Hatteras 2003 (LLCJ's report)

Matt's short cut worked out well going down and coming back this year.
From Columbus we took I74 to I71 (Cincinnati) to US35 (Chilicothe) to
I64 (Charleston). The best part was no construction or traffic delays.
US35 was mostly 4 lane, traffic was light and brisk. If it wasn't for
the detour to my house, Matt estimated he would have made E.O. in 14
hrs.
I'd rate the sailing on this trip as good, but those who snoozed
loosed. Saturday was NE 5.0 building to 4.2 (4.6 all day for Bryan and
Rev) with a lot of reef time. Sunday was an all day NNE 4.6-5.0 with
more reef time. Tuesday(?) was SSW 8.5-9.8 for some, kite boarding/body
drags for others. We've got a lot of footage of Rev on his board as
well as the Bryan-cam footage of the "rescue". Wednesday was 5.0 dawn
patrol shutting down around 10 am, Thursday was 7.0-8.0 dawn patrol,
shutting down around 9 or 10.

Non sailing days were still entertaining as the Evil Temptress Jenny and
Queen Jill helped out the kite store by buying up much of their
game/puzzle inventory. Bryan kicked everyones a$$ at x-box. And TJ had
a seemingly unlimited supply of new release DVD's.

Somehow we kept busy enough that most of the raw video footage was never
previewed. I'm not sure what all I have to work with, but I have ideas
on few chapters... some of which may not be suitable for family
audiences.

- LLCJ

Baja 2003 - La Punta San Carlos

Arriving in San Diego

I flew in to meet up with Neal, (A guy I had not yet met, but was a friend of Steve’s so I knew he’d be a friend of mine). Since his plane got in before mine, he’d be waiting on me. Funny enough, as I walked up to the baggage claim area my phone rang. I knew it would be Neal so I looked around as I answered it. Before 3 words were uttered we realized we were within 10 ft. of each other, and got a good chuckle.

We picked up our vehicle for the week, (A red 4-wheel drive Blazer). Then we met up with Steve and Robert at an Italian Restaurant. I met Robert for the first time also this evening. Neal & I ate leftover food, ;-) and drank a beer. Afterwards we did some shopping, and bought all our ice and water.

Then it was off to Dennis & Julie’s house where we were lucky enough to stay for a night’s sleep.

Check out the San Carlos photos on my Webshots Page

DAY #1 - Friday, April 11th

We woke up at 5 a.m. and got started. Neal & I rode together…Steve and Robert rode in Robert’s van.

By the time we got done running around and got to the border, it was 7 a.m. We stopped after we crossed the border to get our visas. (An interesting process involving lots of walking). Then we headed south. We took the small hwy that bypasses downtown Tijuana.

We stopped in Ensenada so Steve could get a 2-way radio. Mexico is such a trip...all the buildings are so small and cheesy looking, but inside they seem to be nice, The culture seems so laid back. They were playing loud music in public when we stopped at a strip mall. Steve picked up a two-way radio for the rest of the trip down. Funny to see the pricing on stuff...Two-way radio: $8,899.00 (Pesos). Computers: $33,500.00. (Windsurfing Trip to Baja: priceless)

The drive down was long, 10 hours to get to Punta San Carlos). But you get to see a lot of Mexican culture on the way down. The biggest thing that struck me was that all the towns we drove through had the main hwy, (2-lane paved hwy), and any streets that branch off of it are dirt. Even if you pull off the hwy to stop at a store it is dirt. That left a big impression on me. Entire neighborhoods were made of shacks or shanty houses, with dirt roads leading up to them, and dirt yards. More third world-like all the way down than I expected. But the folks are nice, and I enjoy the culture. We saw some Federales and encountered a brief stopover at a checkpoint.

After much driving, we finally got to El Rosario…a quiet little pueblo of a couple hundred people. 15 minutes later we got to our dirt road...fortunately, Steve was with us...(The road was not marked). Later we learned we must have passed the first road that had the road sign with all the stickers on it.

We had 40-some miles of dirt road ahead of us. (A little more than I was thinking...I was glad I had rented an SUV). This was really looking fun! Pure Baja. About 14 miles or so into the trip, I noticed a wet spot on the dirt road, I called up to Steve and Robert and asked them if they had poured out any water, but they said no. So I backed up, got out and wiped a rock and took a sniff...it did not smell good...smelled like oil. I called them and told them that, and brought a rock sample up to them, 1/4 mile ahead. After further inspection, we determined that they had blown a shock, (Perhaps they were gas shocks or something). At any rate, this was not good news but it certainly could have been worse. They drove a bit more slowly, (Not much though…heck there was wind and waveswaiting!), but we proceeded onward. We drove through groves or of giant cactus. The landscape was very interesting and surreal at times. We saw a big snake on the road.

It was slow going and we encountered a few treacherous passes. Ruts got pretty ugly in a few spots...but the 4-wheel drive ate it up...fun!! We were so far out in the middle of nowhere! This is easily the farthest out, and off the beaten road I have been…I love it! Only a couple of times did we pass by a house or ranch.

Another freaky thing is the occasional “dead car” that we would cross. Like a scene from Mad Max, or a Steven King story…most of the cars were old and stripped of anything of value….just a rusty carcus of a car remained. And most of the time they would be upside down…like a beetle or a bug that fell onto it’s back and just couldn’t get back over onto it’s feet, so there it died. …wacky.

Just when we thought we'd never get there, we began seeing signs that it was not far away...far off glimpses of the ocean...with white caps! ;-) Again, the road got treacherous right at the end...but we made it just fine!

There were some other campers that we saw. We found a spot and immediately rigged up and went out. I was on my 4.8, and Steve & Robert were on 4.7's. Neal was busy setting up his new board and did not make it out. It was not too tough to get out...nobody got munched. Waves were hip high to almost head high...smoooooth and long. Steve & Robert caught a good number of waves, and I caught several myself. We sailed about 2 hours, with fun had by all. But it was late in the day and the wind was dying, and the sun would soon be down, so we wrapped it up, and hastily set up camp, enough to get us by for the night.

Robert cooked his jumbalia, and MAN WAS IT GOOD! We drank a few beers, told jokes and shared some stories. We took the traditional shot of Tequila, (But we used whiskey since we didn’t have any tequila), Eventually, we called it a day…I made my home in the Blazer, Neal in his tent, and Steve & Robert spooned in the Westfalia Van, (Nyuk, nyuk). The sailing was fun today...the waves were not ominous, they were fun!

The wind is blowing, and we are looking forward to a good day tomorrow.

DAY #2 - Saturday, April 12th

...Kept waking up, waiting for day to come. Wind was blowing all night. Lots of weird dreams.

I was up early...watched the sun rise from inside the inside the Chevy Blazer, listened to the waves and signs of wind…Baja is heaven.

We got the camp organized, spread out canvass for our outside living area. Spread more canvas around the van and truck to reduce wind blowing into our "living space". Steve brought all the right stuff to make up a good camp.

It is our policy to discuss time only in days...(Not hours)...heh, heh.

Robert cooked coffee, bacon and eggs, over-easy (Over hard). Robert is quite the camper/cook, and has all things well thought out and prepared.

We got out on the water early..maybe 10 am?? I went 5.4, Steve 5.2, Robert 4.7, and Neal 4.5. After about an hour I switched to my 4.8.

We had a great day!! I saw the seal again, and I also saw 3 dolphins and a whale!! (All within 20 yards of where I was sailing...cool). Wow, these were things I did not expect at all.

Robert sailed nonstop for a long time, and considering he hadn't done much wave sailing before....was very impressive. Steve, myself and Neal also did well, I saw Steve cutting up a lot of waves and smacking the lip on several, (Pushing spray over the back side!). I had a good handful of wave sailing runs...smacked a lip or two, and several down the line runs. I was easy to tire since I hadn't sailed since early Nov., but I took several breaks and did fine. I definitely fulfilled some lifelong goals with regard to sailing waves. I wiped out on a few waves, but nothing too bad. …need to work on some better down-the-line speed. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.

We are settling down and preparing for dinner now. Sun is going down and it is getting cold.

We ate spaghetti tonight! Robert is the cook. We are the recipients, (And dishwashers), of his fine cooking.

Generally speaking it seems to be in the low 70's during the days, but the breeze normally makes it chilly...so a jacket is usually required. And at night it can get real chilly. I’m glad I brought warm clothes and a coat.

DAY #3 - Sunday, April 13th

BREAKFAST: Coffee, Eggs-San Carlos & sausage links.

No wind today. I took a hike by myself up to the top of the mountain, and visited the cross. (There's a story about a friend of Steve’s that coincides with that cross). I walked down the backside of the mountain and checked out the canyon down below…it looked cool. Lots of interesting rock formations. I found a lode of quartz or something, (Clear rock growing in threads in the mountainside). I saved several pieces.

We hung out the rest of the day. I got in some extra sleep. I also met several people coming into the camp...some folks Steve knew from Portland and some other places.

A lady from the fish camp came by around lunch time, selling homemade tamales. I bought 3 for a dollar each. They were wrapped in corn husks and steaming in a pot. They were delicious! I caught back up to her at the next campsite and bought 5 more!!

Everybody kind of did their own thing today...taking a walk and checking out the area...

I read some of my Stephen King book..."Dreamcatcher".

Steve, Robert & I all surfed today. We caught a few waves. Steve does better than the rest of us. It looks some damn easy from shore, but more time ends up being spent paddling and waiting!

Steve sailed this afternoon, nobody else did.

DAY #4 - Monday, April 14th

No wind again. These 2 days of rest were really fine with me, as I was quite worn out and needed the break. Both thumbs quite sore, Bag Baum helping the keep the blisters at bay.

Robert went up to the top of the mountain early in the day. He straightened out the cross.

I went back to the canyon in the afternoon...returned a few quartz rocks I decided not to keep, and found a few more. (Neal came along a little later and found me down in the canyon). Also, I found an Indian scraping stone. I took a long walk through the canyon, and out through a pass...back to the shoreline. I followed the shoreline back to camp. Very cool views!! I took a good long nap.

I read some more of my book.

Steve, Robert & Neal all got out and surfed today.

DAY #5 - Tuesday, April 15th

We had coffee, eggs-San Carlos and large sausage for breakfast,

Me & Steve went out early...true wind DUMMIES. This was a big mistake...the wind was weak and offshore. I could hardly water start, and when I got up, I would sink and struggle until I fell again. It was hopeless...I ended up swimming literally, about 1 or 2 miles...sheesh!

Later, the wind was better, and we all got out. Good sailing was had by all. Good wave action too.

Neal suffered the first equipment casualty...a couple of good size dings from the rocks up near the point. He was riding a good wave, and the greed of riding it long got the best of him until he found himself up in the rocks. Bummer for the board, but it looked easily repairable, and now he had a good war-story to tell back home.

Also, Steve came up missing a little later...we walked up to the point and didn’t see him. We checked with some other sailors, but nobody saw him...soon he turned up walking down the road with his gear over his head...he'd gotten stuck inside the windless hell hole inside Chili Bowl.

We all had some fun sailing up around the Bombora wave...big stuff, a little further out.

This was a good day of sailing, (Other than early morning)…and sailing was had until the end of the day. And once again, great food. And fun talk and conversation afterwards.

We ate another seving of fine jumbalia for dinner.

We will have a full moon tonight...very cool.


DAY #6 - Wednesday, April 16th

Woke up to a decent breeze.

Watched the sun rise from inside the Blazer....read a little of my book. (I wake early every morning hoping it’s time for the sun to come up, but it’s always way too early, so I drift back to sleep).

Robert cooked grits for breakfast...and threw in some overeasy eggs-San Carlos and chunks of sausage for good measure. It was a great meal, y’all!

Now we're hanging out waiting for the wind to pick up a little more. There's a few surfers out...but the windsurfers, although tired, are getting ancy as the wind increases. Looks like we may have a better side shore breeze today.

Neal & Robert got out early and got some good sailing in…4.7 for Robert & 5.2 for Neal. It was a little marginal, but they were planning.

A couple of Mexicans from the Fish camp...Evan and Rudy, (Evan was the guy who ran back to town for us the other day for ice and beer...we paid him $14 for the trip!! What a deal). Rudy talked a little English, (Looks like he should be in a western movie..nice guy too). But Evan does not. Anyhow, they were offering up fish for sale. We bought 2 halibuts. We supplied a knife, and they carved it up right there on top of their cooler. We will eat very well tonite!! Also, we order up some langosta (Lobster), for tomorrow...yeehaw!! (Langosta, Langosta Manana). We'll have enough halibut left over for fish and lobster...and it doesn't get any fresher than this!! We gave a couple of the boys they had with them a Coke.

I finally decided to go out. I caught a few good waves, but then the wind backed down. Steve came out for a bit of sailing too. Most people got off the water, and had lunch.

Late afternoon the wind came back up. Steve offered me his 93 liter board, with my 5.4 sail. I went out...there were only 3 or 4 of us out then. This combo was right on the money for me. I was planning and getting plenty of action. I worked on my down-the-line sailing, based off some input from Steve and Robert...and I got some good ones. Even smacked a decent lip and rode down the white wash! (Just like your supposed to do).

Soon more people came out. I came back in so Steve could use his board with his 5.2 sail. Then I went back out on my board. Neal was on his 5.2, and Robert was on his 4.7. I got a few more good rides, and smacked another good lip with a ride on the white wash.

I went out to the Bombora earlier and went down during a jibe. I thought I was past the breaking waves…but I was wrong. Before I could water start, a big wave was bearing down on me. I couldn't get my hand wrapped around the strap at the top of the mast in time, and I got my clock cleaned baby! My gear got yanked, I got tumbled...and I kept looking for my gear to come up...eventually it did, but it was about 40 yards away. That was a long swim.

When I came in, Neal and Robert were talking to another Mexican, and ordered some langosta and some crab, (They didn't know we had already ordered some...oh well...more good eats). But it wouldn’t get here until manana….of course.

Steve’s u-joint, (Tendon), broke while he was out about 1/2 mile. Stan (A friend) was nearby and sailed in to get another...but Steve managed to tie the rope from his downhaul onto the foot of the mast and the base, and slogged his way in. (2nd carnage for the trip...although minor).

Eventually the wind died down, it was about an hour from sunset, and everyone made their way in.

We ate spaghetti and halibut for dinner.

DAY #7 - Thursday, April 17th

Woke up and Robert cooked apple & banana pancakes! They were big and man were they good.

The Mexican guy that Steve and I talked to yesterday stopped by and we got our 2 langostas.

The wind was not blowing, so I suited up and went out to do some surfing. I caught a few decent rides. Neal joined me for about an hour. After we came in Steve & Robert went out for several hours and got some good rides too.

While they were out, the Mexicans Neal had talked to yesterday stopped by too, so we got 2 more langostas, and 8 meaty crab claws(Maybe more)...we will be chowing for the next two days!

Robert cooked some great halibut for lunch...we had halibut tacos.

Then we took a walk down to the quarry beach. Cool beach. Took a quick dip, but the water's pretty rough.

When we got back to camp Steve & I went surfing again, and caught a few more waves.



Tonight we'll have crab claws and langosta for dinner.


DAY #8 - Friday, April 17th

The wind had been blowing throughout the night, so we were all hopeful we’d get a good day of sailing in.

It was possible that we’d leave early on Saturday, so getting wind today was even more important.

The wind did not fail us. We had strong winds all day. I thought about rigging down to my 4.2 at one point, but never did.

The waves today, however, were quite small. Almost too small to ride in many cases. But there was plenty of fun and sailing to be had. Robert and Steve had a loop-fest! I’m not sure how many loops Robert did today, but it was a lot!

We had a good long day of sailing.


DAY #9 - Saturday, April 18th

We knew on Thursday that we may be leaving this morning, (Since tomorrow is Easter and lots of traffic is expected). There was NO WIND, and yesterday was good, so we woke up and got to work on closing up camp.

Robert brewed some coffee for us.

We were off about 9:00 a.m. or so. The drive back through the dirt road was fairly uneventful. We had fun in the 4-wheel drive. Drove a little faster in some areas to get that real Baja-feel! Neal & I saw the bones of a horse a little ways off the road, and stopped to inspect a little closer…interesting, kind of like what you’d see in a western movie….

We got stopped at a checkpoint with the Federales as we entered El Rosario. While we were waiting for Steve & Robert, I slipped inside a taqueria…thinking I might just buy a taco! Heh, heh…this is where they manufacture tortillas, it was not a restaurant at all. They had metal machinery squeaking and cranking the tortillas out! I spoke to a woman wrapping them up by the dozens....cool.

We drove up the road to “Mama’s” something or another restaurant and ate lunch. I bought a Mexican-style sweater, and Steve picked up a blanket before we left.

The ride back was somewhat slow going through the towns. All-in-all it took us about 12 hours to get to San Diego. We rolled in around 9:30 p.m. or so. We stopped by Dennis’ house briefly. Then Steve & Robert hit the road to Oregon, and Neal & I found a hotel for the night.

We were all beat and tired…but in a good, windsurfing kind of way!

I love this sport, and the comradery that comes along with it. I made some new friends on this trip that I hope to sail with again…hopefully sooner than later. And La Punta San Carlos is a place to which I will return.

- Wrongway Dave (aka - Wavy Davey)

Hatteras Trip 2003 - Jibe Marker Jill's report

Click here to view trip photos

We had a great group of shredders on the trip, and had two side-by-side soundfront houses in Island Creek, namely Island Gust and Island Storm. Trip attendees were Chef Scott S-Dog, LL Cool Jeff, Techno Matt, World Wide Wayne, Old Tom, Brymart, Jenny Lo Brymart, Jibe Marker Jill, Dr. Evil, Reverend Mike, Skinny Mike, John and Judy Taxman, Sheila, and the Illinois Cheeseheads (Paul, TJ, and Chris). Gary was planning to come on the trip, but had to bail at the last minute to due work conflicts.

All in all, there was a shortage of wind on this trip, except for the first weekend, and a mid-week dawn patrol session that didn't last very long. But nonetheless, a good time was had by all. Here are some of the trip details (although with 17 people it's hard to account for everyone, so hopefully others will chime in with their trip reports!)

Day 1 - Saturday, April 19, 2003

Dr. E and I (Jill) spent the day driving, and didn't pull into Avon until just after sunset. But the rest of the gang reported a fun afternoon of sailing in 4.5 conditions. Winds were from the north, and with overcast skies and temps in the low 50's, so it was a chilly day of sailing. Sheila made the first big purchase of the week, picking up her new custom board from Fox. The graphics are her own design, a way cool abstract with bright colors and a checkered flag part for a true Team Indy look. It's way cool! Lou showed up in time for dinner, after he had sailed at the Hole all day. Nobody from our group sailed the ocean (not sure if anybody at all sailed the ocean... it was pretty mean and gnarly lookin'!). The gang had a fine meal at Hodad's, and Dr. E and I ordered some pizzas upon our arrival.

Day 2 - Sunday, April 20, 2003

Today was a repeat of yesterday, with slightly cooler temperatures. After a rather unsatisfying breakfast at the Blue Parrot (poor Chef Scott got a side order of grits that was so tiny it would have been better describe with the singular "grit", some folks set out for some morning shopping while waiting for the wind and temperature readings to get higher. Eventually most everyone was on the water. I sailed 4.0, and the rest of the gang was mostly 4.5 to 5.0. This was my first time sailing since last fall, but suprisingly it didn't take me long to feel dialed in on my 8'4" Naish. (I really LOVE that board!). I didn't head out to the reef with the boys, so I can't give a full report on the adventures out there, but I did hear that T.J. had a close call when his rig separated from his board. Luckily, the board didn't get away, and soon board and rig were happily reunited. Dr. Evil chose to tackle the winds and waves in his mighty Prijon Eski kayak and paddled up to Graveyard Point. (This is the point about 2 miles north of our house, where there is a spooky looking old dead tree, and a small very old graveyard... the place is most certainly haunted!). Most of the sailing gang millked the wind for everything it was worth, and in spite of the cold cloud weather (high temp was 49 degrees), it was a fun day of sailing. Chef Scott chose to stay off the water today, something he would later regret, as the wind gods went away on vacation for much of the rest of the week. But he was busy assembling and firing up his new smoker, in which he was roasting beef and turkey for everyone's dining pleasure. (Every windsurfing team needs a private chef like this!) After the tired sailors were finally done for the day, a big group of us headed to the Dolpin Den after Brymart and J Lo report having a very tasty meal there.

Day 3 - Monday, April 21, 2003

Thus begins the no-wind portion of the trip. It was a cool cloudy day again today, only this time there was no wind. Chef slept in as he had been up most of the night tending to the new smoker. J Lo gazed sadly out the window wondering if there would be any warm sunshine at all this week. Tax Man brightened everybody's day by whipping up some pineapple pancakes. Chef and his assistant engineers set about investigating the best method of repairing his ailing trailer. Apparently all that gear was too much for the trailer axle, which was buckling under the weight. I set out, along with my assistant, Dr. Evil, on what would be the first of many many trips to the kite/toy store this week. We returned with a replica Wright Brothers flyer kite, and an abundance of magnetic toys, Tantrix tiles, an Atollo construction kit , and a spinny Rattleback rattle rock that only goes clockwise (See this link for more on how that works). The Rattleback kept World Wide Wayne entertained for most of the day. We also picked up a few demo kites to try, and had some fun flying them on the beach a little later when the sun came out. Doug and I headed out for a late afternoon cruise in the kayaks. It was rather nice exploring the wildlife along the shore... something ya don't spend much time doing while windsurfing. There is a beautiful white egret-ibis-heron type bird that lives at the substation launch site. This evening we feasted on the Chef's culinary creations, including smoked turkey and a tasty tofu-rice dish. Hail to the Chef! And Judy made some massive batches of brownies that quickly got devoured.

Day 4 - Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Another cloudy day, but at least it was a bit warmer. I think today was the day we hooked up the Gamecube. "Godzilla Destroy All Monsters" was the game of choice, and after Bryan managed to get his sister to look up the cheat codes on the internet, it was non-stop monster smashing all day long. Dr. Evil and I went for a nice walk on the beach down to the Avon pier and back. By afternoon, there was enough of a breeze to convince people to rig the big stuff and get out on the water. I don't remember who all in our group of 17 folks got on the water, but quite a few were out. I was on my 6.5 occasionally planing, and Dr. Evil was on the 7.5 "schlaning"... or is it "plogging"? Later I went out on the 7.5 and Dr. Evil's GO board... it's really quite fun for such a floaty machine, but so odd to be planing and only going about 6 miles an hour! Later, Dr. E and I discovered they serve sushi at the Mad Crabber, and it was pretty good! Call ahead if you go, as the sushi chefette is only there on certain nights of the week. The evening turned into a Tantrix fest, and I think the Illinois Cheeseheads had some bootleg movie viewings at the house next door. Most of us stayed up too late, keenly unaware of the Dawn Patrol that the wind gods held in store for us the following day.

Day 5 - Wednesday, April 23, 2003

You guessed it. Dawn patrol. We should have realized it, with a forecast of NW 15-20, and the wind blowing all night long. NW winds often seem to shut down early here. I think LL Cool Jeff and Techno Matt got the best of it... not sure who else got out... I was still half asleep as the flurry of rigging took place at the crack of dawn. By the time I rigged my 4.6 and got on the water, there was just enough wind to slog out and back once, with a brief 30 second planing run. The return slog left me way downwind, and by the time I returned from my wade of shame, the wind had backed off big time. By 9 a.m., we had a gently 10mph northerly breeze. Dr. Evil decided to take advantage of the breeze to do a 23 mile downwinder from Pea Island to Avon... in his kayak! I dropped him off north of Rodanthe at 1 p.m., and watched as he paddled off into the sound. Meanwhile, back at the house, there was more fixin' going on with Chef's trailer, and I think it was deemed roadworthy again. Before long, another trip to kite store took place, for more Tantrix tiles, and a new giant Rokokku kite for Dr. E and me. And, armed with a few new demo kites, Brymart, J Lo, Chef, WWW, and I went over to the beach to fly stunt kites. The wind had shifted east, and then southeast by late afternoon, and never got enough to even think about sailing. There were several beginners drifting around on the sound this afternoon. I headed out for a sunset paddle to Graveyard Point, to see if I could spot Dr. Evil. No sign of him until I returned to the house, and we could see him about a mile up north, paddling this way (into the breeze now, so much for a downwinder), and he arrived at the house shortly after sunset. I think most of the gang headed to Hodad's again tonight, and later it was Godzilla Destroy All Monsters until late at night.

Day 6 - Thursday, April 24, 2003

We had a another dawn patrol this morning, but this time it was the big rig variety. LLCJ was on the water at the crack of dawn (how the hell does he get up so early?! Maybe we should call him Ben Franklin... early to bed, early to rise). Anyway, it was mostly 7.5 and 8.0's on the water. I rigged my 6.5 but ended up choosing to sip tea instead of puttin on my neoprene to slog in the cold. It was another early shut-down, with the breeze gone by 9 a.m. again. The rest of the day was a blur of kite flying, Godzilla, sitting in the sun (at least it was warm and sunny today). Chef made a sail purchase, getting a brand new 2003 8.0 Retro. It's a beauty. I happily relieved him of his old 8.0 Retro for a bargain price. Later, Dr. E and I explored the Avon canals in our kayaks around sunset, and Chef spent the entire afternoon preparing another fabulous feast with the help of Taxman... this time roasted pork tenderloin, and a delicious mushroom pasta. Much wine was consumed as we huddled around the weather radio listening to tomorrow's forecast: South wind 25-30 knots, with scattered rain in the morning, and rain in the afternoon.

Day 7 - Friday, April 25, 2003

Well, they got the rain part right. By noonish, we had steady rain and drizzle that lasted all afternoon and well into the night. The wind however, was nonexistent. This didn't stop the Cheeseheads, though. Undaunted by the cold rain and lack of wind, they rigged and sailed anyway! Meanwhile, Old Tom shocked the world by purchasing a brand new sail... a 9.0 (or 9.5, not sure) Retro, that he got for a good bargain. I think TJ bought his new board, an F2 light wind board, today, after demoing one from Windsurfing Hatteras. The rest of us huddled inside and muttered disparaging remarks about the weather. The Rev tossed his copy of "Lone Star State of Mind" into the VCR, and the antics of Earl, Baby, and Junior kept us entertained throughout the afternoon. LLCJ was working his way through the Tantrix tiles with the new rules (thank you, Brymart, for showing us the way...) Dr. Evil and I made a couple trips to the beach to check out the surf... building quickly and looking mean in the cold rain. I also made one last trip to the kite shop and just had to buy one more kite... the cool new Prism E2, just arrived at the shop today! By late afternoon, we all gave up hope on the wind, and started packing up our gear. And as soon as it got dark, the wind started crankin...

Day 8 - Saturday, April 26, 2003

We woke up to light winds, so everybody finished packing and headed out. It was an uneventful trip home, except for that pesky axle on Chef's trailer. But it managed to make the trip just fine after a fenderectomy, and we all rolled into Indy shortly after midnight after a long long day on the road.

I think I probably sailed a total of a meager 4 hours this week... but it was still a nice trip. It was fun to see old friends (Tax Man, Judy, Lou, and Glenn Woodell who stopped by), and to make new ones, (namely the Illinois Cheeseheads who are really nice guys and will hopefully join us on future trips), and of course dining on several fabulous meals prepared by our own private Chef!

We've got the same two houses for April 2004... hopefully the wind will join us for the whole week next year!

- Jibe Marker Jill

Gulf Shores, Alabama

I just got back from spring break in Gulf Shores, AL ... and it is GREAT to
see email traffic with sailing involved!! Not so nice to return to freezing
weather, although I realize you had much nicer weather in between.

The same forces of nature that drove your winds here drove substantial winds
in Mobile Bay ... I caught the end ... unfortunately the best were probably
blowing there as I drove down. Got in ~5 pm Saturday, the 29th. Blowing
maybe 5.0 from the NW. After getting our condo I did some cruising looking
for launch sites. Google turned up nothing to help before the trip. The
good thing with barrier islands is they are narrow ... no where to get lost
and only one road to find both shores. Wasn't finding much until highway
180, about mile 15 near Ft. Morgan, suddenly the view opens to the north, I
see water (Mobile Bay) and 2 windsurfers ripping!! Too close to dusk to
sail by then so I came back the next day. I sailed a couple hours Sunday.
Started at another launch I'd found on Little Lagoon ... nice waist deep,
but was gusty and unstable ... don't know about 'gaters. (Didn't ask. Some
things are better left unknown.) Then moved on further to the mile 15 site
... still gusty, but now often overpowered on my MPR 5.7. Wind was still
NW, so swell was 2-3 ft and occasionally challenging for me ... the
combination of swell and overpoweredness was "teaching" me to jump (or crash
and burn). I needed my 85 L (was on the 112).

A photo of the launch onto Mobile Bay, adjacent to a boat launch, is
attached ... looking NW on an 8.5 day with wind from due south (off shore)
... I didn't have my 8.5 along, so didn't sail. Nice site though. After
navigating down the rock embankment (~the Hook) there was a very nice sandy
beach, shallow water a half mile out. Locals were friendly and supportive
of visitors.

- TMatt

Eagle Creek, Wednesday April 2, 2003
My first day on the water this year! I got there at 12:45. It was somewhat
windy, but looked iffy, so I rigged big, 7.5, w/Vivace. It was a good call
for the first few hours. It was up and down as ususal, but there were
periods of a half hour to an hour of pretty consistent wind. At 3:30,
Martin came and also rigged big, 8.1, w/wide Starboard. Amike (Mike A.)
showed up around 4:00, and rigged 7.4. The wind picked up a bit. There
were times I would have been better off on the 6.0, but I flattened the sail
and put on a smaller fin. I wore myself out, and I'm sore today.

- WWW