Utah Windriders Association

Before the sesh at the parking lot, we had a visitor, a very well aged old guy totaly stoked to get into the sport. While he was schooling me on why we wont get any wind today, I watched the wind line creep around the corner. Great wind today, smooth, consistant and ripe for the pickin. Flying 17m again overerpowered as usuall, I rode all day stomping a couple of tricks i've been working on. Of course Billy was there to show me how it's really done. Vicky was looking Great on the 9m Waroo and one other cat I cant racall his name. Pains me alittle to have to ask Bordy for props on my sesh, but it only pushes me harder to progress.

aw yes yet another steller day at DC Chris and I flew 13 instinct with plenty of power to jumpspin and stuff while Vicky rocked 9m and had plenty of power to stay up wind all day of course Dave would have nothing to do with the 13 and flew 17 way over powered. Some how Dave still managed to pull some great spining jumps. Plenty of lookey loos in the parking lot as always. Daves right it was fun to have a "old school windsurfer" stop by to tell us about why he stopped windsurfing DC a decade ago becuase the wind was so fickle. We tried to convince this guy that DC blows great for kiting and that most days windsurfers are on the beach while we are out kiting since we can ride in about 8-10 knots. He then let us know based on his time on deer creek that there would be no wind at all, we waited 20 minutes after he left(with kite info) then went kiting! go Figure. We will be at DC again "praying" for wind. Super nice day no booties or gloves for me some of the smootest wind at DC all year, matter of fact the past4 or 5 session at DC have been some of the smoothest wind I have ever ridden there!

So good..........oh yea mad props to dave on his ses he has been killin it!

Billy,

It's the conventional wisdom that kiters can make use of lighter wind than poleboarders, but like much conventional wisdom, it's not entirely accurate. The reason you see so few windsurfers on light wind days is that so few of us are properly equipped for really light conditions; given a big enough board (e.g. a Formula board) and a really big sail (8.5-9.5m^2 for a 60 kg sailor like me, 11-12m^2 for normal-size guys) we, too, can plane in 8-10 knots.

BTW, I agree that the wind has been exceptionally smooth (if a bit light) recently. See you on the water this afternoon if it blows!

http://homepage.mac.com/jsouthwick/PhotoAlbum107.html

memo to Bordy: ever seen Carl C tear up DC in NO wind on his iSonic? no kiters around! Glad to see you prosletyzing the common folk old guy windsufers, we need a kick in the ass sometimes. Then again the remaining windsurfers at DC are The Insurgency. Go have your fun, we'll toil and rig gigantic sails and wear out our aging bodies just to show the flag (or sail in this case). Jim does 25-50 miles on good days, frequently in very light wind. Next year the water level will incease the odds of good wind, we're not giving up just yet. The kiter energy is great though, come on over to IB and wake us up from our naps once in awhile please...

Billy, does the wind at DC last later into the evening this time of year? The absolute earliest i can be there on weekdays is 4:00. Kind of got tired of showing up there at 4 (earlier in the season) just to watch everyone coming in off the water saying "that was great, you just missed it". from recent posts, seems like the wind, when it blows, stays on 'til dusk this time of year. is that true?

Jason,
The answer to your question is "yes, sometimes." Wind data recorded about 2 km downwind of DarkSide Beach: http://homepage.mac.com/jsouthwick/PhotoAlbum107.html

nice graphics Jim, they really tell the story. it makes my records look pretty primitive. and these recent graphs help encourage those of us who can't be there at 1pm.
yes, my experience agrees. there are a lot more rides to be had up until sunset than you might think.
as for the old schooler wind riders, they don't necessarily realize that things really have gotten a lot better in the last 5 years. if you look at 2002, the 90's, or, for that matter, the 80's, it took a lot of courage to look at vague predictors and then pack up the gear, risking skunk after skunk in the ever elusive quest to get rides. those guys, and sometimes i was one of them, really got beaten down and their enthusiasms crushed on the rocks over and over trying to be there when it was good. but they kinda paved the road to today.
it's still not always easy. we all get skunked. the light wind technologies, weather stations, and lake cams solve 80% or more of the battle. meanwhile,cheers to those early wind warriors for carrying the load so long, although some may have paid by losing their capacity for wind dependent riding.
although i'm not kiting some of my friends are kiters, or know kiters, or have seen kiters or whatever. where was i? oh yeah, the kiters are definitely contributing with their posts and i appreciate it. there are a number of reasons i still sail and one of them has been the ability to sail quickly in light wind and enjoy it. the kites are well suited to similar conditions so it's great to have them on board. and now days they seem to have more free time to be on the water to let us know when it's time to go. Bordy seems to be a regular on the forum, thanks. i'll try to add my 2c more often, it may help somebody, including an old schooler, gauge for himself.