Windsurfing at Coyote Point

After many months of closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Coyote Point Park in San Mateo (my default windsurfing destination) re-opened on June 15th.

As Coyote Point is much closer to my home (usually a 45-minute car ride vs a 90-minute ride to Sherman Island), I was eager to reclaim at least a small part of my rapidly fading windsurfing season.

With iwindsurf.com predicting heavy winds on June 15th, I drove to Coyote Point in the late afternoon and rigged an Ezzy Elite 5.0 sail for my Fanatic 105-liter Freewave Stubby (using the smaller 30-cm single fin). Other sailors were already out there, some on 4.5m sails and others on larger sails. From short discussions, the wind in the channel was much more robust, with large ramps, but weak on the inside (near the shore).

I headed out for my first session and encountered strong, gusty NW winds after slogging to the channel. I rapidly started planning, experiencing huge ramps. I proceeded to have a series of unending jumps until I figured out how to avoid the large ramps (by quick turns).

I captured some of the finer moments in my GoPro Hero7 Black video:



I had a fantastic, exhilarating day of windsurfing! It was so much fun. Best of all, I was not even slightly tired after an hour of sailing.

I attempted one jibe but failed in the heavy wind and swell. 

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Grilling on the Weber Genesis II S-345

After spending 3 hours assembling the very complex Weber Genesis II S-345 Grill (which I purchased from Costco for $949), I was finally ready to try grilling steak! I bought a 15-pound propane canister (outdoor supply hardware) for $65.

My first attempt was to grill a prime rib using the iGrill thermometer. According to YouTube directions, I needed to examine the steak for 2 minutes, rotating it by 90 degrees, flipping it over, and continuing. The internal meat temperature must reach 145 Fahrenheit to cook the thick meat properly.

I liked using the iGrill, which helped ensure my meat temperature was safe. The steak came out so delicious!

For the longest time, I had an issue with the automatic lighting of the side burner. Eventually, I reached Weber tech support (over the phone), who asked me to check the wiring. After tugging at the wires, I am happy to report that the side burner lit just fine!

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Learning to SUP surf at Capitola

Having difficulty catching waves on my Firewire Spitfire, 6'6", I decided to try my luck at stand-up paddleboarding from my last experience at Sayulita. It might make it easier for me to catch slow waves in Mexico.

After some research, I settled on an F.One Madeiro 8'5" wave sup on Craigslist. I also needed a new paddle (Cruz carbon) and a board bag (Abahub Premium 8'6").

My first day of paddle boarding at Capitola was not very successful. I found keeping balance with incoming waves challenging and spent most of my paddling time on my knees. After one hour of struggle, I was tired and slightly disappointed with my progress. I decided to educate myself by watching SUP videos on YouTube.

SUP  Paddling Technique

1.     Rhythm

2.     Bringing Body to Blade

: a.      Do not pull the blade through the water

b.     Ripping the blade through the water creates a poor connection

c.      Only bring your body up to the blade as fast as your board speed allows

3.     Reaching to Initiate Stroke

a.      Reach only as far as you are stable

b.     Obtain full bottom arm extension

c.      Relax your grip and your body to produce full extension

4.     Establishing Connection

: a. Don't start the power phase until the blade is secure

b.     No splashing – visualize sticking the blade in mud

c.      Shift Weight off the board and onto the paddle during the catch

5.     Producing Power

: a.      Use big muscles – not arms

b.     Use legs, hips, and torso

6.     Exiting Paddle from Water

a.      Exit around when the elbow reaches the torso or bottom hand hits the thigh

b. Don't paddle too far back

c.      Feather the blade by dropping the top shoulder and breaking the wrist inward

7.     Recovery Phase

a.      Relax and breathe

Stance and Body Positioning
1.     Low and wide stance
2.     Low grip for better leverage

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Windsurfing at Sherman Island

With strong gusty, 25+ knot winds promised by the iWindsurf forecast, I rushed to Sherman Island in Rio Vista.

I arrived at about 4:15pm, parked my minivan near the Sherman Island County park (as parking in the actual park was completely full), and rigged my Ezzy Elite 4.0m sail. I selected the 85-liter Goya Custom quad fin for my board of choice, as the wind was gusting to 40 knots, and other sailors reported using 65-liter boards with 3.7m sails.

I was concerned about the strong flood tide, which could make it difficult to return to the starting point. (At Sherman Island, ebb-tide sailing is the best strategy for Westerly winds).

The wind was powerful and gust. Sailing across the river was quite challenging. Usually, on my single-fin Fanatic Freewave 105-liter board, I encounter a lot of spin-out during these conditions. However, the quad fins of the Goya Custom kept me planted without any hint of spinout.

Here is my GoPro Hero7 Black video of my excellent windsurfing session:



After a few blasts across the river, I encountered difficulty returning to my original launch - due to the strong flood tide. I ended up doing the "walk of shame."

On another day (June 28, 2020), I recorded another fantastic GoPro Hero7 video session:

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Wavestorm 5'8" Fish

Over the past two years, I have been using primarily two surfboards for surfing:

• Wavestorm 8'0" soft-top surfboard (Costco $99)
• Firewire Spitfire 6'6" FST epoxy (purchased used for $525 from Rodney/Craigslist)

As I started progressing on the Wavestorm, I switched to the Firewire Spitfire 6'6 FST, but my progress slowed dramatically. I could no longer catch any waves despite a lot of hard paddling.

This year (2020), I decided to focus on improving my bare paddling and pop-up technique on the Wavestorm and learn to surf sideways before switching back to the Firewire board.

I noticed that Costco Online started selling a shorter version of the Wavestorm - the 5'8" Fish. It may be a better option for me to help with my surfing progress.

I purchased it online for $119 + tax, and it was delivered on  June 4th, 2020. Alex was eager to try it out and surfed on June 6th and 7th. Alex liked the board but thought it was difficult to catch waves on it (though it turned remarkably well due to its 4 fins).

Since Alex is very good at catching waves, it would be a problem for me. I decided that I might not be ready for such a shortboard and should stick to my 8' Wavestorm longboard until I perfect bottom turns and overall technique.

Here is a short video (from Nikon P900) of Alex surfing on the 5'8" Wavestorm:

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