LAKAWA

Crazy that you were on a 7.5 that day–-I weigh more than you and was fully lit on a 4.2 and 85l wave board! I left at 3pm and the wind didn't back off at all, at my house 15 min. away it was still gusting to the low 40's at dark. Ride on!

A 9.5 sail on March 1??? Crazy, at Cannon on the same day/time (30 miles west of Lake City), I was fully lit on a 4.7. So often the high wind line on southerlies generated by an approaching low stops at about I-35...

Pete, Chris B. and I sailed Cannon Friday, earliest season opener for me ever! And again today the Cannon fired, with a nice crew from the Cities down for some sub-5.0 shredding. Let the games begin!

Thanks, Pete, this is a fantastic demo vid–-wish I'd had it years ago when I was going for forwards on a regular basis. Never stuck a landing and sailed off but did rotate and smack my back a few times. Not sure I'd go for it these days, ha!

Should be good.

Dude, where were you on Saturday at Cannon? The parking lot filled up with familiar faces (including Randy J.) like the old days! Powered-up 5.5-6.5 sailing all afternoon, in shorties...!

Pete speaks the truth! Brother Randy, you and Judd play with the Mother in some of her foulest moods, a feat of awesome daring and strength. Off Park Pointe I've had my rig ripped from me outside the break and flung a few seconds later on the sand 100 yards away. And then there is the water-logged s...

Glad you got some sailing in! We have had an especially calm summer over here, beautiful weather but no wind.

Looks like some solid 4.0 wind at the Point later tomorrow, ESE and driving rain, classic Pepin!

Yep, this is the week. Saturday was SW 20-30 at Cannon. Yesterday was W 20-30 at Byllesby. Thursday-Saturday all look 20-30 across the region.

I thought of you yesterday, my brother Randy! Instead of riding the big water I rode the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 race in nearby Hayward-Cable. I hope Mother Superior provided--her gifts only grow more precious with age....

Happy Birthday!

Bill

Late afternoon at Cannon on Tuesday is shaping up for a few rides....

80 degrees, 70 degree blue-green fresh water, no clouds, bright sun, fan-steady SW 23 knots (26 mph) and 4-6' perfectly shaped and glassy smooth waves to the horizon! After kiting all summer I went windsurfing for the first time. Rigged an Ezzy Wave 5.5 and Mistral Score 85l board. No neoprene, just...

Good advice is to always jibe in the biggest gust you can find and flip the sail early, before the apex of the turn. Many sailors jibe after rather than in gusts, wait to flip the sail at the bottom of the turn, and stall the board as it heads up into the wind. They jibe in a "J" shape by ...

Pepin was awesome, a lot stronger than 18-23 mph, more in the steady 25-30 mph range from 2-4 pm. I was lit for a couple of hours on 4.7, Chris B. on 5.0, shore-to-shore three-mile reaches! Mid afternoon the clouds blew away, the sun came out, a couple of barges came by, bald eagles soared overhead ...

So how many boards and sails do you have? Be honest.

If you really need to sail in the Minnesota off-season, go to Lake Cheney, an hour west of Wichita, KS. For three consecutive years, Tighe Belden, Scott Chapman and I spent a week there in mid-March, and were joined a couple of times by Brian Smith and Mike Doherty. The legendary windsurf and kite b...

Hey, Chris, so good to hear from you! And, looking so badass hanging out with the one and only Legend of the Sport! Hope the Aloha Spirit is alive and well for you and yours.

Bill

Hey man, welcome to the midwest! I'm 165 lbs. and ride 11m 15-25 knots on water, and 10-15 knots on frozen lakes covered with snow. I mostly alpine ski in the winter but find a day or two to ride untracked fresh powder on local lakes or farm fields. A few inches of fresh on a hard surface is a blast!

So good to see everyone at Cannon today! Late September, 90 degrees, S 15-30+ winds and board shorts! Margaritas and Mexican food at El Tequila afterwards, doesn't get much better.... Thanks to Eric for selling me an older Ezzy 5.5 in good shape. I rode it today in 4.0-6.0 conditions and it handled ...