[Fwd: [Team Indy] Eagle Ocean report]

Jibe Marker Jill's Eagle Ocean Report

Well, Doug and I had Eagle Ocean all to ourselves this afternoon. When we got there around 2 p.m., the wind was blowing S 12-22 or so. I rigged for the gusts, my 5.5, and Doug went for power with his 8.0. At first it was a bit sketchy, with blasts of wind here and there, and a fairly consistent but narrow band of wind down the middle of the lake. But still, there were some good rides to be had. By 3:30 or so, it filled in much better, and it was pretty decent for Eagle Ocean, mostly planing for the next hour or so. Then the clouds moved in, the wind quickly got very flukey and went into system shutdown, so we called it a day. We both had a good time, and Doug was managing waterstarts with the 8.0. Woo hoo! The water is still toasty warm (okay, maybe not toasty, but very comfortable with a steamer).

I was on my new Carve 121 all afternoon. It's a fun little big board! Plenty of float, but feels pretty much like a small board. Planes up fast, but is still easy to control in the chop. (Well, in the 6" Eagle Ocean chop, that is). And, it's nearly impossible to fall off of it, although I did manage a few times. I think it will be a fine Eagle Ocean shredding machine, especially when the water's cold or the wind is light.

Looks like we'll have more wind tomorrow. Probably a better direction in the morning (WSW), with it veering more towards the west in the afternoon.

And for the truly brave Team Indy warriors, check out the Lake Michigan forecasts. Waves over 3 Jils high tomorrow! That's oh so out of my league!

Looking forward to hearing the reports on today's sailing at Clinton Lake and Lake Michigan (did anyone go there?).

- Jill

Jibe Marker Jill's Eagle Ocean report

It sounds like there was some good sailing on Clinton yesterday.

I opted for a half-day at Eagle Ocean. Also sailing were Chef, Dr. Jack and Lita from Lafayette, Indy Car Mike, and Techno Matt. It appears that the Toyota Higlander is now the Team Indy Boardmobile of choice, as 3 out of 5 vehicles at our launch yesterday were Higlanders.

Now on to the wind.

It was gusty.

When I first hit the water with my 5.5 and Fanatic Cross, I got about 3 or 4 perfect fully planing runs, with dry jibes between each one. The wind was steady, I was perfectly powered, the sun was warm... it was the makings of a perfect afternoon of sailing.

Then more sailors got on the water, and the wind went all freaky. 10 minutes of 5-10 mph, followed by 15-30 seconds of 25 mph from a slightly different direction. Repeat for the entire afternoon. I stayed on the 5.5 all day, and I think the rest of the gang was sailing 7.0.
When the gusts backed off later in the afternoon, I took my new Carve 121 out for a spin. It planes up nicely, but I hardly had enough time to into the straps before I would hit a 3 mph lull. Such is Eagle Ocean.

It was still nice to get out on the water, since I hadn't planed in months. Those who had just been to Hatteras were considerably less enthusiatic about the gusty wind and chilly water. Water temp is probably upper 50s to around 60 or so. Cool, but not jarringly cold. Very comfortable in a steamer.

Post-sailing festivities included beer and pizza at Union Jacks.

Looks like there's a a possibility for more wind on Sunday, so keep your eye on the forecast!

Columbus Jeff's Clinton Lake Report:

Yesterday almost made up for the windless fall. SSW23-25 all day, with gusts to 34 (although there was a 1/2 hr that felt a lot bigger than that), sunny and mid 70's. I got to the marina early and had time for a quick nap and a drive over to the West side boat launch. Frank and Glen showed up next. Glen went with his virgin 6.2 so he could test the range, Frank rigged a 5.0 and something smaller so he'd be ready when it picked up. I opted for a 5.5 and a my big board (106L). Then everybody started showing up, someone counted 13 sailors.

The wind line was just outside the cove, only a short schlogg out and it filled in nicely. Most folks sailed right in front of the marina, some because there didn't seem to be any reason to head up to the big pond, some (me) because it was supposed to pick up big time and they wanted to stay close to their higher wind gear. The wind finally tempted us up to the narrows with Hugh and Ken going deep into the big pond and making a run all the way to the dam. As expected, that's when the wind kicked in and I made a white knuckled downwinder to find something smaller. Most folks rigged down to 4.8-5.2, but I crossed my fingers and went with a smaller board and a very flat 5.5.

We hung on till around 4:00 when it seemed to shut down. Everyone except Glen and Chris headed in. It didn't look windy, but they seemed powered on 5.0-5.2's. Ken and I just couldn't let Glen be first on the water AND last off so Ken grabbed his 7.0 and I grabbed the big board and we joined them for a nice close out session. I think it was the first time I sailed all day on a single sail.

Not bad for November. But wait, Sunday is forecasting low 20's (wind) and high 50's (air) so maybe it may not be over.