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The day's forecast called for much lighter winds than this! And given that it was blowing right up the valley, there were big (for here) rolling swells, even in the lulls. I was over-powered on my 8.1, so I went back home and got my 7.0. Made one jibe dry, shown here.
Surprisingly Gusty Day from whvdb on Vimeo.
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Yesterday the wind was light but surprisingly steady, coming from the south, directly down from Bald Eagle Ridge. I sailed much further west than usual, going all the way to where the old railroad bed emerges from the lake. Afterwards, getting back to the beach took a lot of tacking.
Sailing to the Old RR Bed from whvdb on Vimeo.
It was also my first session after I'd decided to defer to the COVID-19 pandemic and suspend lessons for the duration. I heard today that COVID-19 causes lung damage in many people who are otherwise asymptomatic. Fortunately it's perfectly possible to windsurf without getting near other people.
The wind blew from the SW but was surprisingly gusty. The good news was there were several nice planable gusts (although none that lasted long enough to practice carve jibes).
Nice warm day, with a gusty wind out of the NW. Attempted my first carve jibe of the season and made it dry. Ugly but dry. The video shows just the jibe (27 seconds long.)
Ugly But Dry Planing Jibe from whvdb on Vimeo.
Stormy day on Sayers Lake. Initially the wind was briskly blowing from the SW, then a storm passed over, and then the wind became very light from the NE.
Stormy Day on Sayers Lake from whvdb on Vimeo.
The first of these two planing runs was pretty fast: 24.3 mph. (But it feels like 65!)
Two Pretty Fast Runs from whvdb on Vimeo.
The water was still cold, and there wasn't really that much wind, but I did get this one fast planing run, reaching 21.0 mph.
Planing in an ESE Gust from whvdb on Vimeo.
It was windy enough to rig a slightly smaller sail (7.0 instead of 8.1 square meters). There was still too much power, but I hung on tight. Still, I fell in the water soon enough and discovered it was still too cold for this shorty wetsuit. Starting at 01:05 in the video, I sailed back across the lake without hooking in, and sheeted out, just to avoid any chance of crashing in the frigid water.
Overpowered on 7.0 from whvdb on Vimeo.
The day before my 74th birthday, when I would have been down on Hatteras if it weren't for covid-19, found me heading upwind to keep my speed down. I really didn't want to fall in the cold water.
Heading Upwind to Control Speed from whvdb on Vimeo.
We had some rain recently, and so the lake level is much higher than it usually is in April. Since it was a warm, breezy day, I rigged a sail and went out for the first time this season. I discovered I didn't know where the shallows were as well as I thought I did. And as a consequence I discovered that the water is still pretty chilly.
Running Aground from whvdb on Vimeo. |
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AuthorThis is Bill vdB, sharing little vignettes of windsurfing on Sayers Lake, in Howard PA. and sometimes elsewhere. |
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