Deer Creek Drifting
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 1:04 am
Hello Dessert Sailors,
I'm trying to re-begin windsurfing after a decade break, and I think I'm still a beginner-it's been a solitary activity for me, what milestone makes me an intermediate? I moved to SLC 6 years ago, via Front Range CO, after growing up in Upstate NY. My first introduction to windsurfing involves a pickup truck and chance $50 garage sale encounter, followed by a visit to the library. I enjoyed some low wind conditions on the NY finger lakes on my appropriate dagger board-ed strapless hifly (it seems to only really blow there when lightning is imminent).
After college I have basically followed my folly of backcountry skiing, and ended up in SLC because I don't anticipate becoming sufficiently wealthy or employed to reside in a small mountain town. Two weeks ago I visited the finger lakes again and dusted off my original board-the spark was re-ignited. Summer is rough in SLC, the climate seems suited to learning how to windsurf, and I need a cure for the summertime blues. With my discovery of Utah Windriders, I'm now curious to know what hot spots I was missing while living in NY. I appreciate how easy it has been to locate practice sites, and find weather updates.
First Utah Windsurfing: Deer Creek provided ample wind this past weekend (too much for me). While I'm tentatively planning to rent a beginner board from Josh Shirley, I did fall for the KSL used gear trap. Trying to replace my original, inexpensive Hifly NY board, I picked up a 320 x 61cm board with a daggerboard which may serve me well into the intermediate phase. The board has just enough buoyancy that I can up haul-but wobbly. After being invested several hundred dollars, I'm not excited about spending $1200 on a board for which I have no convenient locked storage, and I may ultimately outgrow. After uphauling 1 hr and sailing approx 5 min, I did end up having some fun, and I am curious about improving the fun:struggle ratio. If you have an opinion or advice, please see my spiderweb of ideas and direct me appropriately.
A: Maybe I get better at uphaul starting
B: Maybe I try a smaller sail than 6.7M?
C: Maybe I find it drastically more enjoyable with a wider, high volume board of width......? Kona One's are only 20cm longer and 10cm wider than my board, I'm not huge, 165#. What is the magic width which makes uphauling noticably easier? I working form the assumption that any board with a dagger is designed with light winds and uphauling in mind.....right?
D: Maybe after a few long sessions on a rental board, I learn how to water start, and resume worrying about gear when mine is broken and/or I'm hypothermic.
Also, I have another fundamental technique question: How do I prevent stalling upwind? While I'm aware that moving the mast forward steers the board downwind, I've never been able to pull it downwind in higher winds. Once I get to a crusing speed, the diving tip moves my feet aft, but doing this pulls the mast aft and steers me upwind. Without extendable arms, I'm struggling to figure this out. Is this the moment I need to retract the dagger board and dig in my heels?
P.S. watch out for lake Utah, I heard the WHO is shutting it down due to toxic algae.
I'm trying to re-begin windsurfing after a decade break, and I think I'm still a beginner-it's been a solitary activity for me, what milestone makes me an intermediate? I moved to SLC 6 years ago, via Front Range CO, after growing up in Upstate NY. My first introduction to windsurfing involves a pickup truck and chance $50 garage sale encounter, followed by a visit to the library. I enjoyed some low wind conditions on the NY finger lakes on my appropriate dagger board-ed strapless hifly (it seems to only really blow there when lightning is imminent).
After college I have basically followed my folly of backcountry skiing, and ended up in SLC because I don't anticipate becoming sufficiently wealthy or employed to reside in a small mountain town. Two weeks ago I visited the finger lakes again and dusted off my original board-the spark was re-ignited. Summer is rough in SLC, the climate seems suited to learning how to windsurf, and I need a cure for the summertime blues. With my discovery of Utah Windriders, I'm now curious to know what hot spots I was missing while living in NY. I appreciate how easy it has been to locate practice sites, and find weather updates.
First Utah Windsurfing: Deer Creek provided ample wind this past weekend (too much for me). While I'm tentatively planning to rent a beginner board from Josh Shirley, I did fall for the KSL used gear trap. Trying to replace my original, inexpensive Hifly NY board, I picked up a 320 x 61cm board with a daggerboard which may serve me well into the intermediate phase. The board has just enough buoyancy that I can up haul-but wobbly. After being invested several hundred dollars, I'm not excited about spending $1200 on a board for which I have no convenient locked storage, and I may ultimately outgrow. After uphauling 1 hr and sailing approx 5 min, I did end up having some fun, and I am curious about improving the fun:struggle ratio. If you have an opinion or advice, please see my spiderweb of ideas and direct me appropriately.
A: Maybe I get better at uphaul starting
B: Maybe I try a smaller sail than 6.7M?
C: Maybe I find it drastically more enjoyable with a wider, high volume board of width......? Kona One's are only 20cm longer and 10cm wider than my board, I'm not huge, 165#. What is the magic width which makes uphauling noticably easier? I working form the assumption that any board with a dagger is designed with light winds and uphauling in mind.....right?
D: Maybe after a few long sessions on a rental board, I learn how to water start, and resume worrying about gear when mine is broken and/or I'm hypothermic.
Also, I have another fundamental technique question: How do I prevent stalling upwind? While I'm aware that moving the mast forward steers the board downwind, I've never been able to pull it downwind in higher winds. Once I get to a crusing speed, the diving tip moves my feet aft, but doing this pulls the mast aft and steers me upwind. Without extendable arms, I'm struggling to figure this out. Is this the moment I need to retract the dagger board and dig in my heels?
P.S. watch out for lake Utah, I heard the WHO is shutting it down due to toxic algae.