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Looks like the 20-knot rule may take effect tomorrow. Probably will be gusty, gnarly, challenging winds, but it’ll be sunny, in the low 60s, November doesn’t get any better than that.
Seneca, Canandaigua, any other lake with an axis facing S. Current Fx is for SSE, so, despite my predilections for the State Park, Geneva Town Dock site is the top call (Canadaigua a close 2nd).
If you haven’t been out lately, the water is getting chilly, dry suits not mandatory yet, but bring good neoprene.
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What an afternoon! I sailed like cr*p, all in all, terrible on jibes, but had some nice airs and fair to good wave rides. The whole RWS gang was there well ahead of me, as I got there at about 2:15.
Started off and was underpowered-to-powered on 4.7 Freak and *Board Kombat. I generally suck until I’m fully powered-up, and today was no exception. The Freak is a great sail, but isn’t the most grunty ride out there. Got a little better as the wind built, and did fine for a while…until late in the day when it really cranked-up. The Rochester gang, which came in as I was heading out, joined me for a second session, and that’s when I had pretty good power, though the wind quality was really strange – lulls to 5.5-6.0, gusts to 4.5-4.0 – but very very short periods for Seneca, no prolonged surges. The wind quality undermined my jibing, as I was good at finding lulls to jibe in – oh well.
Once I was the last shark on the water, it started to jack up. I was kind-of hoping for it to build late, as forecast, but it went beyond what I was looking for. Ended up being either a meter underpowered or a meter overpowered, even after dropping in and adding some outhaul. Demanding power, but the waves were really getting nice with a bit of voodoo chop but some nice swells with smooth faces. I had some nice aerials – back in the day when I was trying to do back loops, on one jump I would have had my best shot at it ever, but I’m not thinking like that anymore. Still was a nice air, almost a tabletop. Just not enough chances at looping, and too much risk for an old curmudgeon. As the sun got low, I started having trouble hooking-in after jibes (fading strength), and new it was about over. Ended up 2:45 – 3:00 on the water, and followed the last kiters off the water.
DON DUNLEAVEY (SP?) HAS THE REMNANTS OF A 400 EZZY MAST THAT SOMEONE LEFT AND WE FOUND IT AFTER A TRUCK RAN OVER IT…(JUST KIDDING, THE MAST IS WHOLE). I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT, BUT WILL BE OUT OF TOWN UNTIL MONDAY. GOOD THING MY FREAKS DON’T RIG WELL ON EZZY STICKS…
GEM
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Geoff, thanks for your kind words about Debbie, she’s still charging wind and waves. Sailed the other day at Hamburg with Joe and Bill she was on her 3.0 and 68ltr. Goya quad. Man o man you guys had incredible wind all day yesterday. I got to get more on the ball and join you guys at Seneca. Hardly ever sail in Erie anymore doesn’t blow like it used too! I got 37 days in Hamburg this year so far use 5.0 or 4.5 there in Erie they will use 6.2 and 7.0!! Windy season is just starting, hope to get many more days on the water yet in 2016! joe
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OMG! This is how the Hamburg guys must feel like every session. Seneca delivered big time. What a blast! And the pumpkin ale afterwards didnt hurt either, except for whoever left the 400 Ezzy behind (NOT ME!).
Once again I arrived to an empty parking lot at the Visitor Center with Joe and Doug still enroute. My handheld showed 17-23 mph but the iwindsurf meter was bigger so after cleaning dog shit off my sneaker and the bottom of my mast extension I settled on a 4.7m sail rigged tight and took my new-to-me Goya One 85L Special Marine Tex Edition out for a session. I was slightly underpowered at times so I loosened her up and put up a bigger fin which seemed to do the trick. Although I was totally powered and was hitting my gybes I couldn’t nail the ramps for big air except one where I botched the landing, so it doesn’t count. I put in a good session and started to feel my one arm fading, hinting at a slight harness line adjustment so I headed in.
By this time most of the regulars had arrived and were on the water or heading out. Doug, Joe, Bill, Art and Geoff and an assortment of jelly-fish guys were part of the town dock scene. The wind had dropped just a bit or so I thought I readjusted my harness line and re-rigged a 5.3 Ezzy Elite sail to its medium setting.
Heading back out I immediately hopped onto plane right off the beach, not always a good thing. But the four batten 5.3 Elite was able to shed the overload and I sailed totally powered for the rest of the session. The Goya nailed every gybe until I came in and the beach break laughed at me in about two feet of water and held me down under my sail til I couldn’t curse anymore without taking in water!!!! Onshore I celebrated with fellow sailors (including three guys named Mark) and the pumpkin ale came out and the ezzy mast sat on the grass and the wind just kept getting bigger as Geoff squeezed every last ounce of session out of it! Wicked fun!
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Oh yeah!
What a great day on the water with friends. I echo everything said above so wont rehash what are pretty much spot on reports. I rode a 4.7 and 95L Freewave and was pretty good (a little under-powered in the jibes) and almost switched to my 85L wave as the wind increased….but I was spent.
That was my mast left at Seneca, and much thanks to Don for sending out a message, and Dougie C. for having started us on Groupme, so I could get it back before hitting the Thruway.
…lot of thank you’s there, probably should have also thanked my grandmother Alice Parker Minett, she got me started in windsurfing. Seriously. 1986.
I tried out a boom mount (using the Flymount) for my Gopro, but it needs some tweaking. It was getting too much spray. I do look pretty awesome in it though. Awesome.
Here’s a pic of the Joe who commented above. That’s Goya Joe, aka “Erie” Joe Krineski of Joe and Debbie at Hamburg. They do a little windsurfing. I have a helmet cam vid that Debbie sneaks through downwind of me after I jibed. She jibed too, but did it planing and with a little more “I meant to do that” than me. She sails out of the frame pretty quick after that.
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When I left, my little hand-held anemometer (down at water’s edge) was reading 28-30, lulls 20-25 and gusts 35. No wonder my 4.7 felt powered-up!
But I’d have to say that “30” at Seneca is nothing like Erie. Can’t say about Hamburg, but when Presque Isle went to 30 the swells were logo high (see Joe in the pic above). Seneca swells/waves are more like harness-high, boom on the “big sets”. The wind is the same, yes, but the waves are another animal. Pays to be really really good like Joe and Debbie, because falls are going to work you and your gear. The one nice thing about bigger waves, though, is that they tend to dampen out the voodoo chop and present cleaner faces – actually makes jibing somewhat easier (paradoxically).
Glad you got your mast back, Doug, though if I’d known it was you I’d have extracted more penance!!!
GEM
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