Intense. As soon as I stepped out of the van I knew I would be waiting a few minutes before I would be heading out – roaring trees, exploding spray, rolling logs in the shore break and 55 mph gusts on the sensor. It was looking like a shot-out-of-canon kind of day! Craig was willing to give it try and Lubo followed shortly. They made it look doable and I was just about the join them when they both came back in and said it was crazy. OK – stick with Plan ‘A’ – wait for things to settle back into the range to sailing for mortals. It didn’t take too long before I decided to go for my first try (3.4/74) – it was doable, but felt like a smack-down was about to happen in short order. Jumps felt like ‘hummingbirds’ (the power of the wind would just suspend you over the water) and hunting for lulls to gybe in was on order. I stayed over the first bank for a few runs then headed back in when it was all about survival sailing. Gradually the sessions on the water got longer, the runs grew longer and things started to feel balanced as the wind backed into the gusting over 40 range. More than a few memorable moments (most of them positive). Chris gets two thumbs up for going for it for ‘big’ gear! Eventually there were more people on the water than on the beach. This was fun!
Then the wind started to diminish and osculate between steady SE and funky S and the big patch of blue sky had me headed to the beach for the ‘tank’. But the funny part was it didn’t – DaveN and BigJohn were out in the sun making it look fun, really fun! Quickly rigged 4.5/92 and when out for another stint. Well powered and still lots of options created by the water. Finally got a 4.5 session in the sun at Centennial – a first for me!
No keyhole launches, sharks, mackers, or surgeon’s slab, but it started off with Centennial’s version of intensity today!
No-Go OSRGo OSRGallery (better for mobile devices)
Slideshow