Where We Sailed Today

windward1 · Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1400

Another fun session at Natural Bridges today. 5.2 on my SailSUP.
Five surfers out when I started so I stayed downwind of them. Some came and went, but all left about halfway through my session, so I had Sidewalks to myself. Gusty, but I found I could handle it OK. Most of the time anyway. On one wipeout I found I could not move my legs to swim to the gear. Turned out my waist harness had somehow slid down to just above my knees. Had to tug hard to get that back up in place and then get after my gear.

Windsurfed Natural Bridges on Tuesday and last Saturday as well. Last Saturday saw four windsurfers out. Since there were no waves anywhere, folk decided to sail Natural Bridges and save a drive up the coast. It was pretty windy. One guy windsurfed all the way up to near 3-Mile and then downwind to Chris' Cove and then back up to Natural Bridges. On a quad wave board. I was impressed....

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

Great day at the Stick on Friday 20th. I just received my Point-7 ACX 7.5 from Italy and the wind was just perfect at around 12-16 knots. Lovely sail it brought the Isonic 111 to life. Way easier to handle than the Switchblade 7.3 it replaces and I bet it is a faster sail. It certainly felt that way! Ultra sable and forward driving. Like the switchblade or my old 4-cams HSM GPS 7.3 it opens up the Stick to long runs all the way to Sierra Point. But it is much safer in more open waters and can't wait to go for a loooong cruise at Coyote with it.

Taking of which, on Saturday I drive down there early to check conditions. Veeeeery low tide and the wind is out there somewhere at the horizon. The place closes at 5 pm so ... back to the Stick for what eventually turns out to be a completely overpowered ACX 6.0 + Exocet Slalom session. I should rig 5.4 and go back out with the RRD but I get lazy and drive back home around 5 pm.

Sunday 21 is the strongest day. I rig my Spy 5.4 and I spend the afternoon basically overpowered changing this and that on the sail that is still basically new. Lot's of fun. The Spy can take a lot of wind, go fast, but also depower smoothly thanks to the S-shape bottom batten. Still 4.7 would have been plenty today!

It has been a quite good winter sailing since January, and now there are a lot of people out! Happy Spring!!!!!!!

fabe · Joined: 24 Sep 2002 Posts: 16

Waiting for the wind to get to 25-30knts to try the new point-7 AC-Z in good conditions at the stick. I tried it at Crissy 3 weeks ago and loved the cams only in the bottom. The sail is so easy to water start as opposed to a full cambered sail when really overpowered as they are supposed to be sailed.

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

windward1 · Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1400

Great SailSUP Session at Natural Bridges today. Thankyou iWindsurf ProForecasters for mentioning NB in your remarks.

One other windsurfer out for a bit as well.

My GPS Info and an Enlargement of the Track below:

windward1 · Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1400

Had another fun sailSUP session at Natural Bridges today. Wind initially about 10 to 12 knots. Inland it was blowing harder, but on the water less so. Some swell coming in and I tacked out and up to the surf break, Sidewalks. Caught a nice wave 6 foot plus and wanted more. Caught another nice wave and rode it in close to sidewalks but gybed out as it rolled, but then fell in. Most of the sets had been two waves each, so as the next wave came I duck-dived the sail and held on thinking that would be it. I would be up and on my way. But noooooo! This set decided to have what must have been seven or eight waves. Each dragging my rig and I closer to the rocks. The same rocks a surfer told me he had broken his ribs on. I kept trying to swim and push with my feet when I felt bottom upwind to a little beach at the end of Sidewalks. Did not make it until one wave drove my board onto the rocks and I kept a hold of the mast tip. The next smaller wave floated the board off and I was able to power everything up to the little beach where the smaller waves beat us into the sand. I pulled myself and gear to the foot of dry sand that was in a bit of a cave. There was no beach and the tide was rising. Amazingly nothing was broken. Thank you Ed Angulo for making tough boards. Thank you Dave Ezzy for making tough sails. Decided I had better head out quick as that last set was so big, the likliest calm time was going to be right now, right after that set. No wind near the cave and cliff so tried to get out past the rocks and beach start. Water got too deep too quickly. Had to uphaul and hi-tail it out of there.
Saw a whale spout way outside and gave chase. It was a pod of three or four whales but they could go directly upwind and I could not. So it was not much of a chase...
A boat came by named the Vahalla out of Santa Cruz. Sailed by it. The people on board seemed to be all dressed up in gaudy pirate costumes.
A pic of my GPS Track is below. The dot on the track marks the cave/beach area I landed on and from which I re-launched.
The other pic is of me sailing from a Surfline video. I am just to the left of the power boat. The container ship in the background is one of the many off of the coast now waiting to be able to get in and load and unload. Covid problems have everything backed up and there are more ships hanging just off our coast than probably ever before. At least when there has not been a dock strike.

Goodwind · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 323 Location: On water

After years of neglect by the State Park, members of the Candlestick windsurfing association cleaned up the beach today.

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

ERROR!!! · Joined: 26 Feb 1998 Posts: 170 Location: East Bay

This weekend's wind was good but the air and (especially) the water temperatures were both very frigid. It didn't stop the avid sportsman shown in this image. It's fair to say that the Sherman Island season of wind is about to go into full swing.

windward1 · Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1400

Well there was wind everywhere on the Santa Cruz Coast today and the fog had cleared to Ano Nuevo. Where to go? Where to go? Decided to do the inner Monterey Bay as it has been like forever since I have sailed there. Launched at New Brighton State Beach with my Angulo sailSUP and Ezzy Cheetah 7.0. Bombora was going off nicely so sailed there. The plan had been to go up the coast trying different breaks and, indeed, another windsurfer was out doing just that. However, Bombora was just perfect and I spent my hour and three quarter session there. Rode over 30 waves. Some were as high as six feet on the face.

Saw a sea lion, harbor seals and a few sea otters. Nice to see all the critters that make their hangouts here.

New Brighton Beach parking is still closed. Had to hike my gear in from the neighborhood there. Pathway is narrow between the construction fence and the ditch. Barely got my rig by and had to wait at times for an opportunity to proceed.

GPS Track below: