St. Joe notes

Last night the forecast for Lake Michigan read: NNW in the high teens gusting to 20s (mph), so I thought about trying St Joseph, MI... This spot has a reputation of going off with anything from the north, with a little bit of west. I heard countless stories about epic swell hitting this place. The stories come from windsurfers, surfers, and kiters... I have my own scary story about this place. It doesn't involve big waves, or great wind; it involves a swell big enough to crash you against an ice covered break wall, during a November session that went wrong...
So I spent the rest of the night remembering how I climbed the frozen ladder out of the water, and how I almost lost all my gear. The mistake that day: I wasn't fully powered close to the beach, but I could see the windline so I went for it. Coming back I did not have enough juice to make it to the beach,  I fell, and got pushed by the current against the break wall...

Long story short, today I had the same feeling as I went out. I could see the whitecaps just a few yards from the shore, but near the beach the wind was not enough. I went out on a 5.2, came back rigged the 6.5, and had the same feeling. After I made it back, and as bad as I wanted to give it another try, I packed my stuff and called it a day. I'll go back though, I have yet to see the legendary St. Joe's wave...