J-Bay, Wednesday 8.30

[Carl Christensen]

The weather talkers for Deer Creek were indicating gusty conditions, like 5-30 and 15-40 mph, not surprising when you look at the obstructive topography surrounding the lake, so I went to J-Bay hoping the flow would be a bit more laminar.

Ralph was already there, making it look easy on the 5.7 and recommended 7.0. I gambled with the trusty 9.0 and went out on the Hypersonic in hopes of shooting through any lulls although a 7.2 and my Carve 99 would have been a ton of fun for sure. Ralph was right, somebody pushed the wind switch. It ended up being more than enough. In fact, there were a few deep runs off the wind that were completely wound up, eyes closed through the bigger sprays and glad to remain upright, just shy of disaster.

The puff fingers kept coming and filled the whole lake over and over. In the lulls gusty fingers of wind scraped the water's surface and were anywhere from 5-500 yards wide. Kiters hate that no doubt. Pole boards can take it and have a blast on the rides but the knuckles go white from time to time.

When a dark cloud formed to the west I called it and derigged before things got weird although another sailor went out. For a while conditions didn't change. Then the thunderhead boiled closer and he went from east west rides to due north south on a west that was being generated by the semi behaved microburst. Dust was blowing off the tops of the Deer Valley plots by the lake. Sand, tumble weeds and debris whipped through the parking lot. When the sailor came in I fired up and left.

All in all a bit of a thrill session. Today we are all looking for the buff puff super smooth at UL Center Street Provo Boat Harbor. Nothing like it here in the red state. Ah, Provo, such swell swell. I'll wait until it proclaims itself at the Provo Airport and then head down for post frontal dessert.

[Carl Christensen]

Some of the models look better at UL today and some tomorrow. My bet is today but you won't find me going until it shows. Hopefully by late afternoon.

[MikE mAy]

i saw you guys out there getting it. i was temped to blow up my kite until i got the wind meter out. i read a steady 12 with many huge gusts. one even caught a 28 on my small handheld meter. i thought better. i just flew my grey trainer on the beach for while. the wind picked up even more so i got my harness. i got some air time resistance on my 2.0 meter trainer on a few gusts and even had to blow to safety line on a large gust whilst i was in the middle of a kiteloop.

good to see somebody getting it though...