NOAA S. Lake Michigan: N wind 20 to 25 kt. Mostly sunny. Waves 8 to 9 ft. occasionally to 12ft.

Chicago Side




Good in the morning...



...and in the afternoon



Waves "occasionally to 12ft." ... just to breakup the monotony of the 8 to 9 footers.

Not sure if I can break away. And some of you sound like you've got a terrible cough right now. You better call in sick. Those that are feeling well don't forget to come back and share the stoke.

Looked good out there, guys, from Zion to Whiting . Hope somebody made it out.

Harrison-Dever Crib - wind


Waukegan Harbor - wind



The Michgan side kicked-in in the afternoon.

South Haven - wind


Michigan City Buoy - wave height



St. Joe cam - A windsurfer jumping a wave on his way out.



St. Joe cam - Another windsurfer getting a wave ride



Hit reply if you got a piece of it somewhere.

I got out in Evanston for a bit. Great day overall. Mostly high teens-20kts in the morning then tapering down with a ramp back up to the 20s late afternoon. Lighter than the crib readings. The shore break was really, really rough, especially early. The big 3-4m rollers came for a visit as predicted and required rigging higher ( 6.6 and then 7.5 later).

Mazeltov!

I don't typically go out in waves that big -- why exactly does one need to rig bigger for them? And, how do you get the sail out of the water and restart in waves that size? Whenever they're over about 2m, I have trouble because they keep washing the sail back into the lake!

Brian, I think Mike is talking about wind blockage from the large swells. Only the upper half of the sail is fully engaged. Also it's about being powered enough to make it through the shore-break and fighting the current. And you're sailing up hill half the time. You're right about too much sail at some point to water-start fast in waves, it's whatever a guy can handle. Greenwood beach can also be a little light on the inside. I use to sail there in the early 90s.

Also to note is that cool air on warmer water makes bigger waves. Waves are bigger in the fall on Lake Michigan than in the spring. It's also why the wind can get lighter around noon as the air temp gets higher relative to the water temp. And as the air temp cools in the late afternoon the cooler upper level winds drop down closer to the heated surface for a wind increase.

Keep the reports coming, guys. Besides sharing the stoke, everyday is different and we always learn something about spots, wind directions, waves, and forecasts.

63rd street worked well with 5.7, with wind direction it came close to closing out but got a few good rides and excellent ramps. Access is now limited to the western 2/3rds of the beach as a jet ski rental company has taken over the north end and placed a lot of rope and buoys in the water. Technically I think windsurfing is disallowed but the lifeguards made no objections and I was give permission two days prior by one of the guards.