What is wrong? This has been the (wind) summer from hell for me. I don't know about you lucky folks that get to drive or fly places, but for hanging around the Twin Cities, this is definitely the worst summer I've experienced in my 14 years on the lakes.
I hate to be negative, but what gives? arrrrgghhh...
-Coach
(still the) Longest dry spell ever?
Moderator: MK
Ya, not much for wind, but on a plus, this has been one of my better summers. Kiteboarding has increase my time on the water 120%. The new sport for me has brought back the excitement of progression, such as I had when learning to windsurf. Smacking the water is much nicer then ice. Also logged about 100 mi. on a mountain board with kite in one of the local parking lots. Jeff G. just started kiting with mountain board yesterday. He's doing great on it and loving it.
It's all about the ride. So dust off you're inline skates, oil the chain on you're bike, spend some quality time with family. Dude, "Life is Good". It could be worse.
Ride on.
jerry
It's all about the ride. So dust off you're inline skates, oil the chain on you're bike, spend some quality time with family. Dude, "Life is Good". It could be worse.
Ride on.
jerry
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pat taylor
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2002 12:01 pm
I agree 100%. I am to the point now where I do not think there is ever going to be wind in the twin cities again. My wife and I a planning on moving this year or next, and she said to me "you will want to come back to Minnesota in the summer and sail with your friends." And I said, sweetheart "one leaves Minnesota to windsurf, not come back to it to windsurf."
There were white caps on white bear from 3-6 on Saturday. If you look at the wind history it was 15 to 17 mph at the airport for that stretch. I saw it coming up, but I missed most of it by the time I got to the beach. There was somebody leaving Belair when I got there who had sailed it and he was smiling. It seems like on sunny days, the wind kicks in for a couple hours in the afternoon and then dies totally. Wouldn't hurt to be ready to go and watching the wind that time of day.
Yep - Pat is, sadly, on the money.
I mean, don't get me wrong - I love Minnesota. And I don't like being negative, but I've become accustomed (addicted?) to getting on the water frequently. Sure, a nice cool July is great and all that... but my lifestyle tells me I should be kiting/windsurfing more and it just ain't happening.
I've got other things in my life that are just peachy right now, too, but a good chunk of my summer has always revolved around the lake and sailing.
A day (even an hour) kiting or sailing is freedom. It's the stress reliever, the meditation, the positive-aggression port, and the ultimate pleasure time in my life. I'm being denied that time in a big way now.
You can have your pleasant July nights and parking lot cruising, which are both fine in their own way, but I want actual water time - nothing beats it.
-Coach
I mean, don't get me wrong - I love Minnesota. And I don't like being negative, but I've become accustomed (addicted?) to getting on the water frequently. Sure, a nice cool July is great and all that... but my lifestyle tells me I should be kiting/windsurfing more and it just ain't happening.
I've got other things in my life that are just peachy right now, too, but a good chunk of my summer has always revolved around the lake and sailing.
A day (even an hour) kiting or sailing is freedom. It's the stress reliever, the meditation, the positive-aggression port, and the ultimate pleasure time in my life. I'm being denied that time in a big way now.
You can have your pleasant July nights and parking lot cruising, which are both fine in their own way, but I want actual water time - nothing beats it.
-Coach
Interesting thread
There's something about the elements of wind and water that pulls from the heart as strong as music or the opposite sex, and I'm hearing Coach ready to explode from this long dry spell. No doubt, if stuck in Minnesota this summer, it's the perfect one to be celibate with an injury.
I think most riders on this site are at a level of riding that needs feeding and all the wonderful things we do to convince ourselves to positive attitude and gratitude work to a degree, and Jerry, you're the king of 'em all. yet, I know your heart's crying for a sub 6M day, too.
The wisdom that comes from this thread seems to rest in greater love for the sport through our growing patience and ability to shift attention from 'lack of wind' to other activities and pursuits, ready to meet the next blow with a richer readiness, gratitude and 'stoke' than we've ever had. And if the heart just can't take the wait, there's no solution but get out of town for a spell...no matter how many excuses you conjur up to say why you can't. Coach...you're a thoroughbred rider like Teran...I think you need a quick visit to Hood River. Just my two cents...I could be all wet, but me thinks you need wind in a bad way.
I think most riders on this site are at a level of riding that needs feeding and all the wonderful things we do to convince ourselves to positive attitude and gratitude work to a degree, and Jerry, you're the king of 'em all. yet, I know your heart's crying for a sub 6M day, too.
The wisdom that comes from this thread seems to rest in greater love for the sport through our growing patience and ability to shift attention from 'lack of wind' to other activities and pursuits, ready to meet the next blow with a richer readiness, gratitude and 'stoke' than we've ever had. And if the heart just can't take the wait, there's no solution but get out of town for a spell...no matter how many excuses you conjur up to say why you can't. Coach...you're a thoroughbred rider like Teran...I think you need a quick visit to Hood River. Just my two cents...I could be all wet, but me thinks you need wind in a bad way.
Ride...just be it!
www.just-be-it.com
www.just-be-it.com
Bring your big kite and big board to Spirit and do the mid-afternoon downwinder. Even when the forcast is 5-10 it seems we have been getting about 7-15 from 2-4 lately. Enough for a nice relaxing downwinder. Water time is water time, right? Too bad I work until 5:00 during the week, so I have been missing a lot of them. Do you kiters up there bother when the wind is that light? You can always catch the mattinee at Boji Nights if the wind is totally shut down.
Casey
Casey
Hey - now that's an idea!
Hey - now that's an idea! I get a weekend pass from the 14th to the 17th (wife out of town). I'm feeling a Spirit Lake trip coming on!
Even if it doesn't blow, it's definitely worth the trip - if only to catch the main attraction at Boji Nights.
Anyone else up for a long Spirit weekender, just to shake off the August blues? Tighe? Others?
-Coach
Even if it doesn't blow, it's definitely worth the trip - if only to catch the main attraction at Boji Nights.
Anyone else up for a long Spirit weekender, just to shake off the August blues? Tighe? Others?
-Coach
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 playing with my new toy and enjoying the beautiful weather, warm water, and lovely vegetation on my fin. I sailed all over looking for wind, even going through the pass to the other side to see if there was a breeze over there. Nope.
Then a sailboat race came my way .. and brought the wind with them. I had an hour of nicely powered up sailing, with the special joy of flying past racing sailboats at the same time
. Around 4:00 the wind really built, and I could barely hold my board on the water any more. Finally on two successive tacks I (1) fin-walked (my, that's a special feeling!) and (2) got the sail yanked right out of my back hand even though I was leaning on my harness as hard as I could, so I decided it was time to come in. Once I got to shore there were white caps everywhere, and my wind meter measured 13 knots on the beach -- in a West wind!
I'm afraid you know the rest of the story. Even though I was exhausted I couldn't not rig another sail. Sure enough by the time I got to the water with my smaller rig the caps were gone and we were back to 10 knots or so. Still, the best day I've had in a while. We need some kind of an alert system so we can share days like that with our friends.
John
Then a sailboat race came my way .. and brought the wind with them. I had an hour of nicely powered up sailing, with the special joy of flying past racing sailboats at the same time
. Around 4:00 the wind really built, and I could barely hold my board on the water any more. Finally on two successive tacks I (1) fin-walked (my, that's a special feeling!) and (2) got the sail yanked right out of my back hand even though I was leaning on my harness as hard as I could, so I decided it was time to come in. Once I got to shore there were white caps everywhere, and my wind meter measured 13 knots on the beach -- in a West wind! I'm afraid you know the rest of the story. Even though I was exhausted I couldn't not rig another sail. Sure enough by the time I got to the water with my smaller rig the caps were gone and we were back to 10 knots or so. Still, the best day I've had in a while. We need some kind of an alert system so we can share days like that with our friends
.John
come on guys, are you serious?
NOTHING IN LIFE IS PREDICTABLE, except for the fact that you'll be surprised.
I once went to the Gorge for an entire month of July and only sailed once or twice sub 5.0m. I also remember seasons here where I needed the winds to stop so that I could put my life back together.
Yeah, riding the wind is my passion and therapy as well, though wanting the wind, or anything in life, to be any different than it is, is a waste of energy. It is what it is.
Look around you. I can't believe that this lack of wind hasn't given each of us something else, some time with our children, some time to develop deeper relationship with someone, to "see" those around us more, to rethink where we are living, etc, etc. I guess what I'm suggesting is for us to focus on what we have, instead of what is missing. I know for myself if the wind blew all the time, other parts of my life would go missing.
If you choose to go elsewhere, great. If you choose to stay, enjoy what we have...cause it's all we got.
Yeah Coach I'd be very interested in going with you to Spirit. You box or mine?
NOTHING IN LIFE IS PREDICTABLE, except for the fact that you'll be surprised.
I once went to the Gorge for an entire month of July and only sailed once or twice sub 5.0m. I also remember seasons here where I needed the winds to stop so that I could put my life back together.
Yeah, riding the wind is my passion and therapy as well, though wanting the wind, or anything in life, to be any different than it is, is a waste of energy. It is what it is.
Look around you. I can't believe that this lack of wind hasn't given each of us something else, some time with our children, some time to develop deeper relationship with someone, to "see" those around us more, to rethink where we are living, etc, etc. I guess what I'm suggesting is for us to focus on what we have, instead of what is missing. I know for myself if the wind blew all the time, other parts of my life would go missing.
If you choose to go elsewhere, great. If you choose to stay, enjoy what we have...cause it's all we got.
Yeah Coach I'd be very interested in going with you to Spirit. You box or mine?
Tighe
I'm planning on coming back to MN from OR at the end of August so I hope I bring some wind.
Its funny that in the same day I read this thread and a thread on rec.windsurfing about how good it was at the the Aruba of the Midwest. Has anyone gone to Michigan Upper Peninsula? When I used to work in Roseville my boss had a house in the UP and commuted every weekend so it can't be that far.
Midwest Wind Trip Report
Its funny that in the same day I read this thread and a thread on rec.windsurfing about how good it was at the the Aruba of the Midwest. Has anyone gone to Michigan Upper Peninsula? When I used to work in Roseville my boss had a house in the UP and commuted every weekend so it can't be that far.
Midwest Wind Trip Report
It's at least a 4 hour drive, depending where on the UP you go. usually closer to 5 or more, but that's not a horrible trip.
If you watch the experimental frequently, like I do, you'll see the UP getting wind on a regular basis. I never really paid much attention to it, but it's a noticeable area most of the time. Anybody sail much up there?
-Coach
If you watch the experimental frequently, like I do, you'll see the UP getting wind on a regular basis. I never really paid much attention to it, but it's a noticeable area most of the time. Anybody sail much up there?
-Coach