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Today was an interesting day. I've used my 6.6 in these conditions many times, but today I was comfortable on my 5.4 -- and usually plenty powered up, too. I sailed at Bird Island, but I went well upwind to escape the normal crowded reach close to shore. The upwind area is clear of all but about a half-dozen sailors, with a few others coming and going once or twice. In short, there was plenty of room.
There was also plenty of wind. It was probably a couple knots stronger out there than near the launch, and it wasn't as gusty, either. I was fully wound on the 5.4 for about 90 minutes and had a blast. I had a good jibing day. Not all of them were perfect, but the ones I missed were building blocks to better ones. Not all of my jibes are like that. The chop out there is more challenging, too, and I enjoyed it. The chop was a little bit bigger than nearer to the launch, and some of the bits were steep, so jumping was easier. Landing still isn't, though. There wasn't a smooth place to put it down, so I wussed out a few times and didn't really go for the jumps.
A couple of sailors went up there around when I did, and then sailed out past the Intracoastal waterway a few times in front of a barge. Big no-no. I just can't figure why people do this. All that water and they need to sail there. Don't pearl that board and get launched! Don't break anything! Because if you do, you are screwed. These things are as big as their Gorge counterparts, though much less frequent.
After sailing for a bit, I came in to help with a CCWA club get-together. The Austin, Rocky Mtn and New Mexico clubs were in town and we had a barbecue. It went over pretty well, with lots of food and comradery. I met a lot of people from the Austin club, and a few from New Mexico. I'd met a few others from New Mexico last week, and a few from the RMWC, too. Julie from NM had a birthday and someone got her a cake. She was spared candles because of the stiff breeze still present at 7pm. I also met Jack from Washington, who has emailed me to say that he enjoys reading this log. Jack, it was good to meet you, and by the time you read this, we'll both know if I managed to make it back out to Bird Island tomorrow to sail with you. I'm going to see how things shake out. I usually don't determine where I'm going until the last minute.
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