Welcome to the "Captain's Log". See who's out and about on the water. What we've been up to, where and when.
This is the official sailing log for ASW. If you've got stories, pictures and anything on windsurfing at local venues mail me and i'll publish it here. |
Captains Log: Star Date 11/30/06: Wind!
What an amazing cold front year we are having this
time around. The weather sure is angry this year. The cold fronts
have started to roll through and the high-end gusts have been
totally amazing. On November 15th, it blew 62knts at Canyon Lake
- totally unbelievable. Jacobs park looked like a good day at
the Wall!
Last week was a ducy too. Wednesday we had gusts
in the high 40's. Just look at the chart! Between 2 and 3pm the
average was in the high 30's.
A sign of the season to come. If you're thinking
of getting rid of that little gear DON"T you're going to
need it this year!
Captains Log: Star Date 8/23/06: One Last Photo ...
While on my mammoth Gorge trip last month a took a disposable water camera out for a ride on the water. I just got back the usual pack of over exposed clips of half a boom and a misty something way off on the water :-) I did however get one good one looking across my gear back to the Event Site off in the distance. Guess its time for a water proof digital.
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Captains Log: Star Date 8/12/06: Life's a Beach...
As the water level continues to drop on Travis, I look at the water level with mixed feelings. August is a time for big sails, wide boards and long fins. The long fin thing can be a real issue when it gets this low. Running aground with a 70cm fin brings the fun to a very sudden stop, let alone the damage to fin, board, body and pride..
On the other hand, when the lux in town drain this amount of water out of the lake (got to pay to pour water on that grass so we can pay someone else to cut it :-) it does create a unique environment for the learner on a windsurfer. Right now, the low water has created a small sand cove right off the point. With the wind from the south you end up with a sandy edged learner pool, ideal for beginners, kids and anyone who wants to float..
Hopefully it won't be there for long (or we are all doomed to draught for ever). Soon strong gulf seasonal rains will fill her up again. So take advantage of it while you can.
Captains Log: Star Date 6/6/06: Austin Learn2 Windsurf 2006
May 20th and 21st Roger & Ellen came back to Austin and helped AWC deliver another 70 odd people into the grand world of windsurfing. This year the weather held out and a great time was has by all.
The local rag came out and put up a really nice article on the event. Check out the online version here...
AWC has some photo's here.
Captains Log: Star Date 02/11/2006 - The Wind Blew for Josh
Members of AWC met at the point this weekend for the scheduled park cleanup and to start the process of setting the Josh Whitham memorial bench in its illustrious spot overlooking the water high at the point.
As we cleared the spot for the bench and the winds picked up to a furious 30knts +, the great tragedy of his loss spurred 5 or 6 of us to brave the near 40 degree wind chills, don our wet suits and hit the water to sail in his honor.
35 knot puffs and 4 foot swells on lake Travis? Josh was with us. He was a windsurfer and on the day we set his name into the honors roll of the park, the wind blew for us all.
There's no sport like windsurfing. That feeling of power, excitement and control, something magic and unexplainable. He knew it, felt it and we remember him for it.
I didn't know Josh, but I have a feeling that on February 11th every year its going to blow and we should all sail in his honor, sit on his bench under the shade of the big tree and remember...
Captains Log: Star Date 02/11/2006 - Race News !
I have an update on racing at AYC. I met with members of the race committee, membership and vice commodore yesterday so i wanted to provide a brain dump for those interested in racing on Lake Travis. Firstly, let me say that the club has open arms right now! Everyone seems very interested in encouraging and helping to promote windsurf racing at the club. They have boats facilities, knowledge and the desire to help us get organized to form a fleet Obviously the club has rules and a procedure for this process, here's the potted summary as (I think) I heard it yesterday:
Membership
- If you do not plan to keep equipment on site, then there is an associate membership with reduced joining fee's and no storage fees. If members did want to keep gear at the launch the club will accommodate that with dedicated storage faculties
- Associate members get a vote and all other club rights. There is a $100 joining fee for the first year, then a follow-on $100 the second year when one comes off "probation". There after its just monthly dues.
- Monthly dues are $59 which entitles you to all access and all facilities. If you have kids they get a big discount on summer camps and the like; you get to use the loaner boats, the pool, the overnight huts all that stuff.
- There's no further fees for racing or using the club at all. You can have up to 12 guests and stay all night (if you like). - If you have kids and you want to "get them on the water" they have a "PB&J" fleet where the kids get to hang out together and get shown how to use the trainer boats, about the wind and how to irresponsibly leap into the water and thrash about like a fish on a hook :-) There's talk about adding windsurf instruction to this. BANG, someone hit my hot button. Kids need kids to learn. I'm thinking about moving to Florida to find a blended water/boat/windsurf program for my kids and we can have one right here at home! This year my kids see windsurfing as an odd thing dad does "all the time". With a supported kids program, by nest year they'll be borrowing gear from my van and wining for 2-bolt Chinook base for Christmas!
- New members must attend a membership committee meeting which is held once a month. The next meeting is this coming Thursday; you come with a form and a check and that's it. I'm assuming no sordid frat induction stuff. Being the product of an English boys school education myself, I'll be taking my tooth brush, some fig leafs and a pink all in one lycra body suit just in case :-)
- In the first year one must complete 12 "events at the club". This AYC rule is designed to weed out the "keep my gear at your lovely inexpensive slip and come sit on it once a year without taking the ropes off" crowd. The membership and race committee is prepared to work with windsurfers (as a new fleet) to make this work.
Racing
- The club is going to look at holding a dedicated windsurfer start line. This means that windsurfers get their own start gun and finish flag on some part of the marked boat sailing course for that day. Participation in these events alone can make up the first year qualification thing.
- In return for being allowed on the line, our "fleet" would in turn, have to staff (or at least volunteers to help) three of the years events. Pretty simple really. I'll let you jump my rope, if you help spin it for me every now and then.... I'm actually pretty excited about that part too. Helping set a course, start a fleet, observe rule etc. will be pretty interesting and can only help my ability to beat the rest of you guys over that line when its our turn :-) If we can make a fleet in this way, we get our own tracked scoring, a cup at the end of the year all that good stuff.
Next steps
If your interested, I'm going over there this Thursday at 7:30pm to make it so. Yes I'll still be at windy point at lot of the time and NO you may not now claim my van spot at the boat ramp :-) I'll just have another place to play and (hopefully) a race venue and support model to help promote the only worth while summer Olympic sport out there. (Did you see Jennifer Heil kill those moguls - i wish my knees still worked like that :-)
Captains Log: Star Date Thursday July 21st - Sunset Day!
There's something deeply mystical about a sunset sailing experience at Lake Travis. When the sun set down behind the point, leaving a strip of golden water from the boat ramp to the island, its time to stoke up! Brian Tim and I chased the sun down that night. I managed a couple of runs right down the strip hanging ten - ah, made up!.
Captains Log: Star Date Saturday July 2nd - Corpus
I'm missing lots of sailing days for the log here, more TOW than TATC (Time At The Computer) - good thing :-) The boys made it down to Corpus for a sweet 15-25 9m day. The jellies where phenomenal. The water was almost white with baby cabbage heads. A few photies are available in the photo's section.
Captains Log: Star Date Friday June 6/25/05 - GPS Day!
I'm totally stoked on my new Garmin 201. Its wacky how much information you can get from one of these puppies. It tells you max/average speed, direction and time and lets you store it all for download to your PC.
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Now that I've got scaled sat images (thanks Mr Goggle - we love you!) I can sail a session, download the results onto a map of the lake at look what you get. So you match this data with what Austin YC has on their web site as you can scientifically estimate your apparent wind speed against the actual and realize just how badly you suck :-) Friday evening was super light and my GPS says I made a run of 22.2mph in a peak breeze of 15-19 knts. Wildly accurate! |
This is such a cooool device, every windsurfer should have one. Next time I'm going to set Waypoints for the race buoys and set them on a ref map. If there's no wind I might even have to Kayak out there :-)
Captains Log: Star Date Saturday 5/26/2004
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Austin made a momentous showing at the US Open & Velocity Games this year. We had 6 guys competing in two fleets. The weather was a little light the first two days (which rocked for my small fry here :-) then Corpus kicked in - like only the bay can. We had two awesome days of 9.8 and 8.5 full on rock n roll! Full detauils here. |
Captains Log: Star Date Saturday 4/30/2004
Another day in Lake Travis paradise. April 30th. North wind with Gusts to 12-22. My new Sailworks NXfw 10.8 - could you ask for more... Racing with AYC regatta - think I'm going to have to join.
Captains Log: Star Date Thursday 4/28/2005
A good pm sail. Took out my new 11.8 NXfw - the Yellow and Red looks like a total babe on the water - all that shinny mylar - peachy! Took me about 30 minutes to work out how to rig a newby. Takes a 580 mast amazing - like a darn flag pole; but man does she fly...
Captains Log: Star Date 4/23/2005
The boys make Belton home for a day...
It turned out to be a great day. Trey's buddy Miles came along to learn. Blew gusty 9.8 weather. I should have been on my 11m but have a broken 4th batten - new one coming..
Tim, Brian, Jay and a few others made it out to there - was a good evening blasting round the beach line and running aground :-) Dave Cothron was there - great to see you Dave - if you see this drop me a mail...
Captains Log: Star Date Thursday 4/16/2005
Bird Island Baby..
Tim and I made an overnight to the beach. That age old ritual of sand up your crack and weed on your fin. Some full rez images are here. A good few of the AWC boys where there too. A fire on the beach with the "Dell Boys" was well cool...
