Lightwind Kit

Well, I finally bit the bullet and have invested in a sweet light-wind setup.
Check out this beast.



5.5" of bliss...

PFD's for Windsurfers in Canada?

Transport Canada legislates lifejacket/Personal Floatation Device (PFD) use for windsurfers in Canada via it's Small Vessel Regulations. It IS the law, punishable by $255 in fines if caught without a PFD... and this has happened before, in a number of places in Canada. The marine police units know the laws and are enforcing them.

We've debated this with Transport Canada for eons. Once again, the SVR is up for review and this is yet another opportunity to let TC know what we think about mandatory PFD use.

Links:
- current Small Vessel Regulations
- Safe Boating Guide
- proposed Small Vessel Regulations

Included in these regulations of course, are the following usual general provisions (summarized) for windsurfers:
- Clause 204(1): Sailboards need to carry PFDs, life saving appliances, vessel safety equipment and fire protection equipment.
- Clause 204(2): Sailboarders cannot use auto-inflating lifejackets.
- Clause 219: As long as sailboarders are WEARING their PFD, as opposed to just strapping it around the mast or boom, sailboards are exempt from the silly unreasonable stuff - life saving appliances (15m of bouyannt rope, flashlight and flares), vessel safety equipment (a paddle or anchor) and fire protection equipment (fire extinguisher).

During 2003, Windsurfing Canada (WC) took a fairly aggressive approach to dealing with the previous revisions and made considerable effort to have sailboards essentially de-legislated, with the primary intent to allow choice for boardsailors with respect to PFD use. At one point in time, we were even successful, a subsequent draft of the SVR had sailboards essentially removed from the regulations. However, near the last minute (2005), upon recommendations from the Ontario Recreational Boating Advisory Council (ORBAC), legislation was returned to its former glory and the result: continued legislated PFD use.

2003 Windsurfing Canada report on PFD's

You may also be interested in what others think. Probably the most significant supporting document is that prepared by the US Windsurfing Association (USWA)

1991 Updated USWA Report on PFD's

If you are as passionate about this issue as I am, or even halfway so, please consider writing to the gentleman in charge of the revisions and acting as liaison with the public and various organizations with respect to alterations to the proposed SVR:

Kevin Monahan
Project Manager
Regulatory Services and Quality Assurance (AMSX)
Transport Canada, Marine Safety
Place de Ville, Tower C
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N8
Telephone: 613-998-8207
Fax: 613-991-5670
Email: kevin.monahan@tc.gc.ca

In any correspondence to TC, be sure to quote Canada Gazette, Part I, revisions dated Ottawa, April 2, 2009, published on April 25th, 2009.
Comments are due in writing by May 25, 2009.

If there are any other sailors out there who feel that PFD use should be their own personal choice, I highly recommend writing a letter or email to TC to support alterations to the proposed changes to the Small Vessel Regulations.

An Amateur Freestyler's Take on Stubby Fins

I experimented quite a bit last year with a chopped-down stubby freestyle fin. I took a pretty big old MFC Freestyle fin and chopped it down to 18cm, then ground back the material so it wasn't quite so thick and stiff. I sailed this quite a bit with my 105L Goya X1 and sail size from 4.7 to 5.3, mostly over a two week stay in Cape Hatteras in spring 2008. Here is my verdict.

First off, some background: I am old and stiff. Being from Kingston, time on the water is limited and this only contributes to being stuck in the slow-lane on freestyle progression. I've been sticking vulcans for years and spocks & grubbies for several, but quite inconsistently. I am working on tricks like flakas and shakas, and continue to put in the hours on the spocks/540's and grubbies. So, while I am working hard on spinny flat-water freestyle tricks, I am not a pro and not going for extra rotations... never mind switch stance, clew-first or one-handed.

My diagnosis is this: First and foremost, getting and staying upwind becomes a challenge. Why is this a problem? Well, maybe it's just me, but as a freestyler, I find there is considerable benefit to being on the smallest sail possible, yet sufficient to get me planing. So - ultimately, this translates to being under- to moderately powered, but rarely overpowered. Hence, already the lower power available dictates that upwind sailing will not be straightforward. Throw on a stubby fin and there is significantly compromised ability to angle upwind during reaches. What I have noticed however is that because of these apparent limitations, it vastly changes ones stance and approach to getting upwind. The standard approach tends to be pressuring the fin to deliver and maintain that upwind angle. However, with the stubby fin, you tend to adapt your style to rely much more on the rail of the board to cut in and grab the water to help you keep your board angled up wind.

One might ask: Why do you need to go upwind? The answer for that is easy. Watch any pro video of almost any modern freestyle move and you will immediately notice that they are executed on a downwind reach, anywhere from subtle (spocks) to extreme (ponches). So, if you are doing relatively short reaches to maximize your transitions (when and where you get to try your tricks), then you spend an awful lot of time heading downwind in the transitions and aggressively upwind in the reaches. I suppose that is why freestylers might tend to upset the standard back-and-forthers (BAFs) out there - we are all over the frickin' place!

Secondly, did the fin help me with my moves? Short answer is no, it did not. While a massive slalom or freeride fin (25-30cm) in that same board would create significant spin-control issues, I typically run a 23cm MFC freestyle fin anyway. In the spectrum of fins, freestyle fins are generally on the small side already. So, the typical 23cm fin I use doesn't really discourage board spin like say a 28cm swept slalom fin does. Note that I have actually played on the odd board with a slalom fin since my spock days and you really, REALLY have to watch out for how fast those fins re-catch and want to spin the board once you are sliding backwards. This is actually quite dangerous, since if you don't spin your intial airborn part of the spock around enough, it is almost as likely that the fin will catch and the board will want to spin back the way you came!! This can result in 'rotini-body' and excrutiating back, leg and ankle twist. Even when you do spin enough and the rotation continues in the intended direction, the board spins very VERY fast. This is definitely a benefit of the relatively small and straight freestyle fins - a sailor has considerably more control over the direction and speed of the boards rotation, or at least, so it seems for me.

So, what is my opinion? Well, with regards to those stubbies - personally, I think they have considerable benefit for sailors at the pro-level, in particular, for those less challenged by the compromise in upwind performance and those needing to 'cut-out' or 'spin-out' the fin to accomplish a second rotation. Certainly, when you look back at the archives on "The Future" and "double-flakas", they are not actually doubles, to be precise - they are often a single spock/flaka with a second on-the-water rotation (not meaning any disrespect - incredible moves far beyond me!). In this situation, obviously a stubby fin is beneficial to make that fin release easy for the second rotation. Nowadays, when you see a triple flaka, like this one by Golitto, he actually gets airborn like a true flaka on two of those three rotations. Incredible really. Now it would seem, the benefit of the shortest fin possible is that it is easier to get it out of the water (as opposed to spinning it out).

Summary: Using a stubby follows a trend that pro's have demonstrated works for them. For the average aspiring freestyler, I don't believe the benefit is worth the trade-off (lack of upwind-ability: less opportunity to try tricks!). Saying that - it is certainly fun to experiment, recycle those old fins and figure out what works for you! Now I wonder what a purpose-built stubby would feel like, perhaps like this little gem in an 18...

Dream Quiver

Yes, I am at work. That doesn't mean I don't day dream... Give me a break eh? It's Monday morning.

I often browse the Quatro and Goya sites and think, if money was no object, what would my dream quiver look like (within reason).

Well, I've figured it out.

First off, I don't race. I don't care about going fast, I just want to ride waves and do tricks. Is that so wrong? I don't think so.

Boards: Definitely need a floaty freestyle board. The 105 Goya X1 is perfect. Love it... Looking forward to updating from my '07 model. Next on the list - probably a mid-size FSW model - I'll take the 2009 Quatro FSW 85 please... Then, for the nice windy days, a Wave 72. That would be plenty - 3 boards to do it all. BUT, if $$ were truly no object, I'd have to get on the band wagon and pick up a 75L twin fin to try, just for that 1 day every year or so when I get to do some real wave sailing ;)


Sails: Easy... I'll take the W3D in 5.7 and down. But, maybe rather than go with the W3D in the tiny sizes, just to mix it up a bit, I'll give the Guru a shot in sub 4.5. Looks good to me.


OK, now that I've got that dream quiver all sorted out, I can go back to work and continue the futility of making $$ no object.

Big Blow... during a big drought.

Going through one of the longest recent-memory windsurfing droughts. Oh man, it's been over two months and will probably be another one before getting out there. Also, for the first year in a long time, this cat will be sailing no new toys... definitely feeling the $$$ crunch of 7wks in Costa Rica and daddyhood - two boys who appear to need food and shelter after all.

Saying that, it blew like shtink here yesterday and tore a good chunk of the solid ice sheet on the Kingston harbour out and away! Amazing, 100% solid just two days ago, now today, half of the ice is gone. Check out the iWind graph. It's a shame these storms don't come in over the summer months!! ARGH! 30-40kts all day, just WASTED!


Check out this shot of the yacht club near Richardson Beach - definitely some massive ice heave as the big southwesterlies push huge ice blocks up and over the KYC revetment. Impressive.

Just imagine what it would have done to the silly groyne that is proposed by the City for Richardson Beach "to improve water access". I suspect that thing would have been deposited on the yacht club's driveway if it had been built last year.

The bright side of this big blow is that the ice is out VERY early this year, which bodes well for some good spring sessions, albeit frickin' cold. Should be fun! Any takers?

Lake Arenal report

Hola from Puerto Viejo. Just reporting on last week for those interested – Nic and Aaron.

Lake Arenal was pretty sweet. It was not the epicness that was expected of the place, but saying that, I still had a great time. I sailed every day, although, the first two days and the last were the strongest winds, the last day in particular being noteworthy.

I guess the one thing that you do not hear in the advertisements is that the winds, when not cranking, are actually quite gusty, particularly when clouds are coming overhead or rain showers are passing through, which was about 1/2 the time while I was there. But, in the end, I was told by some regulars that it was not the best week. Most said that, in their experience, it is by far the most reliable high wind destination you can find down south, and that is why there are lots of people who keep coming back (or move here part-time in the winter).

Here’s my run down:
Saturday – arrived at noon – sailed all afternoon, fairly solid on 4.2/74L.
Sunday – sailed all day, starting to waiver, but made the 4.2/84L combo work.
Monday – rainy, gusty – sailed 4.7/84 on/off for 15/20 min chunks throughout the day.
Tuesday – ditto, but less.
Wednesday – 5.4/101L, small chop, gusty, rainy. Short 1/2hr 4.7 session at the end of the day nicely powered.
Thursday – improving, but not all there – sailed 5.0 for bits and pieces.
Friday – had to leave by 1pm, but CRANKED all morning. Sailed 4.2 overpowered with 74L. This day was the main day for me that showed the places potential. In one 500m reach, I could typically hit a number of decent ramps for several shove-its, tabletops and backloop attempts. Lots to hit on port, nothing much on starboard on the way back in.

I reckon I would say this even if I was not sponsored, but my Quatro’s and Goya Sails put those Pryde’s and JP’s to shame. They are not terrible in any sense, and maybe it has a lot to do with just being familiar with my own stuff, but the bigger JP FSW’s did not enjoy planing too early and sometimes the rigs felt lifeless. Saying that, as soon as I was powered up on the small stuff in higher winds, I enjoyed the 4.2 and 74 RWW and 84 FSW. I’m sure my displeasure with the big stuff was also in part since it was really gusty. Next time, I will try to bring my own equipment, but travelling with the twins is enough to lug around.

Despite my lofty goals, I learned nothing. I made some slight progress on shaka’s, but I’d say it is probably a very subtle lesson I learned to take another small step towards getting them one of these millennia. It is a TOUGH place to learn flat-water freestyle type tricks, since there really is NO flat-water to speak of. It is a B&J destination, and if the wind is strong, there is certainly lots of potential to learned aerial moves, but don’t expect too much improvement on the slidey stuff. If you do progress on those sorts of tricks, hats off, you will be killing it when you head back to your local flat patch of water.


TicoWinds is very well run by Peter Hopley and gang. Good amount of gear there in a range of volumes and sail sizes. Great fulfilling lunches & drinks keep you hydrated and powered for the afternoon. About 1/2 windsurfing, 1/2 kiting during my stay, but I reckon kiting is taking over there.

Have either of you been before? Do you know where you will stay? I found that any info on-line, from TicoWinds or otherwise, was a bit lacking in giving the lay of the land in that area. Basically, TicoWinds is not affiliated or situated at any hotel/resort/restaurant (as I thought, for some reason). It is pretty much strictly a rental concession in a long jutting-out piece of nature reserve land in the west end of Lake Arenal. From the paved road, it is a nice 15min walk in on a dirt/mud road. This entrance is about 1km to the north/east from an intersection where there is a nice coffee shop/restaurant (decent latte's, depending on who is there ;). Up the hill, there is Mystica (accomodation, restaurant, yoga retreat), and then you get into Sabalito, about 2km up that hill (which is where a few people were staying).

In the other direction, about 1-2km away, is a small town called Rio Piedras where there are a couple small Pulperia’s (grocery stores), but not much else. I was told that up the road from there, is Rock River Lodge (open) and a number of other rentals.

In other words, the area is really sparse. Unless you are there with a buddy, or end up being at a place where other sailors are staying, there is NOTHING happening in the evenings - so make the most of the social atmosphere during the day at TicoWinds.


I stayed at a place called Equus BBQ, which is about 200m closer to TicoWinds from the coffee shop. I was in a small basic cabina without kitchen for $20/night. Decent enough place, but in the evening, I was bored silly - there is only so much fiendish Soduko one can do. Due to our kids and being with them previous to this in San Jose and elsewhere, I spent the first couple nights sleeping like a log - 8pm to 7am, but then I was caught up with rest – yet still, nothing to do in the evenings.

If you have a car, you can get around a bit, but without one, its not very safe to be walking or biking on the road for km’s on end to hook up with a buddy, unless they are very close-by. Internet is not easy to come by, especially if you don’t come equipped. Mystica has wireless for those with laptops, and presumably staying there or buying something to eat. There may be other such places around, but I did not know where they were. If you are not getting a rental car, definitely ask for the bus schedule when you are in Tilaran - get the schedules for Tilaran to La Fortuna, Tilaran to Arenal and vice versa. Tilaran is 12km away ($6000 colones cab ride) and Arenal is about the same I think, maybe a bit farther. La Fortuna is an hour away by car, or 2 if you take the bus.

Sorry, but not a single photo to share for you!

Enjoy!! I definitely did, despite the remoteness of the place and lack of the best conditions.

Off to Arenal...

We're chilling in San Jose today, but I am off tomorrow to Arenal. Hoping for a solid week of nuking winds before rejoining the familia in Puerto Viejo.

Military style

RMC is short for Royal Military College. Its located in Kingston, bounded between the Cataraqui River outlet to the west and Navy Bay to the east. They've got a really cool little windsurfing club - lots of enthusiasm, lots of keen participants and a sweet as club house: The RMC Windsurf Club.

Picture this: It's cold and rainy, but frickin' windy. Not exactly inviting. But RMC is totally THE place. The club house is part of a maintenance building: heated, sliding garage doors on the back (to get gear in) and on the front by the water (to get out), showers, rigging space... It's blissful. Not to mention the floating dock which makes it dead-easy to get in and out - your feet never have to touch bottom! And in Kingston, that is a big deal.

Anyway, long story short, sailed there last thursday on an extended lunch break with my friend Greg (RMC club VP) - about 10°C, pissing rain and 25-30kt southerlies. A totally fun spot. The reach across the little bay can't be more than 200m, so its a bit tough to find ramps coming into the bay on such 'short notice'. But it was certainly working well on Thursday and I finally got the chance to rejuvinate my shove-its in strong winds. It is SO much easier in strong winds than on big gear. I also claim my first waterstart-out (feet-in) Wymaroo!! Stoked on that.

I love that place! Kudos to RMC for having such a neat club and lots of energy to go with it. Thanks to Greg for the photos.

This could be the last session of the year. Nothing but -ve temps in the forecast until next weekend. Sunday has some promise, but highs of 3-4C. Fingers crossed for southerlies!!! Otherwise, done. :(