Crankin' at Crissy Field

Since iwindsurf.com was reporting epic windy conditions at Crissy Field in San Francisco, I decided to try windsurfing there. I initially hoped to sail at Waddell Creek, but the forecast was less favorable.

The traffic was quite heavy, but I found plentiful windsurfing parking (on a green lawn, no less) on the east beach. I was surprised that many people had their gear rigged and ready but were not sailing. They were waiting for the ebb tide to end, flood time, and heavier wind (forecasted).

Many kites were rigged, and there was supposed to be a windsurfing race. I saw lots of kites during the sailing.

I did not want to wait, so I rigged an Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail and picked my ancient Mistral Flow 276 board (103 liters) to try my luck. I saw a few other windsurfers on bigger (5.7m) and smaller sails (4.7m).

The wind was quite strong on the beach, but it relaxed a bit at midday. However, I was planing most of the time and getting overpowered in gusts. There were a few rollers and chop - but not as heavy as at Coyote Point or as oversized as at Sherman Island (on a windy day).

Here is a GoPro Hero6 Black video I recorded at Crissy.



I windsurfed for two hours - from 14:30 - 16:30, after which the wind died slightly.