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:
Here is a video from that day - kept private for now...
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:
One thing to remember is: in 2015 on 27DEC2015 it was 12 degrees up north and I windsurfed on the water. This winter started much colder and promises to have more opportunities to sail on ice n snow. On the 30th snow got dumped and so, not much chance of ice sleds - snow versions to be tested in 2017 !! The video from 27DEC2015 is kept private , but will display it here for myself:
I think this paragraph explains WHY windsurfing in the winter is NOT very popular. It quickly describes the issue we have doing our sport in the winter and why I have five(5) different models to try and get out as often as I can in the "off season" - taken from http://www.winterwindsurf.com/new-player-in-ski-construction/
"If a more high performance windsurfing-sleigh that rides with ease and
safety on ALL types of snow was available to windsurfers and new
people, they would discover the joy of windsurfing on ice and snow and
they will increase the windsurfing community!"
And they forgot to say it should be reasonably priced... A snowfer KC5 Pro Race board now has the asking price of $2000 with full set of optional blades costing another $1000. No wonder everyone tries to make their own !!
On 31DEC2016 I went to check out OKA main beach (La Crête is closed ie NOT ploughed) and there were actually 2 kiters out in an Easterly 10-12 knot wind with snow. This was a test of the Piktek camera with the case open to check filming with the screen and the microphone. This seemed to generate a pink almost sepia tone on the pictures - which disappeared @ the end when the case was closed and during a subsequent test driving down the road ...
01JAN2017 went out to OKA again to check it out, but this time with "my stock". There was more snow than I would have liked - about 6 to 8 inches / 15 to 20 cm of blown snow. Wind was from the West at about 20-40 kph and gusty as usual. Thought I would give it a try, but was NOT feeling enthusiastic - this is kiteboard weather... Tried the windski after having removed the clips - can walk out with the ski boots and slide the kit along - with the HSM Fire 6.3. Tried it too early - still in wind shadow and tried to sit down and take boots out of skis - NOT easy - slipped out of one %^&*() Walked it further out and with great effort could get it going , but once moving wanted to go upwind. Tried it again and felt it was too much effort and still trying to go upwind. Sent some questions to gtj.
Also tried my snow sled that works with 3-4 inches of snow, but NO GO either ...
Am still thinking I need a completely different sled to windsurf in deep snow. Feel the wide alpine skis are required with an elevated platform...
Will go to poubelle de ski next week !!
Guy gtj says no more than 10 cm of snow and there are bindings easier to get out of ...
He is on / in Costa Rica at the moment - MUCH better than snow !!!
MON 09JAN2017 went to Pte-Claire to check winter conditions. Was too discouraged to try and build a deep snow windski last week. Jalal and I were surprised ... There was NOT much snow, quite a bit of ice and still some water = NOT ready yet.
TUES 10JAN2017 went @ lunch to check Vaudreuils. Had my stuff - HSM Fire 6.5 and the snow sled that I trust:
The wind was from the SE and light. And so, I did NOT rig up ... Thought about coming back later. Forgot my phone at the office and my cameras @ home $%^&*
On the way home, decided to check out Pte-Claire in the St-Joachim kiter bay. Looked slushy, but took a chance and soaked my socks %^&*
Also was thinking about sailing @ work in the parking lot since it had a slippery, icy base, but they put salt in the morning %^&*()
Lot of swearing going on = sorry.
Decided that if it did NOT snow @ work early enough and wind was better @ Vaudreuils, i would give it a try. Well, that is what I did...
Went to Vaudreuils at about 15h30 and the wind was supposed to be 20-30 kph from the SE. It felt like the wind was lacking, but paraskier told me was better, further out. So, I rigged up and was NOT able to sail well, unless way out
The issue(s) was/were that I brought ONLY that 6.5 anticipating sailing on an icy base. Would have liked at least a 7.x meter sail. Perhaps even 8.x. In any case, since I also forgot my harness, this was probably all for the best. Would have killed my forearms and in any case needed to pick up the youngest before 18h00 !!!
Will give the session a 6 outta 10 since I did get to go on a work day, left early, got some fresh air and some exercise !!!
NEXT time will bring more sails, my camera(s) and MY HARNESS #$%^&*
Here is a better picture of the sled used - 2nd from the right:
Also, of interest, it is the first time my mast extension got stuck inside the bottom part of the RDM mast. I guessed it was frozen stuck, but it was not. Did NOT come apart in car nor garage. Had to take a rubber mallet to a screw driver through the holes on US mast base. Guess the rubber gasket got stuck - i was just too excited or upset and rushed - for nothing $%^&*(
TUES 17JAN2017 orange ice sled HSM Fire 6.3 Parc Charboneau = 8 outta 10 & NE ~ 20 kph
Managed to leave work early. Wife and young un don't want me going out in the dark - NOT sure why ... Ice was a bit rough, but no snow to speak of. The river is narrow and so difficult to get speed for jibes/gybes - always did half tacks... Tested out the PicTek camera which seems fine. The boom mount would not tighten by hand. Had to use a screw driver. Plan to put Def Leppard as background - are you man enough 😀
tried it with this software which was supposed to be "free", but leaves a watermark unless you pay and trial before is NOT even full blown one %^&&**(){
NOT sure people appreciate the sport, the videos, bad editing, etc
What I will probably do, is make my videos private and post them for myself ONLY !!
The next editing software to try free is called LIGHTWORKS...
SUN 22JAN2017 OKA ice sled HSM Fire 6.3 NE 20-40 ?? give it 8 outta 10 !!
Yesterday I went to the local river to check conditions. Felt the ice was "soft", but checked depth at fisherman hole and it was 8 to 10 inches thick !!
Today was expecting BIG winds - as announced - up to 40-60 kph. This worried me a bot cuz the ice is soft and with BIG winds my smallest sail is the HSM Fire 6.3. Do I need to go up north to get the WindWing 4.6 ?? Could not since the daughter and boy friend were visiting SAT - in the end they showed up LATE %^&*(
So , went a little earlier to beat the wind and make sure I had sun before it got too "warm" - it hit two degrees C today. The ice was NOT great. There was water on it at places, it was crispy in other spots and the wet snow dragged the ice board down - especially if there was water under it. I only hooked in on one run. Did NOT trust the ice nor the unsteady winds. Gave session eight out of ten just the same. Was not cold, got to out and did not get hurt...
Met a windsurfer who paraskis. He has been doing it for about five years and finds it so , so .. Another kiter headed upwind and that seemed to be the last we saw of him ...
Paraskier hung out to wait for bigger winds ....
MON 23JAN2017 brought my stuff to work in anticipation of going to Vaudreuils at lunch or after work. Left before lunch and turned back !! Wind was good and so was the ice. This means I had to be ready to go FAST and be ready to FALL. I was NOT !! Would prefer to have time and snow pants as protection. Too bad cuz big snowstorm is supposed to come tomorrow / Tuesday 😒 Have discovered that my preference is the ice sled in light winds ie < 40 kph ...
SUN 28JAN2017 OKA ice/snowsled HSM Fire 6.3 SW 20-40 ?? give it 8 outta 10
Started with the ice sled, but the snow section caused sudden braking - as suggested by winskier on quebecwind. So, went back n got the iceNsnowsled. That seemed much better. Could NOT get everything dialed in and got tired. Was probably too scared to fall off and as such did not lean back enough in the harness. Have to get over that !! Promised Akshah a movie and so, when I went back with ice sled, brought out the "new camera" for more tests. NOT happy about the hue ... unless so desired 😐
Anyway, here is the unedited video: windski @ 5:00 and action @ 7:00
SAT 04FEB2017 OKA SW 20-50 kph full ice/snow sled HSM Fire 6.3 = 7 outta 10
Put the blue extension on the ice/snow sled, but did this @ OKA with no tools. Next time bring some tools to tighten properly. The sled worked REALLY WELL. The ice with snow was VERY unsteady and so were the winds. Kiter was using a 7 meter kite and suggests 30 knot gusts. It was gusty, but not 30 knots - to my feeling. Probably 25 knots max. Enough to rip the sailout of my hands and have me hit my head - with a helmet of course. No injuries and no breakage with an hour or so outing = cannot complain. Met two(2) windsurfer - Pierre and the lady who has the AHD and Maui Sails ...
My left thigh muscle and front neck muscles (@ the sides) were sore three - four days after !
SUN 05FEB2017 Rosemere SW 20-40 kph same sled as above HSM Fire 6.3 = 7 outta 10
This time bolted the blue part onto ice/snow sled. There was more snow that at OKA and it was powder - about 5 to 6 cm or more at parts. This seemed to slow the sled down. Gusty as usual, but managed to use harness when there was enough wind. More snow coming and so may need to sit it out for a while.
Sent my trimm Select 66 cm fin to California. Lost money on that one, but made it when I sold the Bic Formula. Should have sold that board with one fin !! NO more trimm fins for me ...
WED 08FEB2017 overnight we had snow and THEN freezing rain which made for a hard crust. I figured I would have to wait until that snow melted before going out and playing with my ice n snow toys. Sammy R @ work asked if this snow did not make conditions better for me - told him i like ice. On the way home from work saw a young boy sliding around on TOP of the frozen rain without falling through. These two things made me go to the local river to check things out - effectively, I was able to walk into the middle of the river and remained on the crust. We are supposed to have COLD for the next few days and so, it may hold !! Friday has wind. There was another car in the parking lot that came while I was on the ice for a while with the lights left on. A third car showed up and parked strangely. It was the cops !! They asked the 2nd car for license and questioned them. I left while they were busy = leave me out of it #$%^&*(
SAT 11FEB2017 Rosemere 20-30 NW ice sled HSM Fire 6.3 = 8.5 outta 10
It was sunny, wind was okay and correct set and so, why not a higher score ... The ice had formed from freezing rain on top of the snow generating chop !! Otherwise it really was GREAT !!
See for yourself ...
SUN 12FEB2017 Parc Charboneau 20-30 kph NE ice sled HSM Fire 6.3 = 8 outta 10
Big storm supposed to come tomorrow. Was going to go yesterday, but wind lacking and still NOT feeling up to it ... There was MORE snow than I expected and at first thought too much wind. Tried the ice sled and the ice\snow sled, but the ice sled won. Went for about an hour. Wind was up n down too and thus could not rate session higher. In the winter we deal with surface conditions, cold AND wind conditions. Thus it is difficult to have a perfect day. ALWAYS fun to get out !!
SUN 19FEB2017 went to local river to check out the conditions. Had OVER a foot of snow in the last week and was starting to look @ building ANOTHER sled to be able to handle the DEEP snow #$%^&* However, as I stated, better to go down to the river and check what's what... I was surprised - there was ONLY about two to three inches of WET snow on top .. Seemed to have water inside footprints immediately ... and then actually sank down into water - about 4 inches ... This means we need cold weather before that section of ice will be good again ...
At this time I have gone out eight times on ice and snow with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10. That's about once per week since 01JAN2017 !!
Fri 03/03/2017 - went to local river and was VERY discouraged ^&*() Holes in the ice everywhere - FORGET going here for the rest of 2017 !! Martial from work kite surfs with skis and was in the La Crête bay from the town of Oka. He went over 100 kilometers and reached 70 kph... This does NOT encourage me to go there just the same ... so ...
SAT 04MAR2017 - Chalet NW 20-40+ kph ice sled HSM Fire 6.3 = 8 outta 10
Since I do NOT trust local ice, went up to the out-law chalet. Ice conditions were 9 outta 10 considering recent weather, etc. The wind was from the NW, gusty and since on a small lake, with wind shadows. Give the wind a 7 outta 10. Did manage to fall on knee without protection and on elbow without protection ...
In terms of electronics - NOT happy. Got the Timex GPS to show speed and tried to film it - both the clasp broke and the final film from the helmet was NOT accessible ^&*( Am so glad I managed to get a clip from my DIY selfie...
SAT 11 MAR2017 - Chalet NW 20-50+ kph ice sled WindWing 4.6 = 7 outta 10
When I checked the conditions, the ice looked like 9.5 outta 10 AND the wind seemed good = oh oh. So, I rigged the WindWing 4.6 instead of the HSM Fire 6.3. All week I prepared on how to improve the selfie from the backpack, but today there were other concerns i.e. namely the ice and the wind. When I finally got out on the ice, there seemed to be no wind. It picked up and picked up and picked up. The ice in the end was 5.5 to 9.5 due to recent melting and freezing. I tried to used the rough sections of ice to slow down, since bigger speeds were attained and once going, there was NO stopping the sled. So, it feels like the wind was 5.5 to 9.5 as well. NOT an ideal day and at the end I stopped in order to NOT hurt myself. Did not film either and made a quick unlisted clip just to show the day:
WED 22MAR2017 went with Jalal @ lunch to check out Vaudreuils and Lac deux Montagnes. It was still -10 in the day and had been cold @ night. The snow had developed a crusty top and there was one kiter out , one preparing and another kite on the "ice". Kiter was crossing the entire lake. Chatted with Martial who was working from home and he immediately headed out to 😊KA ...
SUN 26MAR2017 with the recent weather, SUN was to be a PERFECT day to hit Lake of Two Mountains ... It was to be a day of celebration for my young son Jerry - well NOT too young, think he turned 25 😊. So, I got to shop and prepare. Martial was out kiting and he said it was marvelous !! He went all morning and then joined his family for the sugaring off - cabane à sucre... Lucky bugger cuz after that it started raining and the temps are going up !! Even up north daily temps are going way up and nights not below -4 😖
SUN 23APR2017 Lac St-Pierre MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 < 20 kph SW = 6.5 outta 10
Yesterday I tried to go to OKA for a first session of the year. The park was closed since access to camping area and beach were both flooded out... Went to the town of OKA to see if there was access from there ... NO
Water levels are higher than anything I have seen since living in Montreal and I was there when the "tunnel" of deCarie was flooded. This is much worse in overall impact. There has been flooding in Hamilton as per my brother, I saw it in Vaudreuils, Rosemere, Ste-Therese, Trois-Rivières and the fields east on Montreal. Saw two kiters ON a flooded farmer's field !!
Last week this was Vaudreuils:
So, Saturday was a wipeout and Sunday looked like it too. Cartier had high waters , but was accessible. NOT my favourite place ... especially light winds...
For Sunday, they say the winds were up later in the day. I was on my way to the musical "Book of Mormons" by then ...
Enough about the conditions, what about the day ?? There was no-one @ Multi-Voile which is just over an hour from my house. They charged me $8 to launch and I was the first one of the season. Water was so high, you could launch from anywhere, but NOT ideal. Wind was very light, but it was warm. NO gloves and no gargoyle. Nothing broken and no walk of shame and so did NOT give it a failing mark, but was hoping for at least 20-40 kph. Others were using MUCH smaller sails later in the day ...
SUN 30APR2017 OKA main beach MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WSW 20-50 kph = 7.5 outta 10
Since the wind was to be WEST and La Crête is closed ... and to be more than 25 knots ... i went early to the main beach - packed it all - MEQ2, Shark 145 and BEE 125. I was hoping La Crête would be accessible and then go from there... When I arrived wind was still light and looking SW. There was a kiter with three boards and 7 and 11 m² sails. I did a test run and it seemed good, but stronger further out. Came in and helped the kiter launch his kite - the 11 meter one. Did a couple more runs, but I was starting to have difficulties. Wind kept shifting and getting stronger. My uphaul cord broke - close to shore = phew. Was unsure whether I should rig down or go ?? Kiter explained to me he could NOT get out. Windsurfer came over to me and told me he could NOT get out either - he was a little fellow of about 140 pounds on a 100 liter board and a 5.5 sail. He was hoping for 30 knots !!! More kiters arrived and they were all shaking their heads. Little fellow tried again and it looked like wind was offshore !!! Other windsurfer says he was putting his BIG 125 with a 6.6 sail, but further down the beach. Ski-guy was at the beach, but going for a walk and Hatteras in two weeks. Told me JF is younger than us and retired now !! Was going to give session a 7 outta 10, but it was better than last week and so, 7.5 !!
Now I am at home and wind is howling - too much for me !!
Checking quebecwind and windjunky says he was out with a 4.2 and was considering a 3.7 on a quad 87. I knew it would be WAY too much for me !! People are talkin about 31 knots ...
Windjunky took pics of La Crête: and this is the parking lot !!
07MAY2017 Just when you thought it could not get any worse !!
I took this picture a couple of weeks back
Yvente went recently and took this picture at the same spot - a dike has been built & gravel has been added in order to be able to pass with water on both sides.
Oka is closed and Georges said the army was there yesterday. Parts of the town have been evacuated .
Water levels are higher than EVER !!
I went to local river to check, water is high and can get out, but need to start closer to the bridge and wind is SW - blowing me into the bridge with current and debris. Too risky and not a nice enough day.
SUN 14MAY2017
Seems OKA is still closed and water access is difficult for windsurfers and boats. Water levels are going down, but more rain is in the forecast. Ironically, it seems to rain on weekends. Here is a pic I found today :
 |
| Pte-Claire Yacht Club 1970 flood |
TUES 16MAY2017 Rosemere MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WNW 20-40 = 8 outta 10
As discussed everything is flooded out and only starting to go down - dropped about a foot or two. Wanted to try local river yesterday, but was unsure and so went today. Brought the trusty steed, but still not using the dagger/centreboard and so need to be careful about the current and the bridge. As I was rigging up could smell the pot from two young dudes upwind at a picnic table. Was able to launch near the trees and not from the boat ramp which is too close to the bridge. Wind was gusty as usual and almost fell in when i hit the first lull. Managed to save myself and stayed dry. Did not encounter much traffic, but a large blue barrel and large log did float by = DANGER. Didn't stay long as winter sailing was so much more fun and i drool more for something like Oka. When I got off, the stoners came over freaking out about what they had just seen 😁 Looking forward to OKA and testing the Shark. So far NOT looking too promising. 😒 Normally such a session would not get such a high mark, but i am desperate. Forgot to mention that I ended the session on the boat ramp and did not stop early enough. Ran my fin across the cement - damn $%^&*( Oh yeah, farmer john with no gloves, nor hat ..
WED 17MAY2017 Oka main beach SHARK 145 HSM Fire 6.3 WSW 30-50 = 5 outta 10
Normally this would be a fail, but did get to go to OKA and try the Shark. Had a really difficult time trying to waterstart in that windshadow with the waves. Kiter took off down the beach with kite in circle of death and his buddy running down the beach. Kept an eye out, but could always see the head in the water. I managed to uphaul a couple of times and decided to call it a day %^&*())_ The beach was like my last visit on 29APR - about 10 feet of sandy beach and that's it. Why was main building closed ?? Had to pee outside ... Farmer John with no gloves nor hat - wore the helmet. Read the reports - others were out with 4.x sails and < 100 litre boards - saying winds hit 30 knots. Knew I was way over - need la Crête !!! with a nice SW !!
FRI 19MAY2017 chalet MEQ2 SPF8.5 N 20-40 = 8 outta 10
The enclosed video does NOT do the day justice. After I put the camera away, the wind kicked and I planed, fell in , planed, etc It was warm enough to have no gloves and bare feet. Did have the jacket on, but open.
SAT 20MAY2017 still up north - a little colder and wind died a few times = 7 outta 10
SUN 21MAY2017 quick run on the water before leaving - too gusty and more E = 7 outta 10
WED 24MAY2017 we currently have a strange situation in Montreal and area !!
There has been major flooding and MANY people and businesses were impacted. This means places like Cartier, AAO and Vaudreuils are flooded. OKA has access to the main beach, but NO water vessels are allowed. I believe this is because Sylvain, the foiling kiter, had to be rescued by local fire department and he had launched from OKA beach. I have been windsurfing on local river and at the chalet with 2 outings @ OKA main beach so far. This FRI there are NE winds, but is it ok to go @ Vaudreuils ? Another misfortune that happened was: the kiters went to St-Placide since it is difficult to get on the water AND the wind is stronger there due to corridor effect. Georges got in "trouble" and ended up at a private home that was flooded. Does not look good for the water sports when this happens 😩
That is why I started looking at my cardinal direction "maps" again ...
and more than one person has recently suggested AuSable beach, but that is only doable on the weekend(s) and MultiVoile is closer with no borders.
27MAY2017 another frustrating weekend
last two days were NE with decent winds - THURS and FRI
La Crête is supposed to be open now and max winds are 20 kph
that's my wind minimum
do i go to the local river and putz about ??
even next WED, THURS, FRI look good on windguru, but not the following weekend either
am going to have to leave work early !!!
14h30 leave work - get the kid - home by about 15h30/15h45 - leave about 16h00 with van that was already loaded - get there about 16h30 - on the water by 17h00 - leaves about 2-3 hours of windsurfing
SUN 29MAY2017 was bored up at the chalet and decided to try stuff.
Was hoping to wrap the text around image, but seem to be having some difficulty %^&*
On google most suggestions failed and so, tried the table route #$%^&*() Two part table here.
|
 | So, for excitement , I took out the ArcticSail ... Yes, it is meant for ice and snow & is the rather large one on the right. It never really worked in the winter and somewhere I had heard that it would actually work in the water. Since the longest boom up north only went to 185 cm, there was no hope for larger sails. What about a small sail on this ?? Brought it to the water and it floated. Put one foot on it from the dock and it sank a bit and seemed sensitive to foot placement. So, I held onto the dock and put my feet in such a way that it was semi-balanced. Then I put my whole weight on it and it sank completely under my weight. Would it work as a high wind board for me ?? 😉 I don't think so ... |
Originally was planning to give the session a BIG zero, but nothing was broken and there were no injuries. As usual I start my season off on the wrong foot. Should have been out on the longboard and perhaps with the NS Duke 6.9. Benwindy came off with a 7-oh and Martial was out with a kite of 10 square meters. They said the gusts were crazy and certain sections of the lake sucked. The way to the beach was through the camping, not well marked and through water. There was practically no beach, waves and either lots of wind or not enough. The board is not as floaty as I thought it would be and I practically did one run, tried some stuff and then did the walk of shame. Dude started at same place as I had a smaller RRD and only a 5.2. He made one run out and looked like he had trouble coming back. He called it a big zero too
SAT 03JUN2017 La Crête MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WNW 20-30 kph = 8 / 10
After sessions that did not work out and knowing the high water conditions on Lac Deux Montagnes, I realised it was time to be conservative. Time o go out in light winds with equipment that I am very accustomed to. Too bad it was raining and wind was so up n down or this could have been an EXCELLENT session. There was no-one on the water. Saw one boat fishing and a regatta near Vaudreuils. Got to use the harness numerous times and practised beach starts. Would have stayed longer, but kinda told wife I would not be too long ... No gloves or head cover, but hands were cold on first run and had to come in and let them warm up = okay after - trick from Helmut's windsurf buddy, the painter. Forgot to mention last time - LOTS of mosquitoes #$%^&*()) Feels like the wind was like this: up and down and almost gone when i left ...
FRI 09JUN2017 OKA - La Crête - MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WNW 20-60 kph = 8.5 outta 10 !!
pars de chez nous vers midi quart
arrive et il y a déjà benwindy, Sylvain le kite foiler, Martial kiter qui travail avec moi
un kiteur qui essaie de partir avec une 14 metres = bonne chance !!
benwindy met une 7 metre en esperant que ca monte - pas planer au début ...
pas plus que 12 noeuds max max
je pars comme d'habitude avec la Mistral Equipe et HSM SpeedFreak 8.5
ca va bien
pour environ une heure
ca monte et descend mais pas trop over
benwindy plane
les kiteurs sont encore en 11 metres
quand ca monte trop je suis debarqué de l'eau
Georges et d'autres arrivemt
Christophe, Richard/Force5 , ect ect
benwindy change la voile pour une 6
les vents descend ??
time to go home :-)
j'ai eu du fun, fun - dimanche BIG WINDS !!
fini vers 14h15 environ
St-Placide usually has a little more wind, but it looked something like this too:
benwindy did NOT like the above graph and found it was NOT representative. It does not show, what they are calling the exploding popcorn effect. for me it shows the wind picked up after 12h30 and around 14h00 it became quite strong - and i had to get OFF ...
MON 12JUN2017 Rosemere MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WSW 20-30 kph = 7.5 out of 10
Was supposed to go to OKA after 14h30 pick up at school, but no-one warned me about the 3-D print activity where Bee "printed" a Dr. Who blind angel !! Guess it was worth the wait, but I had to go to local river after supper and wind dropped while I was out there. Originally it was supposed to be 20-40 kph... As I got off, heard a fellow from Thailand tell others that i did not fall in :-) NOT my favourite place to swim !!! Saw a wave kayak that surprised me - was short and wide ... and very flat on the bottom with about 60 pounds. Picked up a new uphaul rope from 2-rad. Has the foil board, but not the foil yet. He is liking the Stubby boards !! Was at Hatteras for 2 weeks, but was supposed to be three. Was 4.7 and 5.5 weather almost the whole time and managed to turn a North boom into a pretzel = NP - 2 year unlimited warranty !!
THURS 15JUN2017 OKA main beach au font vent 20-40 kph E
Mistral Equipe 2 XR avec HotSailsMaui SpeedFreak 8.5
pour moi une session de 8.5 sur 10 !!
j'arrive vers 16h15 et il y quelqu'un mais il a juste une 6.5 et Simmer FreeMove 117 😒 pas monté son stock
je pars dans une vent d'environ 11-12 noeuds
après 2 tacks j'offre le kit à l'autre plancheur désolé
il reviens avec un souris !!
je retourne sur l'eau et le vent monte proche de 15 noeuds
King King dit que les longboards ne plane pas mais j'ai plané
environ 1.5 heure de plaisir et retourne tard pour avoir un KD avec le petit 😍
pieds nues et pas de neoprene = woohoo
FRI 23JUN2017 OKA La Crête MEQ 2 MS TR-4 8.4 SW 12-25 kph = 7 outta 10
St-Jean Baptiste is SAT and I got FRI off. Wind was very light and supposed to go up. NOT as per iwindsurf and it was correct. Was good practice with the MS TR-4 race sail and the cambers flipped well. Needed a push in very light wind and in the puffs, a couple of hard pumps and they flipped. People were all over the beach and swimming. Would like to see how that is going to work when there are real winds with kiters and windsurfers !!!
The good news: was in bare feet and shorts. Was sweating and wishing for more wind !!
SAT 24JUN2017 Chalet MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 W & N 15-40 kph = 7 outta 10
Winds were VERY unstable and sometimes from the N and others from the W. It was difficult to get out of the French Bay on St-Jean Baptiste Day 😊 Tried the Curtis 47 cm slalom fin on the MEQ. When it was planing, it felt like I was riding a magic carpet ride !!
Also hurt myself on my ankle on second outing in the late afternoon and had issues trying to get away from E side of the lake. Otherwise, session may have scored higher... Made a film with the back pack mount for the GoPro. It was just a sampler, but will post it here later...
Here\s a pic for now:
SAT 03JUN2017 La Crête MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WNW 20-30 kph = 8 / 10
After sessions that did not work out and knowing the high water conditions on Lac Deux Montagnes, I realised it was time to be conservative. Time o go out in light winds with equipment that I am very accustomed to. Too bad it was raining and wind was so up n down or this could have been an EXCELLENT session. There was no-one on the water. Saw one boat fishing and a regatta near Vaudreuils. Got to use the harness numerous times and practised beach starts. Would have stayed longer, but kinda told wife I would not be too long ... No gloves or head cover, but hands were cold on first run and had to come in and let them warm up = okay after - trick from Helmut's windsurf buddy, the painter. Forgot to mention last time - LOTS of mosquitoes #$%^&*()) Feels like the wind was like this: up and down and almost gone when i left ...
FRI 09JUN2017 OKA - La Crête - MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WNW 20-60 kph = 8.5 outta 10 !!
pars de chez nous vers midi quart
arrive et il y a déjà benwindy, Sylvain le kite foiler, Martial kiter qui travail avec moi
un kiteur qui essaie de partir avec une 14 metres = bonne chance !!
benwindy met une 7 metre en esperant que ca monte - pas planer au début ...
pas plus que 12 noeuds max max
je pars comme d'habitude avec la Mistral Equipe et HSM SpeedFreak 8.5
ca va bien
pour environ une heure
ca monte et descend mais pas trop over
benwindy plane
les kiteurs sont encore en 11 metres
quand ca monte trop je suis debarqué de l'eau
Georges et d'autres arrivemt
Christophe, Richard/Force5 , ect ect
benwindy change la voile pour une 6
les vents descend ??
time to go home :-)
j'ai eu du fun, fun - dimanche BIG WINDS !!
fini vers 14h15 environ
St-Placide usually has a little more wind, but it looked something like this too:
MON 12JUN2017 Rosemere MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WSW 20-30 kph = 7.5 out of 10
Was supposed to go to OKA after 14h30 pick up at school, but no-one warned me about the 3-D print activity where Bee "printed" a Dr. Who blind angel !! Guess it was worth the wait, but I had to go to local river after supper and wind dropped while I was out there. Originally it was supposed to be 20-40 kph... As I got off, heard a fellow from Thailand tell others that i did not fall in :-) NOT my favourite place to swim !!! Saw a wave kayak that surprised me - was short and wide ... and very flat on the bottom with about 60 pounds. Picked up a new uphaul rope from 2-rad. Has the foil board, but not the foil yet. He is liking the Stubby boards !! Was at Hatteras for 2 weeks, but was supposed to be three. Was 4.7 and 5.5 weather almost the whole time and managed to turn a North boom into a pretzel = NP - 2 year unlimited warranty !!
THURS 15JUN2017 OKA main beach au font vent 20-40 kph E
Mistral Equipe 2 XR avec HotSailsMaui SpeedFreak 8.5
pour moi une session de 8.5 sur 10 !!
j'arrive vers 16h15 et il y quelqu'un mais il a juste une 6.5 et Simmer FreeMove 117 😒 pas monté son stock
je pars dans une vent d'environ 11-12 noeuds
après 2 tacks j'offre le kit à l'autre plancheur désolé
il reviens avec un souris !!
je retourne sur l'eau et le vent monte proche de 15 noeuds
King King dit que les longboards ne plane pas mais j'ai plané
environ 1.5 heure de plaisir et retourne tard pour avoir un KD avec le petit 😍
pieds nues et pas de neoprene = woohoo
St-Jean Baptiste is SAT and I got FRI off. Wind was very light and supposed to go up. NOT as per iwindsurf and it was correct. Was good practice with the MS TR-4 race sail and the cambers flipped well. Needed a push in very light wind and in the puffs, a couple of hard pumps and they flipped. People were all over the beach and swimming. Would like to see how that is going to work when there are real winds with kiters and windsurfers !!!
The good news: was in bare feet and shorts. Was sweating and wishing for more wind !!
SAT 24JUN2017 Chalet MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 W & N 15-40 kph = 7 outta 10
Winds were VERY unstable and sometimes from the N and others from the W. It was difficult to get out of the French Bay on St-Jean Baptiste Day 😊 Tried the Curtis 47 cm slalom fin on the MEQ. When it was planing, it felt like I was riding a magic carpet ride !!
Also hurt myself on my ankle on second outing in the late afternoon and had issues trying to get away from E side of the lake. Otherwise, session may have scored higher... Made a film with the back pack mount for the GoPro. It was just a sampler, but will post it here later...
Here\s a pic for now:
and here is the clip - unlisted on youtube ...
SUN 25JUN2017 still @ chalet MEQ2 + SPF 8.5 SW 20-40 = 8.5 !!
After yesterday upset me, this day made up for it. Planing across the lake like it was nobody's business... That's what it's about !!!
SAT 01JUL2017 CANADA DAY - what a miserable day - rain and almost NO wind
Up at the chalet with the family once again - this time with Jerry's family minus his son plus K&J. Was out with the MEQ2 and if it was not for the fin test, it would have been a waste of time !! Tested the 32 cm Makani with the MEQ2 and a Gaastra Flow3 7-oh. The smaller the fin , the tighter the turn !! Why did it take me so long to figure that one out ?? NO RATING on this day = cannot count !!
SUN 02JUL2017 La Crête JP SLW92 HSM SpeedFreak 8.5 WNW 20-45 kph = 7.5 outta 10
Was gonna give the session a 7 out of 10, but saw so many people and planed a number of times. Helmut was there and saw skiguy, benwindy, richard/force5, other windsurfers and fellow who reads my blog. At the end we saw Antoine Richard, but he arrived a little late - wind was done !! As always Sylvain was there with his kite foil - making us all jealous :-)
SUN 09JUL2017 chalet MEQ2 GA Flow 3X WSW 20-40 kph = 7 outta 10
not much to say, as I am writing this some time later ...
SUN 16JUL2017 on holidaze - wind all over the place and had to swim in - average = 6 / 10
morning BIC SL200 with the GA Flow 3X N 20 kph = 7 outta 10
afternoon MEQ2 HSM SPF8.5 N 20 kph & W < 20 kph = 5 outta 10 :-(
should have stopped while I was ahead. Wind changed and died to the point that I had to swim it in.
Man, was I pissed off. Put everything away and swore it will NOT be rigged unless there is a more stable wind $%^&*(
MON 17JUL2017 chalet MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 S 20+ kph = 7 outta 10
MUCH better than yesterday and did NOT get stranded out on the water - harness did not get used
TUE 18JUL2017 chalet MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 S winds 20-30 kph = 7.5 outta 10
better than yesterday again and managed to harness a couple of runs
have high hopes for tomorrow - perhaps get out more with the BIC SL200 ??
So far have proven without a doubt that the longer fin is better on the straight n narrow, but the shorter fin helps turn on a dime. NOT sure this applies to the big wide freerides ... where it is typically a fast tack - for me ...
WED 19JUL2017 chalet MEQ2 SPF 8.5 SW winds 20-30 kph = 8 outta 10
wind was only in the morning and NOT long
did manage a few runs with the harness
was supposed to be wind in the p.m. too, but naughta :-(
THURS 20JUL2017 chalet MEQ2 SPF W & SW winds 20-30 kph = 8 outta 10
MORE runs with the harness than yesterday and a little more stable winds
FRI 21JUL2017 chalet MEQ n SPF N & W winds 20-40 kph = 7.5 outta 10
could easily have become an 8.5 outta 10 day, but when the wind dropped, it pissed me off :-(
Mike took the MEQ2 out with the WindWing 5.x sail and needed to be rescued.
Ended up way down the lake @ the auberge and camp ...
Jerry ended up not going - went bumper boating instead - kids ...
SAT 22JUL2017 big wedding party @ "The White House" for my son and his new wife - here from Australia!!
THURS 27JU2017 La Crête WNW 20-40 kph MEQ2 SPF 8.5 = 8.5 outta 10
Wind was supposed to be SW and I was hoping for the 20-40 from the SW in order to play on the Shark HRS 145 #$%^& Some places announced 20-30 kph and so... brought the MEQ2, JP SLW92 and the Shark just in case ... As usual, when I get there even the kites are NOT going and a couple of windsurfers are schlogging about ... As noted, MEQ2 with the SPF and a kiter commented "nice board - only you will be planing." Told him that when it does not plane, it slides along well too !!! Took off and hit rain and bigger wind on the "other side". Was using the 47 cm slalom fin. When the wind really picked up, moved the mast track back a few cm and it was better.. Noticed my bare feet slipped a bit on the MEQ2 - need re-grip or booties !! Was thinking of changing out for the JP SLW and noticed fellow take out a SB Formula 155L - with 85 cm width - one of the early ones ... Saw the Russian fellow who once helped me with water starts @ AAO - pluviet !! Saw Marc Cyr, Ricahrd/Force10 later and a few others ... Also noticed the JP SLW could use a touch up on the front right side - hit something ??
(brought was was planned for 20-30 and that worked out)
SAT 29th or SUN 30th went in country with the BIC SL200 and the GA Flow 3X
it was NOT great and will not count it, but worked out better on the board this time
find board quite heavy - NOT used to it any more
WED 02AUG2017 Rosemere MEQ2 HSM SPF 8.5 WSW 20 kph = 7.5 outta 10
manged to leave work a little early and get on the local river for a quick
light wind session.
used the small Makani 32 cm Kauila fin in order to be able to turn quickly ...
it was very warm - 30 degrees C and the breeze did one good.
was just good to get out ...
not sure how to mix work with windsurfing at this job
difficult to sneak out early and one hour to get home ...
unless van is loaded and ready to go from Laval - don't see how to make OKA work ...
as usual the bottom of the river is gross, slimy clay , but that is only at the start
usually get off at the boat ramp ...
wind was not great, but there were no issues and i got to get out...
as such, it deserves the 7.5 rating
SAT they are calling for 40-60 cm sW winds
i am drooling for a weekend with SW winds - to play on Shark 145 and SL2 132 !!!
SAT 05AUG2017 La Crête Shark 145 HRS SPF 8.5 & NS Duke 6.9 = 9 outta 10 !! SW 20-60
Wind was supposed to be SW and it was = Woohoo. It was supposed rain as in pour and it did NOT = Woohoo. Texted Helmut, but he could not go ... I brought the MEQ and the Shark plus the two sails mentioned above. Helmut texted me that winds were only 9 knots = good thing I had the MEQ. On the way to OKA I texted Helmut telling him it looked sunny AND windy on the way. When I arrived at th beach it looked like there were waves and white caps, but not everyone was flying although one fellow was planing. Took out the anemometer and register only 8 or 9 knots !! Young fellow parked beside me and ran down the beach to see what people were saying. VERY gusty and 180 lb fellow rigged a 7 meter sail. That means 8.5 for me and the "kid" rigged about 5.5, but he is lightweight. He went out with his AHD FF 117 and MauiSails Pursuit 5.5 - from auventfou of course. I put the longer 47 cm slalom fin on the Shark and the SPF 8.5. At first it was the perfect combo to practice. At some point something happened and I had issues beach starting and I was FLYING over the water. The wind had picked up !! Went in and rigged the NS Duke. Same thing - once in a while I was absolutely FLYING and even the kid told me later he saw me fly across the water at super high speeds.
Definitely seemed to like the mast base at about 140 cm from the back.
Often the board headed upwind and I had to lean sail forward and put front foot forward.
Read that mast foot pressure helps this ...
When I got off people were using 5.x sails - even a Hucker and boards just under or over 100 liters !
Helmut missed a good one.
Not even sure I EVER had a session rated so high !!!
Means on shore winds are the BEST for practicing stuff !!
This could work at Vaudreuils and AAO too !!! different wind directions
SUN 06AUG2017 La Crête MEQ2 SPF 8.5 in 20-50 kph W = 7 outta 10
When I got there, the place was packed ...
Everyone was in wetsuits ...
They all complained that the wind was up n down and NOT great...
Oh well, this time it is MEQ2 and the SPF 8.5 ...
As usual this went well for some time ...
Then wind kicked and I waited a bit ....
Went back out and was streaming away - was almost an 8 outta 10 day, but waves were a pain.
Mostly for tacking , etc
Waited a bit more and then made the mistake of another run - George distracted me and I fell in.
Had trouble uphauling and getting back ....
Then George asked me to film him while he tried to jump ...
Got cold and told George I had to get out ...
My lesson for today was - HAVE to learn and master those water starts !!!
Foot straps will come on their own ...
Also saw Antoine from previous job, Guylain/King Kong from Hatteras and benwindy ...
Saw the fellow who is always out on the really small stuff - he knows my name, but %^&*(
Helmut went to AAO - full and winds over 15 knots at times, but cold ...
SUN 13AUG2017 AAO with Jalal - MEQ2/Shark 145 - HSM Fire 6.3 & SPF 8.5 = 6 outta 10
traffic and accidents all the way = what a pain
wind was to be WNW 20 kph and AAO would be and was ideal for on-shore winds !!
the issue for Jalal was that my smaller sails are all up at the chalet ...
did not bring them down ...
also, ideally would have a board like the BIC Techno, but have only the JP SLW
cannot have newbies busting that one up !!
if we would have been @ OKA, I would have rented something ...
so Jalal had a good workout and said he actually did get going a couple of times
thus the 6.3 is still too BIG as a starter sail - I started with a 7-oh ...
he also did better with the MEQ than the Shark
the bigger issue was me - I tried the Shark with the SPF 8.5 and could not get it going
and had issues getting water started - the wind was on the limit
should have been @ OKA with the JP and 10-oh
what was even worse for me was kiter interaction
was going and someone shouted watch out and I was down
i was wrapped in kite strings to the point where my toe was wrapped
yelled at them not to put strings and got my toe out as quick as possible
the other cords were all over my sail
i did NOT even see that kite %^&*()_ they must have dropped it down
another kiter came so close he could have damaged my sail in the water
other kiters were all hovering in a section of the bay and it was impossible to cross
my kite buddy passed and I gave him the hang loose ....
but the others %^&*()
will stay away from AAO ... and not sure how to handle newbies
Kamel wants to go too and wants to bring his teenage son ...
i just don't have that much newbie stuff :-(
SAT 19UAG2017 La Crête MEQ n Shark using SPF 8.5 = 7.5 outta 10 WSW 20-40kph ?
Helmut got there not long after me - he must have flown up hiway 13. Bumped into Ben Felardeau , benwindy and saw Richard/Force5. Dude parked beside me was a Russian fellow who helped me waterstart @ AAO years ago. His name is Resni or something like that. He had an 85 cm wide SB Formula and an Ezzy Lion 9.5 with a True Ames SB weed fin. Helmut had his Hawk 135 and SW Retro 8.5. I swapped out between boards and found that was good. Did NOT get to fly with the Shark like I did 2 weeks ago, Wind was a little lighter. I guess this WAS a day for the JP SLW and the 10-oh :-( I really wanted to experiment with smaller stuff in the SW winds !! Saw Antoine's girlfriend when we were leaving - or his ex-wife ?? Apparently he was just getting on the water when we left
WED 23AUG2017 Rosemere MEQ2 & SPF 8.5 SW 20 kph = 7 outta 10 (no planing)
Was windy all day and managed to get out of work a little earlier. By the time I got to the local river the wind was quite light. It was warm and I was on the water !! That's what counts. My worry is: the season will pass and no foot straps again ... Need to go to Hatteras !!
FRI 01SEPT2017 La Crête MEQ2 and NS Duke 6.9 WNW 20-50 kph = 8 outta 10
It has been getting colder and so this was the first outing with a wetsuit, but NO booties. Worked the night shift due to a Go Live and so had the day off. After a minimum of sleep - like about 2 to 3 hours, got up, had something to eat and headed out... Helmut worked from home and headed out to AAO. Says he managed some planing "tacks" (am sure he meant jibes) and rated the day 9 outta 10 - that is RARE for him !!! Georges was there when I arrived and he started asking me to do stuff, but i was tired n cold ... Also, my pass expired yesterday, but since I know the lady at the gate and there were many people - she let me in ... Anyway ... George said it was too windy for my standard 8.5. That's too bad cuz I had the JP SLW and the 10-oh too. Was hoping to plane about in light wind. Did NOT feel like spending time in the water %^&*() OK, put the NS Duke on the MEQ2 and slid the mast track back a bit. It was perfect and I avoided the bigger gusts or headed upwind when they hit. Practiced water starts and tacking in bigger winds with that board. The water starting actually went better than the tacks ... Thirty outings so far this year. May even have some wind on Monday ...
Monday 04SEPT2017 La Crête MEQ2/Shark & HSM SPF 8.5 SW 20-45 kph = 8 outta 10
Was on call for a Go Live at work and so had to go out later in the afternoon. Antoine was leaving - got kids to try the BIC sailboats which was a flop and when he went to go , he forgot his boom :-( Too late to rent from voiloka .... kids were cold. People are out on 7.5 and wind is REALLY up n down. Took one look and decided 8.5, but both boards - MEQ2 and the Shark 145. Started with the MEQ and had fun until I hit a rock and lost my original MEQ fin :-( Made sure everything was okay and then went out with the Shark and the SPF. Saw the kid who once saw me fly on the Shark. He was almost planing , went in straps and OFF he went. I did NOT plane much, but am still getting used to the board and always feel more comfortable when it is on-shore. Water starts were great and feet approaching foot straps , but too gusty. Benwindy said he was way OVER today and did not expect such an average in the winds - planed like never before and was very tired. Saw Force5 who seemed to go out around the same time as me and got off earlier. Martial, a kiter, kept saying "journée de merde" :-) I had a great time even though I lost another fin ... Bare feet, shorts and just the wetsuit jacket ...
MON 11SEPT2017 Rosemere MEQ2 SPF 8.5 SW 20 kph = 7 outta 10
This session mighta/coulda bin rated higher, BUTT there were one, three or five seadoos racing and taking up half the river. This cut down where I could go, created chop, made loud noise and smelled like shite. It seemed to attract some people , but for me and the fishermen it was not pleasant. Other than that , I was in my shorts, sun was shining and wind was not too bad - knew that it would be almost planing and that was what it was ...
TUES 12SEPT2017 Rosemere MEQ2 SPF 8.5 W 20+ kph = 4 outta 10 :-(
1) winds were less than announced
2) the clay goop on the bottom of the river was worse than ever
3) managed to hit rock(s) in the middle of the river - damaging my 40 cm fin MAJOR
4) this made me fall into the smelly slime
5) cut the session short cuz I was pissed ^&*()
6) NO more on the river for 2017 until there is ice $%^&*()
3 strikes you're out mofo of a river - here's some shots of the fin
and here is step one in the repair process:
SAT 24SEPT2017 La Crête MEQ2 & SPF 8.5 & long slalom fin WSW 0-20 kph = 5 outta 10
Went to OKA with high hopes. It was very hot and they were announcing SW 20 winds by noon. When I got there, there was nothing ... Hopeful kiter was there too and that was about it for people. Fellow on a bike asked where the nude beach was ... 😄
Drove to St Placid, which is usually better - NOT much there either and a PITA to get in the water ...
Back to La Crête and when it looked like there might be some I went out - ended up near the beach and walked it back. Would give that part 4 outta 10. Was about to leave when Sylvain the foiling kiter told me the wind was coming and we could see it coming. Luckily my stuff was not taken apart yet and when it picked up a B|T, I went back out. Only in my harness about twice and the rest lightly gliding. Lots of waves from the boats and not a great ride - gave this part only 6 outta 10 - hence the final 5 outta 10 !! a bare pass ...
SUN 01OCT2017 La Crête MEQ2 & SPF 8.5 & long slalom fin WNW 10-30 kph = 8 outta 10
Guess I would have rated it higher if my hopes were not up for more steady wind and more out of the SW. Traffic on the 640 forced me to go via the back roads. It is apple picking season. Brought lots of stuff hoping for SW with lots of opportunities. Wind was light when i arrived. It picked up and people were planing. A girl/lady with a pony tail planed past me like I was standing still when I thought I was going fast. I loosened the outhaul and moved the mast track back, but I still could not keep up to her. I remembered reading that if you feel you are in full control, you did not rig big enough. NOT sure I would want to be out there with a 10-oh on this day !! I was the only one in a bathing suit, but did have the top part of the farmer john wet suit. Was still in bare feet too !! Georges arrived when I left. Not sure if wind stayed good or dropped off... Georges reported that he was out in good steady winds for three hours ...
Forgot to mention ... there was a windfoiler !! Sail was Starboard, but did not get a chance to discuss with the chap
TUES 10OCT2017 La Crête JP SLW92 & TR-4 10-oh weed and 66 cm WNW 20-30 kph=8 outta 10
oh yeah - had the day off cuz we went to the States for Canadian Thanksgiving - to visit my mother-in-law ...
Don't want to spend my entire season on the longboard and if I do, I should just sell everything else. Also decided I need to use larger sails to go faster. So, the JP SLW92 it was starting with the Lessacher weed fin - since the water has become shallow - don't need to walk as far out to start. Fin and setup seemed fine - cambers didn't flip in the light wind, However, when it felt like it should be planing, it was not. So , went in and got the 66 cm slalom fin. Well, by then the wind had dropped. SHIT. Kept going hoping it would pick up again, but it did not.
Was in my shorts with the wetsuit jacket. Georges warned me about the bare feet - he got stitches last year around this time of year...
There were about 10 kites and 3 windsurfers in total. The fastest were the two kite foilers. When one seemed stuck, I asked if he needed me to send a boat out. Non, his board floats - 124 liters !! Eventually saw him go in a puff...
The high mark was not for the wind nor the ride - it was for the beautiful day and the fact that I did get out - after the long trip back from CT and having a day off !!!
MON 23OCT2017 Pte-Claire MEQ2 SPF 8.5 with the slalom fin SSE 20-30kph = 8.5 outta 10 !
another bonus day. had to take the afternoon to go to my son's school and thus got home early. there was wind, but SE and mostly on the south side of the island. took a chance and went to Pte-Claire. not too much traffic on the way there, but lots on the way back. Was a short session, but beautiful. If there was more wind and less wave, it would have been a nine or more !! Was in my bathing suit, booties and wet suit jacket ...
SAT 28OCT2017 Pte-Claire MEQ2 SPF 8.5 with slalom fin SE 20-35 kph = 7 outta 10
Too much wind for kayaks and SUP, but barely enough for us. I did NOT like the waves and felt we had just barely enough wind. As I was NOT liking the waves and got a cramp in my right thigh, I was really NOT on the water long ... When trying to come into the bay I had issues and fell in. Swam it in and started packing it in. Dude who started just before me with a "new" used Simmer 110 and 8-oh was rerigging and putting a smaller fin - 6.5 ?? Eric Gouin, who was once president of the APVM, said wind was 15 to 18 knots and it seems like he was right on. He left with a larger sail and seemed to be planing. New guy listened to Simmer dude and was rigging 6-oh. Wind was dropping and he rigged a 7.5 Retro as well !! Simmer dude was barely slogging out there. Do I go back out or go home ?? Wind was dropping and as per charts looked like it never recovered. Jerry, my son, was at the house and had not seen him for a bit. Quick session is better than none !!!
I do see that the next step is handling the large sail on a slightly smaller board - perhaps the Shark 145 will do it for me ?? Need to use it more next year !!
Oh yeah - was out in bathing suit and wetsuit top only. People seemed surprised about that ...
I asked Eric what he was using and he replied:
"Hier j'étais avec un 124 lt et ma 8.5 m
Demain je serai avec ma 83 lt et soit la 4.7 ou la 4.0 car il va y avoir du 35-40 knt ouest sud ouest en après midi.
La raison des vagues non agréables est parce que la courant était de travers/contre le vent, cela fait une vague trop haute et trop rapprochée par rapport au vent réel."
confirmed that the waves were not "friendly" since the current was running against the wind ...
ah yes - need to address those leg cramps too - exercises, warm-ups, water ??
SUN 05NOV2017 - NO windsurfing - cold (+9C), raining (10-15 mm) and SE #$%^&*
went to see Jacques in Charlemagne about a 380CS windski ...
It was a little troublesome to get the nut from the mast base into the track, but once on I imagine one leaves it on. As one can see... the "board" is mounted far back on the skis. The balance point PB is about six inches back from the straps - like a windsurf board ... What is interesting is ... there is a way to adjust the angle of the skis - as seen below ...
The 380CS is a manufactured model and seems to be made out of some kind of metal. My shoes went in the straps which are not adjustable, but will do the job in the snow. Under the board (should have taken another photo) it was rounded out. Just the same, I felt the board was too heavy for me to try on snow... For ice and light snow I already have 2 or 3 models ... Sorry Jacques ...
WED 20DEC2017 am on holidays - went to the chalet to drop off the lawn mower - yeah, am way behind schedule. Yesterday I tried to go too, but was BAD storm - much worse than announced. Was hoping the lake would be "sailable" since it has been cold and snowy. There were 8 inches of snow on top and one or two inches of water under that with decent ice underneath. that's not gonna work :-( and to top it all off - the wind was ideal.
Ironically the ice was better with less snow on the local river. When i was checking it out, the wind was NOT great. Back home it seemed better , but now i was just tired from the whole travel, shoveling and moving things about $%^&*() Maybe try tomorrow on local river, but winds are to be only 10-15 kph W. That means it would be with the snow sled and SW Retro 8-oh sail - NOT my favourite setup - oh well ...
Just checked back on this journal - I have NOT been out since the end of OCT. That's almost two (2) months - no wonder I am so miserable and gaining weight :-)
THU 21DEC2017 -10C Rosemere 10-15 kph W on ice windski HSM Fire 6.3 = 7.5 outta 10
First time on the ice in 2017-2018 season. VERY light wind. Ice windski went better than snow model. Rating should be lower, but it was SUCH a nice day and happy to be out sailing again. Forgot my harness, but was not really needed. Did not wear any safety protection either = NO SPEED.
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