I suspect there is a significant potential for a decent wave riding near the edges of the jetty without the trashing effects of the shorebreak and with the possibility of some wave creation by almost every wind direction. I intend to look into this unexplored aspect of the Calumet wall the next time I'm sailing -which may be this Saturday with some luck. What are your thoughts about this?

We had some talk about that gap a few years ago. At the wall end and at the gap I think you might find more big swell then waves. Swell should try to rap around/turn at the end of the wall. Looks like fun to explore. Be careful you're over 1 1/2 mile out at the end of the wall.

Sounds awesome - definitely do be careful. It is a very long way out - especially at the very end of the breakwater. Richard was talking about the very same thing the other day. Maybe try to drum up some other interest before heading out. It'd be nice to have somebody with a boat or jet ski standing by in case anything went wrong. Sailing way out there on flat water is one thing… riding waves even further out… at least double check every piece of your gear and have a healthy breakfast.

I might be sailing as soon as tomorrow . Loks like an 86 L wind forecast , nice!

I think with north wind going out through the gap is not the best idea, because you might end up on the rockcs of the second wall south.
Safer spot will be than the edge of the south end of the second wall. You will be on the open water with the escape to relatively flat water.

richipera wrote: Will see ,will see. Are you sailing Friday?
If someone is going to be washed over the rocks that would be me for sure

Well, the idea turned out to be not that good, at least for me and my crazy 86L board. I launched yesterday around 12:30 and headed straight towards the end of the wall. Luckily a cargo ship bound for the channel started maneuvering nearby and a motorboat was going in that direction, so I decided to turn back and wait a bit. Soon after I started realizing how far downwind I've gone and how difficult for that small fin is to climb back upwind. It took me a gazillion legs back and forth to get back to the launching point and I was fortunate that the wind was picking up slowly. If the opposite has been the case I would have been screwed big time. I can't uphaul on this board even in flat water .If I ever get a 100L board I may try again, but with the 86 it is too risky . The swell at the gap is just too small for some reason.
Anyway it was a great day of blasting together with Richard and Mike .I sailed for 5 1/2 hrs with only a short break to replace the 5.8 for a 5.2 and today there is hardly a peace of me that doesn't feel soar. The relatively flat water /I just couldn't sail along the wall like the rest so I had to deal with some moderate chop/ let me getting to know my crazy little board better and I discovered hundreds of new ways to blow gybes and tacks

Mike and Rich returning to shore

While shooting a video of a nice sexy fish -a rising movie star -Rich caught a glance of the new move I'm working on: the Poptack. Kept in secret until now this is its first public showing
www.dropbox.com/s/debqrrtbze6vheh/Ady%20...%206%202015.mp4?dl=0

Hi, I windsurf north of the city, but have never gone down to Calumet. The flat water just leeward of the north break wall on a north day looks appealing, but what's the access/parking like? On Google Street View the end of 87th street is all fenced off. Has that changed since those images were taken/can you park at the end of 87th street now? Thanks in advance for the info.

-Devin

Devin McAllester wrote: No fence. This is how I'm proceeding : You rig up on the grass next to the circular, park in the parking spots, change in your water wear and carry the kit to the guard rail opening a little to the left. Launching is pretty straight forward-basically throw the kit and yourself in the water from the concrete platform . Getting back up is more complicated. There is a second platform /not visible from above/ south of the launching one. It is shallow in front of it and you separate board and rig, place them on top of the platform and then pull yourself up . Walking over the rocks to get back to the grass while carrying the rig is a bit tricky so you need to be careful and watch your steps. It is advisable to ask someone of the regulars to show you how it's done first.

Devin,

Ady's answer is correct - as far as it goes. I'm not sure if he explicitly addressed your concerns. The road that extends to within about 80 yards of the lake was built and opened within the last two years. I'm not sure what google street view shows, but the road is there. There is a city park, now named 'Steelworker's Park' at the end of the road that we use to rig. There is a turn-around-circle that we use to unload gear while rigging - parking is diagonal along the road a couple hundred feet west of the turn-around. The road was built as part of a future development and, as such, is much wider than needed for the current traffic. I guess to control access or prevent street racing they've barricaded off several lanes of the entrance -don't let that fool you, there is still at least one entrance and one exit lane open at all times (at least during the day).

Last year, before we knew better, we'd occasionally use a maintenance road that runs within feet of the lake to unload. This promptly drew unwanted attention and resulted in a few tickets and unpleasant confrontations. For a while, it looked like sailing at this spot might be endangered. (Chicago is a bit funny about not allowing broad access to the lake within city limits). Since last year we've stuck to unloading in the circle and then parking in the designated spots previously mentioned. This has seemed to quell most concerns over sailing there. We hope to see you down at the Wall - any day with a sustained 18+ forecast with NORTH winds will likely draw at least a few folks to show you the ropes of launching safely. (Dead North Wind is ideal. If there is more than, say 5 degrees west, it's not really a good spot. North + about 15- 20 degrees east works just as well. You can sail there with more North East winds, but launching and returning without damaging gear become more challenging)

Please keep in mind that access at this spot is only well-tollerated. It's very tempting to drive on the sidewalks right up to the lake and unload gear, but, beside the fact you'll likely get a ticket, or worse, it will likely re-ignight official concerns over the use of the launch. We haven't had any problems recently with being told to leave, but if the police do confront you, I'd recommend complying with their request without discussion. You likely will see police there (as well as private security in white cars and SUVs) but most police on the South Side of Chicago have better things to do than mess with Windsurfers - in fact, many Officers are politely interested or only concerned in making sure nobody needs help. The private security company is only there to keep people from climbing on the ruins of the old Steel Works - they have never given any complaint about windsurfing.

Hope to see you there - do be mindful of your footing et cetera while launching and returning. Thanks for helping to give windsurfers at the park a good image and keep any, unlikely, meetings with officials brief and very respectful. Do you want anyone to give you a head's up when the forecast looks good?
Otto

Thanks Ady and Otto for the info. When I go down there I'll make sure to only drive where I'm supposed to, and be acquiescent if confronted by law enforcement. I check the forecast pretty regularly, so I'll just start keeping an eye out for the conditions you described. Thanks Otto for the offer to give me a heads up though. Hope to see you guys on the water ,

-Devin