Friday, November 14, 2008

Last Sunday -- 5 days too late

Work has been hectic out here, which is good since the wind isn't great this time of year. So I can focus on making money when the wind is bad -- pretty ideal.

Last Sunday was like Christmas in November in the bay area. In the morning I got a nice hour sail in at Coyote Point with my 5.7 and 104L board. I was the only one on the water, and it was perfect ebbing conditions. I guess all the windsurfers out here are religious folk who were at church or alcoholics who couldn't recover from their hangovers fast enough. It was an awesome morning session that felt like a summer afternoon (albeit slightly colder).

I went home and took a short nap and woke up to find the wind meters up again! I drove down to 3rd avenue this time to find sweet 5.0/86L conditions on another nice ebb. Every time I've sailed here, I've been a little disappointed because normally the windline is a mile slog away, or I'm just not powered up enough. This was not the case on Sunday. I got a nice 2 hours sail in some chest-high swell with lots of backside chop rides and jumping ramps abound.

So a fun 2-session day in November (aka take-what-you-can-get-month). Where as multi-session days seem to be common on the east coast, they aren't as common in the bay area. Usually during windy season, you get one session a day in the afternoon. The exception to this rule is obviously the Sherman Island area that is about 1.5 hours away.

I hear mumbling about the cold, but I've been warm to hot in my 5/3 wetsuit with no gloves or booties.

Stay tuned... I think I'm buying a new toy to brag about here this weekend. :-)

4 comments:

Andy said...

What's it gonna be?!

Sergey Menshikov said...

I don't know about everybody else, but I was waiting for WFS-predicted 30mph wind last Sunday. Instead, it kind of died shortly after 3pm - I could barely squeeze a good small board session. Winter sailing is a sport of the prepared and it looks like you were!

Mo said...

Guess I was the baloney (fitting...I know) in that Sunday windsurf sandwich. I got solid wind 11:30-2.
Nobody in the parking lot when I got there and I sailed alone for quite a while.

New toy? WHAT IS IT???

George Markopoulos said...

hoping it isn't a kite!