Mother is calling us

[Geo]

It WAS great today. It was weird that the "E" readings from Sky Harbor were actually more side shore than the "SE" readings (which were directly onshore like Diego said.

Beautiful swell out past the break, though: 5'-6' high in places.

Conditions were good for kiting, but both of us were glad that we weren't on windsurfing kits.

Can't get up there midweek, so everyone Have Fun!

[Randy]

Mike, I'll be up there today, hopefully through Wednesday. Shouldn't be many people out, given the conditions, so I'll be launching from Tot Lot. I'll probably be windsurfing, so will keep an eye out for you to assist your launch and landing. I know Judd's coming up around noon tomorrow. This is definitely a rare event. Thanks Geoff and Diego for stoking the fires. Not sure why so many of this year's winds have been more direct onshore, anywhere from 100-120 degrees. Praying for return back to 40-50 degrees for the sideshore assist.

[Randy]

Got to Tot Lot early afternoon just in time to launch Mathew's 8M. Rigged my 6M windsurf and after the initiation struggle down the shore in direct on conditions, it clocked about 20 degrees and turned on. Definitely had a venturi effect with the canal today that seemed to add 5-10mph wind strength. Came in overpowered and met Jeff and Stroh. Launched their 8M kites and rigged my 9M. Thanks Jeff for the launch assist. Very smooth.
Nothing finer than Duluth on a sunny afternoon with wind other than a few more degrees north so the swell can develop a little more.
Switched back for another perfect 6M windsurf session before we broke down and headed out for supper together. Left Brian stylin' a Tot Lot solo session. Fun to watch his kite from Fitgers.

Hoping my van gets rocked tonight. Looking forward to a rare midsummer gift from the Mother. This lake is soooo amazing!! My body aches, soothed by the many images of dancing water.

[Geo]

Wet Dreams tonight, Randy?

(sorry).


But seriously, after a great day up there, I swear that the whole night you dream that you are still rising and falling with the waves....

[jeffwieb]

I will be up there tues. Should be there by noon. What ave is the tot lot on?

[mjturnqu2]

Thanks to superior for another great day. The waves were a blast to play in. I was fully powered on the 8m and smiling the whole time. Although I was out less than 2 hours, I am still sore today. Thanks Randy for the launch. It was fun watching you rippin it out there.

Good luck out there today ... I don't have a small enough kite for it.

[Stroh]

It's looking good tomorrow! Anyone going out?

I Tried to ride today at 4 but it was a little much on my 8m... made a few tacks and decided to wait till tomorrow!

[Geo]

What kind of 8 kites were you guys on?

I just ask since I got to fly my RPM 8 a few weeks ago in 25-40 gusty winds at Waconia, and I was surprised how friendly it was (no tiptoeing trying to stay on the water). I don't have much experience in high winds on it, so I'm wondering if it was only pushing to 35mph or something when I was out there.

[Randy]

In all Her mysterious wonder, Mother gave us all a little taste of humble pie. No doubt, the kites seemed to have advantage over the 10-40mph surface winds close to shore. I would be fully wound on my 3.7m, only to completely lose power in the face of mountains of white water. On the occasions where I did bust through, I realized there was 'no through'. Even the outside was boiling without any sense of rhythm, resulting in the big tumble and inevitable wash back to shore.
We had a news crew (ABC) come by in the morning. They got some great footage of Mike and interviewed us all. Judd arrived shortly after, just when the rain was starting. He rigged a 9M and so beautifully demonstrated his experience in these conditions. The kite looked nervous, but he seemed to know how to play the white water in ways I'll never know. His lofts were easily 40' with huge drift that had me praying he'd land them or end up on shore. Fireman Jeff was dialed on his 8M for a session before he decided to take an assist landing. It was great to ride with Cris and Phil. Perhaps my greatest memory of huge trough riding is watching Cris work his way out in swell that seemed logo to mast high.

I rigged between 3.7 and 4.5 after realizing I'd forgot to pack my 4.1. Jeff pumped his 7M only to realize he had a slow leak in his main strut. Lesson learned....don't ever try to launch a kite without that strut.

At the end of the day it was interesting to observe where the pain moved around. Seemed I had a pulled groin, sore back. agitated rotator cuffs, etc.

But as I hobbled to our motel room, it was skin rash from being in a drysuit all day and throbbing toenails from jamming my feet in the footstraps so hard that forced the ibuprofen.

Chip dropped by with a mixture of grin and remorse, given his healing time off the water. Always full of wisdom and experience in these conditions, it was great to hear his read on what was happening. Ben, hoping your rehab continues well, but with three little ones, it's probably blessing you're not able to meet all these E/NE winds.

Anyway, humble pie's been somewhat digested and Judd and I are preparing for another day on/in Mother's mysterious waters. It may not be as agitated as yesterday. Stroh, thanks for the wisdom to know when the edge has been met. For anyone who has doubts about the extreme nature of yesterday, Stoh is extreme and he even had a piece of humble after a brief session in the 30-50mph conditions. btw, Sky Harbor readings aren't even close to what was happening at Tot Lot. Some of my greater challenge was just getting my boards off the beach to the car.

The interview people asked me why I do this in three words.... I think I said 'vitality', 'peace', and 'passion and opportunity'. When I asked Judd this question later in the day, he was pretty close to the same, with a twist on 'challenge', pushing the window to meet extreme. Too bad the news guys didn't get some footage of Judd...he was the big entertainment for the spectators who came to view the conditions.

[Mike W]

I had two great sessions on Monday night and then Tuesday morning. I went up late Monday to score a mellow sunset session at 22nd street. Very nice to see the sun out in Duluth. Slept in the van next to Randy's rig. We woke up to light rain and steady winds in the upper teens to lower 20's in the morning. Over coffee it filled in and got really strong. Randy helped me launch my 8m as the wind was gusting into the mid 40s. It was all I could handle. The donkey stick broke on my chicken loop, and the kite released, putting a quick end to that attempt. By the time I grabbed another bar from the van, the wind settled into the mid 30s, which was just right on the 8m. Fantastic session. Too bad I could not hang around to share the condtions with others. Did anyone see the interviews on the news?

Geo, I can handle the 8m Thruster into the mid 40s on flat water, but the waves of Superior make mid to upper 30s a more reasonable limit for an 8m.

[Tighe]

Thanks for bringing us along Randy. Love your words...

[Randy]

Tighe, it would have been better watching you slice it up. No doubt, the smaller kiteboards allow much more play on the waves. Yesterday I had breakfast with Nathan, Evan and Tanner at Amazing Grace, met Judd at Tot Lot as we contemplated our day. Those guys went to Flood Bay to surf. We sat in light winds and rain at Tot Lot just long enough for the wind to come back and the rain to die off. It was perfect 4.5M wind, but still 090, straight on. Chip, it was your kind of day, playing all the terrain on the inside. Judd came in only once and played the outside swell like a master. Stroh arrived and it was inspiring to watch their skills in a full on expression session. While they completely dominated the 'on the water' time, I won the 'in the water' award, repeatedly rolled from the collapsing inside onshore waves. At one point it must have clocked slightly and I busted through to the outside. The troughs were exquisite, massive, and well formed, unlike the boiling waters of the previous day. Unfortunately, the temptation to ride one in was met with a switch back to onshore and no more entry to the outside. Nice to meet you Dave from San Fran. Sorry your 10.5M was too big and hope to see you out there another day. Fireman Jeff, thanks for your generous hospitality. Chris and Phillip, thanks for the windsurf posse. Mike, thanks for the great conversation, support and sharing the early sesh. I hadn't realized that was you kiting 22nd St. Monday night. When we were eating at Fitgers, we could see you and Brian at Tot Lot. Glad you got a piece of that beautiful weather.

Mike, I think the TV people were going to make a feature on it and air it next week. I've got Carl's card and I'm hoping they'll stream it on the web for us after it airs. I know they got some great footage of you completely dialed in. Can hardly wait to see it. A wave surge came in and almost ate their mucho expensive camera.

Note of warning: On stretches of strong wind like this, the beach change and inside waters radically change resulting in some very strong rip currents and deadheads captured in the rip. The angle of the sand to the water had to increase a good 20 degrees. The debris is usually locked into the rip about 100-200' off shore, so keep an eye open when playing the inside

Anyway, this had all the character of a major destination trip, in our back yard. If it ever happens again this late in the season, I sure hope we can get a bigger posse out. Mother Superior...thank you, thank you, thank you...

[Randy]

Here's the link to the interview the local news did when we were up on Superior Tuesday morning. Gives pause to the accuracy of any news reporting given the confusion they had in discerning windsurfing from kiteboarding. A couple corrections---I've windsurfed for thirty years and kited for ten, I've vacationed in Maui, and I meant to say, "My heart says I can't NOT do this". Anyway, it was fun to see the footage. The Ezzy sail was Chris. Sorry they didn't make it back to catch some footage of Judd, Jeff, and Stroh. Glad they didn't show the footage of me getting trashed in the waves.

http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S21 ... ?cat=10348

[drknap]

Nice guys! This clip put a much needed smile on my bitter, too busy to kite, face this morning. I need some of the "spice".

[Mike W]

Thanks for posting the clip, Randy! The family enjoyed it. I have to work on my "ummms" and "ahhhs."