June 23, Lake Michigan Session

Made it out yesterday around 8:45am for a short session on the Big Lake.  Started out on 6.8 with a 135L.  Wind was building, so I tried switching to a 103L Screamer after a few runs - worked ok, but I really need to get a bigger fin if I want to use that board with a 6.8.  I could've easily dropped down to a 6.0 or 5.7 which would have been great, but I was short on time and especially short on stamina.  First time sailing this year and it was tough!  I think I managed to make one or two jibes total.  Kicking myself for not getting into shape in the pre-season.  

Wind was clocking around from SW to NW and the swell was all mixed up, making for difficult conditions to sustain any speed.  Launched from the beach in Glenn.  Getting through the shorebreak was surprisingly easy.  We have no sandbar this year, so the waves break right on the beach.  Sounds bad, but actually made it easier because you just have to find a break in the sets and hustle out ~10yards and you're out of the shore pound and into mostly swell and crumblers.  Tough part was coming back in.  I've got to figure out a better method...kind of just dumped the gear and jumped off.  I feel like I am going to break something if I don't improve the technique - not to mention the damage to the fins.

Did manage to float one nice mellow jump off the top of a big peaky swell and land smoothly in the next trough.  Makes the jump seem very high, when it really wasn't.  So FUN!