Duxbury, Windsurfed, NNE, NE, 10-18, Solo, 6.8/Carve 123

Light winds in the salt meadows; Sunny, low forties. The wind dropped off just before I got there. I planed occasionally. It was still nice though. It was serene sailing through the salt marsh north of the bridge, just me and the seagulls. A few times I got up on plane just downwind of a grass island, in super flat water, and noticed that the board makes a different sound when it’s skimming across many tiny ripples instead of chop, a rat-a-tat kind of sound. The high tide was almost covering some of the grass islands so they weren’t blocking the wind very much. I parked on the beach side. When the wind went NE it was a little offshore. I had to work my way upwind for a few runs to get back at the end. I was out for about 2 hours, stopping on the islands occasionally to warm my hands.
Portable Breast; I used my camelback/ safety kit for the first time- with water, line and tool, no cell phone or strobe. I noticed, as I was drinking from the camelback, that the mouthpiece works like a perfect, artificial nipple. I wonder if its inventor was thinking portable breast. At least you don’t have to do anything to make the water let down.

Pleasure Bay Windsurfed E 12-18 Solo 6.8/Carve 123

Night sailing; I sailed from 5:30 to a little after 7:30. It was pretty dark with a light drizzle by 7:30. I wanted to test Oliver’s claim that the lights from Boston and from streetlights ringing pleasure Bay make it possible to sail at night. It’s true. It was fun, even in the dying winds, to sail across the black water with the reflections of the silver lights flickering across the surface. I derigged under a streetlight. This is the perfect place for late day/ evening sailing.
Weather & sailing; Air temp mid-forties. The wind was more steady than I expected but it was mostly a little on the light side, dropping off more by the end. I planed about half the time in the beginning.
Palm Harness; I tried the palm harnesses in the light winds at the end. They were much easier to use then I expected. I’m just not sure how much forearm fatigue they will relieve.

Ninigret, Windsurfed, WSW, 5-25, 2 others, 5.2/Acid 94

Busted on the Way to the beach; Hey, this was a first. I was stopped by a state police on the way to Ninigret, not for speeding, but because my license plate was covered with snow from a big storm we had on Friday! I’m glad I wasn’t arrested.
Weather & Sailing; 40 degree air temp according to the truck thermometer. The National Weather Service had the temp at 36 to 38. I was switching off between mittens and gloves. My hands got cold a few times but it worked out pretty well. Otherwise I dressed the same as last weekend. My body temp was fine! The wind was very up and down. I only planed about half of the time. One of the other guys there was pulling forward loops off of the flat water!

Claflin Landing/ the Cut, Windsurfed, S, 13-20, Solo, 6.2/Carve 123

Picture; Kalmus with Ice Pack

Iced In; All the beaches I drove to at first were either iced in or had no wind. Kalmus and Harding’s were completely iced in. There was 1 seal sunning itself on the ice at Kalmus. Somebody on the beach thought that it was hurt. There were several on the ice at Harding’s. I think they were just enjoying the sunny day. The ice at Harding’s extended up to Cockle Cove. Forrest was clear but had no wind. The Cut had good wind, side offshore, but no one was out there so I went to Claflin Landing. Gerry said later that Duxbury was iced in too.
Weather; 47 air temp, water low to mid thirties. I dressed really warm! I wore a long sleeve shirt between my fleece and long underwear top. I used my O’Neill booties with sealskin socks and duct taped my booties to my drysuit, mittens instead of gloves. I had some difficulty holding on during the lulls but my hands were hot! I was completely warm, even when I fell in. Next time I should take a back pack with my gloves so I can switch off. A safety kit would be nice too.
Sailing with the seals; The south wind was fun at Claflin Landing. It was side shore to just a tiny bit side offshore. I sailed between 2 sandbars in the channel. The fin could just clear the sandbars. It was near dead low tide with the tide, (and wind) rushing in. When the wind was gusting I had no trouble staying upwind on the Carve with its big pointer fin. In the lulls I would be downwind in a minute. When I was out there I saw some kiters up at the Cut. I worked my way up by sailing upwind in the wide part of the harbor and then walking the board up along the inside of Nauset Beach where the harbor gets narrow. When I walked my board around the point of Nauset Beach the incoming current was so strong that I could barely walk against it. I sailed for a short time from the tip of Nauset beach out to where the line of breakers would be if the waves were up. There were some very small waves there. On the outside the current wasn’t an issue. I was sailing straight into it on the way out and with it back in. There were lots of seals around. At one time, inside the harbor, I counted about 50 all floating around me at a distance, watching me. They made me feel like I was being watched.
Tide at the Cut; The tide seems to run about 1 to 1 ½ hours later than the IWindsurf tide chart for Chatham. The chart at Jerry’s World seems accurate.

3/3, 3/4, Sunday River, Skiied, Barb, Josh, Ben, Al, Lee, Anna

Over 1 foot of new snow fell on Friday and Friday night with flurries off and on over the weekend. The skiing was great! Al took us all over the mountain.