Hot, Hot, Hot

Ten days in San Carlos and not even close to having enough wind to kite. Lots of heat. The Soggy Peso has been busy as the beach is the place to be. I've been out spearfishing a couple of times but the bands on my gun are old and keep breaking. I need to remember to store them in a baggie as they will deteriorate just being exposed to the air. The snorkeling was great anyways. We had several days of 30ft+ visibility off of Isla Venado.
The fishing reports haven't been too good lately, but lots of other sea life out there. A finback whale has been hanging out and there have been several sperm whales and a very large pod of pilot whales a ways off shore. I saw a sea turtle the other day when I was out on Bobby Haag's boat and the next day he got to swim with a whale shark just off of San Antonio Point.
The surface temperature is in the 80's but you don't have to dive very deep to find chilly water.
With all of the southerly winds we also get some Portuguese Man of Wars in the water and there are stingrays in the sand near the beach so you have to watch out when you go swimming.

Back From Grenada

Well, I am back in Tucson and getting ready to drive back down to San Carlos. Wind forecast doesn’t look all that great. I’ll be there less than two weeks and then I’ll go to Cape Cod for two weeks. The wind forecast is looking better over there.

Speaking of looking better – the wind prediction for the coming week in Grenada calls for very good wind. While I was there it barely got up to 20 knots a couple of times. The day I arrived people told me “You should have been here last week. It really blew.” Now it looks like they will have good wind all next week. Oh well.

The trip to Grenada was very nice, but not as nice as I had anticipated. The best was the people, the air and water temperature, the tropical flora, my accommodations, and the food.
The people were friendly to the point of treating me like family, especially in the country side. Up in the mountains I was invited to join in on meals by the river, parties at their houses and sent down the mountain loaded down with all kinds of fruits and vegetables with invitations to return and stay as long as I wanted.
Air and water temperatures were in the 80’s.
Even though it was the end of the dry season, there were tropical flowers in abundance. Nutmeg, cocoa, and banana trees covered the mountains.
I had rented a cottage at Coral Cove Cottages. It was great. Right in front of the best kiting spot on the island. I could set up on grass in front of a reef protected bay. The maid would bring fresh flowers for every room every day. It was $100 a day. The best deal on the island. The only drawback for me was no wireless internet service. I was able to contract with the local provider for dialup service but it was painfully slow.
I found the Red Crab Restaurant the first day I was there and went back often. The food was awesome.

Unfortunately, I happened to be there for two weeks of mediocre wind. I got out almost every day, but had to use my 14M kite and larger board. I was also kiting alone all but one day and had to watch out for several shallow reefs so I wasn’t trying anything new.
I only went snorkeling one day, as it was disappointing. There were coral reefs, but very unspectacular. I did see two big sea turtles while out kiting.
The second day I was there I asked a waitress at the restaurant what they called the native language. She told me English. No, no, I said. What is the language they use amongst themselves? English, she said. And English it was, but not anything that I could understand. I could understand most of the people if they were used to dealing with tourists and were talking directly to me. Otherwise they would quickly lose me and it was a bit frustrating.
The worst thing about the island was driving a car. The island is a volcanic island and the landscape was very rugged. The roads are winding, steep and extremely narrow. That doesn’t stop the locals from driving 50 miles an hour everywhere they go. It was scary. Not fun. I was looking forward to some nice days driving and exploring the island. I did spend two days doing that, accompanied by Esmon, the bartender at the Red Crab, who volunteered to be my tour guide. I couldn’t have found a better person to show me the island. However, I had to concentrate so hard on not getting run off the road that it was hard to enjoy the scenery and I would be exhausted by the end of the day.

Another Kiter!!!

Another kiter stopped by the other day. Ben is living on a sailboat not too far away and saw me out kiting so he drove his dingy over and went kiting. He was on a 10M Royal Kite and was amazingly powered up. He was ripping! I was on my 10M Nemesis but should have put up my 14. Derek showed me another spot, Westerhall Bay, to kite yesterday. He set up as well but had trouble with a new bladder that he had just installed and couldn't get it worked out. It was a shame because he doesn't get out too often as he works and has two young children and not much free time. I don't know how many years he has lived here but he told me that he has seen only six other people kiting on Grenada.

Grenada

I am in Grenada, the “Spice Island.” The trip here was long but went smoothly. The new luggage rules mean you have to carry less or pay more. I managed to fit all my equipment and personal stuff within the total of 70 lbs in two checked bags and I loaded up a carry on bag. You are allowed 40 lbs in the carry on bag but the size limit makes it impossible to take full advantage of it.
It is hard to find flights without an overnight stop over so I took a 22 hour layover in Puerto Rico. I rented a car for the day but really didn’t have time to see much besides the area near San Juan.

Old San Juan was great! Historic buildings, a castle, a fort, lots of great restaurants, and a happening night life. It was also more expensive than I expected – but most places are getting expensive these days. The wind was blowing by 10 am and a few kiteboarders were out by one o’clock. I didn’t have time to get out on the water myself; that will have to wait until the next trip. Here are a few kiters right in front of downtown San Juan. There are lots of beaches to go to.



Grenada is beautiful. I haven’t seen much of it yet but it is tropical, lush, and a bit mountainous. The wind has been a little light the first two days; never getting past 12 to 18 knots. I am flying my 14M Rhino and a medium sized board and a big jump is only ten feet high; enough to have fun and practice some tricks. I am staying at the Coral Cove Cottages, which happens to be at the best beach for kiting. I haven’t seen anyone else out kiting but talked to Derek, from the Big Bamboo Surf Shop, and expect to see him out there once in a while. He used to teach kiting here and was very helpful.

Below is a picture of where I am staying, taken the first morning just after sunrise.

Condos Pilar

Today was the third (and last) day of some strong southerly winds. The wind seems best over by the Condos Pilar, at the east end of San Francisco Beach. The conditions are a lot different than what we get all winter over in front of the Soggy Peso. Lots of waves to play in, but they don't have very good shape for surfing. Here is a video of Jeff. The wind seemed strong, and was measuring over 20 knots at times, but he was a bit underpowered on his 9M kite.

Good Southerlies

We've only had a couple of kiteable days in the past week and a half or so. Today was the best wind in a while. Steady 14 to 18 knots from the southeast. It blew nicely from about 10:30 am to 4 pm over at Pilar. The warm moist air doesn't pack the power of the winter wind, and these southerlies kick up a lot of chop that you need to power through, meaning that I have to use a bigger kite. I am using a 14M Rhino and a medium sized board.
The prediction is for two more days of good wind from the south. Christian will be kiting at La Pinta in Rocky Point for the next couple of days, so it will be interesting to see how it blows there compared to here.
Christian has also been getting in some good days up at Mormon Lake, Arizona.
Although we are getting some good days, the windy season is really over. That means that it is time to look elsewhere for wind. So next week I am flying over to the spice island of Grenada to stay for two weeks.

Big Kite Season

The winds have gone away and the heat is fast approaching. We can still get out a couple of days a week on bigger kites. I've been doing okay on my 14M Rhino and middle sized board. The wind has been coming up around two in the afternoon and dying off after four. It is a shame that just as the temperatures get good, the wind changes. Hopefully we will have a good summer season of strong enough southerlies. Last year was kind of weak.

Moria and Scott

Most of the week had little wind which was a shame because a couple of good friends and kiteboarders, Moria and Scott, were here visiting. We did get out Thursday and Friday, and had a good time although the wind was light. Moria looked great and was tearing it up on a borrowed kite and board. Scott has been into the sport for a long time and his moves are smooth. His quiver consists of only two line kites and a big board. He had to use my stuff on this trip and it was the first time he had used a modern kite on the water. He got out the first day of wind and looked good but didn't bother go out the second day. Instead he took pictures and videos which was good for me as I am usually the one taking the photos. Below is me taking off and then me flying upside down.

By the way, Scott has a new book out, Pokin Round the Gorge. It is an uninhibited guide to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. Check it out!

Great Weekend

The weekend turned out to be almost perfect with nice steady wind. Lots of kiters showed up and lots of spectators on the beach. I started out both days at La Manga. You can drive all the way past the Hangout, where we normally set up, and park at the point. Then you can cross the bridge with your gear and set up on the other side. The wind and the waves in front of the gap are great. When you have had enough, it is easy to kite into the entrance of the lagoon and walk across to the other bay. I crossed over one day by kiting between the islands but the wind was terrible and I had to go way down wind to find steady enough wind that I could approach the shore and work my way back upwind to the Hangout. Wasn't worth the effort.

I am still wearing my full wetsuit as the water is still below 70 degrees. Some of the local guys have been going without a wetsuit for a month. Jose Luis told me that he was out diving just the other day and at 20 feet the water was a chilly 59.
Some people seem to think that it has been windier and colder this month than normal for April but if you check my blog from April 2006 you will see that we had more wind and colder water that year.
The rest of this week looks weak. Light southerlies for the most part.

Good Wind

The wind has been decent all week even though the forecast looked lousy. One day it blew southwest and it was nice over by the condos Pilar and most other days picked up in the afternoon out at the usual kite spot. Today was strong, starting out at 14 to 17 knots, building up to over 25 knots for most of the day and then backing off a bit after 5 o'clock. The forecast had predicted a good day so several kiters showed up to take advantage of the wind.

Here is Jose Luis kiting in front of a bunch of pelicans.

It was also a good day to work on a tan before the wind picked up.

Not Much to Report

There are fewer and fewer good wind days here in San Carlos. A lot of days the wind will get up to 10 - 12 knots but not much higher, or not for very long. Eventually we will get out on those days on big kites and big boards when we get bored enough. There are also fewer and fewer people in town. Most of the winter visitors have left and summer vacations are still a couple of months away. The water temperature is stuck in the 60's and still feels cold on the windy days. I've used my shorty wetsuit a couple of times instead of the full suit but it was chilly. Days are nice, with temperatures usually getting into the 80's, sometimes higher.

I am expecting good wind on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and hopefully Saturday. Three days a week is about all that we can expect this time of the year.

The End Is Near

The end of the season is fast approaching, but you wouldn't have guessed it from the wind we had Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It blew hard. Gusting to 30 knots or more. The sand was blowing in our faces. Like it was February. Over the weekend several people came out to kite: Jeff, Carlos, the other Carlos, Scott, Luque, Fireman John, and Fernando and Nicolas from Hermosillo. The gusts were brutal but still a lot of fun.



Jeff tried kiting in the lagoon in back of the hotel. He managed to make a few passes but the wind was lousy and I doubt that he will bother to try it again. We've always wondered about it - now we know.

Trip Report

The North Flats

On the gulf, in front of the hotel

Playing in the waves, doing a down-winder

Holly Beach - not closed after all.

The trip to South Padre was a lot of fun although the wind didn't exactly cooperate. Several of us stayed at a Holiday Inn right on the beach and although the hotel was a bit shabby and a bit pricey it was a good choice just because it was on the beach. There was still a Spring Break crowd on the island when we first arrived but after our first weekend ended the crowds left and the place really emptied out.

The North Flats turned out to be the place to run into everybody that we knew. It is an area especially good for beginners because there is so much space and the water stays shallow for half a mile out. You can kite with the wind from just about any direction and the water is flat. It does tend to get gusty at times.

We spent one day playing in the waves on the gulf side and did a long down-winder from in front of the hotel all the way down to a spot across from the flats. The wind wasn't really strong enough and we had to work the kites a bit but it was still fun to do. We suffered from a lack of wind the whole stay; struggling to keep upwind in 10 to 14 knots, sometimes less.

We had been warned that Holly Beach, which is on the mainland side of the bay, was closed. We asked at the South Padre Kiteboard Shop and he confirmed that they were still working on getting it reopened. He was lying. It was open. It gets the strongest and the cleanest wind of all the spots in the area and the locals seem to not want to advertise it. It is the only spot that I have encountered in my travels where you consistently run into unfriendly kiters. If you go there, don't let them discourage you. It is a great spot. We only got to go there once, on the last day, on the way to the airport. Smooth water and even smoother wind. Almost heaven.

South Padre

Christian, Britt, and I arrived in South Padre on Thursday and went out to the North Flats right away for a nice session. Just happened to park next to a van that turned out to be Stuart and Dave and next to them was a friend of theirs, Sean. Later that afternoon Lou showed up. Over the next couple of days we also kited with Glenn's brother and his wife and yesterday a truck pulled up next to us and it was Victor, from Tampico. Hopefully everyone will be out there for a good session today. The wind has been marginal most of the time, but enough to get out every day.

A Few Good Days

We had a few good days of wind last week but nothing since Sunday and this week looks dismal. The report really doesn't bother me too much since I am arriving in South Padre tomorrow for a week of kiting. I am not sure who all else will be there except for Christian and Britt, Lou, Stuart, Dave, and myself. Weather and wind predictions look very good. We are all staying at the Holiday Inn, right on the water.

I am going to try to make do with just two boards and one kite. I've gotten used to my 10M Nemesis enough that I can use it from 10 knots to 30. That should cover almost any wind that I would try to kite in.

To view the blog and photos from last year, go to http://kiteboard-mexico.blogspot.com/2007/04/south-padre.html and to http://kiteboard-mexico.blogspot.com/2007/04/back-from-great-trip.html

The wind has been spotty the last ten days or so. Some afternoons it would pick up around 2:30 and blow just enough to get out and a couple of afternoons it has blown hard and gusty. We even had rain and hail one day.
Today is the beginning of the crowds for Semana Santa. They have cut back every year on the number of permits for events and food and beer stands and this year they have also really stepped up the police presence and law enforcement. They are even keeping the quad-runners off the beaches. It will still be busy and lots of people and traffic, but it should be mellower than previous years.
Roberto got back from Brazil and is down here for a month or more. It was starting to get pretty lonely out on the water as people have been leaving. Gerald left last week as did Helmut, and Jimmy will be packing up soon. Helmut and his wife, Peggy, were out every day there was wind. Peggy was our favorite cheerleader, always there to boost our enthusiasm and to help out whenever needed. I hope they come back next year.






Here is Helmut on the beach.

And here is Helmut floating in the sky.

Flying High

Well, the wind never came in yesterday and today doesn't look any better which means that the whole week looks like a wash out. Normally we don't get more than a couple of days in a row without wind but this year hasn't been normal. Next week is both Spring Break for the University of Arizona and Semana Santa so it should be quite the party. The forecast says we should also have wind that week. Below is a video that Helmut took of me showing off how great my Best Nemesis Kite is for high floaty jumps.

Friday and Saturday were nice days out at the beach and we had several kiters show up for the Saturday session. More and more local Mexicans are getting into the sport and since they don't get out to the beach very often, they bring a lot of enthusiasm to the session. Sometimes it is as much fun to watch the other kiters as it is to get out on the water. Sunday was on off day but we are hoping to get a couple of days in today and tomorrow. Today started off with the the sea completely covered with fog.

Nothing to Report

I know that it has been over a week since my last post but I've been in Arizona and haven't had anything to write about. My kiteboarding buddy, Christian, and I are starting a floor care business in San Carlos and this trip was mostly about that business. Today I will be driving back down to Mexico but won't make it in time to get a session in today. The wind hasn't been great lately and the forecast doesn't look much better. After some strong wind today and tomorrow they say it is going to shut off again for several days. South Padre is looking better all the time. Puerto Progreso in the Yucatan is very consistent this time of year as well. You can see reports for these places if you scroll down at my wind guru page.

After a great weekend of kiting last week we had a few days off before the next good blow started up. During the break we saw air temperatures into the 90's, well above normal. Yesterday it was 86. This also means that the water temperature is also finally starting to warm up, although it is still in the low 60's.
This Saturday and Sunday had nice wind and then it got a little nasty on Monday. It was real gusty with sand blowing head high down the beach. It was still fun, though.

I've been flying my new kite in all conditions to get a feel for what it can do. The low end is incredible. It is a 10M Best Nemesis HP and I've had great sessions down to 10 knots. The high end has been a little disappointing as it gets to be over powered above 25 knots. The stated range for this kite is 13 to 33, and to be fair, I did still have a couple more adjustments at the kite that I could have used to depower it more. Today it is supposed to nuke again so I'll have a chance to try it again in 25+ knots. Boosting big air with this kite is the best that I've experienced. Hang time is great.

A few of us (6 so far) are making plans to go to South Padre last week in March and first week of April. I went last year and we all had a great time. Only problem is that access to the best kite spot on the bay, Holly Beach has been cut off. Hopefully the conditions will be good for wave riding as we are staying at the Holiday Inn right on the water on the Gulf side. If anyone else is interested in going and wants more details you can write me at kite420 @ gmail.com.

Presidents' Day Weekend

As predicted, Wednesday had little wind but then Thursday came with a kiteable south-easterly breeze. I didn't get out because I thought that the waves would be too much for my back as the water was pretty rough. Would have been fun, though, to kite our regular spot with wind from the opposite direction. A couple of kiters down early for the weekend did get out to enjoy it. The group from up north that arrived in force the next day got good wind the following four days before they had to go back home.

Friday a film crew from Mexico City, http://www.ifstudios.com.mx/index.php?goto=2&sub=1,

came to the beach to film us as part of an ad campaign that they are doing for the Mexican Tourism Council. The video crew was great with incredible equipment and even used a helicopter to video us out on the water. They were also taping lots of other activities staged just for them such as boating, kayaking, and jet skis and there were lots of spectators so it was a real festive atmosphere. Hopefully they will send me a clip or two that I can post on this blog.

Kiters Coming

This week the wind has been up and down. Most days there has been enough to get out, although it has been gusty. I came down off a big jump and bruised my back on Wednesday and haven't been out since. I may take one more day off before getting back on the water. This coming Wednesday looks to be the only day this week that the wind is not going to blow. On Saturday a group of ten kiters from Arizona are coming down and will be staying at the Paradiso Hotel, which is right where we kite. It will be great to see a bunch of new people on the beach.



Here is a shot of Gerald. He has made some real progress and is getting lots more time on the board, but still has to walk back up wind some. He is an inspiration for a lot of people. If I remember correctly, he should be 78 years old this year.

And here is a photo of another nice day in San Carlos.

New Equipment

The wind died off for a whole week so I went up to Arizona to visit friends and take care of some business. Got back in time for the next sretch of wind but it only lasted three days and it shut off again. Now after another four days of windless days we are back to kiting again. Hopefully it lasts a while. I brought back with me a new board (2007 Sky Walker Dimitri Pro 131) and a new kite (Best Nemisis 10M 2008.) Both are great.
The number of kiters has been dropping as a few people have ended their vacations already. Some come for just a week or so but others had been here for a while. Dave and Jackie left as did Joe, and Glenn and Sue will be leaving shortly.

We have had several days of nice wind but the forecast calls for very little action this coming week. The only good thing is that the warm days should heat the water up a little more. Next weekend there is a big kite expo at La Ventana in Baja. There will be competitions and most of the kite companies will be there with their latest gear available to demo. The only thing that they won't have is wind. The forecast looks terrible.

Lots of days the wind has been cold and gusty but that hasn't stopped us from enjoying the kiting and it hasn't stopped people from coming out to the Soggy Peso Bar to watch us. The flat water is great for trying out new tricks so the spectators get to see lots of great maneuvers and lots of great crashes. Everything takes place in a small area just off the beach because that is where the wind and flat water is due to the configuration of a spit of land connecting to an island off the point. We have to stay within 200 yards of shore or we would go behind the island and run out of wind.

Here is Joe, about to leave the beach for a session. He is still struggling a little bit with his technique and so was using a board leash. Unfortunately he got lofted out on the water and the board hit him near his ankle hard enough to do some real damage. He will be out of action for a few weeks. It has been a bad week for ankles as Glenn hurt his Saturday when coming into the beach. I haven't heard how bad it is but it looked like it will put him out of action for at least a little while.

Paula and Scott stopped in for a few days of kiting on their way to Ventana. The ferry was delayed due to high seas so they stayed longer than planned. Paula is an awesome kiter. She also let us try out the new Freak Dog kites. Nice kites. Thanks Paula.

Below is a photo of Paula's dog. He loves to bring her board up from the water for her when she is done with a session.

Here is Glenn, doing a double back roll coming into the beach and a front roll on the outside.

New Year, Old Friends

The new year is shaping up well. We just started what promises to be a week long blow, the weather and water seem to have warmed up a bit and several kiters from past years are here. I'll try to take a break from kiting long enough to get photos of everbody. Not much going on of real interest, just good times at the beach almost every day, even when the wind doesn't cooperate. Hard to find a nicer place to hang out.

Keeps the Crowds Away

The wind has been great for at least ten days now. Strong wind and flat water - what more could a kiteboarder want? How about water that wasn't frigid? I'm not talking about Alaska frigid, but 54 degree water is still numbing cold. This is the coldest that I've seen the sea in the 13+ years that I have lived here. A lot of people are braving the cold to hang out at the Soggy Peso Bar on the beach where we kiteboard and all seem to enjoy the show we put on. Sometimes there are seven or eight kiters of all levels out on the water. Some of the spills have been spectacular.

Why We Like San Carlos

The wind has been blowing every day for several days and the forecast is for it to continue for at least another week. Yesterday it was blowing 15 - 25 knots. Some days it is blowing more, others less. On a couple of days it has blown really hard and Glenn and I get out the 7M kites. We know it is going to blow when the birds are all hunkered down in the bay as in the photo below.


Most days there are only a few of us out on the water but the other day a bunch of kiters, all brothers, came down from Hermosillo. None of them were really prepared for how cold the water is but that didn't stop them from getting out there and ripping it up.

I am back in San Carlos and so is the wind. Looks like we'll have several days of 20+ knot wind, although the forecast is indicating that it will be a little more northerly than we like. That will make it pretty gusty. Yesterday the wind was switching all around but it finally settled down for a great session.

New Kite Babe!

We have a new female kiter on the beach. Sue has been learning to kite the past few weeks under the watchful eye of her husband, Glenn. She is doing great.

I don't have too much more to report because I am in Tucson this week, not San Carlos. I was in San Carlos last Wednesday when a windy stretch of days started that continued through the weekend. After a short break the winds look to start again middle of this week. The winds have gotten stronger but also colder, and the water temp is down to about 62. Winter has finally arrived.

Not Our Normal Weather

Warm nights, wind out of the south, fog, rain - not our normal weather for December. The water has cooled some, it is down to 66 or so but feels warmer, maybe because the wind isn't as cold as usual. We got in three good days of wind this past week. Haven't had any wind since Monday and not expecting any until next Wednesday. That will make eight straight days without wind. I mean nothing.

Howling Wind

The wind is howling. The only problem is that it is 9 at night. We've been waiting weeks for a good blow so when the forecast called for a storm to move through here with 25 to 40 knot winds we got excited. Christian drove down from Phoenix this morning but there was very little wind all day. Finally about 3:30 it started to pick up. I went over to Chris' house to tell him it was starting and he said let's go. So off we went to the beach by Pilar Condos and set up our equipment. The wind would pick up a little and then die off. It still hadn't picked up enough and we were running out of daylight. Finally I said it was now or never and we got out for a few short runs. Apart from a gust here or there, there really wasn't enough wind. We stayed as late as we could and it was dark by the time we got packed up and headed back to town. Right about then the wind came in. And it kept building. Right now it is blowing 25 - 30 knots with stronger gusts and the surf is breaking way out. Too bad it is 9 o'clock at night.

Video

Okay, here is another attempt at using the blogspot's built in video feature.

Weekend Wind

Not much wind this week until Friday, which was light. Saturday was good. Strong winds, gusting to 25 knots or more. The wind was coming out of the north a little too much which results in it passing over and around obstructions on land instead of blowing in clean from the sea. That gives us wind that is gusty and swirly. Even though conditions were not ideal, we had a lot of kiters out. At times there were seven or eight kiters in a fairly small area, but most people find a slot to kite in and can avoid crowding anyone. I tried taking some videos with my still camera to see how it does and to have something to post now that this blog supports video. I didn't get anything really good, but I am posting one anyway, just to see how this works. Hoping for wind all of this week but the forecast keeps changing. We'll see what happens.

Well, the video failed to upload all the way and I got an error message. I'll try again later.

20+

Finally we had a windy day. The forecast was for light winds and it started out that way but it kept building and soon we had winds over 20 knots. First time I've been able to use my 12M kite in a while. I had forgotten just how much I like that kite. Too bad they don't still make a "C" shaped Rhino anymore; they switched to a bow hybrid design. Anyway, we are hoping for a repeat today and then more strong wind for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a few boats in the bay yesterday and thankfully they stayed out past our windy area.

Disappearing Wind

We haven't had much wind for a while now. The forecasts from Wind Guru and Buoy Weather keep promising strong winds in the near future and then change the forecast when the time gets closer. Once in a while a few of us get out for an hour or two but usually a bit underpowered. Yesterday there wasn't a breath of air. It was so still it was a bit spooky at the beach. Today the wind couldn't get much over 10 knots. Tomorrow should be better according to the predictions. They have been calling for a few days of really strong winds next week and then this morning they changed the forecast to almost no wind for the whole week. The only chance looks like tomorrow and Sunday. Water is still fairly warm and it is almost Thanksgiving - what's going on?

PARTY

Every year a group of kids from the University of Arizona come down for a weekend party. They stay at the Plaza San Carlos and spend a couple of afternoons enjoying themselves at the Soggy Peso Bar.

Not Much Wind

Haven't had much wind this week and doesn't look good until Monday. Luque and I have gotten out a few days but the wind has been light and often lasts only a couple of hours. The good news is that the water is still warm, still in the low 70's.

With no wind, thoughts turn to alternative activities and toys. New on my list of things that I've got to get is a Grinch Winch. Just like the name says, it is a winch. But no ordinary winch. Check this video out: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=14284391

And the winch is available at: http://www.buywake.com/catalog/detail/hFEdF

Pretty cool, huh?

Into the Sunset

The wind has been okay the last couple of days and I am optimistic for the near future. Not expecting a lot of wind but yesterday it was gusting over 20 knots. Only Luque and myself have been getting out to take advantage of the weather. The water is still nice, around 73 degrees. The water has been fairly flat and nobody else out there. At the end of the day Jeff and Scott showed up for a nice sunset session.