March can be a good month for windsurfing on Cape Cod. March 2015 was not. Lack of wind and "warm" weather left me plenty of time to look for signs of hope in my session database. I vaguely remembered that April can be a fantastic month. Indeed, in 2013, I scored 6 sessions in the first week, and another 6 sessions in the next two weeks. Water temperatures reached 50ºF (10ºC) in the middle of April - compared to our current temperatures in the 30s, that seems incredibly warm.
We may have to wait a bit longer for 50º water this year, but the wind has started to arrive. Yesterday morning had a few hours with wind near 20 mph at Kalmus. The forecast had promised the wind would stay until the afternoon. Foolishly, we believed the forecast, and waited for the tide to drop. When we arrived at 1 pm, the wind had left. But our friend Martin came, so we retired to the Hobbit Hole (aka as "Common Ground Cafe") to catch up. By the time we had finished our Chais and Hot Nots, the wind returned! We got to enjoy a session where the wind went from "no way you can plane" to "I can barely hold on anymore", and then back down, all in 90 minutes. But it was nice to get out.
There was absolutely no wind in the forecast for today. But while making plans for sailing tomorrow morning, we noticed that the wind readings were near 20! Wind and sun - if you know us, you also know we were at the beach 30 minutes later. Lots of whitecaps! Not fully trusting the wind, we rigged 6.0 and 4.7, and took the big boards (Skate 100 and 110) out. The GPS tracks show what happened next:
We got 90 minutes of perfect wind before it dropped. Nina (green tracks) did her usual freestyle thing. It was her second session of the year on Cape Cod, but she was very happy to be in familiar waters again, and threw down a few beautiful duck tacks. She also started working on Flakas again, and was happy to get the board out of the water, something that she had problems with in Texas. She ended the session with an ear-to-ear smile.
I thought about freestyle, but only very briefly. The sun had retreated behind clouds, and I had a bit a hard time keeping my fingers comfortable. Unlike Nina, who was able to take her fingers out of her open-palm mittens for most of the session and did not even have the tubes in her Ianovated suit, I was using my hand warming tubes a lot. Stupid Raynaud's! So I figured I did not need any extra crashes from trying new stuff, and mowed the lawn instead. I had another good excuse - today is the last day of the month, and we had not yet posted a valid session on the GPS Team Challenge. The goal was to not end up in last place on the monthly overall ranking, and we managed to get there, placing 51st out of 53 teams. But April starts tomorrow - and that's the month where the real speedsurfers on our team get back onto the water.
The forecast predicted wind in the mid-20s and warm temperatures - almost 20ºF than what we have gotten used to! No more ice on the water, either (well, at least not at Kalmus - Cape Cod Bay is a different story). Considering that my last session was a full 14 days ago, I'm sure you understand that I just had to overlook a few minor less-than-perfect details in the forecast. Who cares about rain and fog, anyway? And thunderstorms are always in the forecast when a warm front pulls through, but they rarely happen. Since the water temperatures are still near 32ºF, the actual air temperatures at the shore were closer to 40 than to 50ºF - but warm is warm!
I almost got Marty to join me, but there were too many unknowns - would the fog lift? Would the wind come at 5 pm, as predicted, or at 7 pm, when it got dark? Would we get wind at all, or would we get the dreaded decoupling?
So when the wind picked up shortly past 5, I went alone. I almost turned around when I got close to the ocean, since the fog was quite dense at spots. But since I was already in my Ianovated wetsuit, I drove on to Kalmus, where the fog was not too bad - I could see the water from the parking lot!
Out I went, with less than an hour before it got dark. The wind had picked up while I was rigging, and I was very well powered on my 6.0 in 25 mph averages. I had to think of "the deaf, dumb, and blind kid" in The Who's Tommy. Not that I felt like a wizard, no - I just did not see or hear much. Most of the time, though, I was able to see the shore. And the water state was very lovely, with nice swell coming in with the straight onshore wind, and occasionally toppling over.
I took the opportunity to get used to the cold water. Not just once, no - at almost every jibe! Winter is my favorite time of the year to work on my waterstarts, and the high tide helped to keep my feet off the ground most of the time when I fell. But I wore a second layer of neoprene under my Ianovated wetsuit, so I was toasty and warm. Thanks to heavy use of the blow tubes, my hands stayed warm enough in the open palm mittens, and I did not need to take a hand warming break. Even after two years in the suit, it still amazes me how well the hand warming system works!
The rain had taken a little break to let me rig and sail, but it started up again just as it was getting darker, so I called it a day. Here are today's GPS tracks:
It was a beautiful day today. We just had to get out of the house. We went to the beach and found some ice:
Ok, so some ice may be a slight understatement:
The little dots on the right side are people. Click on the image to view the larger version if you don't believe me! The ice at First Encounter Beach in Orleans extended about 1/2 mile out into the ocean, and miles along the beach towards Wellfleet. Here's the view towards Skaket; usually, you can sail there from First Encounter in a few minutes:
At the end of the beach, the incoming tide creates a river of ice:
I have to admit that the below-freezing temperatures kept my desire to go windsurfing in check. But if you looked out beyond the ice, it sure looked good:
Yes, that's a lot of white caps out there. It could have been a perfect spring day. But the weather ignored the fact that spring on Cape Cod is supposed to look different.
Well, just 10 miles to the west, at Corporation Beach in West Dennis, it looked different: absolutely no ice on the water! See for yourself:
No ice!
The forecast had called for wind in the mid-20s and "light freezing spray". Since Light freezing spray is very much preferably to heavy freezing spray, Jerry had called for a windsurfing session this morning, and PK joined him. I had thought about joining them, and put wetsuit and boots into the van, but I wanted to see the conditions first. Unlike Jerry and PK, I'm not a wave sailor. This is what I saw:
If you can barely see the head of the sailor, I'll call the waves head-high. Considering that Jerry in this picture was not even in front of the big waves, there were definitely some overhead-high waves out there! For some windsurfers, that's considered fun:
PK jumping, Jerry watching
Jerry jumping
It sure helps if you can jump on port! I can't. If I try, I usually end up practicing my waterstarts. Today was not a good day for waterstart practice. Air temperatures were around 28ºF (-2ºC), and the wind chill was around 13ºF (-10ºC). Jerry and PK both wore gloves, but came in every few runs to warm up their hands in a cooler with hot water:
I got cold just watching them, despite being covered in multiple layers of warm winter clothes. In the couple minutes that it took to warm up the hands, ice would build up on the sail:
Yes, that's ice on the sail and boom
On most windy days were I don't windsurf, I am unhappy about missing out. Not today! After standing on the beach for a few minutes, I was almost proud of myself for deciding not to windsurf today. Some of my friends say I'm crazy about windsurfing - but compared to these two guys, I'm definitely not! But they sure had fun - here are a few more pictures that the lovely Nina took:
Jerry demonstrates another use for switch stance sailing :-)
My winter posts about learning new school freestyle tricks tend to be heretic. I refuse to follow the common belief that "Thou shalt learn the Vulcan as the first new school move!". Of course, I get a lot of flak for these posts. But that's not all bad - at least, it tells me that someone ir reading my blog. And fortunately, burning heretics on a stake is not in fashion anymore.
It does not matter that my non-conformist thoughts usually are provoked by statements from experienced freestylers. Nor does it matter that there are some examples that the "crazy" theories are right. The "Flaka before Vulcan" theory worked great for Graham, who's gone on to much harder tricks since then, still ignoring Vulcans and Spocks from what I have heard. But in the eyes of many, that does not prove anything.
I found myself starting a lengthy answer to Pete's comments to my recent post where I had dared to suggest to learn the Funnel and/or Switch Kono before the Vulcan. Pete makes valid points, and unlike me, he knows what he's talking about because he's done it on the water. So I figured a response would need to be very lengthy, and follow a two-pronged approach:
Invoke a higher authority. That always seems appropriate in religious battles.
Explain the relevance of a feeling that Pete probably does not know: fear.
To get started, let me show you a brief video that introduces my "higher authority":
That's Andy Brandt, coming in with style in Bonaire. The first time I saw the movie, I thought that was one of the coolest tricks I had ever seen. Here's another example where he uses it to turn around in a lull:
I have also seen Andy do Reverse Duck Jibes live, and I still think it's one of the coolest tricks out there. So cool that it took me a long time to imagine I could learn to do it...
Of course, Andy never suggested to learn the Funnel before the Vulcan. However, he has suggested to try the Switch Kono with a 360 entry (sometime called the Kaino), and he has demonstrated the move - another wicked cool move. I have actually tried the Kaino a few dozen times. I never got close to landing one, but I have managed to get the board into the air, and to turn upwind enough while falling backwards to get wind into the sail from the right side again. So the Switch Kono seems doable - except that I seem to loose too much speed in the 360 entry.
Another thing that Andy made me try is jibing in the straps, flipping the sail without switching the feet, and planing out switch. I have tried that, too, a number of times, and got to the point where I can pick up a little bit of speed again when planing switch on the new side. Not enough to plane at full speed, but enough to know that planing switch in the straps is nothing to be afraid of.
Which brings us to the Fear Factor. If not for the Fear Factor, we'd see a lot of windsurfers throwing spin loops - everyone agrees that it's easier than a planing jibe. The loop is also a very cool-looking move, and supposedly a lot of fun to do. But at the spots where I usually sail, maybe one out of 20 to 50 windsurfers will ever throw a loop - and that's counting only windsurfers with a decent jibe. The rest is mostly to afraid to ever try; a few (like me) will try occasionally, but are too afraid to commit.
For moves like the Vulcan, the Fear Factor also gets in the way. The moves and crashes don't look quite as scary as the loop, and there is nothing scary about just popping the board, so the first baby steps are easy. But sooner or later, commitment to turning the board around in the air is required, and crashes in the footstraps will result. Those who overcome their fear quickly learn that they won't die, and that the crashes (usually) look worse than they feel. But others stop here, saying "maybe next session". My lovely wife never shows any fear of crashing; when learning the planing Duck Tack, she'd practice in 30+ mph wind, crashing 50 times in a row. When good conditions to work on the Vulcan came up during out Texas trip, she popped the board out of the water just fine; but fear kept her from committing to letting go of the rig in the air, and turning the board around.
So why is the Fear Factor so much smaller when going down the Switch-Duck road towards the Funnel / Switch Kono? There are several reason:
Going switch can be approached in several non-threatening ways, which include light wind practice, on-land practice, and not switching feet after jibing. This will sometimes lead to crashes, but those crashes are not that different from, say, a blown jibe.
Ducking the sail can be approached in several non-threatening ways. IMO, learning the duck from switch requires some simulator training on the beach ("sail chi"), and then learning the light wind duck tack.
Backwinded crashes are harmless. Before considering the Duck Tack or Funnel, you should learn the planing Carve 360. Unless you are super-human, you will get flattened by a backwinded sail many times while learning, and you'll learn that this is a harmless and fun crash. I am a big chicken, taking just about any excuse to not work on any tricks; but I will try 360s, even when it's really windy, because I know the crashes are harmless.
It's worth doing even without the jump. So maybe going down the Switch-Duck road will let you learn the Funnel and Switch Kono, or maybe not. It does not matter much - even if you never pop the board from a backwinded switch stance, you still have mastered the most difficult part of two very cool tricks, the Reverse Duck Jibe and the planing Duck Tack. Seeing Andy do the Reverse Duck Jibe started all this - and the Reverse Duck Jibe also teaches you carving a jibe on the heels, something you can then apply for planing backwind jibes.
What? I convinced you that perhaps there might be something to this theory, at least for some windsurfers with big inner chickens? Well, here's a step-by-step plan for going down the Switch-Duck road.
Step 1: Prerequisites. If you omit these, later steps will be a lot harder.
Sail chi on the beach. You have to be good at luffing the sail from the clew. An hour spend on the beach can save many hours on the water.
Sail switch and backwinded in light wind. Sailing in switch stance and sailing backwinded (or lee side) are basic skills that anyone who came up through ABK camps will have learned. If you have not, it's time to go out and practice. It's much easier to learn in light wind on a big board and small sail than in planing conditions!
Light wind Duck Tack. Learn the Duck Tack in light wind on a big board and a small sail. I mean a really big board and a really small sail - like a 200 liter sailable SUP and a 4.7 m sail for guys. It's a pretty hard trick, but it's also one of the coolest light-wind moves.
Carve 360s. Start with planing downwind 360s out of the footstraps. It's not absolutely essential that you get them, but you should at least get close.
Step 2: Play time. These steps are optional, but helpful.
Jibe without foot switch. Do a regular jibe or duck jibe and flip the sail, but do not switch your feet. Instead, keep sailing on the new reach in switch stance, and try to pick up speed again.
Strap jibe without foot switch. Very similar to step 1, but do not take your back foot out of the strap. Sail as long as you can, then either switch feet or fall backwards.
Carve 360 in the straps. Staying in the straps for a Carve 360 requires that you keep your weight more forward, both when initiating the carve and at the exit. The move requires good power and is a lot easier on flat water.
Kaino crash. Start a Carve 360 in the straps. After the board turns to the new tack and the sail starts to get backwinded, let the sail push you up and backwards while flaring the nose of the board as high as you can. Push the nose towards the wind to get wind into the right side of the sail again. Unless you have a ton of speed on flat water or a wave that pushes you, the chances of actually making a Kaino are very slim. But the crash looks cool and is a lot of fun.
Step 3: Switch planing.
Practice on land. Put a board on a lawn or a sandy beach, and practice switching your feet, like Phil from getwindsurfing.com showed on his instruction video.
Switch on the water. Go sailing, and switch your feet while planing. You may want to try the different approaches that I had described in my previous post to see which one works best for you.
Keep your speed and direction. Keep practicing the foot switch and planing in switch stance. The goal is to keep your speed up. Keep power in the sail while and after switching your feet, and see how far you can go without going to deep downwind.
Step 4: Ducking the sail. I hope the water is warm! You will crash. A lot.
Duck going downwind. Duck the sail after switching your feet while going slightly downwind. If you kept your speed, going downwind a bit should reduce the apparent wind to levels that are not much higher than during your light wind duck tack practice. Try to keep the duck quick, not as floaty as Andy did in the videos above. Sail a couple of seconds backwinded, then crash or start on working an exit.
Duck on a beam reach. Try ducking the sail on a beam reach, or even going slightly upwind. This will make the Duck Tack exit easier, and will give you more power for jumps. But you'll also have more apparent wind.
Sail backwinded. Practice sailing in control after ducking the sail. See how far you can go. It seems the pro level freestylers can sail in this position forever!
Step 5: Old school exits. These are optional - go on straight to new school if you like.
Reverse Duck Jibe. Just copy what Andy does in the videos above :-). But it you did a less "floaty" sail duck, you can keep more speed and even plane out. This part is identical to the ending of the backwind jibe. If can already do backwind jibes, it should be easy; if not, learning backwind jibes should be easier after you mastered the Reverse Duck Jibe.
Duck Tack. Carve upwind instead of downwind to end this as a tack. You will stop planing, so this is identical to the light wind version.
Step 6: New school exits: Funnel and Switch Kono.
Do the Fu. If you pop the board and turn the nose downwind, you'll start a Funnel. But a Funnel is a 540 degree turn - you add a 360 after jumping the board around 180 degrees. When starting out, you don't have to add the 360 - just jump the board 180 degrees, and then sail away. This is the equivalent of a Vulcan, but you're in regular stance here, so sailing away should be easier. Nobody else does it that way, but that's because everyone else has learned the Vulcan first, and then the Spock and Spock 540, so they are already good at sliding backwards through more turns. I don't know what this move is called, but since it's the first 1/3rd of the Funnel, we'll take the first 1/3 of the name, too, and call it the Fu.
Funnel. After you recovered from the initial shock that you managed to jump the board around and were able to sail away from it, it's time to learn sliding backwards. Then, add a 360 turn. Check the videos how to do this, I don't really have a clue.
Switch Kono. If you played around with the Kaino crash in step 2 above, you may have a pretty good idea what to do. I really don't so I'll leave this for another post in the future.
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Maybe I wrote this entire post mainly for myself. The approach above does not make any sense for the typical new school freestyler - a young, wild, and most likely blond windsurfer hell-bend on jumping, and without any fear. I'm an older guy, closer to 60 than to 50, with much better light wind freestyle than high wind freestyle, even though I sail much more in high wind than in light winds. I may have managed to keep my gut from expanding too much in the past three decades, but my inner chicken definitely has grown - grown to a size that may be incomprehensible to a 25-year old. But when I look around at an ABK camp, I often see other guys of a similar age, with similar skill sets, and (presumably) similar familiarity of the Fear Factor. So perhaps this post might prove useful to someone else, after all.
I've been windsurfing for more than 30 years, although this includes several multi-year periods where I did not windsurf at all. I got really hooked again a few years ago, after getting married to my lovely windsurfing wife, and starting to take ABK clinics. ABK also introduced us to windfoiling, which then led to winging. We mainly wing and windsurf on Cape Cod, with regular trips to places all over the world.
