Old school modified body drag......

BTW-this was my maiden sailing on my new ezzy elite 4 batten wave sail. I have it paired with the proper ezzy mast too- so far me likey.

Montrose was really nice today- not too cold, sunny, minimal shore break, and lots of knee to waist high waves. Wind was not gusty at all- most crib readings showed 3kts variance. The wind direction was perfect for us too.

Ady- FYI- i believe there are (2) entrances to Wihala Beach (you gotta love that name!). If you use the (west) entrance (closest to the casino), you can park in the amtrak lot for free. That is where kitesurfers and surfers are parking their vehicles currently. You can drop off your gear at the beach, and then park at the amtrak lot. It is about a 5min walk from the beach.

The (east) entrance to wihala , i believe, is accessed through the whiting park complex (newly redone). There are new electronic meters allover that place, but I don't know if they are currently on ( i was there about 10 days ago- i should have checked).

This changes a little bit the perspective then. I know the entrance on the other side, but didn't know about the parking lot. Launching from there also solves the jetty issue. Is there a grass rigging area? I hate rigging on the sand.
If the waves at Montrose were waist high at max then Casino beats it. There were sets of 2-3 waves some of which 4-5' feet high coming at irregular intervals and if you are patient and wait for them you get realy nice long rides!

Waves are almost better anywhere than at montrose. Thats why you almost never see surfers there.

As wihala/casino/shooters/whiting is well known for their surfable waves (real peeling waves sets, that break cleanly, at catchable intervals). That said, its about wind direction for us windsurfers. If the wind has too much west in it, you will still get good waves in whiting, but no wind to windsurf; but at montrose even with some west in it (like yesterday) its sailable.

After our windsurf sesh yesterday at montrose, i took out my longboard surfboard for abit at the same launch, and it refreshed my memory of how bad the surfing is on that break. I caught (2) waves in about 15minutes, and put the board away.

If there is sailable wind at whiting, then those waves will be cleaner than most anywhere else in chicago

Also, montrose waves are still great for windsurfing (even if not good for surfing), as we can move in and out of them as they peel on and off. It is just different than proper 'surfing' waves.

You are right Alan. I need to sail again Montrose to find out which one I like better.