Sunset Sailboards San Francisco

First day at Haskins this season.  For those of you who have never sailed here, it's a flat water paradise (aside from the mud).  This is one of the best freestyle spots in the Bay, and it was 4.7 here while the rest of the Bay was floundering.  Started trying some double spocks today with mixed results.  Not sure whether it's easier or not to try them one-handed... I seem to have a less control after the first spock, but I can keep the sail in a better position when I go for #2.  Seems doable... just need to wrk on it.

Rode the RRD Twin Tip 100 today.  It's a very easy, forgiving board with a predictable slide.  A great freestyle board for sure!  I have this board and the 90 in demo if anybody wants to give it a spin.

Here's a picture of the launch.

That would be Palo Alto, not Pennsylvania... and there really are no rocks, just a lot of mud and some gravel.  I kind of think of this place as Berkeley West...  launch off a dock into shallow muddy water that is lumpy and flat.   I had a great time here on Saturday and Sunday.  The whole city and upper peninsula (not MI) was fogged in and cold, but the sky really opened up once you got a few miles south of the San Mateo Bridge.  Nice sunny and warm conditions.  Sailed my 5.3 on Saturday and the 4.7 on Sunday w/ my Skate 108.  The parking lot was packed and there were lots of guys doing freestyle, too.

Nice to be a muddog for a day or two.

Check out the video here.

Here's a pic of the launch:

So, after a month of no windsurfing, I finally got back on the water last week.  I actually first got back on the day before my appointment with the elbow specialist...  I guess I figured it would be a good idea to get one day in if the doctor was going to shut me down for the rest of the season or suggest surgery LOL

The doctor tested my elbow a lot of different ways, and it seems like my ligaments are in pretty good shape.  I have some arthritis and floating osseous bodies (bone chips) in my elbow, probably from when I hyperextended and dislocated this same elbow 15 years ago.  Anyway, the doc didn't seem too concerned about my elbow, and that I would just have to rest it and see if the pain went away.  The highlight of the doctor's visit was putting my elbow through the flouroscope:  it's basically a real-time x-ray machine, and the doctor can move the joint around and see the joint in motion in real time.  Pretty cool!

Anyway, I basically took that doctor's visit to mean that I'm OK, and it's time to go windsurfing to get my elbow back in shape.  I tried to ease my way back into it, but my first two days were powered up 4.2 conditions at Da Stick, followed by 4.7 at Coyote, two 5.3 days at DaStick, and a 4.7 day at Marina Bay.  No tricks the first day... just BAFing and a couple carve 360's and straight jumps for good measure.  2nd day, I threw in a few shove-its.  After two good days of testing the elbow out w/ no additional pain, I started doing some freestyle the 3rd day... some forwards and spocks.  By the two weekend days at Candlestick, I was trying everything I was before and feeling pretty good about everything. 

I find that sailing switch is a little hard on the elbow, because I have to sail unhooked w/ the power of the sail fully supported by my arms and my right arm needs to be fully extended which tests my range of motion.  So, I need to start getting into the straps switch more quickly and with more power and initiate the trick earlier, so I don't sail so long loading up my bad arm.  

Anyway, it's great to be back on the water!