David Mark wrote:
Hi David,
Let me take a few pictures over the next couple of days and I'll show you what i'm doing. I have a few options depending on the situation. I'll reply with a new post in the Windsurfing Gear section.

Unbelievable: I GOT SEASICK!

Monday session on Lake Michigan was interesting in many respects but the most unexpected is that I found myself capable of becoming nauseated with motion sickness while riding the swell. Never had that before, did anyone experienced this before while windsurfing?

I'm sensitive but to that level, this is definitely a first. And I wasn't bobbing around at low speed.

I first went out on the 8.5 and the 125 Bolt because the wind was slightly offshore and the large hotel buildings on the beach created a significant wind shadow right in the shore break zone. I needed power and flotation to get through I guess. I also wanted to see what it is to ride wave conditions "slalom style'! 30 minutes later, I had to come back because I was about to throw up.

Couple of hours later, I went back on a 7.0 still with the Bolt. And same thing: ridding the ups and downs of that swell was too much for my stomach and initiated an emergency return to shore.

Dramamine is now be part of my quiver.

GoPro are not the best to translate how deep the swell was but this pic provides some kind of an idea


Emergency speed run back to shore. Only time nausea has a positive side effect 30mph!


The board wouldn't stay down






Obligatory jibe shot


Shorebreak face

I had all the good intentions and wanted to keep this thread alive. Well, that didn't happen. Too much work and not enough time. Also, how many times can I post the same jump, jibe or ride picture? Thankfully, I realized that this wasn't very valuable or entertaining. Still, plenty of action happened over this season around and near Sheboygan, WI.

I busted a carbon boom, broke a few rigging accessories, punctured a sail, destroyed a fin box, and ended up in a crash at full speed with a kiteboarder who finished with a dislocated shoulder (I wasn't at fault!). It was pure luck for me to come out of that episode without an injurie or something more serious. But, on a positive note, I didn't bust the nose of my boards this year! That's success!

On the stoke side, I broke two boundaries this year: Foiling in all sorts of conditions, in control and without crashing, and consistent planning jibes, at least on the starboard port. That last one took me 5 seasons to achieve since I got back into that sport. This is hard and like with foiling, once I integrated the technic, it was all about spending the time on the water to train muscle memory and timing.

Here are some stats to-date.


A few more noticeable things:

- My Falcon Lightwind saw 2 sessions on the fin and the 9.4 V8. Great fun but when light wind shows up, foiling is far less taxing on the joints and the wind threshold is lower anyway. I was able to get on the water foiling while all the kites where out on 16-17 meters.

- If not for those foiling sessions, there's at least half of those I would have resorted to mow the lawn for something to do. Foiling was a lot of fun during the light wind days of summer but after 10 consecutive sessions of foiling in June and July, it became a bit monotonous. I don't know if a faster foil brings a bit more action, but at least for now, nothing replaces the exhilaration of fin-ridding to me.

- I used my 125l in conditions that I could have used my 109l FSW. The speed of those freeride/freerace boards are just so much of an adrenalin rush. Riding 25/30mph on a 6.0, onshore wave/swell conditions is not only doable with this kind of boards, it is a tone of fun. Big days are not just for small kit, at least not in my book.

- Observation: Switching from foiling to 125l to 109l FSW was hard for me, especially when ridding the same kit several weeks consecutively. Whenever I got back on the 109l after several sessions on the 125l, I kept pushing too hard on the fin resulting in dizzy spin off sessions.

- Finally, pumping a foil versus a fin is VERY different: Foil is a vertical push of the back foot while the fin demands an horizontal push to load the fin and plane. Switching kit got my fin pumping all confused up!

Anyhow, this was (and still is) an awesome season. Tenerife in February and then the Midwest sailing with local kiteboards and windsurfers was such a blast. Below is my favorite GoPro shot of the year.

You're always valuable and entertaining. We wondered what happened to ya. Glad you're OK after an out of control kiter ran into you.. Drop a speed screen grab if you have one in the Speed Freaks 2020 thread.

If you missed it, check these 2 vids from this past 2020 season and stay tuned for a windfoiling video next.

swell-riding-and-jibing-on-lake-michigan

foil-fishing-while-windfoiling

I went back through my surf-log from 2020:
58 days
40% on the Superlight (either freestyling with the 6.3 or getting a workout with the 7.1)
40% on the Carve 135 (with either the 6.3 or 7.1)
20% on the JP 102 FSW or the Evo 92 (5.8/5.3/4.7)

Plus SUP paddling and the occasional skate-sailing day.

Goals for 2021:
1) sail even more
2) replace my aging van and my aging 7.1
3) more Great Lakes wave days & a trip to Superior

Drew