Friday, August 21, 2009

Puget Sound Windsurfing on Old-School Bic

After Wednesday's glassy paddleboarding session on Eld Inlet, I would never have thought Thursday would bring 20 knots to the same venue. But it did, so I got a chance to really put my dad's old Bic shortboard through the paces.

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The board is a lot longer and narrower than a modern shortboard and has lots of vee in the hull, plus relatively thin, sharp rails. It cuts through chop more than bouncing or hovering over it, and rolls through jibes like a train on a curving track. Very fun feeling. The only bummer was that the chintzy us-box for the fin is starting to bust out from the strain of holding the relatively long after-market fin my dad has to match a 7.0 sail. Oh well, my folks are selling the Olympia house and moving full-time to the Carolinas soon, so they would be having to get rid of the board anyway.

Below is a video from the session. Most of it was taken by me with my GoPro Helmet Hero Wide camera...

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...and some was taken by my dad with his Canon S5IS digital camera. I edited it with windows movie maker:



Yes, woo hoo, indeed. Next stop, The Gorge!

(One last pic from the Eld Inlet session. I love the wall of green...)
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5 comments:

Catapulting Aaron said...

haha nice fist pump. Looks like a fun litte ride...

Gorge Smurf said...

Hey James,
Your post reminded me that you sailed in SC.
Do you have suggestions on where to sail in Charleston, SC and possibly places to rent equipment? I'll be visiting the area during Labour Day weekend.
The Gorge should be nice this weekend:
http://thegorgeismygym.com/?page_id=16

It's been an incredibly wonderful summer in the Gorge!

Sophia

James Douglass said...

Hi Sophia-

I think there are some launches in Charleston Harbor for flatwater, and Folly Beach is a popular spot for (tame) wavesailing. Lots of surfers and kiters.

No windsurf shops in South Carolina, but whitecap windsurfing based in Augusta, GA has some kind of arrangement where they can do lessons and maybe rentals in Charleston. I'd check out their website.

http://www.whitecapwindsurfing.com/

Hope the Gorge winds holds til I get down on Monday. :)

PeconicPuffin said...

Love that gear. A Top sail! And the board looks like my first board (a Bic transitional)...it was terrible for me, but I wasn't trying to jibe or cut through chop back then...just not fall!

Johnny Douglass said...

Anyone want to buy this old school Bic. It is now in Olympia, WA and I need to sell it before I move to a sunnier clime. $40 suggested but no offer too insulting to consider.