LAKAWA

Awesome job, Kevin! What a great use of limited wind. My family's favorite sail this season has been our 4.2 m2 Retro Ripper. It's tiny, but very light, and it gets the kids planing in anything above 7 knots. They have a blast! I've actually ordered a smaller Ripper this week, since they complain th...

That was me coming off the water smiling at Bellaire Saturday. I had a great session through sheer dumb luck. I had just bought a new gadget and wanted to try it out (adjustable outhaul), so I went to Bellaire even though there wasn't any wind. I sailed from 2-3 in nothing, just putzing around playi...

I think I'll go late to WBL - Ramsey today. The wind is predicted to hold nicely ...

John

So ... are we going to get any wind in the cities tomorrow? Is it going to be buried in thunderstorms? Experimental shows some possibilities early, but the forecast is suggesting nasty weather, too. Any prognosticators willing to make a puffy prediction?

John

I have an enclosed 6x10 trailer for all my windsurfing gear. After two seasons of use I see the following advantages and disadvantages: + we bring everything every session. No more "if only I had my xxx" I could be having a great time. Since I sail with my wife and three kids, this is many...

You're about my size and weight ... and I'd recommend a slightly different board and rig size. I learned to shortboard on a Starboard Start, and I think that's a perfect learning board for a bigger guy. It's inexpensive, planes even earlier than the smaller Go in mild winds, and comes with a centerb...

How about windsurfing? Which launch would you recommend for today on WBL?

John

I went to Mahtomedi. Couldn't get there until 4:00, and the wind shut down just as I got on the water. Sigh. Looked like there would have been enough to get going on my big gear if I had gotten there about an hour earlier.

How was Bellaire?

John

This is a new thread for the discussion about windsurfing clinics that started in the thread "The House". To summarize: some of us think it would be great if there were good clinics locally to help beginners join our sport. Randy mentioned that insurance issues are one reason The House doe...

I bought my wife a wet suit for mother's day last year -- and she likes it .

Just a thought.
John

Randy: I think we'd be able to attract many more new people to the sport if there was a way to try out quality beginner equipment and get good introductory coaching. Most people suffer far more than necessary at the beginning. People like Eric S get through the suffering in style, but far too many e...

If the air temp is warm enough, I think WBL is okay for wet suits. My wife and daughter were sailing in wet suits two weekends ago and were comfortable. If the air temp is cold, I would only go in a dry suit.

John

I like Ramsey for E, especially with a S slant. Bellaire is okay if it's full-on E, but if it moves S at all, Bellaire is shadowed.

Sadly, I can't get out today, though .

John

My wife and daughter both sailed WBL in wet suits on Saturday, and they did fine. The air temp was so warm they didn't have any trouble. They were on big boards, so they spend most of their time out of the water, though. I don't know how much time a kiter spends swimming ...

John

You stay pretty dry in a drysuit. Some sweat collects on the inside this time of year since the air temp is so warm. Your feet stay dry if you have drysuit socks attached to your drysuit. (Kokatat, for instance, can come with goretex socks; I don't know about other brands.) I don't have socks on my ...