windsurfing

With strong gusty, 25+ knot winds promised by the iWindsurf forecast, I rushed to Sherman Island in Rio Vista.. . . . I arrived at about 4:15pm, parked my minivan near the Sherman Island County park (as parking in the actual park was completely full), and rigged my Ezzy Elite 4.0m sail. I selected the 85-liter Goya Custom quad fin for my board of choice,…

With a heavy wind forecast for Sherman Island by iWindsurf.com, I was eager to experience the strong summer winds (primarily absent this summer season).. . iWindsurf.com predicted 20-25 knots of westerly wind throughout the day. It was already quite windy when I arrived, but only kiteboarders were blasting in the water. I rigged my Fanatic 105 FreeWave Stubby and my Ezzy Elite 4.5 sail (after…

I arrived at Sherman Island at around 14:05, with light traffic. At first, I parked by the power lines, but then I re-parked in Sherman Island County Park to make it easier to access the playpen area with the foil.. . Initially, I rigged my Ezzy Elite 5.7m sail, intending to use it with my Exocet RF81 foil with the Slingshot Infinity 76 wing.. .…

Last year (2018), I took my first windsurfing lesson with Andy Brandt of the ABK Windsurfing Clinic at Sherman Island. I have been primarily self-taught in windsurfing (and had picked up many bad habits along the way). Andy significantly improved my sailing technique, and I was eager to become more proficient, especially in planing jibes, duck jibes, and tacking. . . . Day 1 -…

For a while now, I have been intrigued by all of the windsurfing foilers and kiteboard foilers at Coyote Point and Crissy Field. They seemed to sail fast, even under less-than-ideal wind conditions. After talking to a few sailors, I decided that it would be a great addition to my current windsurfing setup to have a foil board and a windsurfing foil for marginal or…

In the morning, I planned to stop by the Boardsports Shop in Coyote Point to participate in the Windsurf Foiling demo hosted by Wyatt Miller of Slingshot.. . . . . . 2019 SLINGSHOT WINDSURF, KITE & SURF FOIL DEMO & BBQ SAT 6/15. with special guests: Wyatt Miller & Maui Mike*Bonus – we will have the 2020 Slingshot SLING WING for demo as well.…

Having sailed on my 1999 Mistral Flow Classic 276 for 19 years, it was time for an update. I tried out the Fanatic Freewave STB 95-liter version at the ABK Windsurfing Camp on Sherman Island in July and thought it was a nice board but lacking volume for lighter wind days.. . The Stubby, as it is affectionately known, has a unique outline with no…

Having sailed on my 1999 Mistral Flow Classic 276 for 19 years, it was time for an update. I tried out the Fanatic Freewave STB 95-liter version in the ABK Windsurfing Camp at Rio Vista in July and thought it was a nice board but lacked a bit of volume for lighter wind days.. . The "Stubby," as it is affectionately known, has a unique…

Although I have been windsurfing since 1991, I have never taken formal lessons. I learned by watching other sailors, first in Houston, Texas, then later in the Gorge.. . . Since I had problems with my jibes, I enrolled in the ABK Windsurfing Camp on Sherman Island for 4 days: Thursday, July 26 - Sunday, July 29. . . . . . On Thursday, July…

Since iwindsurf.com was reporting epic windy conditions at Crissy Field in San Francisco, I decided to try windsurfing there. I initially hoped to sail at Waddell Creek, but the forecast was less favorable.. . . . . . The traffic was quite heavy, but I found plentiful windsurfing parking (on a green lawn, no less) on the east beach. I was surprised that many people…

Today, I finally got to windsurf my Goya 84-liter quad custom waveboard in really windy conditions.. . When I arrived at Coyote Point, I saw a few sailors on 5.7m+ sails, so I decided to sail my tried-and-true Mistral Flow 276. However, when a few sailors returned, they reported crazy winds in the channel - of up to 30+ knots. They were all rigging down…

Since I recently purchased a Goya 84L Custom waveboard and an Ezzy Elite 4.0 wave sail, I have been eager to try them out.. . . . Checking the wind forecast on iWindsurf.com, I noticed that high winds were expected at Coyote Point (and many other sailing sites in the San Francisco Bay area). I headed to Coyote Point (closest to me) and rigged my…

Since my son wanted to learn windsurfing, I signed him up for 2-day windsurfing lessons at Boardsports in Alameda.. . Due to lighter morning winds, sandy beaches, and relatively shallow waters, I was told it was the most desirable location for beginners.. . . . On Saturday, May 5, the windsurfing lesson started at 10:00 am and ended at 1:00 pm.. . . . The…

It's been a long time since I windsurfed at Sherman Island in Rio Vista, so I was excited to rediscover my old windsurfing spot (when I lived in Sacramento).. . . . The iwindsurf.com predicted 20+ knot winds on Saturday and Sunday, so I tried it out. Lately, I have been chiefly sailing at Coyote Point - since it's the closest location to my work…

After 25+ years of windsurfing on 20-year-old gear (1996 Ezzy Transformer sails, Aluminum Chinook booms, and PowerEx masts), I returned to the sport with new, modern gear.. . . . I found an excellent deal online at Isthmus Windsurfing, where Jon Massman was able to help me build a new quiver of sails based on 2016 Ezzy Elite sails and Ezzy Masts.. . I purchased…

Today, I opened the 2017 Windsurfing season with a great session at Coyote Point, near San Francisco. It's one of my favorite local spots, along with Crissy Field, Rio Vista Powerlines, and Waddell Creek.. . The iWindsurf website reported 20 knots of wind, gusting to 30 knots, and I was excited to experience the fantastic bump'n'jump sailing again.. . When I arrived at 3:00pm, a…