Mi Casa

My humble abode for Dam Jam.

Walleye Wagatta

Walleye Wagatta was this weekend. I won the first race, a long distance, pretty handily in a moderate breeze on the Phantom 377 and Raceboard 9.5. But my brother, Adam, really made me work the rest of the weekend, with him winning all four course races. I had a late start in the first one and had to salvage 4th place (throwout), and then got 2nd's in the next three. Adam and I were close in each race but he had a nose for the wind and kept coming out on top. But, I managed to come out on top with a 1-1-(4)-2-2-2 = 8 vs his (6)-6-1-1-1-1 = 10. My Dad finished tied for third on the strength of his great 3rd place finish in the distance race. Good job! We almost had an Anderson sweep for the top 3 place ;)

Next up is the Dam Jam this weekend.

Links:
Results
MOWIND Report
Photo Album

Look at all those Severne Raceboard sails! Kevin, Wayne, & Alex (L-R) finishing the distance race.

Big Clamcleats

I needed to get bigger Clamcleats to go on my new Enigma booms. I had a hard time finding them at first. Fortunately some good folks on the Starboard Team Forum were able to get me pointed in the right direction. Turns out the right direction was to windsurfing legend Phil McGain at Maui Sails! They had the parts in stock and helped me out in no time, and the adjustable outhaul worked great the first time out. Thanks!

Windy Friday

It was windy last Friday. Adam was in town because Walleye Wagatta was in FDL Saturday and Sunday, so it was a good warm up for both of us. Adam went out on his brand new JP Super Sport ~120L with a 7.0 Pryde Evo and I went out on my isonic97 and 7.0 Reflex3. I also borrowed Adam's Vector Fins Alpha 38cm fin and was very happy with it. We each have a couple of Vectors on the way to round out our fin quivers for Nationals and I am really excited to get one. With the 38 Alpha I managed one of my best gps sessions ever, and the best I've had in the choppy waters of Lake Winnebago. Top speed of 31.97 knots and almost hit 30knots for my 5-10sec average.

Additional photos HERE.

First Winnebago Session 2014

Yesterday was a great first session on Lake Winnebago. The lake has been open for a couple weeks but I hadn't gotten a chance to get out. Fortunately yesterday lined up perfectly. 15-25 mph wind, mostly sunny skies, and over 60-deg temperature. The water was even pretty good temperature. I didn't wear cold water booties - just my normal thin ATAN Madi's.

Good session on my iSonic 121 and 7.0 Reflex3. I sailed over to Windpower to hang with Kevin Gratton and several others that launched over there. GPS track showed 32 mph max speed, 21.5 mph best alpha 500 jibe, and 25.9 mph fastest nautical mile.

I can't wait for the MOWIND race season to start. Next weekend is the Walleye Wagatta at Windpower, and the following weekend is the Dam Jam in Des Moines, IA. More info HERE.

Pictures:

My rig

GPS overlay

Lake Winnebago this morning - starting to look like summer!

Updated blog pages

Check out the updates to the Gear and For Sale pages.

Spring is here and my kids are windsurfing!

Whew, it's been a long winter but spring is finally here. I consider it spring when the ice is off the lake, and this weekend Lake Winnebago finally thawed. I can't wait to get out there for my first session. I've heard from some guys in Illinois and other Midwest areas that have hit the water already.

Liquid Water finally returned

Fortunately, I was able to get a trip west to the San Francisco area at the end of March and was able to get a bit of windsurfing in while I was there. My brother lives near Rio Vista - one of my favorite sailing locations ever - and supplied enough gear for the whole family. Check out the videos of our fun weekend trip to Sherman Island in Rio Vista, CA. The kids were having a blast on their rig while Andrew and I took turns sailing too.

My 6 year old daughter!

My 8 year old son!

A whole lot of fun!