HOT
and WINDY May
It's
been HOT and WINDY at the same time in May. Then we had
a cold front in June! (Yes, onthe 6th.) I don't know what
this means -- global warming...global cooling...El Nino...La
Nina...Living la VIda Loca...who know's; but, quite a few
have been out enjoying a breezy late spring/early summer
season. Don't miss it before the doldrums set in. The stoke
is as high as I can remember around the neighborhood lakes.
(And from Station 29 at Sullivan's Island -- fuhgidabodit,
it's been HUGE.) Reports from Murray, Monticello, Allatoona,
and of course Clark Hill (OK, Thurmond) echo what Steve
Douglas, an experienced sailor, said Sunday, May 28th at
Thurmond as the steady 20mph wind just kept on coming under
a beautiful sky and 90 plus degrees, "It just doesn't get
any better than this. This may be the most enjoyable lake
session I've ever had!" Pate Bryan from Columbia, a newbie
this April who has progressed faster than ANYBODY I ever
heard of, calls in reports from Murray that just consist
of screams and heavy breathing. That's windsurfing for you
-- sometimes better than that other thing. Join us!
New
Boardheads...
Welcome
to these folks who have tucked that first lesson under their
windwings in the last 5 weeks: Mike Reis of McCormick; Leslie
Saxton of N. Augusta; Joe Healy and Tim McIrath who are
MCG students; Mark Petty, Kathy Webb, and Jim Huffstetler
of Augusta/Martinez; HaL Leiner, Amy Selvig, and Craig Campbell
of the Atlanta area who did their lesson on our Spring Outer
Banks trip. (Bill Hinz and Jurgen Brauer got a refresher.)
Many of the best future lesson dates are booked, so call
soon to get in the lineup!
Windtalker
at Thurmond...Almost There!
Oh,
ye of little faith, you doubted it would happen -- don't
deny it. But, now we got the license; we got the hardware;
the software is programmed. All that's left to do is INSTALL
the %#*&@*# thing! That's supposed to begin next week. Roger
Davis, in behalf of the Augusta Sailing Club, is donating
1000' of special telephone cable. We (that is, I hope "we"
is appropriate) have to pay for initial hook-up and monthly
phone service to the tune of $430 the first year. I'll be
seeking voluntary donations soon. I'll let you know when
I'm ready to pass the hat. Remember, this system will only
be internet-accessable initially. Voice can be added later
if it's well supported. So, support it.
Matthew
Modica has stuff at Sully
If it's
really blowing nice and steady and you're windsurfing at
Sullivan's Island popular Station 29, or elsewhere in the
Charleston area, and you bust a vital piece of gear, what
you gonna do? Sit on the beach and cuss and cry? No, don't
do that when there's still hope. Just call Matthew at 843-881-9813
and he may save the day. I mean, he's got a regular job
as a prosecuting attorney and all that, so he may not be
at your beck and call, but he's got accessory stock located
at Station 28 and others have access to it. Call him or
me (even if I am in Augusta) and one of us may be able to
help you get going. Don't wait for an emergency though --
regular purchases from this stuff will justify it's maintenance
and growth. He's maintaining a stock of important accessories,
especailly booms, u-joints, mast bases, even screws and
pins -- everything but boards and sails. (But he sells those,
too.)
Rent
my gear (when I'm not giving lessons)
Why
not? It's cheap. Just trying to get more folks out there.
You must have had a lesson or some past experience, and
I'm covering my little hiney on damage, but renting is a
great way to get your feet wet again in this sport without
making a commitment. Call me and I'll set you up. (Yeah,
you got to come here to get it, but I do a mean tie-down
job.) THIS INCLUDES THE INFLATABLE WINDGLIDER for kids of
all ages.
Kitesurfing
at the Lake...Nah.
I promised
kitesurfing this summer, but I lied. So sue me. Just not
fired up about it anymore. I watched a bunch of intermediate
level kitesurfers doing it at Hatteras one beautiful afternoon
this May. These guys had paid a lot to move up the long,
steep learning curve and what they were doing looked, well,
in a word, boring. It seems to me that if you're not doing
the radical, big air stuff at the expert level, then there's
just no variety to it. Total concentration and focus on
your lines and kite itself is required AT ALL TIMES. That's
not why I want to be out there. I can't see how it will
work at the lake, anyway. I've got lots of goals in windsurfing
I'll never reach. It's enough for this dude. (That's my
final answer -- till next month.)
Area
Happening
Reggae
Regatta at Lake Lanier, June 25th. Lots of fun wether you
race or not. Good time to hang with another group of stoked
wind addicts. See Atlanta Baordsailing Club website or call
Chris Voith at (404) 250-0287.
Three
things you wish you didn't know...
>> In
1995, hydrilla (a noxious aquatic plant) covered 50 acres
of Clark Hill Lake: in fall of 1997, it was 500 acres; now
it's growing too fast to estimate current total coverage.
It's expected that 30% of the lake will be covered eventually.
>> Gwinnett
County has applied to dump 40 MILLION gallons of treated
sewage into Lake Lanier EVERYDAY. This could set a precedent
for other lakes in Georgia. Eventually, the county wants
to put 300 MILLION gallons in the lake. (Hey, it is treated;
that should be OK, right?) *
>> Georgia,
Alabama, and Florida are wrangling in a tri-state effort
to apportion water. Proposals from our neighboring states
to the south and west would significantly affect our lakes'
levels, possibly destroying most recreation on some lakes
in times of drought.* ( * from Atlanta Boardsailing Club's
Lake Wind Advisory newsletter, April 2000) AND two things
you're glad you do know...
