yesterday on northern Lake Michigan...

[Bill S.]

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 board shorts and a waist harness.

OMG, I had completely forgotten how awesome powered-up windsurfing is on big water and waves and how much I love the sport!

The wind was so steady and waves so clean you could catch an offshore roller and ride it for miles, carving endlessly up-and-down the face before jibing in a deep trough and then flying off the same rollers on the way back in.

Closer to shore, the waves were fully surf-able as they jacked up outside a sandbar. In the wind riding life there are few things more sweet to me that windsurfing unhooked in big waves; de-powering the sail on the face to carve it up; sheeting in to rip long drawn-out bottom turns; flying (and crashing) off the lips on the way out, tipping the board at the apex of the jump to catch a little extra air...

The wind gods smiled up here yesterday. Namaste.

[Pete]

Nice! Sounds awesome!

[Quetzalcoatl]

What a "Swell" story! Thank you. (Mahalo)!

Quetzalcoatl is in awe... of this sail tale.

[Eric S]

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!...

Thanks for the Stoke Bill!

-eric

[jvpaint]

Just read this thread, sounds like you’ve found a sweet spot on Lake Michigan.
Curious minds want to know where this is???
How far is the drive from MSP?