Today's song is "Vahevala" by Loggins & Messina (thanks to the PeconicPuffin.com for showing the way to using youtube videos for blog theme songs) because I was out there semi-ripping, and learning alot, today.
So, on to today. I wonder if anybody else gets the slightly sick, about to have a heart attack, having a stroke, can't get there soon enough feeling in their brains when you know the wind is blowing and you are just leaving work around 2:30 and the beach is a half hour away? Please let me know I am not alone.
Anyway, so I got to Heck around 3, in the water by 3:30 or so, 5.5/102. Had some great fun sailing for about 2 hours, I guess, no made jibes, some disappointment. BUT, I feel like I am really learning alot. I can now tell a real difference with the boom at slightly different heights, harness line placement/ length, sail tuning, fin choice, etc. At times I feel like I am getting (almost) the max speed out of the board, by just keeping legs as straight as possible (very difficult in the chop at Heck), getting in the "7" position and hanging my weight on the boom. I can just about keep up with most everybody (nobody could keep up with the dude on the RRD X-Fire 112 slalom race board today, that thing was just too much. It made a whistling noise like a jet as it went through the water. Obviously, its pilot is no slouch, but that board was just too cool - someday).
I also found out what its like when your footstraps are too loose. I had set them up loose to make it "easier" for me to get into them, but today I fell off the back of the board when trying to go max. speed waaaaay downwind, and my front foot got twisted in the strap, and didn't come out. So, there I was lying in the water with my right foot up on the board twisted and stuck in the strap. I will admit I almost panicked. I couldn't get my body up to the same level as the top of the board to flatten out the foot and get it out of the strap. And for a minute (actually less than a second, I hope) I thought I wasn't going to be able to keep my head out of the water for very long. I did notice a guy jibe just outside of me and actually yelled "HELP" once or twice. Actually, it was probably a blessing in the long run that he didn't hear me or didn't respond as it forced me to calm down and take stock of the situation. I ended up sliding my foot partway out of the bootie, and that freed my foot. It hurt a bit for a little while, but all is ok now. I sailed in and immediately tightened up my footstraps so that only my toes go all the through. That felt much better.
Jibes. Jibes. Jibes. One day, I hope, I will be able to do them somewhat reliably and hopefully laugh at this period of my windsurfing career. Then I will reward myself with a Mike's Lab and/or Rogue Wave custom board or two. I hope. Anyway, since I haven't had much real success with them (except sporadically), I decided to try a different approach at some point today. I practiced releasing the sail BEFORE I switch my feet. I was able to carve through turns, get the sail to rotate, but failed to grab the boom on the other side and my feet seem somewhat glued to the board. Will have to work on this.
Some disappointment. After sailing today, I pulled out the Pacer and removed the c/b and plates to clean them all up and McLube 'em so the c/b goes up and down easily. When I got home I used lemon juice to remove the brown stuff that gets on boards at Heck. I also replaced the boom tail lines on my two larger booms with the adjustable outhaul systems with the 3mm Amsteel stuff. I did all this in anticipation of the races tomorrow, which are going to be at West Neck Beach, right in Cold Spring Harbor where I grew up sailing and first learned to sail boats (at age 8) and my first forays into windsurfing 20 something years ago. (I stopped windsurfing for almost 20 years then took it up again 3 or 4 years ago). At least the Pacer is ready for the spring, however, it looks like good conditions for Pacer sailing on Sunday.
The wind forecast is for like 20 mph winds with higher gusts at times. All the other windsurfers are probably very excited, but I am somewhat disappointed. I can't really do a shortboard jibe, and these winds are for slalom races. Even if they have upwind marks, I can't do a shortboard tack either. Not a good situation for me. I have been waiting 18 months or so to do windsurf racing again (except for the ABK race clinic) and now the conditions are the ones I have been dreading. Sunday would be a good day for me to race (10 to 14 knots). Not Saturday. Well, one never knows, and its the beach I would go to any way for the W/NW wind direction that is forecast, so I guess I'll go and see what happens. Hope for the best. At least I will be able to get out and sail all day.
Till the next sailing day.
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