Just wanted to share a few thoughts on my recent Bonaire trip.

In the past we used to stay at the Kontiki apartments and rent gear from the Place. This year we decided to give Sorobon and Dunkerbeck a try. Sorobon is a little shabby for the price, but the location is stunning (our room had an almost 180 view of the bay and was about 5 feet from the water. Actually the rustic shabbiness kind of suits the rugged spirit of the windy side of the island, didn’t bother me anyway. Rooms have a small stove and a small fridge . Not ideal but serviceable enough and we tend to make most of our own meals so it’s a big plus. Complimentary breakfast is pretty good. Didn’t need to turn on the AC once as the steady breeze kept the room very comfortable.

While I would definitely rent from them again, Dunkerbeck was somewhat of a mixed bag. I was hoping to try the Carve IQ (I own an Atom, and mostly sailed Atom’s when I rented from The Place) but none were available though the website says they have them. I would confirm availability if you have your heart set on a specific board. At any rate they had a good selection of Bolts so I went with that and was reasonably happy (more on that latter). Anouther negative: I felt pressured to buy insurance. The guy pointed out that most of the boards were damaged/repaired and and as such even more vulnerable to new damage. Not a very confidence inspiring thing to hear given they sort of brand the place as a premium experience. Final quibble, one afternoon my wife was given a “pro” sail with a carbon boom because they didn’t have any regular sails in the size she wanted. When she came in the manager seemed sort of put out that she had the fancy sail. When we checked out we found a 15 dollar upgrade fee tacked on to the bill. Not the end of the world but kind of lame. All that said, the extended hours they offer make a huge difference. The bay gets crowded during prime time and being able to sail in the early morning and evening meant having the bay almost to ourselves. Pretty amazing. The Place is good and has nice equipment, but there’s no substitute for the extended hours. The Dunkerbeck website claims you can access your gear “anytime” - didn’t really seem to be the case but maybe something can be arranged if you’re really set on a moonlight sail.

Anyway, my experience with the Bolt boards was kind of interesting and a good learning experience. The Bolt is supposed to be a “freerace” design. I’d never before tried anything racy, and it was definitely quite different than my good ol Atom IQ. (narrower, boxier rails, dead straight fin) Could have been rust from not sailing for many months , but day 1 the jibing was often frustrating. I was also a little overpowered (I think I was on the 105 with a 5.8 in a 18-20 knots - I’m 145lbs). Day 2 was much better - still a little inconsistent but I got used to attacking with speed and aggression and really driving with my back foot and was rewarded with some of the fastest, smoothest, most thrilling jibes I’ve ever experienced. Definitely seemed to have more glide through the turns than the Atom. Maybe the conditions, but sailing was more fatiguing than usual and it seemed like I needed to be fresh and strong to get the most out of these boards. That said, my best experience on the Bolt was evening session (105, 6.8 ) in 14-16 knots. I wouldn’t say I was underpowered, but all points of sail were manageable and I was trying to go as fast as possible at all times (rather than sailing off the wind to manage speed etc..) At any rate the session was an absolute joy - jibing seemed effortless, flowing so easily that the jibes hardly seemed distinct from the rest of the sailing, Pure windsurfing bliss. In these lighter conditions I also appreciated the Bolts early planing and acceleration. Worst experience on the Bolt was the morning of the last day (flying out that afternoon. Very windy 23 knots plus. When it’s blowing that hard Lac Baai actually gets kind of choppy and I was way overpowered on a 95 with a 5.4. Bearing away to set up the jibes was terrifying and was difficult to adequately sheet in. I started to worry about getting hurt. Which is no fun. And I would have felt really dumb injuring my self on the last session of the last day. Not the Bolts fault, but it seems like the sportiness of the board works against in these conditions though maybe I’d have been fine with a smaller sail and fin.

I don’t have the expertise or experience to write a definitive review, but on the whole I really enjoyed the Bolt. It does seem to be less forgiving and versatile than the Atoms. Wouldn’t really consider buying one for the Midwest. And the number of repairs on the Dunkerbeck rentals suggested above average fragility.


A few random notes:

Hands- blisters can be a problem. Try not to go too nuts on the first day. Off the water I use this goopy, Vaseline-like stuff called Bag Balm that seems to help keep the skin supple and kind of leathery. Not positive but I think it makes a difference.

Feet- sharp coral is an issue though not a major one. This year I ended up with a cut on my arch that still hasn’t healed. Still, I don’t like wearing booties so I just deal with it. None of the locals wear booties and I’ve never had significant problem in past years.

Sun: Aloegator is the best I’ve tried and we literally buy it by the gallon and then put smaller amounts in plastic cold cream style jars to travel. Scooping out of a container instead squirting out of the typical bottle really lets you slather a lot on very efficiently and for Bonaire a heavy and regular application is pretty much mandatory.

Grocery: Van Den Tweel is great. Good selection of wine and beer (not so much liquor). Deli has all sorts of Dutch cheese and various olive/tapenade things that we really like. We haven’t had great luck with restaurants, but over the years shopping and cooking has become an essential (and fun and easy part of the routine.

Maybe not for everyone, but I don’t like spending all day, everyday at Lac Baai. Even just driving around in Bonaire is amazing, there’s lots and lots to explore. A trip to Slagbaai Park will take at least a half day, but well worth it.

Great review of the Bolt, Chris! It’s spot on with my own very short experience with it. Greg gave me his 125L to try on Wolf when he came to visit once. The only difference to your opinion being that I would consider buying it /if I could/, but only for light to moderate winds in the 10-25 mph range where I think it will be a lot more fun compared to a specialist light wind board at a very close planing threshold. For my 165 lbs a 115L Bolt with a 7.0 or 7.5 would be perfect especially on small lakes where it’s early planing capabilities and speed will make it stand out. And yes I absolutely agree with you that the versatility and controllability of the Atoms are hard to beat-from blasting through light wind freestyling to even small waves riding, the Atom does it all with only a sail and a fin change. I have a 110 L from the first model year /2014 / and mostly love it. Also curious to try the new Carve and check if they improved the speed and liveliness of it’s predecessors which I think my Atom lacks a bit compared to the RRD Firemove for example.
Thanks for taking the time to post this detailed description of your experience with the Bolt and Bonaire in general!

Ady,

This loops me back to a forum conversation we had years ago when I was looking into a specialized light wind board.

I ended up just buying a large fin fin (46, I think?) for my Atom 120 (not sure which year, but neon green and carbon). I was actually pretty pleased with the results and haven’t regretted passing on a specialized board.

Most of my “local” sailing is on Torch Lake in northern Michigan in the summer. Once in a while it blows hard, but most days the best you can hope for is a late afternoon 45 minute window with gusts of 10-12 and significant lulls between those “gusts.” Still with the large fin and big sail (8.5 Cheetah) there’s thrilling planing to be had on the Atom. Not sure if a light wind board would really make a difference as there isn’t ever a steady 5-8. Mostly just relative feast and absolute famine. Also, Atom slogs tolerably and width helps with extremlely slow flare jibes and tacks.

You also counseled against the 8.5. I’ve come to agree and while I don’t hate the big sail, 7.5 would probably be more than adequate for me even in light wind. My light wind technique has improved (most significant change was putting the harness lines further back and sailing with the back hand close to the lines allowing the rig to be pushed forward instead of raked back - I used to go for a “balanced” no-hands position recommended in an old/dated Peter Hart video).

I don’t mind the weight and awkwardness of the 8.5 too much but I suspect it slows me down through the jibe even if it adds a small amount of speed while planing.

Good, you sound like you are ready to up the game with the strong wind stuff. If that’s the case /and it should be/ you may want to try sailing on places other then your usual ones, meaning you may have to drive longer and choose windier and more challenging vacation destinations. Checking the map I see Little Sable is not that far from your favorite lake and I know people who post on this forum sail there on windy days /Wendel and Andrew come to mind/. So I would get in touch with this guys if I were you, either by posting here on the forum or by going there on a good day and introducing yourself. It’s always better to communicate and sail with experienced people who have a good knowledge of the local windsurfing spots and who can give you an advice on what works best for them equipment-wise. From what you’ve posted so far I’m left with the impression that your only kit is the 120/8.5 and if that’s true you might be missing on the best part of windsurfing and hindering your progress. Even if you decide that the Big Lake in strong wind is not your thing I would strongly recommend you supplying yourself with something like a 5.2 wave/crossover rig and practicing light wind moves like Hellis, Upwind 360, backwinded sailing and stearing , Duck jibes, tacks etc. etc. on days when its not possible to plane. The Atom is as good as a WindSUP for that and you can use any smaller, older fin instead and stay close to shore. That’s what I’m doing on the nice light wind days when we go to the beach with my wife and I love it.
You can watch some videos of my light wind “workouts “ and you’ll notice that I’m using my WindSUP, but last summer my wife decided to start paddling on it and I started using my Atom instead-a bit more challenging, but also more rewarding.
windsurfillinois.com/index.php/videos/719-your-guest
www.youtube.com/channel/UCVCIgJKAkmkZpU2_-O1_vFQ
Hellitacking the 7.5

Thanks for the advice. I also have a 6.5 Cheetah and an older Ezzy 5.0 wave sail (I forget the model name). Adding a smaller wave board would set me up for just about anything.

At the moment all of my gear is stored in Michigan, but I live in Evanston (walking distance from Greenwood) so I do regret not taking advantage of the resources at my doorstep.

I’ve been out on the big lake a few times. Can indeed be kind of intimidating. If there’s a downside to sailing at places like Bonaire, it’s that you can get a little soft/spoiled as you don’t have to practice basic survival skills for open water sailing. Torch Lake can be pretty crazy when it’s blowing mid-twenties, and I have had some experience and success in those conditions, but I know the spot really well and it’s possible to limit sailing to chest deep water if you stay somewhat close to the shore.

Yeah, learning from locals is the way to go. Just need to get motivated. I’m sure there are strategies to manage risk on the big lake if you know what you’re doing.

Also agreed working on light wind freestyle basics is time well spent. Just need to get out more. I don’t have a garage here at the moment, so storage and the hassle of dragging stuff in and out of the house is an issue. Northwestern’s Sailing Center has limited gear storage, but they’ve always been full when I’ve inquired. Generally Northwestern could be amazing if they were serious about the windsurfing side of things. The gear they have there for members is mostly dated/terrible.

Indeed, storage is just one of the many issues we have to deal with. It’s pity you can’t take advantage of Greenwood, sometimes it can be great and there are bunch really experienced guys and even some girls you can learn a lot from just watching them. Good waves sometimes to play with even in light winds, just put that 5.0 on the Atom and a smaller worn off fin and have great fun taking short rides and practicing turns. I’ve been at Greenwood in strong and in light wind and never been bored. Hope you can find some storage solution so you can have more water time. In that case an addition of a freewave board like my Kode 94L and a 5.5 and 4.5 wave sails would increase your sessions count significantly.

Thanks for the trip and gear review, Chris. My dream is to sail Torch Lake on big straight north wind and play on the stuff that hits that famous sandbar.

As Ady said LPS is a good spot. South wind and sun on the dune all day and It will be rippin' in the afternoon. It can have consecutive days. My first trip up there we had 3 days of 5.2 and smaller in a row.

Another spot where a lot of folks have honed their short board skills is on Hamlin Lake. It gets a mind blowing thermal boost. I've seen conditions on Lake Michigan where you couldn't get a 6.5 on plane and it's rippin' 4.7 on Hamlin. It's on the Launches page (beta), Lake Michigan > Hamlin Lake.

Another spot that's supposed to get the same kind of thermal boost effect as Hamlin is Crystal Lake at Frankfort from what I've heard. I haven't witnessed it. Access to the water is not easy. There's a public boat ramp on the north side about in the middle. Staying at a B&B with access to the water would be another way.

Glen Lake is a spot that needs to be explored. There's a public parking lot on the north west side of the smaller part of the lake. Don't know anything about the lake.

I know a secret spot that gets 6.9 wind when there was patches of glass on Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan water temp was around 50 - inland air temp was in the 80s.

Anyway, I hope to make some trips up there again. Hope to see you on the water somewhere.

Thanks, Reid. Hearing more about other spots is getting me psyched to branch out and spend more time on the water this season.

Sounds like you’ve been to Torch Lake? As you suggested north wind there really is the best. Everything else is full of holes. South end of the lake is my home base so I know the sand bar, but I don’t think I’ve ever been there on big wind day. Would guess the abrupt depth transition there would indeed create fun stuff to play on.

I think Torch gets mini thermals. At least days where almost no wind is in the forecast and you get a brief window of ok/good stuff in the afternoon.

Drifting off topic, but it blows my mind that the tiny town of Alden (on Torch) once supported a full-service windsurfing shop in the 80’s. My, how times have changed!

First board (‘86 Mistral Maui, still have it) was purchased at said shop. And it was watching a dedicated group of fairly expert resident sailors swoop into our cove near Alden - making impossibly fast, graceful maneuvers (kid’s eye) - that first attracted me to the sport.

These days where we launch, it’s just me and my wife on water. Every once in a while you see someone struggling on ancient gear that was probably moulderiing in a garage and pulled out on a lark. Was close to rescuing some poor soul last summer (from shore watched failed uphaul after uphaul, way out in the deep) but eventually someone from his group saved him.