The title of this post seems to be the famous last words of windsurfers who sail the peninsula. Coyote Pt and 3rd Ave are both excellent launches that receive some of the most consistent wind out here. Fortunately for me, I work in the area, so I don't have to drive far out of my way to get to these spots. The only trouble is that they both have pretty substantial wind shadows from my experience. You have to slog for quite a ways on the gear that's good for the middle (small sails and boards). On Tuesday I sailed Coyote Point. I put together my only sail and board (5.0m and 104L) and slogged out pretty far. Then I slogged a little further. Then I kept slogging. I passed the floating yellow bowie, then a channel marker, and still there wasn't enough breeze for me to plane upwind. The chop was getting bigger and the wind a little lighter, so I decided to turn around and go home (I hate swimming). I was going to chalk it up as just one of those days that I didn't have a big enough sail yet.When I got in, a couple of the friendly locals said "you didn't go far enough into the middle". I couldn't help but laugh. Where is the middle of the bay? 4 miles out? The bay is huge at that section. The spot where everyone is planing is often times almost too far to see. I find myself windsurfing out there and I literally can't see anyone or anything around other than the cities off in the distance. There are another dozen windsurfers out in the same area, but there's just so much freaking water out here! (enlarge the image at the top of this post -- it's at least 12 miles across!)
Anyway Tuesday ended up being pretty good for a couple hours, and I had some solid 5.0 fun, even pretty close to the launch sometimes. I met some really cool people including Mo, fearless leader of Team Coyote. I sailed 3rd yesterday, and it was good WAAAAAAAY out in the middle for a little while before the wind petered out. I bobbed for a couple minutes on a water start and decided to come in after a short session.
I'm off to DC this weekend to tie up some loose ends and have my going-away party that I neglected before leaving. Hopefully I'll be back on the water soon!
5 comments:
Did you buy a sail? Oh, a 5 meter. Yeah, like when are you going to use that, twice a year? Only sail is 5.0; ain't life a bitch (for us in the East).
You don't kow me, but I enjoy reading about your efforts. Trust me, you definitely do not suck as much as I do.
Steven,
Glad you're finding something interesting in here! I'll make sure to keep up with your adventures -- I did sail Shell POint once... great group of people and great launch!
aaron
I'm here via James's blog. Sounds like typical Kona conditions to me :-)
Aaron, the middle IS. the best except if the inside is better or the outside is crankin'. The middle is a bit beyond the inside, but not as far as you might think (unless you think it's close enough to reach with what you've rigged which will, no doubt, put you downwind in the suckulator from which there is no return without a WOS or a ride back to the launch courtesy of the park rangers.)
Don't rig what you think is appropriate for the middle because, face it, you can never guess right.
When you return to the beach (whether by WOS or ranger) blame your plight on shifty, holey winds and assure the throng of waiting, wind-information-starved windsurfers, hanging on your every word, that "it's good in the middle!"
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