Super-sized Webster Park

[Windydoug]

Spray and white water flying everywhere, winds and gusts from 30-40+ mph.
This afternoon was the single best display of windsurfing athleticism I have ever witnessed in Rochester. My ability and sail size were far outmatched so I filmed for 45 minutes and took pics till the batteries died.
Rick, Ed, and Dick were still sailing the late day winds sun and water when I left. Kinger gave it a heck of a shot, and Bill and I stayed on the shore after second thoughts. I'd rather let the guys who braved it talk about it. Big air and G force jibes galore......and that was just what I saw from the shore. Hardy sailors, please give us a report about conditions on the water.
WD
pics and vid to follow. Pics soon, vid in a while.

[waterauthorityrick]

www.buffalonews.com/home/story/820376.html?imw=Y

Try this like from the Buffalo News and scroll down to the bottom to view the video of Lake Erie

H2O Rick

PS Ed, Dick and I survived

More to follow

[Windydoug]

My bunch of pics from yesterday are now up on the odds and ends page on rochesterwindsports.com. Samples below.

rochesterwindsports.com/Oddsnends.htm

At least 5-10 people were on the shore with camera's while the guys ere out there...... A couple of the PWA World Tour Flags blew over and and almost hit.....oh wait, this wasn't the world championships in Sylt, Germany. But if you want to see some similar pics or Robby Naish and the rest of the pro's last week, got to:
pwaworldtour.com


Ed and Rick after the clouds broke.




If you go big, you crash big......Ed got back on the horse.


Ed reaching for more.

[Reno]

Nice Pics,

My only question is where are the big dogs? No foward loops, stalled back loops or shove-its. Looks to me like you guys need some fresh blood to re-ignite an agining windsurfing population.

[Windydoug]

Seriously?

[waterauthorityrick]

Reno,

Define better your statement of big dogs? I know that the opposite of big dog is a poodle, so if the big dogs weren't on the water Wednesday then the poodles must have been out. Being one of those poodles I didn't meet a Reno anywhere near Webster but wait that's right I was only on the beach twice, once for more down haul on the 4.2m and the other to rig down to a 3.8m

Eric Sanford wrote an article for Windsurfing Magazine many years ago about the Great Lake Windsurfer and coming from a man who lives in the Gorge and has sailed all over the world I respect what he wrote because it's true. He wrote that the Great Lake Windsurfers are the most confidant sailors around.

So where was the "fresh blood for our aging windsurfing population"? Were they home winterizing their jet-skis or breaking a sweat playing Wi badminton? They sure weren't next to 62 year old Dr. Miller coming off the water to my car headlights and stating this was the biggest, best wave sailing at Webster he has ever seen. (25 plus years)

The photo perspective is good to capture that there where guys (oops; poodles) on the water and thanks to Doug for spending the time in the cold and spray taking them. However from the camera lens perspective 9 to 10 feet above sea level it pales by comparison what one had to deal with every 3 to 4 seconds to ride a board out through the waves.

Loops and aerial moves are no doubt cool to see and having the conditions weekly to hone those skills would be nice if we weren't so cruelly misplaced on this planet. But there were 3 windsurfers out on Lake Ontario during a gale so it will be these 3 who personally accomplished what they set out for any others can create their own perspective.

H2O (dog eat dog world) Rick

[windkid]

Reno can shove it and it's my understanding she can. Also as a proud member of the AARP I highly resent her misspelled attack on seniors. I think a Civil suit might be in order.

On a more serious note I think Doug should summit those pics to Windsurfing Mag. they are righteously awesome killer stuff.

Congratulations to the Survivors.

Wk

[Ontario Buoy]

Who the heck is this Reno person who hides behind some fictitious "Guest" posting?

For my money we're talking about the best sailors this region has to offer. Doc, Ed, and Rick (the machine) should be applauded for not only braving the gale force conditions but to survive as well.

This puppy knew better (from past attempts) to just sit tight in my warm dry comfy office then to go jump in to the jaws of one gnarly brew.

I'll bet Reno can't even sail and wouldn't know a loop from a willy skipper. What is a willy skipper anyway?

Kudo's to Rick and the gang for showing the rest of us what real men are all about. Heck, you won't catch my lame butt out in those conditions and I'll bet you won't find Reno there either.

Perhaps a windsurfing mag editor with a bum knee has stopped by or the infamous "Brucie" from Iwindsurf fame.

I sailed in normal conditions yesterday at Cargill in Buffalo and one of the locals was commenting positively about DougEE's Rochester Windsports site. Nice job Doug!

Buoy Breath

[Windydoug]

Thanks Ontario Buoy. Thanks being part of the original motivation to put the website together.

TRULY though it is OUR Rochester Windsports site. Yeah, the webpages reside on my less than trusty Dell computer, I own the domain name, and "windydoug" probably shows up with his two cents on the forum more often than he should, but this whole thing falls apart when it is MY site.

Windsurfing and Kitesurfing/boarding are OUR sports, OUR passion, and thus this should be OUR website. I mean it.

Keep contributing, keep sharing your opinion and stoke, keep sending me pics or video to post.

Glad you got out at Cargill Ontario Buoy. Oh, and when will you permanently etch your super hero persona/screename into the forum by officially joining? Too much of a renegade? An outlaw? A part of the lunatic fringe? Aren't we all?

WD

[the wet one]

Doug,

I'll officially join just as soon as I change the equation from my time "in" the water to my time "on" the water.

Until then I will remain lovingly "the buoy." Floating harmlessly unfazed "in" the darn water.

Hey, somebody has to keep track of important things like water depth, underwater hazards, zebra mussels, weeds, taste, (ugh) and temperature.

Some day I will join the rest of you and actually sail rather then bob.

Till then, I remain

The Wet One

[edg]

Reno just acknowledges that this site is worthy. Others will come but the core riders will prevail. Glad to see / hear people got the goods. Next time I hope to be there.

ED

[Windydoug]

The guys up in Southern Ontario (Kingston area) enjoyed last Wednesday as well.
Check out Mike Fischer's (Fish) blog. He has a great vid that somebody turned around the footage on pretty quick.

fish-kc79.blogspot.com/

WD

[mikeyz]

Reno can eat a pile of poodle poop. And as for his question about where the "fresh blood" is??? Well, right now we're in San Francisco getting good fast so we can come back to Rochester and KILL IT with the poodles or big dogs or who ever else was out on the big lake that day. I'll write more soon guys. You should know my journey out to San Fran has ended and now I'm trying to figure out the fastest routes to all the after work sailing sites.

- mikeyZ