Friday was great. The wind was NNW and I rigged a 6.0 and wanted to ride the 88L board but Dave M pointed out that there was to many holes so I switched to the 118L. It was great plenty of speed and fairly flat water on the west side. The wind filled in and I should have switched to the smaller board but I was pressed for time. James was sailing and enjoying the wind, speediest recovery from a stingray I ever saw!!

Thursday the wind was clocking around SW to W and really filled in. I rigged a 7.0 on the formula board and sailed the channel south of the causeway and then went under the bridge and up to the sailing center. The wind was really filled in on the north side and both sail and board were a handful. I switched to the 118L board and sailed the channel from causeway to causeway with Art twice. Some huge gusts came in, especially just south of the Jensen Causeway and it was hard to keep board and sail under control. We must have been running close to 30mph and at one point we were sailing beside this power boat for quite a ways and then crossed its wake and sailed in the foam and flat water behind it.
A lot of sailors were out and James got stuck by a stingray. He jumped on his board and sailed south to the spoil island but then he felt sharp pains shooting up his leg and decided to head back and tend to his wound.

2/18 Dick, Art and Dave M. Now if Arts on shore you know the wind isn't blowing

Wednesday 2/18 the wind didn't come in as forecasted so I got the camera out and snapped some pictures of sailors milling and schloging about.

2/18 Several sailors schloging. Are they schloging or just obeying that sign?

2/18 Jack, Jon, Dick. Dave M and Michel milling about.

David, Darren, Dick and James (FtP) over on the west side.

David coming out of a jibe

What a suprise today turned out to be. I checked the forecast at 5:30am and the wind had been downgraded. When I got to the causeway it was blowing 26 out of the north. I rigged a 5.1 on my 88L board and put on a full wetsuit and had a great time. For a north wind it wasn't very cold and the water was the same. I saw Art, James, David, Dave M, Dorian, Darren, Ron (workin), James (FtP) Henry, Dick, Joel and a few others on the water. Dino and Jerry were rigging when I left.

James (FtP) powers up

Ron is enjoyin the wind

Wednesday after I rigged my 7.0 on my 118L board the wind (SE) came up more than I expected. By the time I got out to the House of Refuge and was running with Art and Dorian I had to go into shore and increase down haul and out haul. It was suprising how much better the sail felt considering how hard the wind was blowing. I could have been on my 88L board with a 6.0. We sailed from the pink house south of the spoil island across the channel and back again a few times. I like that run because you can sail within 20 yards of the island in really flat water but then get pounded by the chop in the channel. Then we made shorter runs just south of that in fairly flat water. When I headed back to the causeway the wind had been steadly building and I had to much speed and not much control in the heavy chop. I passed Jerry on the way back and he was enjoying the waves. Dick, Dave M, Fred, Darren, Joel, James, Ron and David were on the water. After I derigged I was taking pictures. Jerry came in and said he was coming down a wave and the dorsal fin of a porpoise passed under his front foot straps! Its amazing his fin didn't hit.

Darren jibes in front on IRP marina

Tuesday when I arrived at the causeway the wind (SE) was blowing pretty good but by the time I rigged my 7.0 on my 118L board it had backed off some. It took a while to get out to the House of Refuge but the water was flat and when the gusts came through I had some nice runs. As Jon made his way out on his fast light wind board the wind did pick up. We had a good run from the pink house out to the spoil island and I was actually able to pull away from him which made my day, but then he kept speed up through the jibe and pulled away. As I headed back to the island I passed Art on his way out. I saw Dorian and David on the water, Dave M and James were rigging when I got in.

2/11/09 Jerrys throwin some spray

Ron had some fairly long runs on his 11.0

This weekend the wind didn't come in as forecasted. Sunday afternoon I was prepared to rig my 10.5 and go out on the formula board but when I saw Ron uphauling his 11.0 I decided to take some pictures instead. The only sailors I saw on the water was Art, Fred and Ron.
The NOAA hourly forecast still shows good wind for Tuesday, SE 16 - 24

Fred calls it a day

1/21/9 Sailing in Southbend.

Tuesday was nice sunny day, wind out of the NNW. I rigged a 7.0 and went out on my 118L board. Art was on a 6.5. The gusts came in huge and lasted so long you wished you had rigged something smaller. Then they would fade and you were wondering if that was it. As the day went on the holes got bigger. Dorian was out earlier and I saw David, Dave M and Alex on the water.

Dang Saturday was a cold day on the water. I arrived at 9:00am and Greg (aka Kawabunga) was already sailing. It was in the upper 40's and fortunately the sky was clear. Wind was out of the NNW and I rigged a 6.0. Went out on my 118L board and was fine for about 45 minutes and then had to go to my 88L board. I sailed till 11:30 and came in because my fingers weren't responding. By this time a lot of sailors were showing up and the wind had shifted and picked up out of the north, temperture was 53. At 1:oo I rigged a 5.1 and went back out for an hour.
Sunday afternoon Tammy and I stoped by the causeway and the wind was light out of the SE. Art and Ron were on the water. Ron was on a formula board flying an 11.0, big change from saturday.
The hourly forecast for Tuesday is NW 18 - 25 and 63 degrees, mostly sunny.