MAYFLOWER BEACH, windsurfed, NE 17-37, Sergey, Gerry, others, 3.5/RW 85.

The Playground at Mayflower Mayflower was nice! In NE wind you sail almost straight out into the waves, then on the outside the wave angle changes to be more with the wind. The waves were getting pretty big in places (head high?) but they were floppy so they didn't pose any threat, great for jumps. Sergey gave me encouragement and tips on my loops. It really helps to have someone say, "the conditions are perfect, just go out to the first whitewater and do one!" I didn't do one but my attempts felt really good. I was rotating all the way around but my feet came out of the straps right at the end. Sergey's observations about how my attempts looked (cheese roll, too far back on the board) also helped a lot. If I could get good conditions for a few weekends in a row I might have a chance of sailing away from one. Gerry was there too, but seemed a little underpowered on his 4.2 to start. I was a little underpowered on my 3.5 for about the last hour or so but Sergey said his 3.5 was perfect all day so maybe it was just the current getting me. Scott tried Revere Beach, which we thought would be good in NE, but he reported that it was super gusty and had frustrating shorebreak and shallows alternating, making it hard to get going.

Block Island Weekend Highlights

Windsurfing- Josh, "I'd forgotton how much fun windsurfing in light winds can be!" We couldn't get him off the water. On Monday we got some planing wind a little before we had to leave for the ferry. Josh, Bob, and I got on it for a few hours at the Coast Guard station. We gave Josh's girlfriend, Cricket, an intro to windsurfing. She did pretty well but seemed to come away with the feeling that the sport is really hard. It's too bad that we don't have a good teaching board like the Starboard Start. Other highlights from a mostly warm, sunny, light wind 3 days- catching a seahorse while snorkeling with Josh and Cricket, pulling Ben behind the boat on the Carve 123, first time breaking out my new trainer kite, a beautiful hike on the clayhead trail in "The Maze" with Ben and Barbara, pitching to Ben for a couple of hours each day and watching his hits sail over my head.

HARDINGS, Windsurfed, WSW, 18-25, 12-20, Acid94/5.7, mostly solo.

Harding's Beach Fact Checking the Wind Forecasts- Windguru- said top speed of 10 or 11 for West Dennis today. This was a highly inaccurate statement, little bearing on reality. NWS Coastal Forecast for outer Cape Cod- hedged their bets with 10-20. Very diplomatic. They were right for part of the day. IWindsurf/ Matt Corey- said WSW winds will reach the low 20's during the afternoon from Kalmus to Chatham, with the possibility of some stronger gusts. Very accurate. Fact checker finds this statement to be the most indicative of the actual conditions at the beach. Thanks Matt! You have my vote for president.