5-28-11, UL, Saratoga, 5.5/85L, 5.2/109L

[kenonstott]

Penny’s reactions to such adventures alternates between I should act my age and someone your age should be smart enough to… But always inspired by youngster John Freed, off we went for another adventure. The predictions that it would happen late were frustrating and ended up being dead on. It was after 5:00 before we got there. 1st time I have rigged in a rain coat. Even at the late time the wind was just starting to build making it hard to pick a sail size. My 5.5 ended up being on the ragged edge right from the start but the 85L board helped. John’s 5.2 was a better choice but he was spooked by some up and down wind when we 1st got there and took his 109L board. Better than an hour of frantic wind with heroic jibes and plenty of crashes. It sprinkled most of the time which hurt the cheeks. We finally quit a little after 7:00 when the wind got so strong we couldn’t make the outside jibes (interpret as too scared to try in 35 mph gusts) and the rain started coming down hard. Packed up in our wetsuits in a downpour. We were smiling that we got a sesh during such a dismal weekend and were glad we survived. Wild waves and wind with water temps definitely warmer than Grants. The only downsides besides the rain were the incomplete revamp of the parking lot (this will be a plus when they are done) and the reeds stirred up by the storm.