Time to begin a 2020 Sheboygan Chronicle page since the season seemed to have started here in Sheboygan, WI. Last weekend, the ice shelves had completely melted away and the kiteboarders were already on the water. I came back too late from a trip last Sunday to take part but the nice a steady 15-18kn under the sun was tempting.

Also today, March 15, the 2 other windsurfers in town - Ella and her dad Paul - decided to go paddle in the Sheboygan marina and up the Sheboygan river. Perfect day with 38 degrees and water slightly above freezing! See the new found use of this old F2 board! It is still in almost pristine conditions and Ella sails it in the summer with a 5.7 - and she's going fast! I'll have to capture a few pics of here on that gun this coming spring or summer! Nice to see people below 50 y-o getting into the sport!







North Beach with afternoon light that "smells" like spring!


And, the leftover iccles on that old log that brings back to the Wisconsin reality in March!

you guys and gals are hardcore!

Kevin Kan wrote:

Ha! We have to. The season is short up here!

As Lake Michigan keeps rising to historic levels, the beautiful beaches and launches we enjoyed have been compromised. One of them is a section of South Beach Sheboygan. The water washed out sand dunes and vegetation to unearth a pile of ancient construction and industrial refuse. A nasty mix of 100+ year old Cream City Bricks, concrete pads and road demolition and even Slag from steel milling and cast iron casting. Our ancestors and older generations were obviously not too concerned in maintaining their environment livable and enjoyable for their future generations. Sad.

But that doesn't stop us: The launch has moved a bit more south and north of that 200 yard dump site that used to be the best launch in SE days. The amount of refuse is too big for a bunch of us (Kiters and windsurfers) to manage a cleanup. This will need to wait for the city to come over with a front loader and remove or the lake level to drop and sand blown to cover up the mess. Any of these two options is likely to take a few decades!

BEFORE: April 2017


NOW: March 2020

Sat. April 11. Beautiful day at the beach in Sheboygan. Wind was stronger than announced (15-20kn) and water temp was were one would expect this time of year: 38 degrees!

This was the opportunity to take the foil out and give the 90cm foil mast a try as well as the new carbon bracket that reinforces the fin box screw holes. The part held very well; no damage to the foil nor the board. So that part was a win!

On the other hand, I ended up using the new Surfbent nose protector and that was definitely not a success. During a "standard" catapult, the rig cantilevered over the device and snapped the UJ bolt pin. Surfbent is NOT for windfoiling. to know why, see here: windsurfillinois.com/index.php/forum/win...-2020-nose-protector

This is the second time I had to experience rig/board separation. So no panic but, I had to act quick to: 1- swim for the board. 2- get to rig that otherwise will sink! The scary part is that a broad with a foil moves a lot faster away from you than with just a fin. There is no time to waste thinking of what to do: The board IS the only thing that matters.

Anyhow, I was about 300 yards out and had to self-rescue. I sate on the board pointing towards the beach, put the sail on the upwind side along the length of the board - mast base forward and holding the boom near the boom clip. Then the only thing to do to crawl forward is to lift the sail a little, the mast resting on the shoulder and the wind pushing on the deeper part of the sail. The clue and the mast head are dragging in the water and kind of provide some stability while sitting. coming back took about 30 minutes or so.

At that point I was done with foiling (ha!) and pulled the trusted Goya Bolt and sailed for an hour until the wind died. For a first day sailing in WI, that was anything but boring.





Waterstarting: Better keep the foot on the mast to avoid kicking the sharp wing.



The point at which the mast and board separated



Oh, sh---, the board is leaving without me


Self-rescuing


Back to "normal"



Some are dressed for sub-zero temp!

Sat. April 18. Lake Winnebago. Wind SW 15-30kn. Some gusts had to be close to 35kn. Air temp ~14C/58F. Water: Too cold, of course.
First time sailing the 109 Starboard Kode and second time on the water in WI this season. I'm out of shape and probably 10lb too heavy but hey, since I've had to work from home, the proximity of a well stocked kitchen has been a daily temptation. Sounds familiar to anyone?

There was a good crowed showing: 8-9 windsurfers, 4-5 kiters and one wingfoiler on a 4.2 wing. This thing looks dangerous... The session was a challenge: Strong sustained gusts twice the apparent wind. A bit of apprehension with the new board and my physical condition that wasn't at its best. First, it took me several trip back to shore to tune the sails - none of which were really were satisfying. I started with a 5.2, switched to a 4.7 and would have liked to ride a 4.2 instead but none in store that day.
How's the new board you might ask? Fun! The good: When I was able to keep the Kode on track, the speed and agility was surprising. It felt light and alive under the feet - I even had a few ok jibes with it. The challenge: I was spinning out like never before! I was on the stock single fin and setup for outboard straps.What? That's not like freerace boards? You can't put some back foot pressure? I don't know if it's me or the fin that's garbage or the wind that was too strong for the board/fin size or a combination of all the above but, that repetitive spinning got me dizzy. A thruster set is on the way and straps in the center is my next move. Hopefully, this should help. Any suggestion is welcome. Enjoy the few pics. Cheers!

New board colors are coordinating well with the sail. Ridding in style is key for a good session! Ha!


It looked like this when no spinnouts...


...and like that most of the time.


The obligatory jibe shots. I will let you guess how most ended up!



That sail is too big! What the heck should I do now?


Lake Winnebago swell. Something to experience once in your lifetime.


That wasn't all pain and suffering. Some air to rejoice!


Bill doing a "clean" jibe


Everyone giving this wing a try. In a gust I thought it was going to end up in a tree.

Mon. April 20. Lake Winnebago. Wind SW all over the map: at times good with the 5.2 and at times not enough for the 6.0. But I don't complain; I had a good time on the water.
For this second time on the 109 Starboard Kode, I tried new things:
• Pulled the single fin all the way back: That solved the excessive spinouts.
• And I sailed the 6.0 Ezzy Lion with the 2 cams. This was an interesting comparison against the 5.2 5-batten Ezzy Zeta. In roughly the same conditions, the Zeta was faster to get the board planing: Could the lighter weight of the 5.2 rig has anything to do with that? It just felt the board was "sticking" to the water a lot more with the 6.0. But, once on a plane, the 6.0 was easier to handle in the gusts with a constant pull and an even temperament.
So far, I really like the Kode. I feel I'm already progressing with it. I don't regret the Starship one bit!

At times I get some relatively descent jibes - at least for me. I'm sure that's far from perfect but despite a bit of slow down (maybe due to the rig a bit too far back), I kept the board on a plane and got back into action in no time! I also tried everything I normally forget: Move the back hand back, extend the front arm and depower with the back arm, switch sides almost on-time and flip the rig while keeping the board carving.


For a jibe that started okay, then turned into a new move: The Ninja Drop. How to do this: Don't switch stance and don't flip the sail and make sure the feet are connected together when entering the water.


How about that one? Badly prepared jibe with a defensive stance and the back hand not far enough on the boom: The rig just ripped out in the gust like a nasty band aid! Swimming required to recover the kit that keeps on going...


And finally a small celebratory kick to finish the day!

I LOVE MY BIG KIT, AGAIN!
Sat. May 16. Lake Michigan. The forecast looked mediocre at best, but for once, the weather authorities underestimated the day and it turned out very nice for big and medium kit.

Since I took foiling last year, I barely used the Falcon Lightwind on a fin; maybe once and I rigged the 9.4 V8 about as much. The kit wasn't much fun in the chop of Lake Winnebago if I recall. This Saturday was completely different. NE unexpectedly stable going 12 to 17kn at times throughout the day, with manageable gusts giving a welcome boost of power here and there. It was sunny-bright with flat clear and warmer water. Perfect for a morning workout. Asside for just one kiteboarder that was there for a short time, I had the whole lake to myself! I ended up spending 4.5 hours on the water that day doing back and forth, up and downwind, and trying to perfect my jibes. I didn't get bored one minute!

First session in the morning for 2.5h starting a bit light in 12-13 kn gusting 15. Perfect! Then, a good meal and a repairing nap after, I went back for more in 14-17kn for a couple more hours. That was bliss. I could have rigged smaller and used a smaller board by then but, the 159l/9.4V8 was all I took with me that day. It was awesome and I now remember the fun sensations that this large kit can offer. That night, I slept like I haven't in months!

I also got the hang of tuning that V8 nicely. When I saw the amount of downhaul the pros are putting on their Duotone Warp, I tried to put more than I would have normally on the V8 and that proved to be a good idea. The sail became easier and more fun to handle. I initially kept a good amount of draft with the outhaul (the sail was slightly "kissing" the boom under load) and once the wind picked up a bit, a slight 1cm to 1.5cm outhaul adjustment made a noticeable difference with power.



Butt slap and one-handed too-cool-to-crash


The famous Sheboygan Power Plant


The obligatory jibe shot. Looks better in stills than on the vid - always!


Not the fastest kit on the planet but that's fast enough for me for such volume under the feet


Dismount under control? Always!


Afternoon session: My friend Jeff attempting intimidation moves

More DH-works 99% of the time. Just not on the Ezzy’s.

Because with an Ezzy it works 100% of the time. You can be out on a 5.8 while others are on 7.5s, or you can be on 6.9 while others are on 5.8s.. The Ezzy downhaul is up to you, Set to the millimeter with the Ezzy guide.

I've been downhauling my Cam Ezzy sails a bit more and re-calibrated the guides and that has helped as well - A lot easier to handle in gusty conditions.

EARLY WEEKEND
Friday, May 29. A bit of NW wind in the forecast and after a short but productive week, it seemed right to Give it a Go in Winnebago. Glad I did. The wind was stable and stronger than expected. Started on the 8.5 and rapidly switched to the 7.0. I could have switched to smaller gear all together at some point but I only took the 125 Bolt and large sails... Not the first time I make that dumb mistake! The session lasted about 2 hours and in that time I managed to cut a good-sized carp in half, which sends me catapulting, and to break a new gopro mount I was trying for the first time (ClewView). Great session nonetheless.

Woohoo! Jumpin' that 125l




The Carp episode: Instant catapult, all hooked in and the front foo still stuck in the strap : Bruised foot but no lasting injuries. I later found remains of the carp floating around and the cross-section of the "beast" was a good 7 inches.


Back to back jibes!


Some of them a tad too laid-down - either forward or backward


Cruising...

FOILING BREAKTHROUGH
Saturday, May 30, Lake Winnebago (again!), Light wind 9-13kn. Sunny, warm, perfect. What happen that day? Kevin from Wind Power Surf Shop was teaching a group windsurfing clinic all day. Cool to see beginners interested in the sport. I had a few great flights and started to reduce sail sizes - this time I did it with the 7.0. I managed to put my 2 feet in the straps - a first! And also went fishing again and caught with the foil a poor little Freshwater Drum Fish (Also known as Sheepshead). This little guy sent me flying over the handlebars. I had to pic him up and bring it back as my trophy of the day! And finaly I finished the day with a few runs on the 125 Bolt and the 8.5 in very little wind for a little cruisin' in front of Fond Du Lac. Fun day at the beach!

They have no idea the road ahead!


Started to get the hang of it!


2 Feet in the straps! Woohoo!


Bang! A 1.5lb fish sends me over


Recovery and rigging the little fellow to bring back "home"


Trophy


Peaceful end of day cruising in the light breeze

3 DAYS IN A ROW
Sunday, May 31, Lake Michigan, Sheboygan WI. SSE wind 16-19kn. Rare moment of steady non-gusty wind in the Midwest. Bright sunny day. Plenty of Kite on the beach and on the water. Many coming from Milwaukee, Chicago and Madison. Perfect conditions for foiling with very little swell/chop. One rider from Chicago doing it all: kiteboarding, wingfoiling and windfoiling. The complete waterman! ...Can't remember his name.
This was the time to try windfoiling in higher wind. First time foiling with the 6.0. The session went well, but the amount of concentration that this demands is pretty intense. I got more mentally tired from having to read the kit's behavior and constantly adjust my stance than any actual physical exertion. After an hour of that work, I needed a break and finished the day carefree with the 109 Kode and the 7.0.

Kite Beach Sheboygan, WI. Better than the Caribbean!


Uncomfortably-high



Pain comes in all forms: From uphauling too many times, to the inevitable crashes following the breaching of the foil


20mph on this thing feels unsafe but can't resist



Contrary to a slalom board that rides edged on the leeward rail, the foil doesn't like that at all. To avoid at all cost; which means nothing here cause it will cost you either way.


A few pretty Kite shots. Many on foil too. One sitting, and the other walking on water as if enlightened by the Divine. And JJ, who literally lives on a house on that beach. Doesn't matter whether kiteboarding or windsurfing, the local group here is fun to sail and drink with!


Finishing the day the "normal" way.