It's been a long time since I windsurfed at Sherman Island in Rio Vista, so I was excited to re-discover my old windsurfing spot (when I lived in Sacramento).
The iwindsurf.com predicted 20+ knot winds on Saturday and Sunday, so I tried it out. Lately, I have been chiefly sailing at Coyote Point - since it's the closest location to my work and home.
After playing a tennis practice match from 10:30 - 12:00 at Los Gatos Swim and Racquet Club, I headed directly to Rio Vista (a 90-minute drive). I arrived right around 2:10 pm at Delta Windsurf's shack (to see what's changed), then straight to the Power Lines launching spot.
Many cars were already there, and plenty of windsurfers and kiters were on the water. Some had relatively small sails - 4.5m and even 3.7m. Since the windsurf reported 20 knots, I rigged the Ezzy Elite 5,0m with my Mistral Ecstacy 84-liter board. This was the right call, as I sailed for the next 3 hours, ideally powered up.
I recorded a high-def GoPro video of the sailing here:
I had a fabulous session and enjoyed the Sacramento River's warm (though brackish) water.
On Sunday, I decided to return to Rio Vista for another session. This time, I arrived much earlier (no tennis game) and was on the water by 10:00am. This time, the wind was absolutely howling at 25+ knots. Although I rigged a tiny 4.5m sail, I was getting significantly overpowered.
I recorded another GoPro session of my fantastic windsurfing day, though a smaller sail would have gone better.
The iwindsurf.com predicted 20+ knot winds on Saturday and Sunday, so I tried it out. Lately, I have been chiefly sailing at Coyote Point - since it's the closest location to my work and home.
After playing a tennis practice match from 10:30 - 12:00 at Los Gatos Swim and Racquet Club, I headed directly to Rio Vista (a 90-minute drive). I arrived right around 2:10 pm at Delta Windsurf's shack (to see what's changed), then straight to the Power Lines launching spot.
Many cars were already there, and plenty of windsurfers and kiters were on the water. Some had relatively small sails - 4.5m and even 3.7m. Since the windsurf reported 20 knots, I rigged the Ezzy Elite 5,0m with my Mistral Ecstacy 84-liter board. This was the right call, as I sailed for the next 3 hours, ideally powered up.
I recorded a high-def GoPro video of the sailing here:
I had a fabulous session and enjoyed the Sacramento River's warm (though brackish) water.
On Sunday, I decided to return to Rio Vista for another session. This time, I arrived much earlier (no tennis game) and was on the water by 10:00am. This time, the wind was absolutely howling at 25+ knots. Although I rigged a tiny 4.5m sail, I was getting significantly overpowered.
I recorded another GoPro session of my fantastic windsurfing day, though a smaller sail would have gone better.
I had a fantastic weekend of sailing, and now I am sore. I can't wait to return for more.
