large 9-10m² sail !!
Here I am going out in less winds than that and using a sail 2/3 the size ...
The sail is small enough that I do not even use a harness...
I realized afterwards that perhaps I could have used one of those runways, but then again, that would have been REALLY dangerous with the hard snow castles on the sides !!
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24FEB2024 WOW = 2 daze in a row !!
It is @ this time that I will write about the SailWorks Hucker 6.6. I was told 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 !!!
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23FEB2024 FryDay can it really be 9 daze since last time ??
10h00 +3C 11-18SW predicted 10h30 +2C 11-16SW 11h00 +3C 12-20SW predicted --------------------------- tried to go and it was kinda okay one way runway was not at the correct angle !! ---------------------------- 2h00 +4 15-23W predicted 2h47 +4 11-16W 3h00 +3 15-23W predicted ========================== made a runway for NW using a GPS app !! ========================= 4h00 +3 15-23NW predicted 4h17 +3 9-14W 4h47 +3 7-11W 5h00 +1 18-27NW predicted 5h30 this is where I went on the ice !! 6h00 -2 20-30NW predicted 6h00 -2 16-30NW corrected
In the picture one can the tracks I made in the snow and in the distance is the runway that goes NE to cover the NW winds ... It was worth the wait. Now all the slushy stuff is starting to freeze man !!
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14FEB2024 💘 HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY LADIES 💘
7h15 -15C 09-14kph W 7h45 -15C 08-12kph W 8h00 -14C 14-32kph NW predicted 8h30 -15C 09-14kph W 09h00 -13C 17-35kph NW predicted 08h57 -15C 10-14kph W 10h00 -12C 18-38kph NW predicted actual-12C 17-26kph NW 11h00 -10C 18-39kph NW 12h00 -10C 20-39kph NW 13h00 -09C 23-41kph NW 14h00 -09C 23-41kph NW This is when I "hit the ice" :-)
I had NO idea what the lake conditions were like when I left my house !! The wind was LESS than predicted, butt was picking up lol. As I was bringing my wife up to take care of our granddaughter, I did NOT have a lotta room in the Prius for "my stuff"!!
Based on the wind predictions and some past sessions on the ice n snow, I brought ONLY the MauiSails Global 5-oh with the Chinook 400cm CC mast and the small blue boom which has NO harness lines. If the wind was to pick up ... somewhere up north I also have the NorthSails Zeta 3.7m² sail which goes with the 400cm mast and the smaller yellow boom.
becuz the wind was strong, I tightened the outhaul and then the wind dropped & I also realized that I liked that sail MORE bagged out a little !!
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13FEB2024
This morning I wanted to test setup my MauiSails Global 5-oh wave sail, but ... I could NOT find my RDM mast extension - no matter where I looked $%^&*
I started freaking out cuz I have NO backup for that and it was gonna cost me at least $100 with four hours on the road (ONLY WindSpirit remains). I have extra SDM extensions up north, but this is my ONLY RDM !!! I double checked and found nothing ...
So, I took a drive back to the Parc from Sunday (even tho I had been there just yesterday checking the ice). And lo and behold:
After that I was so grateful / thankful that I tried to go with the HSM Fire 6.3 in what was supposed to be 11-17kph NE and mounting. Feel like I got 10-15kph and descending ☹️ Later put some TuckTape on the MS Global - that tape actually looks more clear than the monfilm repair tape !! Consolation Prize = Looks like there will be wind tomorrow !!
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12FEB2024
Checked the local river and it is NOT safe at the Rosemere/Ste-Rose 117 crossing !! It is much better at Parc Charbonneau AND the ice is better than it was yesterday (we had a colder night) ... so ... tomorrow morning with 20-30kph NE, what sails am I supposedto use ?? gonna haf a colder night again ... (should be the MauiSails Global 5-oh as per spreadsheet !!)
Tuck Tape = I found some "Duck Tape"andI was confused as to whether or not this was the tape I was suggested to replace the expensive mono-film tape ! Well, it is NOT ... and then I searched for my "Tuck Tape" which I did NOT find in my "tool-bag" $%^&
As I was putting away my tool-bag, I noticed my "string bag" had extra stuff in it ... In there were two rolls of Tuck Tape and one roll of mono-film tape = TABARNAK !! lol Pardon my French he he he
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11FEB2024 Sunday
Madhav wanted to see what it was like to sail on the ice and wanted some pics.. NOT the best conditions, but all he really wanted was a pic 🤙
7h00 -1 4-6kph E 7h47 -2 6-9kph N 9h37 -1 11-17kph E 9h57 0 11-17kph E 10h05 1 8-12kph E 11h07 1 9-13kph E 11h27 3 11-17kph E 11h47 3 11-17kph E 12h17 3 11-17kph E 12h30 pack the car n go
I was hoping to bring the HSM Fire 6.3, SW Hucker 6.6 and NS Duke 6.9 since they all fit on the same mast and boom, but I cannot find my NS Duke = it must be up north $%^&*. So, off we go with just the two smaller sails ... Video summarizes the afternoon fine !!
Met a dude on a fat bike who windsurfs freestyle and kites in the winter. he has only been out once !! He also goes to Cape Hatteras four months of the year !! Two in the spring and 2 in the fall. He has been obliged to leave when there are serious storms !! Once time he waited in a nearby town for it to clear and clean up, butt gave up :-(
7h45 +2 13-20kph SW & no traffic 8h00 +2 12-27kph SW PREDICTED 9h00-12h00 predict about the same
As you can see... it was a bit warm and the winds were not only less than predicted, but also NOT the ideal direction for the main beach at Parc OKA. When I got off, it felt like the warmth was making the snow softer, but I just like to get out of the house and did make a little video:
In that video, it is the music that saved the day lolol
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2024030 Tuesday
04h30 -7 degrees 15-23kph NE 07h00 -10 degrees 14-21kph NE 07h20 sunrise and not long after I am gone !!
It has been "warmer" lately - sometimes even melting. Yesterday, I went to the local park to check about sailing there with the NE today ... It looked like someone tried to go on the ice with their car and had issues.
Tried to take a pic of that today ...
Clique the pic :-)
When I walked on the snow yesterday, I went through wet yucky snow of about two inches and then there was water on top of the ice... Today most of the water was gone and the snow seemed crusty. Wind seemed decent enough and I rigged the HSM Fire 6.3
First I put the mast bottom section on backwards, my hands got COLD, the snow was "sticky" and it felt like the wind was lacking #$%^&*I almost called it QUITS !!
Then I remembered my runway trick !!I made ten foot runways which got the sled going. and just when I thought the wind had died, it picked up and I had some really decent runs !! Only saw one man walk bye with a cane and he did not seem interested in what i was doing lol There were animal tracks on the ice -- fox, coyote, wolf or stray dogs
Oh yeah, because I was floating on two to three inches of snow, it felt like I was sailing on water with a manoeuvrable wave setup lol
2024026
Rawdon
2024023 Two's Day
I went to Parc Charbaneau to check out the conditions --> for my ENE sessions and it was over 4" thick with pressed powder snow 1-3" meaning boots are NOT even required !! The gate was open and there are two parking spots !!
I should be using my 6.3/6.6 on ice and hard snow in those winds and my 8.5 in snow. There was some ice and some decent gusts and thus, I picked the 6.3 !!
One time the gust blew the sail right out of my hands when I was starting a run !!
Now, I do not know if it was the fresh paraffin, the medium packed powder or the combo thereof, but I FLEW man !! I kind of suspected that I needed the WW 4.6, yet I would prefer a decent sail in those snow/ice conditions !! Found one for $200, but I really only wanna spend $100 for a sail that's better than my current WindWing 4.6 !! Asked on QuebecWind 🤙
btw when I got there, I got the 2nd last parking spot due to the Finlandais SPA. and when I got off there was a retired gentleman from St-Jerome smokin. He has been retired since 36 due to construction accident. Cut his leg in the woods 200 km away from civilization in a snowstorm ☹️
I forgot to mention: It was only -5°C; we have been having closer to -15°C. Also, I was wearing ALL my safety equipment. Was gonna look up the proper way to wear elbow pads lol
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202418 Turdsday
Wind was WSW 10-20kph, some snow on the ice = out with the ice sled that was waxed with paraffin (from old candles) and my GA GTX 8.5m² freerace sail which has 2 cambers. It was a test run and at times better than expected and others wurst lol
January 17th Wednesday Brought my Winter Stuff Home
January 16th Tuesday
Since the lake up north will NOT be sail-able for quite some time - due to the deep snow and water on top of the ice ... I went and checked out the local river !! There was still water under the bridge (always freezes last) and the ice was six inches thick at the side before I hit some water and under that, it seemed to be more ice !!
As I kept walking though, I found water under the snow ☹️
Thank Goodness - The cold weather is coming !! Let's GO check OKA !!
Yes, ladies n gents there IS water under the snow
and beautiful scenery
Just need soma that COLD weather there too !!
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January 14th Sunday
This is what greeted us up north today
Took three people two hours to get it out !!
... and even wurst ?!? now there is water on the ice $%^&*
This usually happens later in the winter season !!
When it is actually warm, now = -3 degrees C
which is still fairly "warm" !!
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12JAN2024
I asked on QuebecWind if a SlingShot Wizard 125with a SlingShot I76 foil would do it for someone of my weight ? https://QuebecWind.ca
Force10 suggested NON to the Wizard and OUI to the JP SLW92 as a starter!!
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10JAN2024
Welcome Back to School kids !!
AND
How the fuck do people get to this level of riding in the snow ?!?
06JAN2024 Saturday
I made this spreadsheet to compare water versus ice versus snow:
... and today we are supposed to have winds ENE 10-15kph !! By 11h00 the winds were 11-16NE and I was packing my stuff to go north !!
As winds were light, I rigged the GA GTX 8.5m² sail that has 2 cambers ...
This video gives you an idea how much work it was today !!!
04JAN2024 THURSDAY
Would you believe that I was back on the ice two daze later ?!? There had been some snow, butt got blown away lol (pun intended) The wind was supposed to be best in the morning NW 20-40kph ! Now that is A LOT OF WIND for good ice conditions. Normally in that wind (on water) I would use an 8.5m² sail. Today I put away the MauiSails GlobalWave 5-oh and took out the WW4.6 That WindWing is an old sail with full battens. I rigged it with 32cm on the extension and little cap extension... Based on my notes luff = 427-34 where I assume 34 is extension ! The blue boom was fine at the setting it was at ... As usual, the wind was intermittent, gusty and changing direction !!
Everyone keeps asking how fast I am going and "Is the ice safe?" I started going on this ice December 13th, 2023 when I measured 4" thickness. Since that date, it went to 8-10" thickness and then there was rain + melting!! The ice went down to 5-6" and then it got colder = NO DANGER For me, the only dangers are face-plant and broken bones !?!? Now, as to how fast I am going (and Jacques does NOT like the music in vid) Everyone keeps suggesting the phone... hmmm There is an app called SpeedTracker that I may try 😄
On January 2nd I managed to get out on the ice and snow up north ... It was 10-25kph WSW on semi-rough ice. I think the video and the comments on youtube say it all !!
