Where do we sail?

Have you played with Google Earth? It is a great way to check out your local sailing spots.

Here is a file with some of the places we windsurf.

Google Earth File Lake Ontario Windsurf Spots

Tabou Windstyler Longboard

Length: 325cm, Width: 72cm, Volume: 220ltr














Erin (Mrs. Matt Pritchard) chillin' on the Windstyler!













We are starting to receive pictures of the new Windstyler from Tabou. After over a year of development by famed shaper Fabien Vollenweider (as he perfected many prototypes) Tabou has just released the optimal longboard shape .

Mike and Glenn sailed a prototype last fall in Cocoa Beach, and it is a blast. Feels like a classic longboard (including freestyle) in light winds, but planes and totally rips in next to no wind. We are dying to sail it in local light wind waves and will report as soon as we have! (note: Wahines in bikinis not included!)

Lakeshore Crew

The Lakeshore Crew of Vlad, Gord, Jim, John, Rob, Dave et al. sent this pic from the deck of the Hatteras house. Nice to see lots of Gaastra sails, and heard that good wind and good times was had by all.

However.....

Do I even want to ask about the Nyquil, Girls gone Wild stickers, and "Support Strippers", or does "what happens in Hatteras, stay in Hatteras"?

Sobering

A picture that will never be duplicated........

Evan took a couple of pictures of Glenn to show the conditions they had at the Outlet Beach on Sunday. Good waveriding and jumping. Strong winds when they were up. But the wind would back off for 20 minutes at a time after the clowds went through.

Time for Waves

Check out Windsurfing Direct customer Rich Tarsia's website at
www.timeforwaves.com. Rich does all sorts of acrylic sculptures and other art that is all surfing and windsurfing inspired. Plus, he is a great sailor and all around nice guy.

Lip Smack'in

Follow our blog and you have likely seen a couple of pictures of Amine Fadous. Well, he strikes again and here he is bashing his way through a nice set in San Carlos on the Baja Peninsula.

Not what I wanted to upload....

...but a funny picture none the less.

It will be really good....or a total bust

Not looking bad for the weekend on the homefront.....there is potential later in the day Saturday and early Sunday. East winds will either be a rare treat or a total skunk, but likely nowhere in between. With Glenn's sprained ankle on the mend, Evan and him are hoping to hit the water to finally initiate their new boards. Meanwhile, Mike heads south for Barbado-thon Phase 518 on Saturday, and the forecast looks better each day he will be there!

Ripping like a Veteran

Jared Mauldin of Pensacola, FL has not been windsurfing for very long at all....about 8 months to be exact. However, here he is sailing his Sailworks Retro and Bic Techno II like a veteran. He is planing, in the straps, using the harness, jibing, and asking questions about jumping. Way to go Jared, we are stoked to see you progressing so quickly!

Spencer on the mend!

We couldn't be happier for Brian and Kerri Casserio hearing that their son Spencer's battle with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is going well. Latest reports on the Casserios website is that Spencer is ripping it up on late season snow, much to their joy I am sure. I am sure that anyone who knows or deals with Brian and Sideoff Video will be glad to hear that Spencer is doing well, I am sure the last 700 days have not been easy for the Casserios. Continued best wishes from us.

....the keen windsurfer would notice that Spencer is sharing his sled with Kevin Pritchard.

Jibe School with Professor Greg

Need to see how to rip a laydown jibe in light winds? Look no further than this sequence of local sailor Greg Pucher tearing this jibe on his Starboard Carve and Severne S2 7.0.......note the lack of whitecaps on the water. Props to Evan for putting this sequence together!

Forgot the Vent

"Hi Evan,
Maybe you have a solution to my problem.
I sailed more or less 10 minutes with my RRD without the plug screwed tight. I just forgot. When I came back to the beach, I tried to make the water go out. Do you have some tricks to save my board? Do I have to heat it with a hair dryer, a radiator?
Thank you very much..."

Luckily 10 minutes may not be long enough to really fill up a new board.

Find out if your board is the right weight still. Take off the straps and fin and weigh your board. You can compare with what it should be, maybe you will find out the board is ok. If it is heavy you can use the weight to track if you are getting any water out.
In the short term store your board upside down flat on the deck with the vent open. Stuff paper towel into the vent hole. If it gets wet keep changing it until it stays dry. If the towel does not pick up any moisture maybe your board didn't take on any water, or the water has had enough time to spread throughout the entire board.
Ding King in Maui uses a board spinner. They drill a hole in the nose and tail and spin most of the water out, then plug the holes again.
Others use low air pressure to push the water back out the vent. Drill a hole at the far end of the board and pump low pressure air through your board. Be very cautious or you could blow up your board causing a delamination in the foam. Then your board would really be dead.

Here is a link to a conversation on getting water out.
http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?post=251906;search_string=air%20pressure;guest=4641661#251906

Gook Luck

Hatteras Mystery

Local sharp shoot Craig Butler is just back from Hatteras, and snapped a lot more than just sailing shots (....I looked through your gallery Craig, and needed to "borrow" this one). Anyone who has ever driven through Nags Head towards Hatteras has likely noticed this castle in the sand, sometimes fully exposed, sometimes totally buried.

Sadly, the mystery isn't of a mystical city buried in the sand, but of a mini-golf course that was built in the wrong spot. The dunes here shift, erode, and re-deposit so much that the owners exentually had to abandon the course, but just left the castle standing. Just a bit of knowledge I acquired from a spring season a few years ago spent working mornings as kayak tour guide, and sailing afternoons!