First time at Buckroe

We had great forecast for Saturday. Warm 65 degree SE wind starting in the upper teens and building into the mid to upper 20's and shifting southward. Now there aren't very many really good SE launches for an early intermediate windsurfer around here, especially one who is struggling with the waterstart.


I basically had 4 launches to choose from...

1. Buckroe, this place is as close to ocean sailing as I am comfortable with right now. It is deep right off the beach, open water and It's been known to have some pretty intimidating shore break. The positive is that there will be plenty of sailors around.

2. Anderson Park which is shallow, choppy and directly onshore in SE wind. Pretty safe but it may have the remnants of old pier pilings waiting to ruin your day as you parallel the shore. It also might be lonely.

3. York River Seafood which is an awesome SE launch, big water feel from being at the mouth of the river and no shore break for a side on launch. This would have been my choice but I would have ended up sailing alone.

4. Messick Point on the north shore of the Back River directly across from Factory Point. This
place is similar to Factory Pt. but deeper water.


After much deliberation Glenn talked me into giving Buckroe a shot. I Figured I'd learn how to deal with small shore break and work on waterstarting. When I got there Glenn was already out on a 5.2. I rigged up my 5.1, pulled the Cross 102 off the truck and prepared myself for a new experience. During the rigging process a bunch of sailors showed up. I introduced myself to the many John's, Bill, Wayne, another Chris, Derek, aka Dman, aka wind killer, Pete, the owner of Beach Sports, Keith and a few others sailors. I talked to Derek extensively about waterstarting while we were rigging. He offered to give me a hand and give an impromptu lesson in the water.

I donned my wetsuit and carried my gear on down to the beach. Glenn gave me some pointers on how to get out through the shore break, not that there was much but still enough to cause problems for someone who hasn't done it before. Then Derek walked me through the waterstart process again on the beach. He recommended that I stay close, practice the start in one direction sail 50 feet or so drop off, position and restart back to the beach. He recommended I not go to much farther so I wouldn't end up drifting through the pier or wash up on the rock jetty on the other side. After he mentioned that, doubt started to creep into my mind. The last thing I want to do is bust my gear up. I kept thinking back to the post John G put up about his gear crunching Buckroe experience just a few weeks earlier.

I made up my mind, I wasn't going to chicken out now. I worked my rig out through the waves keeping the sail flying and pointing the nose of the board into the wave face, seemed pretty easy. I forgot how chilly 60 degree water was in cheap wetsuit. Once we were deep enough Derek demonstrated the start. He gave me many tips the big one being... in breaking waves get the sail flying as soon as possible then sail steer the board into position to start.

The first attempt for me was nearly successful until a wave knocked me off just as I was getting up. I tried again and success!! I sailed out dropped off the board and went to position for the return. I got the sail flying immediately kicked the board around with my feet. I tried to get the board to point across the wind but I couldn't get it to do what I wanted. I tried using the mastfoot pressure to complete the board positioning but for whatever reason I just couldn't make it work. If tried to reach for the board with my feet or hands the sail would depower and the clew would sink. It was the same results I always get when I've tried waterstarting in rough water. I always end up fighting the gear to get it in position to start. Getting up is usually not the problem although I do have a tendency to round the board up into the wind on occasion. If I try to compensate for it and try to point off the wind that is when I get pulled over the board. While I was struggling to get up I was also drifting toward the beach so the waves were getting more difficult to manage.

The board and rig got away from me so Derek came back out and gave more advice.... When you fall off close in get control of the rig. The board will be fine but the clew of the boom or your mast can hit bottom. If a wave hits when they are on the bottom it can break either one. Even in the small stuff. For what is supposed to be an easy Buckroe day I sure am getting a lot of info about how not to end up with broken gear. I walk/swim the gear a little deeper and try to head out again.

To sum it up I struggled a lot, wore myself out not just from positioning the gear but also swimming in the waves. I finally came in, walked my gear back to where I started and took a breather.

While I was on the beach I took some photos, I also noticed the wind was all over the place in terms of strength one minute the sand was blowing down the beach the next minute there was barely enough wind to keep the flag flying or the windsurfers moving for that matter. Watching the veterans was kind of comical, everyone would be on shore talking about "I'm going to rig bigger, I'm going to put on a bigger fin, I think I might try a larger board." They would make their changes and Blow would come up. The ensuing mad dash to the beach looked like the start of a track meet. They would get out fly around in every state from grossly overpowered to barely schlogging. Then come back in and contemplate more changes to the gear. Poor Pete rigged three different times and tried two different boards the conditions changed so much that he just couldn't hit on the right combination.

I did get back out an try a few more waterstarts but the up and down nature of the wind made it even more difficult than the first attempt so I gave up again after a few tries. I was told I was doing everything right and to keep at it. I guess there is something small in the mechanics of what I'm doing that is preventing success. The wind slacked up, 15 to 18 mph, for an extended period of time so I figured I'd grab the Hifly and make a few runs so I could at least do some sailing. As I headed to the truck to grab the board and fin it, the wind ramped back up and became even gustier than it previously had been. Every one headed out again for what would be the last hurrah. I knew it would be a rough ride on the big board so I chose not to go through with taking it out. When the crew came back in I heard many comments that the gustiness was unusual for Buckroe that Wiloughby might have been better today. I couldn't believe my ears. To some around here that is sacrilege as Wiloughby is known for its gusty conditions. Good thing Keith had already derigged and left. He may have had something to say about that.

I never did actually sail but I'm not going to complain. I got my first taste of Buckroe, learned a little about getting in and out in small waves and met a bunch of new people. The weather wasn't all that bad the rain stayed away except for a couple sprinkles. We were even rewarded with a nice rainbow to end the session. I'm going to get me a better wetsuit and wait for the next wind event.

Glenn and Derek if you read this thanks for the help!



Glenn on his new 5.2

Dman nicely powered setting up a Jibe


Keith spraying Derek. He blew the jibe right after he did this.
Karma....

Pete & Glenn


The gear was tired, it needed rest.


8 sailors letting it rip



John H.

Bill and the rainbow. (I think that's Bill??)

Nice wide angle photo of the Rainbow.

Photographer: Glenn W

Awesome day at Factory Point and a First.....

for me.

(Edit...Content added Tue 12:40am)


Today a couple things happened. It was a Saturday, it was sunny, there was a breeze and I didn't have anything to do. Perfect day to go windsurfing!!!!!


I had decided against a weekend trip down to Hatteras where good wind was forecast, a swap meet was planned and Mr. Naish himself was due to make an appearance. Instead I headed over to Factory Point, the most Hatteras like venue in our area.


On the way there a guy in a Trailblazer SUV about 7 cars ahead of me must have decided some excitement was in order so he proceeded to run off the inside shoulder of the Interstate at 70 mph. If that wasn't enough he then over corrected and spun his car completely around in the middle of both lanes coming to a stop sideways in the middle of the road. Amazingly no one hit him as we all made very abrupt and evasive braking maneuvers. It took him a few seconds to get his senses together and pull his vehicle to the shoulder. I guess everything was alright because as we all started moving again he slowly came back up to speed and rejoined the flow of traffic.


Once I arrived at Factory Point I found a couple sailors already on the water most were on 6 to 7 meter sails. There were also a couple kiters. The forecast called for the wind to be in the 17 to 22 mph range so I rigged a KA 5.8 anticipating an increase in wind speed. I did pretty well on that sail considering I should have been on a 6.5 or better. Most were sailing gingerly as the tide was really low and this spot is notorious for catching fins on a low tide. I sailed along without any trouble on the twinser Hifly. A couple sailors found the ENE wind direction prefect for speed runs along an old boat channel that parallels the spit and island. Pete had his GPS and recorded a speed of 28 mph, pretty darn good considering the wind wasn't gusting over 17 at the time. I think these guys might have found a positive for sailing this spot when the tide is low on easterly winds.


The wind didn't build, it actually dropped into the 13 to 17 range so I went in and rigged up a 7.8. Most of the others had already packed it in, sail size and water depth were the issues. Three of us, Doug, Javier and I did stay and continued sailing. I had a blast I felt really comfortable planning in the straps so much so that I even tried a couple jibes near shore. Most of the attempts were terrible. Then Javier pulled out his camera and something weird happened. I almost made one. A few more tries while the camera was back safely in its bag ended badly. Then he pulled the camera out again and there it was.... my first completed jibe. I couldn't help but let out a "WooHoo" as I sailed away. Now mind you it wasn't pretty, not even in the realm of textbook, but it was successful. The best part is Javier snapped a photo sequence of it, the entry, mid jibe and the exit. I'm just so stoked that I got my first one and that it was documented.

Here is the sequence. Thanks Javier.

Man I need a hair cut!!





I also found that the sub planing sailing I did in Hatteras during vacation did pay off. I was able to optimize sail trim so I could get planning sooner and stay on plane when the wind would back off.I believe there is something to be said for sub planing sailing and using it to improve your skills.

Here is a little video of me doing just that






Here are a couple more photos I took.
Click to enlarge all photos




This one I noticed the broken boom










Photo by Javier....
Doug dialed-in on his 7.0 and mid-90's vintage 130-liter Mistral Explosion. This was after the rest of the crew left for the day.



Pete's GPS tracks. The tracks to the east were where the speed runs were occurring. The combination of the sandbar and low tide smoothed out the water. The small channel they were running provided enough depth for the fins.
Note the high upwind angle he was able to achieve from the launch at the bottom out to the island... on slalom gear!! Also note the course deflection on the long reach from the tidal current flowing through the main channel.


This used to be a nice sail boat. Obviously it still floats, it showed up here about a week ago. I wonder if this was the one stranded in the marsh after Hurricane Isabel? Could be they are using the inexpensive old time method of intentionally grounding the boat to do hull maintenance.






The social scene.


C-130 doing a grid pattern the earlier pass he went right over us.

Missed it.......

This week, well actually the last two weeks, had several days in a row of good wind during the middle and latter part of each week. This week was by far the windier of the two thanks to the subtropical low that spun off the coast.


Friday, Sep 26, 2008


Thursday, Sep 25, 2008


Wednesday, Sep 24, 2008


Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008


Monday, Sep 22, 2008



I unfortunately missed every single day due to work. Normally I can adjust the schedule to accommodate at least a half day but not this time. Even had to work a good part of Thursday in the subtropical downpours. I can only hope for some wind Karma to come my way in the near future.




This guy did get out and even got some positive local news coverage.
Look at Thursday's graph to see the conditions. Nice job Keith.




Video link




I did get a chance to catch a little wind last Saturday morning at Factory Point. It wasn't spectacular like it had been the previous two days. I was on a 6.7 but I should have had my 7.8. (note to self.... don't rely on the forecast when loading the truck.) A longboard could have been helpful too, That has to be next on my wish list along with a new wetsuit, sails, trip to exotic WS destination.... Ok now I'm dreaming.


The 10 or so other sailors that showed rigged anything from low 6 to mid 8. Everyone had a similar experience, plane some, schlog some, turn around and do it again in reverse... except for Pete, the guy on the Kona 11.5 and the kite couple from Richmond, they were killing it. Here are some photos.



Lisa

John

Waterstart practice

Pete


Lisa's husband on the Kona 11.5







C-130 Taking off from Langley.
I thought the vapor trails of the props were cool.





The new strap position on the Hifly did work a whole lot better than the previous configuration but it looks like it may be a little while before I get to test it in more consistent conditions as the forecast for the next seven days does not look too good. The bright side is the Fall frontal winds should be arriving soon.

This weekend I met Hanna.

This weekend was an eventful one. RIR hosts the final Nextel Cup race before Chase the first Saturday night in September. It is one of the events I look forward to all summer. It ends up being a "Guys day". We go to the track early to tailgate. We grill some good food, drink beer and take in the sights. The sights are usually worth the price of the ticket. There is something about racing, alcohol and warm weather that lowers the inhibitions and brings out the exhibitionists. It is great fun and gets better when the drinkers inevitably go from just being drunk to being stupid drunk. I think of it as a people watchers paradise.


This year Hanna paid us a visit. No, I'm not referring to a woman at the track I'm referring to Tropical storm Hanna. She arrived Friday afternoon and commenced to stop all race activity till Sunday afternoon. It was actually a blessing because I would be able to try some high wind sailing. It may seem stupid that a person of my limited skill would look forward to sailing in a tropical storm but how else do you improve if you don't push the envelope. Of course I always take proper safety precautions. Don't sail alone, flotation vest even though the water was shallow, sail in safe location, etc... I even went out and got a helmet just in case.


The really good local sailors headed out early to catch the Southerly winds at Buckroe beach. A place that is well beyond my skill level. I held back a bit and waited till around noon. I knew that as the storm center got closer and the wind would start to shift and allow me to sail at Factory Point, one of the safer launches, in extreme conditions.


I did drive by Buckroe on my way to Factory Pt. just to see what it was like and to snap some photos of the action. The winds were SSW averaging 25 to 30 when I took these shots.

Click photos to enlarge




Unfortunately for me the crew that was there earlier had already packed up and headed home so I didn't get any action shots. There wasn't a whole lot of post session chatter but what I did read was this. (Please bear with me as this is my interpretation of the cypher.) The conditions were extreme it was all or nothing, no time to be timid. Some made it, some didn't, some ended up with busted gear.


When I showed up at Factory Pt. I expected there to be some people out sailing. Not a soul was there. The wind here was slightly offshore and really strong. It was averaging 28 mph on my handheld anemometer. There was no way I was going out alone so I sat around and waited. After about an hour A couple people showed up, looked at the conditions and determined it to be to strong and off shore for them and headed back home.


I really wanted to sail so I waited a little longer hoping the wind would drop off or someone else would show up. About 3:30 there was a message on the Letsrig mailing list from Alexander looking for a place to sail. I relayed the conditions where I was, now WSW averaging 28 and continuing to clock more west. While I was waiting for him to show the wind went due west and increased averaging 35 with gusts well over 40 for a good 20 minutes. I was thinking that I wouldn't get the chance to sail at all because there would be no way I could hold down my smallest sail, a 4.1 in those winds.

35mph average on the Back river



This is the highest windspeed I recorded. several much stronger gusts rocked the truck while I waited.





The winds did start to come back down and another sailor showed up. Craig was traveling through on his way to Myrtle Beach, SC. and decided to stop based on what he had read on the WET website regarding this launch. Alexander and John Quinn drove up in quick succession. Now it was on, 3 of us rigged our 4m sails and John rigged 4.5. Craig was the first out and it looked like the sail choice was right.


Craig setting up for a Jibe



Alexander


John finishing rigging his 4.5
Almost forgot the fin.
John did well holding down the 4.5 and even had it bagged out by the end of the session.



I first tried my Cross 102. I beach started and immediately went for the straps, the tail sunk the fin dug into the sand bottom and the wind dumped me. I tried again. This time I'll try to plane first then get in the straps then hook in. That attempt ended with and explosion of spray as the sail was ripped out of my hands by a gust as I blasted across the water. Next attempt plane, hook in, then straps. Result, catapult before I could get to the straps. I decided I didn't want to destroy my board so I headed back to the launch for a board change. I was dunked twice on the way back in but did manage to sail in control a good bit of the way, no straps or harness I just kept hanging off the boom like a monkey.


I grabbed my big board the 145L plastic Hifly Matrix, put the smallest fins I had on it and set out again. I know you might be thinking... More volume in those conditions???? I did this because I was told by a wise instructor to sail what I am comfortable on when trying something new. Now I'm not one to take baby steps so I had to at least try to use the smaller board first. The problem was I could have gotten in more sailing had I heeded his advice.


On the Matrix I still had the same problem, every time I went for the straps I would explode into the water. I went back to the beach and moved the straps to the novice position and problem solved. Made a couple runs, completed some tacks even attempted a jibe or two, all with only a few minor crashes. John did give me some high wind sailing advice before I got on the water that really helped. He told me to sheet in the sail instead of out to spill power in the gusts. It worked like a charm. I was starting to get comfortable but the wind was getting holey and the water was getting pretty shallow so it was time to call it a day. It was pretty cool though. I can now say I've sailed a Tropical Storm and I also got to use my 4.1 sail. Alexander mentioned it was good that I got to use it because it's the sail most likely to collect dust around here.


Just before we left we did spot a couple people sailing the Messick Point launch and I snapped these photos. Don't know who they are but they were flying across the water.

( Edit: 1 sailor identified, Dave T. )






There were a couple things that I learned. First, the over sheeting advice from John for sailing high winds was priceless.

Second, and I have to thank James for pointing this out as I certainly would have left the board at home. For learning something new or sailing in different conditions than your use to, it may be better to use a board that you are comfortable with rather than one that is more in line with the conditions. Now this may only be true in this specific instance because of the boards design or because of the venue but it was definately easier to sail the big board. The reason I say the venue might have helped is because even though the wind was upper 20's to mid 30's the chop and swell didn't get to bad.

That brings me to the third thing Factory Point is definitely a friendly venue especially if you are working on improving you skills. Just be mindful of the tides because of shallow water.




We did get to enjoy the race on Sunday. The tailgating was not nearly as fun as usual because of the midday start and the absence of my friends Rick and Frank. They both had to work Sunday so the postponement was bad news for them, fortunately they didn't have to eat the cost of tickets. The biggest disappointment other than Johnson winning, was having to listen to the Cleveland Browns get beat by the Cowboys while sitting completely stopped in post race traffic for 2 hours.

Vacation is over

--This is a double post. The older new post is just below this one. I got lazy and didn't plug the photos into the previous post till now--

All in all it was just what I needed as far as R&R. The wind definitely could have been better though. On Thursday, After I wrote the previous post I was blessed with 3 hours of planning wind. Once the storm cleared out we got some gusty SE in the 14 to 18 range and I even got use my 6.7 instead of the 7.8. That evening we went to our friends house for part two of our 8th annual seafood night. We bought way too much food for the previous night so we had to do it again.

Friday the wind was again light so we packed up the 4x4 and headed out to the beach nearest Hatteras inlet. I haven't done this in a couple years, I had forgotten how much fun it is. The surf was a blast to play in. The larger waves came in around 3 feet. The area where we were had a gentle sloping bottom and the tide was low. That combination allowed for some pretty good rides for the kids on the boogie boards.

ORV

That evening when we got back to the house there was a little wind, S 12 to 15. I grabbed the 7.8 again and made a few runs on the Hifly. Since the Cross hadn't been wet all week I put the 7.8 on it just to see what would happen. 7.8 is the largest recommended sail for the 102l Cross so I didn't have much hope of it doing anything with the 9.5 Surfgrass fin on it. Once the board got some forward momentum (schlogging) it just wanted to go upwind. I was really expecting to have to walk the board back upwind with the smallish fin and big sail. Strange thing was it actually schlogged upwind better than the Hifly with the 7.8 and twin 29 cm weed fins. I went ahead and sailed out to where the wind was stronger on my previous runs. Unfortunately the wind had dropped off so I couldn't get the board to plane up. Being that the wind was light I tried to tack the board to get back in. With the big sail on the small board naturally I fell in. I struggled for 15 minutes trying to get sailing again. I was bound and determined that I was not going to walk/swim the board back the 1/2 mile or so I sailed. The wind was too light to do a deep water beach start and the sail was to big to uphaul on that board. I'm sure with practice I could do it though. Finally I caught enough of a gust to mount the board. With great effort and what felt like a hula dance I was able to get enough momentum to get balanced and sail back to shore. I had to push hard with the rig to make the board go downwind, I managed to sail within 50 yds of my launch area. I would have never imagined having to do a downwind walk but that's what happened.

One of the other great things about being on Hatteras Island is the abundance of wildlife. The number of small crabs scurrying about after the rain surprised me. The kids found turtles, hermit crabs, skates and even had a water snake swim much too close while wadding in the sound. I saw a small sand shark swim by while in the ocean. There were numerous species of seabirds including the resident ducks and a crane. There was a possible Sasquatch sighting, we even had a Hornet doing ariel maneuvers directly behind us over the sound.

For those of you who don't believe in evolution here is the proof.

Sorry, I know I shouldn't poke fun at anyone but I couldn't resist.

FA-18 Hornet out of Oceana doing dog fighting maneuvers

I thought this Old growth juniper was pretty cool to look at.

It would make a great jigsaw puzzle.