Texas Wrap

After three days of driving, we're back from Texas, and were once again greeted by snow on the ground. I'm not sure what the bigger shock was, though - the temperature differences or the "sticker shock" in the supermarket, where exactly the same food costs 1/3 to 1/2 more. Maybe I can understand that for fresh fruit from Mexico - but for frozen food? Well, at least the selection of vegetarian pizza is better here. Texas is not the best place for vegetarians!

The weather this year was weird, with a lot of cloudy and rainy days. I still got to sail 31 days, about the same as last year, but that included 4 light wind days, and 4 days on South Padre Island. My biggest sail (the 7.8) also was the most used sail, and only 6 of the 31 days were on sails smaller than 7.0 (2 x 5.6, 4 x 6.3).  It's not quite as bad as it might seem, though - since I only sailed slalom gear, I was on the 7.0 race sail in 23 mph wind averages, where I would use a 5.0 on freestyle gear. The two days on the 5.6 had wind averages of 27 and 32 mph.

We got only one "real" speed session this year, and not a single day with northwesterly wind that would have been perfect at the South Bird Island Slicks. On the upside, we sailed a couple of spots for the first time that are great for long distance speed: the North Flats at South Padre Island, and Grassy Point in Corpus Christi. At low water levels, both spots are great for nautical mile and one hour runs, so it's no surprise that 4 of my top 5 sessions for both of these disciplines are from this year. Good practice for the OBX long distance race next month! And maybe all that "big sail" practice will be useful at the US Nationals a week later, where I'll be sailing a 9.0 in the Kona One category. It's cool to see that more than 50 windsurfers are already registered for the US Nationals, including racers from the US, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Brazil, Poland, Italy, and Germany. The list includes multiple national champions, so the racing should be hot! See you there or in Avon in a few weeks!

Another Naughty Spot

I recently wrote about how great Grassy Point in Corpus Christi is for nautical mile runs (naughties). Today, I finally got to try out a different naughty spot that I had wanted to sail for years: the shipping channel to the right of the JFK Memorial Causeway between Corpus Christi and North Padre Island. Check out the water depth map:

The channel is between the causeway and the big green spoil area in the lower right quadrant of the map. We cross the causeway every time we go shopping, and many times when the water level was low, parts of the spoil area have been above water; the boundary region next to the channel often was just inches deep. A perfect speed channel?

Today, the wind direction was just right: NE, a 90 degree angle to the channel (note that the map above is not in the usual "north on top" orientation). At around 19 knots, it was weak enough to let me use the Falcon 112 - when exploring, a little extra volume is always welcome! After a 5 minute drive from our condo, I was on the shore, ready to rig. Here are today's tracks:

The water level today was quite high. I got off at one spot that's shown in green on the depth map, and the water was above my hips. That meant the channel had some chop - perhaps a foot high, but quite orderly, allowing me to pick lanes. The channel is about 50-80 m wide, so it allows some mini "downwind" runs at about 15 degrees angle to the channel direction. One of those got me a top speed of 28.1 knots over 2 seconds. The best nautical mile run was 25.45 knots, pretty decent for square runs in 19 knot wind. My jibes today were quite poor, partly because I went for very tight turns which the Falcon 112 does not like much, so the hour came out at 20.06 knots. But with a bit more wind and a lower water level, this would be a great spot for 1 hour runs; with a slightly less square wind direction, it will be a great spot for naughties.

BIB and Grassy Point Pictures

The last few times we sailed in Corpus Christi, Many Miles Mike and his wife Julie took some nice pictures. The originals are at www.gulfbreezewindsurfing.com/jamin-at-bib and www.gulfbreezewindsurfing.com/bluff-s-landing, but I took the liberty to copy a few shots:

Nina at Bird Island Basin

Speed at Grassy Point

Plenty of space for kiters and windsurfers

Needs more practice..

There was plenty of wind here the last couple of days, but we were in South Padre Island. After two great days there a few weeks ago in northerly winds, we figured we'd check it out in southerlies. It was plenty windy - Nina rigged down from 4.5 to 4.0, and still was a bit overpowered. But the tide was higher, and the wind was quite unsteady, which made it more similar to a typical day at BIB. Grassy Point in Corpus Christi seemed smoother on the one very windy day that we sailed there, which would be no surprise, given that the water is about a foot less deep there, and some spoil islands flatten the water even more. Looks like we'll get a a session or two there towards the middle of the week :-).

Naughty at Grassy Point

Sometimes, we are stupid. This is the fourth time we spend the winter in Corpus Christi. No, that's not stupid. What is somewhat stupid is that up until today, we have only sailed at Bird Island Basin. Don't get me wrong - BIB is a great spot for windsurfing, especially in typical ESE winds and NE wind, and it's a fantastic speed spot in NW wind (which we did not get at all this year). But in SSE wind, it's choppy - bum-bum-bum chop when going out, with "catch the back of the chop" going back, plenty of cross chop, and not flat spots. Fine for freestyle, but limited fun on slalom gear.

I was in the mood for freestyle sailing yesterday, but discovered that my Skate 110 needs another repair - this time right in front of the back foot straps. So I bumped around on slalom gear, unable to get 30 knots despite good wind and trying hard. But fortunately, Many Miles Mike had suggested to try another spot today: Bluff's Landing, also called "Grassy Point".

We went at noon, and Mike explained us the local hazards (a few shallow spots and areas). The wind was around 25 knots, but the water looked quite flat. Being cautious, I went out on my 3S 96 and North Ice 4.7 to explore. What a different to BIB! The water was knee to hip deep, the chop maybe a foot high - not much difference to BIB, except that the shallow areas extended a lot further ... for miles. The fetch is a lot longer, so the wind is steadier, and the chop is nice and orderly.  I lasted about 15 minutes before I just had to go in and get my speed gear: the Isonic W54 (72 l) and the Loft Racing Blade 5.6. I also put on my Android phone so that I could hear GPSLogit announce the speed.

The first run out was fun - plenty of 26 and 28 knot announcements even though I was angling slightly upwind most of the time. The run back was crazy - 30 knot announcements most of the time, and tons of fun threading a path through the little waves. I right away knew I had improved my personal best (PB) for the nautical mile on the first run in!

I went back out. The second run out felt even better, probably because I had moved the mast foot forward to get a bit more weight on the front foot. Two kilometers out, I saw Nina, and stopped for a little chat. Nina pointed out that the long batten in my sail looked wrong - it was broken. Bummer!! I sailed back in, and despite a 2 knot lower top speed, I still was more than a knot faster over the nautical mile (which the Aussies call "naughty") than ever before. But then I de-rigged the race sail, and switched back to the freeride gear. Not as fast, but nice and relaxing! Fun, fun, fun.

We stopped by at Lazy Beach Brewing on our way home for a beer, and then some food (and more beer) at the Padre Island Burger Company. Finally home, my GPS software confirmed what GPSLogit had said: I had improved my PB for the naughty by almost two knots. Nice! Here are today's GPS tracks:

My runs were about 2 km long, but there's lots of room for longer runs:

Runs to the right of the spoil islands to the bridge would be about 5 km long - all of that in knee-to-hip deep water. Some areas between the spoil islands near the end of my tracks are too shallow, but some other areas deserve exploring.. I see some mud walk in my future.

This place has speed potential! But perhaps the biggest potential is later in the season, when it lives up to it's name: "Grassy Point". In the summer, the water level drops, and lots of see grass grows, to the point where some locals deem it unsailable towards fall. But reading what the Australians think about see grass at spots like Lake George and Liptons/Point Grey/Fangyland, that may just be the perfect recipe for wicked flat water and really fast speeds. Almost makes me want to come back in the summer .. just almost, though. But even now, with very little sea grass, I'd call this spot one of the best spots I have ever sailed. Big thanks to Many Miles Mike for making us check it out!

Warm, warm, cold

We had a couple of nice warm sailing days last Friday and Saturday, with air temperatures around 70, and the water temperature steadily going up towards 70, too. The warmth brought quite a few windsurfers out of hibernation, especially on Saturday. It seems the locals anticipated to wind to come up above forecast, just like it did - the spring thermals are starting to kick in. When some clouds pulled in on Saturday, almost everyone left quickly, though. A bit to my surprise, I admit - I was still planing most of the time on 6.0, as long as I did not get to close to shore.

Once most sailors had derigged, the wind came back, and conditions were just about perfect. The water had warmed up a few more degrees, prompting even this old back-and-forth sailor to play around a bit with 360s and duck jibes. Near the spoil islands, the water was very flat. The water there is pretty shallow, between knee and waist deep depending on where exactly you are, with a soft muddy bottom. Perfect for falling! Here's a short video:

I made a couple of 360s towards the end, but my success rate was rather low. I'll just blame the warm water :-).

Today was a different affair. The wind had turned to the north, and temperatures had dropped 30ºF, to the low 40s (6ºC). Clouds and occasional light rain had replaced the sun - what a perfect opportunity to get used to cold weather windsurfing again! After all, we'll be back on Cape Cod very soon, and the ocean there is still frozen over.

Alas, we paid a price for this opportunity. For me, it was a small one - just tired arms from layering a long-sleeve neoprene shirt under my 4/3 wetsuit. Maybe we really should to bring our Ianovated wetsuits next time we come here. My 7.0 felt unusually heavy on the slalom board, and my search for flat water for speed runs proved unsuccessful. Don't get me wrong, though - I still had fun, especially after switching to my 3S 96, which was simply more fun in the light chop.

Nina, however, was not quite as lucky. We often sail in similar temperatures at home, and she rarely needs a hood or gloves. Since the water temperature here were still relatively high (near 60ºF/15ºC), she figured her semi-dry suit and 5 mm boots would be plenty warm, even without a hood. But she had forgotten that her body had gotten quite used to much warmer temperatures here, instead of gradually getting used to ever-cold Cape Cod temperatures over several months. So she was cold. Really cold. I would not have guessed, because her form on the water was as perfect as ever, and she kept sailing for almost two hours. But she later reported that nothing had worked today for her, not even duck jibes that she can usually do in her sleep (and probably with one hand tied to her back). She started sneezing as soon as she got into the van, and it has not stopped since then. Maybe that's what "catching a cold" means. Maybe that's why Texans don't windsurf when it's cold (although we did see 3 or 4 other windsurfers on the water today).

Corpus Christi pictures

The wind has kept us busy, with four planing sessions during the last week, including the last two days. With permanently high endorphin levels, blogging has to wait... but I'll share a few pictures:

It's windy here!

Holding on to sails is overrated

Birdwatcher's paradise

Good food and $1.50 margaritas after a long session

Barefoot Mardi Gras on the beach

I wonder what's in the lollipops ...

"Cold weather" windsurfing video

We got a short session in last week when a cold front pulled through. Well, that's what they called it. Temperatures around 50ºF (10ºC) qualify as "cold weather" in Texas, even in February. So here's a "cold weather" windsurfing movie:


The wind dropped constantly from the time we arrived, so we were underpowered a lot, and the session was short. Fortunately, Nina took the GoPro, so the footage is more interesting and prettier than my usual lawn mowing movies.

Before you get any wrong ideas, here's this mornings view from our balcony:

Yes, it's sunny again. The fog has mostly been burned off, and temperatures are close to 70 already. With ocean temperatures in the 60s and inland temperatures predicted to go into the 80s today, we should see some thermals adding to the predicted 15 mph wind for another great day. The "worst case" scenario is some light wind or pesky wind freestyle in the sun :-).

This one is for Tascha

Top 5 session

I admit that I was a bit skeptical about our trip to Texas to escape the winter. But looking at recent images from Boston:

and comparing them to pictures from Texas:

I have to admit that I am glad we are down here. Sure, this is not Bonaire - our temperatures are only in the 60s or low 70. But for me, being able to walk around in shorts and a T-shirt is good enough, even if I have to wear a wetsuit while windsurfing :-).

Talking about windsurfing: we took a break today, after sailing 3 out of 4 days before. Yesterday was a light wind day, but it was nice and warm, and I really needed to practice a bit with the bigger sail again. The first day in the series also started out with light wind, but then the wind picked up enough to let me plane on my magic 6.5 m sail. The real treat, though, came last Friday. We had NNE wind in the low to mid 20s, which is a fantastic wind direction here. This picture shows how flat the water was:

For the first time since we arrived, a bunch of other sailors were out, but with miles of open water, there was plenty of space for everyone. After playing around on my Skate for a while, but not finding any decent ramps for loop tries unless I sailed more than a mile away from shore, I switched to what I like to call "speed mode" (less generous souls might use terms like "BAF" and "lawn mowing" instead). Here are the GPS tracks for the day:

After a couple of hours of excellent fun on the Skate, I took a break, and then switched to the 90 l slalom board. I followed a local windsurfer, Mike, to find some even flatter spots - not quite speed slicks, but smooth enough to let the board run a bit. You can see in the speed graph that it took me a while to get dialed in on the slalom board; going fast in small chop and unfamiliar territory is a bit different than blasting on perfectly flat water at your home spot. When fatigue replaced some of the fun after 4 hours, I called it a day; Nina had stopped half an hour earlier.

Looking at the GPS tracks back home, the numbers confirmed that this was an outstanding session. Of the 150 sessions I had since the start of 2014, this one ranked between 2nd and 5th in every single one of the 6 GPS Team Challenge disciplines. Total distance sailed was 108 km (67 miles), and top speed was 28 knots (32 mph). The unusual thing is that the ranking in all categories is high - usually, it's either the distance categories (nautical mile, hour, total distance) or the top speed categories (2 sec, 5 x 10 sec average), but rarely both. Also, I sailed the entire time with a camless freeride sail (Gaastra Matrix 6.0); a cambered race sail is typically good for 2 knots higher top speeds.

Tomorrow promises to be another good day, if wind comes in as predicted (so far, the forecast has been astonishingly accurate). So we took it easy today, taking a road trip to Port Aransas to visit a brew pub, and stroll along the beach. Watching dolphins and sea birds made for a lovely and relaxing afternoon, before the obligatory stop at the German bakery on the way home.

Texas!

We knew Juno would come. We did not know when, but that the media would describe the first big snowstorm of the winter as a "historic blizzard" was quite predictable.

So we escaped. We drove south, through 13 states, 2140 miles, 35 hours of driving over 3 days. But gas is cheap, and the weather was fine for driving. It was even finer when we arrived in Corpus Christi, Texas: air temperatures in the high 60s (20ºC) and sun - nice! We just had to go for a light wind freestyle session the day we arrived. Lovely!

Nina likes palm trees

We've been in Texas for a week now. Since getting and staying here is quite a lot cheaper than the Caribbean,  and since we can take our work with us, we'll stay a little longer. It's not a vacation, but we'll take some half-days off when it's windy. We're not too picky - if the weather is nice enough, we'll settle for 10 mph winds to practice light wind freestyle. So far, we've had three light wind sessions, and two planing days.

We had northerly winds on both days that we have planing conditions. Air temperatures dropped into the low 50s on day 1, and into the high 40s (8ºC) on day two. The water temperature in the shallow Laguna Madre dropped almost as rapidly, from the 60s down to the low 50s. Too cold for Texans, it seems - we only saw one other windsurfer on the water the entire time. But compared to temperatures on Cape Cod, it's nice and warm! We did not even bring our winter wetsuits, nor do we need them. Here's a short video from the second planing day, just to show the conditions:



So far, we have only sailed in the Bird Island Basin, where WorldWinds is located. It's a 15 minute drive from our condo, but it's a really nice spot. There are a lot of shallow areas, so you can always find a spot to turn or work on tricks where you can stand.

The weather forecast for this week looks great, with 70s and lots of sun. When the temperatures drop a bit at the end of the week, we'll get wind - just perfect for a mix of work and fun.

Great weather, great sailing, a nice condo - now what could make Nina even happier?

The answer: a German bakery within walking distance! And not just any old German bakery, but one that's run by a proper German Bäckermeister. You doubt me? Here's the proof:

Yes, he learned how to make good German bread (and sweet stuff :-). But most importantly, he learned this not just anywhere in Germany, but close to where Nina was born - so he knows how to make Laugenbretzeln just the way they should be made:

Now seeing this got Nina really excited. Laugenbrezeln are one of the things she missed most since she moved to the US - and these are just the way they should be (trust me, she has tried a few!). So, my dear friends who are currently in Bonaire, or will be going there soon - I hope you understand that we'll stay in Texas this year.

Since this is a windsurfing blog, I'll end with a couple of windsurfing pictures. After analyzing Martin's loop tries in one of my last posts, I played around a bit with wheelies and jumps/pops, concentrating on getting the front leg bent and the back leg straight at takeoff (or during the entire wheelie). For the wheelies, I found that I tend to lean back a lot, so perhaps this is not the best drill for loops (at least not for me). But for the pops/jumps, I think I made a bit of progress. Here's an example:

This is far from perfect, but the sail is open, the back leg straight, and the front leg is bent. Here's what this looked like a bit later:

In this picture, my front leg is straighter than the back leg - definitely the right direction. I only concentrated on the pop, and did not do any of the hand and arm movements for the loop - but nevertheless, the nose of the board has turned downwind by about 45 degrees. I find this quite encouraging - it's easy to see that the nose would go past downwind if I only move my hands further back on the boom, and extend the front arm towards forward-windward. I see some loop crashes in my near future - I hope the water is still warm when we get wind again!