NOAA: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. ...with a south southwest...increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.






Clinton Lake Forecast







Looks like a good day for the Marina or campground if somebody can snag it in the afternoon. SSW wind in the 5.8 range. In the old days I would always use June 15th as the benchmark for the end of short-boarding. And the start up around September 15th.

January; February; July; August-the slow months when I wish the most being somewhere else. The occasional good session feels the more sweet and cherished during this time.
I’ll be sailing Wolf today but mentally I’ll be at the Marina

I decided to give my ankle a rest. I’m at Evergreen lake sitting on the Lou, Lou bench that is. Really nice view but no wind on the lake.

Evergreen Lake



Evergreen Lake

Funny how things turn out sometimes, Thursday I’m sitting at the pub talking to Ed, Rich and Reid about sailing in Iowa and I mentioned how Lou used to sail in Iowa. Lou primarily sailed Evergreen lake but would take trips to Iowa to visit his daughter. Rich knew him as well, Rich like me started sailing at Evergreen. Lou would always show up in his utility van packed with gear with a smile on his face. His good Friend John McKey and him would talk with me about the wind, good rides they had and give pointers. Anyway, in the course of our conversation I mentioned how I had seen John since last year. Yesterday I decide to go visit evergreen and Lou’s memorial bench, thinking there’s not much wind I go for a walk on the trails with my dog. Only to find when I return a lone windsurfer getting rides on the far side of the lake so I take some pics. Ended up being John. He was riding a 110ltr board with a 6.0 sail I believe. He mentioned that from the parking lot it didn’t look like much wind but he saw on his drive in that the far side was getting the wind. Sure enough he was taking advantage of it, no doubts. Local knowledge makes all the difference sometimes. Seems John inherited the lake from Lou, he’s got his own personal playground. Brought back good memories. Windsurfing to me is as much about the good people you meet as it is about the personal experiences you have on the water. I told John to come down to Clinton sometime soon and we would sail and then get a cheese burger at the Power Jibe pub, he smiled and added “and a beer”. Good Wind + good friends = Good Times!

Fun day at the Marina. I got on the water around 2:00 pm. 5.8 with 108 FSW. And my old school freestyle fin - a True Ames SX 28 cm with the area of a modern Freewave 34 cm. I got much further along on my Vulcan / Air Jibe attempts. My second sesh trying them. Trying them every reach I got a chance. It's exhausting, but I learn from every crash. My brain is still trying them off the water. Rich came out and bore witness to the carnage while rippin' on his Kona One with 8.5 at The Narrows with me. We got off the water around 4:30 pm.


Bloomington



Champaign



Decatur




8 of the day's 41 photos.

See More Of The Day's Photos Here


Me (5.8 sail)



Me (5.8 sail). Tacking (see full sequence in link)



Me (5.8 sail). Jibing (see full sequence in link)



Me (5.8 sail). Sometimes a guy has to up-haul when he misses a tack in a hole below The Narrows.



Me (5.8 sail). A Vulcan / Air Jibe attempt (see full sequence in link)



Rich checking on me.



The Kona One was lit with the 8.5.



Me (5.8 sail). A Vulcan / Air Jibe attempt (see full sequence in link)



'till next time!


See More Of The Day's Photos Here

Great pics Reid!! Your hard work on the jump jibe is paying off, you just about nailed that one you did right in front of me

Reid, when are you going to post a video clip of it? I want to see how far you've come.

Lookin' good, Reid! Glad to have a second person doing freestyle in the mid-west. You need to get yourself a proper freestyle board: it will help tremendously. That and a "real" freestyle fin. My favorite is the Makani Koi. I might be selling my 2015 Fanatic Skate (100 litre) later this year, so keep that in mind. I'm thinking about getting a brand new freestyle board. Freestyle has made me even more crazy about windsurfing than I've been for the past 30 years!