Looks like pretty solid forecast for strong winds developing mid-afternoon through evening. Iwindsurf has the wind due N or a touch NNW, very easy launching direction where you can go straight out against the waves. With the high water levels, the shorebreak looks more intimidating than it actually is. It breaks hard on you in the shallow water, but as you schlog out, the waves don't curl at all, just crumble at the top, the vulnerable zone for each wave is very small. If there are a lot of people there, we can pass the gear over the fence at Greenwood, save a lot of carrying.

Thanks for the heads-up, David! You mentioned potentially passing gear over the fence. I've only sailed at Greenwood once before: is there a particular place where I would need to park and/or launch? Last time I just launched from the swim beach. Windsurf gear is not very welcome on the Milwaukee area beaches during the peak summer season...

Thanks!

I thought just north of Bradford was the perfect spot on N wind, grassy area and a little pathway out to the water, no shorebreak, but that was 20+ years ago. Greenwood is closed for swimming, and the official entrance for sailing is only on Dempster by permit only. But N winds require launching at Greenwood, so we park near Greenwood and drop gear over the fence. If you drop yourself over the fence.....Nobody will be at Greenwood except maybe 10 sailors, all the beach attendants are at Dempster.
Isn’t Alford beach in Kenosha also good for N wind?

Thanks, David! I've honestly never launched North of Bradford as you suggested. I'll take a look at it once the wind starts developing today. I remember some really good sailors there 2 decades ago (before I had started windsurfing). I've never sailed Alford on a N. I use to sail out of Wind Point near Racine on a straight N. Being a point, it gets super clean wind and really nice rollers. But, the rips were really bad the last time I was there with the higher water levels. I'm not sure it's even a safe option anymore.

At any rate--thanks for all the info and have a great session today!

I'm really old, I lived and sailed in Milwaukee 89-96, N of Bradford was the spot on N, NE, I tell people how easy it was to sail there with no shorebreak. I was never one of those really good sailors, but it was a great spot 5-10 times a year. Chicago gets more frequent sailable N winds, but Milwaukee got higher winds, not uncommon to sail a 4.7 with sub-90 liter board. We'd switch to McKinley for S-SW, and occasional SE winds.

It's NW in Chicago at 8:30 am, supposed to turn more N in the afternoon, but it is still sailable at Greenwood if NNW. I think Milwaukee doesn't work if any W component due to the bluffs.

Wind came through big time, 5.5-6.0 for most of the afternoon, I left when some rain killed the wind at 5:30 but I think it picked up again even more until and past sunset. We've worked out the kinks at Greenwood, anybody around helps pass the gear over the fence, and there is a gallon paint can to step over the fence onto piled up plastic beach walkways on the other side. See how tiny the beach is.

Jake wrote:
I've forever been curious about Wind Point and if there is any public launching area there. Where and how, and does it work on winds with some westerly component, NW or SW?

There's a lighthouse there with public parking and a nice grassy area for rigging. There are only a few parking spots, but I've never had an issue. I've only ever sailed it on a straight N or a NNE. I sailed it regularly 7-10 years ago when the water was lower and it was a blast. But, the launching and landing was a little rough. It might be underwater now, but there was a concrete pier just on the north side of the lighthouse property. You would launch just downwind (S in my case) of the pier. There's a rock ledge near shore that you have to walk out on. The rock ledge has a little step-down drop-off not too far from shore. If the conditions are good (like, 4.7 or better), there's a super strong rip. It's the strongest rip current I've experienced on Lake Michigan. I'm not sure, but I think the combination of it being a point and the step in the rock ledge really contributes to the rip. If you don't get through the shorebreak quickly, you end-up washing really far downwind since it's a point and there aren't a ton of great places to land with high water levels.

I've never tried it with offshore winds. I suspect it would work--it's really sticking pretty far out into the lake.

I've had some of my best days there, and also some of my scariest moments. The waves shape up very nicely. See attached photo from a mellow 6.0 day there. On a big north, waves outside the impact zone are over mast high. It is for sure a sketchier launch that Greenwood, Kenosha, Sheboygan, etc. It offers really good conditions, but I'm hesitant to give it a blanket recommendation. If you decide to check it out, definitely bring a friend and be cautious until you figure it out. I'd be happy to meet you there if the water levels ever drop. I will not sail it with levels this high. There is no beach downwind of the launch and not many good options if you struggle while landing and end-up washing downwind. (The last time I was there, I damaged my board landing)

I'd be excited to hear from anyone else with more recent experience at Wind Point!