2020 Sailing Season: 2020-09-24 Special Guest at Pigeon Lake

Pigeon Lake - Brad's Place

Ted's Report:

I arrived at Brad's at around 11:30. Brad, Harold, and Al were already there, but no one was out.

Brad had warned us that he had invited a secret "Special Guest" today. No one knew who it would be, although Harold was speculating that somehow Brad had talked Robbie Nash into making an appearance.....

The wind seemed to be building. I rigged my 6.0 Flyer and 5.2 Flyer (thinking the wind would be building.)

More people started arriving as we were heading out, and after we were out.

Tim, Blaine, Vadim, Andreas, Ross, and "Special Guest" Big Air Jim all arrived.

"Special Guest" Big Air Jim!

Brad went out on his 5.2 and I followed shortly afterwards on my 6.0.

Tim was on his 5.4 and sailing. He had a few great runs, but also slogged a lot of the time, and ended up walking back. Harold, Vadim, and Al were also sailing. There were some lulls, but also some big gusts, and they all had some great runs.

Blaine and Big Air Jim joined us foiling (5.2's I think), and both Ross and Andreas both were kite foiling.

I sailed for about an hour and a half. My GPS stopped working mid-sail and I had to restart it. I will have to start just wearing it under my wetsuit so I don't bump the buttons. The gusts seemed to be getting stronger, but there were also lulls. I did a couple of my best jibes, one touching down, but coming out and up onto the foil with only a couple of pumps! By the end of my sail I was getting pretty tired from all the waterstarting, and the wind seemed to be picking up another notch. I decided to go in and have lunch, and then go out again on a smaller sail - or maybe windsurf.

My last reach into shore was pure adrenaline, in a huge gust.

Shortly after going in for lunch, the wind seemed to drop - then drop some more. By the time I was finished lunch, I don't think I could have gotten foiling even with my seven.

Brad in a lull

Most of the guys were coming in. At one point, Andreas and Ross's kites dropped out of the sky and they had to swim in.

Vadim re-rigged and went out on his big board and a big sail. He sailed around and practiced low-speed jibes, but couldn't reallly get going.

Vadim - using up the last of the wind!

Andreas tried to eke out every last bit of wind with some luck. Blaine went out again with his 7.0, but only got going a few times.

By 3:00 almost everyone was in, and the hot tub was filling up. We all had expected the wind to last a little longer, but Ross said it was exactly how Windfinder had predicted it. It wasn't long, but it was still a GREAT DAY!