Wednesday winds were ENE around 17-22mph, perfect for sailing the north side of the East, or West Island as another sailor preferred. I arrived around 11 something and Art was rigging his 7.5m sail which is his biggest sail I believe, so I kind of wondered what to make of it since the Jensen web site and the wind line indicated 19+mph of wind and Art sails it when winds are mediocre for the rest of us.
The water looked incredibly clear and flat with some small whitecaps forming in the distance. There is usually a wind shadow on this direction for few hundred yards, so it can be deceiving. All my uncertainty was blown away as soon as Art sheeted his sail in, and took off planing toward the Jensen Causeway. I quickly, (some might argue that:) rigged my 7.2m sail/92l JP board. Ron T. showed up and was trying to decide what to rig. I convinced him there was enough wind out there for the 7 something sail, so he rigged the 7.4m and 145l JP. I sailed off first and was able to stay planing up to the J.C. where I met up with Art. Followed him back thru some shallow looking water, but Art has a keen sense of water depth, so I tried not to worry although I did at times close my eyes and prepared for the worst.
Ron joined us and we sailed all over the place with some other sailboats and beach cats enjoying the windy day. Ron switched to a smaller board later which worked for him. He even tried my 92l board and was able to get it moving quite well. When I purchased this board I was expecting it to be primarily for the higher wind days (6.2m and smaller), but it turns out the board is fantastic at planing out with my 7.2m sail which makes it my go to board when not on the Formula gear. I am convinced that the new short and wide designs are the way to go.
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