Provo Boat Harbor kiddie pool, 4.0

[DimitriMilovich]

Decided to try the Boat Harbor to see how the swells would be. Spent a while touring the jetties to figure out where to launch. It was absolutely ferocious - big waves, spray going sideways, breaking over the rocks on both jetties. Really well-shaped rollers, though. Utah Airport had recorded 24 gusting to 35, but it was more like 35 gusting to 40. Launching off the rip-rap looked like instant destruction for my gear (and me), plus there was no one outside. Met up with Shaun from Lindon, who was coming in after a 4.0 sesh on what he called the "kiddie pool", inside of the jetties. Went out on my 4.0, flailed trying to remember how to jibe small gear, came back in to flatten my sail, then got some coherent rides. Planned on warming up then carrying my stuff over to a small ramp on the south jetty just by the end of the kiddie pool road and launching into the Provo river flow, but about 6:15 it started to die. Rigged my 4.7, then thought about my 5.5, then checked SLC airport, and it had dropped to 7 mph so called it. When I left around 7:00, it was 7.5. Saw that it came up again at SLC much later. Probably blew hard again into the night.

That's a great place for beginners/intermediates to sail, by the way. Really warm water, good launch, but there are a few broken bushes and some rocks underneath so booties and caution needed.

[Josh Shirley]

Dimitri

3 ways to get out of the Harbor.

1 - tack out. It will make a man out of you.

2 - launch in the river, pretty easy, expect freeze cold water for 100 meters.

3 - park at the end of the south jetty near the turn around. launch on the south side in the wave shadow. (this is my ideal spot) The rocks are broken down enough now to be able to get in and out easily.

[DimitriMilovich]

Josh, dude, with all respect, yesterday you would have been dreaming on options 1 and 3, and/or you're a better man than I anyway.

Tacking was right out because of the wind direction and swell size, unless your name is Carl, and you're on a slalom board with a big fin. Robby Naish could have done a short board tack right in the opening, then would have had a port tack out that was doable, I think.

Launching in the lee of the turnaround, which I seriously considered for a half-second, would've been a gear trasher. Enough swell, big rocks, and 40 mph winds would have made just going swimming without injury a big adventure. It was hard enough just to walk around out on the jetty. Carrying the gear on the road would have been difficult for an pre-geezer guy like me, let alone launching! (wait, but then again, you do sell insurance, don't you? This may be an opportunity...)

I liked option 2, though, and was going to try that program, but the wind backed off.

[Carl Christensen]

"Josh, Dude", ha ha ha, that's the funniest thing I've heard all day Dimitri. Josh is right those are the main options, but I agree, option 2 is what I choose on those days. Some folks seem to be able to hold their gear in 40 mph gusts while tippy toeing down slippery rip rap but not me. Tacking out the gap is a PITA because you spend 10 min in an ever tightening pin ball imitation as the swell intensifies in the most difficult section.

On windy days I usually can get my sail up in the river and then drift out to with the current and wind to the windline. Then after sailing I either do my port tack French speed ditch imitation straight up the river as far as I can go, best when the water is only chest deep or less so you can walk against the current if you don't make it. Otherwise, get upwind after a sesh on the outside to the mouth of the forebay to sail victoriously downwind into protected waters just like Gilligan and the Skipper before their 3 hour tour.

It is not clear what the engineers were thinking when they put the mouth of the harbor directly open to the strongest wind and waves the lake sees and it certainly kills it for us. For years I have said they should have left the south west corner open, not the northwest one. Maybe there is some good reason they didn't. Too close to the river mouth? Whatever. It would be easy to change, just transport 30 yards of rip rap from one spot to the other, preferably on a calm day. Meanwhile the other option that is nice is when the lake gets low enough to expose the sand beaches south of the south jetty. Cross you fingers for drought or just wait as population grows so that more water gets used before it gets to the lake and levels drop. Apparently the lake was dry for a bit in the 30's.

For now the swell is better at PBH but is trumped by the grassy rigging and straightforward launch at Pelican, plus there's more folks to sail with there.