13 March 2023: First storm of the year
Wednesday 15 March 2023
I arrived to find some windsurfers struggling in the 40-45kn SW winds. I stubbornly chose to rig my 4.2m sail, though it was too big for the conditions even with max trim. The gusts were nearly unmanageable. After switching to my 3.7 sailing was good and I was able to handle the gusts. Managed to land some backside hits. I enjoyed discovering the potential of the Thruster 81 combo. Next time I'll be sure to bring my old AHD too, for some back-to-back comparison! [Read...]
12 March 2023: Disappointing winds
Tuesday 14 March 2023
Finally suitable conditions, after a long cold period. With temperatures up to 11 degrees and a SW wind, I was able to test the F-Cross 113 with Banzai 6.0 and the FX Freecarve 31cm fin. I was able to get planing with a bit of effort. The fin felt a bit too small for the amount of wind, making upwind sailing hard even with minimumd trim. Towards the end the wind improved, planing got a lot easier, but it unfortunately did not last long. The board showed promise, but I'll definitely have to try it out with a bigger fin and better wind conditions. [Read...]
09 February 2023: Warm water and lots of weed
Tuesday 21 February 2023
2nd day sailing on St Martin. The wind seems a little stronger. Same set packed to start with: Ezzy Cheetah 6.0 on Fanatic Blast 130 with Finnish 46cm. Direct planing from the beach, wind just as good as yesterday when I stopped. I just didn't pay attention and was almost immediately on the reef, so immediately downwind to stay in the bay. Wind was clearly stronger. Unfortunately, there was a lot more weed, really 2 or 3x as much. So I had to stop a lot more to get weed off the fin. Really about 3 to 4 times per run. Again was delicious, set worked well, a weedfin would have been nice. [Read...]
08 February 2023: First Caribbean Surfing Session: Flying Fish and Turtles
Monday 13 February 2023
During a week visiting a friend on St Maarten, chance to go windsurfing. Unfortunately there was only a limited number of boards and sails available, I sailed with an Ezzy Cheetah 6.0 on a Fanatic Blast 130. The wind was a a bit light for 6.0. But I still managed to plane nicely with minimal wind. Occasionally a little weed. It was a real pleasure to sail in the warm, crystal clear water, even with the lesser equipment. Occasionally I even saw flying fish. [Read...]
