Weko Beach Notes

Just as I thought my windsurfing days in the Midwest were over, I ended up on a last road trip to Michigan with Matt, Andrew and Mike. This time it was Weko Beach. The guys had heard of this place South of St. Joseph from some local riders at Little Sable Point. The place is supposed to work like St. Joe, on any North with a little bit of West in it. So last week we decided to check it out. When we got there the wind must have been in the high teens, North to NNW. The beach is beautiful, and the waves were about 5-7 feet. The issue with Weko is the same with St. Joe: at the beach on sunny days the breeze is stronger, and it drops once you get out past 100 yards. So on a NNW or NW, if you try to go downwind to get on a plane, you end up loosing a lot of ground, which you can never recover because the wind does not pick up the farthest you go. This leads to massive downwinders, and painful walks up the beach.
Everybody rigged 5s, I put up my 6.5 and 105. I was able to stay fairly upwind and catch some waves. But the wind kept dying on me and on the last run I slogged by way back, and had a massive walk of shame.
By then the wind was almost gone, so we called it a day. The sun was starting to set in one of those perfect Michigan sunsets. It turns out the wind picked up right before sunset, but we were all gone by then.
So in conclusion: Weko is a very nice spot. It works on NNW to NW, which provides side-shore conditions. On sunny days the breeze at the beach may be stronger than out on the lake, so rig bigger than you would. If you notice decreasing wind after 100 yards, don't try to go further out in search for a puff. It just doesn't happen. Just turn back and rig bigger. After the sesh, you can stop by Pablo's for some awesome Mexican food. One more thing, apparently the spot shuts down if the wind shifts East, so be aware.

Weko at the bottom, and St. Joseph up North

Beautiful rigging area