Finally!

Finally the conditions were just right for a killer ice sailing session! It was sunny, the wind was blowing about 15 mph, the lake was packed with thick ice, and I had the day off. I rigged my 5.2, which was plenty for the conditions. The rig finally felt right in the ice; having tried it in different terrains, I found it works best in the ice with patches of snow, to slow you down a bit... Seriously, this thing goes off, the drag of the skis against the ice is minimal, and you pick up some serious speed.
Freestyle: after a few runs and after building some confidence, I tried to make the skis spin out. Well, they spun out... of control... The helmet you see in the pictures was worth every penny, I waked my head in ways I never thought were possible... but by the end of the day I was getting more and more used to the rotation of the skis and was able to stay on my feet most of the time...
Anyway, big day in for icesailing, I'll be back for more!!!
No harness needed

Ice freestyle 101, thank God for my helmet

Windy Sunday

We got some great wind today! I arrived to Wolf Lake little after noon, and it was already blowing. The lake was covered in about 10 inches of snow (still nothing like yesterday at Dunes). In regular conditions (that means liquid water) I would have rigged 5.2, but I knew that I needed more power to get going in the snow, so I went with 6.5.
I'm still having trouble controlling the windski, I either go too upwind and loose speed, or I go way downwind... Another thing that seems not right are the harness lines, I have a hard time hooking in and making it work, I go much better unhooked. Maybe I should move the mast track further, if I only had a drill...
Wolf Lake, frozen

I should get a few fishing poles if I'll keep spending countless hours in frozen lakes

Who needs Bonaire... Maybe me...

Dunes take 1

First session of the year! Winter is in full speed here in the Midwest, and we had lots of snow. The lakes are frozen, even the Big Guy is frozen! This, of course, represents a minor inconvenience in the life of a windsurfer. However, windsurfers know very well how to make lemonade when life throws lemons... Anyway, these conditions were perfect to keep testing my windski. I decided to check out Dunes Sate Park, in Indiana; a natural reserve that I thought would offer the perfect playground for the windski. The wind was not huge, just enough to keep me moving, but the snow was too deep, and my 80's skis kept sinking in the powder. Tomorrow it's going to crank, so I hope to get some action at Wolf, we'll see...

Walking the gear through the snow. The frozen Lake Michigan in front of me...