Extreme Speed

Yesterday was a day of dynamic weather. There were squalls, lulls, and extreme winds. Because of this, Gloucester Seafood of Guinea was again converged upon by the wind riders. James documented this, well, in this post. He also provided photographic proof that I can windsurf, fast even, when I’m not breaking boards, or gorilla taping sails. Thanks James.
And now for some tokens of my appreciation:


James shredding.


Farrah shredding.


After all the rain and wind, we had clear skies and wind.

The EPA is broken

Stephen Johnson (Bush’s EPA administrator) refuses to sign the waiver to allow California and a dozen other states to have higher emissions standards. California never had a problem getting these waivers signed until Johnson came onto the scene.

I thought the Republicans were for smaller government, where states have more power to regulate, not less. By stealing California’s ability to lead in fuel economy, Johnson is polluting on a grand scale, stifling innovation, and as one of the war hawks, he’s hindering the war effort. This is the first war in our history where we’re encouraged to consume with impunity.

We all owe our great grandkids an apology for the outrageous bill that we’re leaving for them.

Video of Macky and James (March 4)

Back in Action!

I smashed the nose of my board on the second outing, so I glassed it up. It’s not pretty, but it’s water tight.

First I hung it upside down for a week, but it was still damp, so when it got real cold I fired up the woodstove, brought it in and dried it good, for 48 hours.



Then, one 50oF morning, I took it back to the shed and sanded it (80 grit) until all the pink was gone. After sanding, I wiped it thoroughly with acetone for good bonding with the epoxy. This is a very important step.





I cut up several pieces of fiberglass tape, brushed on some epoxy with “fast” hardener. Laid the glass pieces and brushed more epoxy on top of them. I used the fast because that’s what I had at the time and it was 50oF, so it was actually pretty slow.

I thought I could just rely on the wet epoxy and glass to keep the gaping hole in the nose closed, but I was wrong. I figured this out after wetting everything and laying the first glass. So, I pre-drilled right through the repair area and then drove a drywall screw through the board. Then I continued glassing around the screw. It worked like a charm.

The first layer, with the screw still in.


After the first layer of glass hardened, I removed the screw and sanded the heck out of it, which opened some of the original damage. So, I wiped it down and laid more glass. After the second layer of glass I hand-sanded the burs and voila! I went windsurfing.

If I get around to it, I can clean the area with soap and water, sand some more and then wipe with acetone and apply Colloidial Silica to the West System epoxy and fill any low spots. Then, I can sand and repeat until I achieve a desired shape. After that she can get paint.

I could give the board a whole new look, or I could go windsurfing, like we did today and it was great! Besides if I invest a ton of effort to make it look beautiful and then re-bash the nose with another catapult, I’d cry like a baby.

James taking her for a spin.


Macky Launching.

How NOT to Windsurf

For Presidents' Day, I was blessed with warm temperatures, high southwest winds, and great company (James Douglass and Farrah Hall) for a windsurfing session in Guinea. Unfortunately, I blew it, so to speak.

Farrah and James


I had some wicked fast and furious runs, but most of the time I flailed about with my "new" rig and its old school sail that, according to James, has too much power, too high up. Furthermore, I was not prepared for the 20+kt wind that came up. If I had my 4.5m sail, I would've rigged it, but I only had the 6.4m. Consequently, I was catapulted hard and my boom demolished the nose of my board. I also had just broken my uphaul. Then I was about to be swept in between a pair of very long, private piers (see the right side of satellite image). I had to swim the rig around the end of the eastern pier or be raked through the pilings. After that, I was done.

I let the waves take me to shallow water where I commenced the "walk of shame". I stashed my broken rig in the grass next to Cross Road (far right in satellite image). Though it was barely a mile, it was a very long mile, down Jenkins Neck Rd. and then through back yards and tidal creeks with thick deep muck, back to Gloucester Seafood (Cooks Landing Rd.), seen on the left side of the satellite image. It was an even longer drive back to pick up the gear, since you have to drive around your (you know what) just to get where the crow flies in places like Guinea, where tidal waters rule.


View Larger Map

Basically, I had my ass handed to me on a foam core plastic platter, in front of Farrah and James. Nevertheless, they were both super kind to my Spasmoidialness. James blamed my old sail. He told me that I should have a more manageable sail to dial in my new board. He then hooked me up with a sweet deal on one of his older, but much more advanced Ezzy sails, a carbon fiber mast, and some other stuff that he's "outgrown". Thanks James! I very much look forward to getting back into the water.

Repair Job
My only speed bump now is my board. It's currently hanging, nose down, in my shed to let any water drain for the next several days. Meanwhile, a Google search revealed a few possibilities.
1. Marinetex
2. Solar Patch
3. Dingo or Ding Stick
4. Plumber's epoxy (supposedly the same thing as Dingo)

Farrah's solution - Saw off the nose for a whole new look.

Initial Questions:
1. I'm inclined to think that Farrah is right. If I did saw off the nose, what would be the best way to seal/finish it?

2. If I try to restore the nose to its original shape as possible, what would be the best method?

My Busted Nose


my 6.4m sail at Cross Road


And, finally: What was good about President's Day?
1. The wind (speed and direction)
2. The company - especially watching them scream up and down the shore!
3. I was windsurfing
4. I did a "water start" three times (alright, so it was only hip deep...still!)
5. The wicked fast rides (actually, they were great!)
6. The salty air

My "New" French Stick

A picture of my "new" rig, this morning, the day after her maiden voyage. Great weather.

My windsurfing instructor, James, had finally had enough. He said I was getting just good enough that I was doing too much damage to his gear. So, James did me the favor of connecting me to some folks that had some extra gear. I scored a Bic (yes, it’s the same French company that makes the lighters) Samba “allround funboard” from somewhere between 1990 and 1995. At 170L she actually sinks a little under my 200 lbs when the wind is weak, and she’s much squirrelier than the 220 Kona that I’m used to.

James said that my “allround funboard” may have discouraged a lot of people from windsurfing since the sport was going more to the short boards and the funboard label was a little misleading since it is actually a little more of a technical board. James also said that he thinks I might be able to actually jump it. Sweet!

Anyhow, yesterday was the maiden voyage. The water and the air temperature were both about 45oF with a NW wind at 15 kts and driving rain; not exactly ideal conditions but I really was itching to try out my new rig.

It's awesome! I had some fast, fun rides. I can't wait to get on it in some better weather with stronger winds!

James was a real sport because he went with me to the Carmine Island spot, on the York River. We took turns, and he helped me tweak the boom and mast for my 6.4-m sail. The mast and boom needed to adjust out. The small 460 mast necessitated extending the mast base out to over 40 cm.

The board and the sail are pink and my harness is pink and yellow. Did I mention that I’m windsurfing in conservative, rural Gloucester County, VA? An old white dude watched us for about an hour from the landing in his pick-up truck. I don’t even want to know what he was thinking, plotting, or doing with the engine running while James and I were taking turns dialing in the “new” rig. Ewww!

Windsurfing Rocks!

My boy is amped about learning to wind surf and he's only 3. Here's a picture from early October.