Wind Power will have a booth at the 2012 Strictly Sail Show in Chicago. The Show will be held Jan. 26 – 29 at the Navy Pier. Strictly Sail is the largest yearly event for Sailing craft and related equipment held in the Mid-west. This is the first time Wind Power has been to this show. Plans are made to display the O’Pen Bic youth sailboat, Windsurfing gear summer and winter, Kiting equipment, Kayaks and the latest rage in water sports, the SUP or Stand Up Paddle. Wind Power has donated a lesson package for Windsurfing or Winter Kiting and a SUP to give-away at the show. To sign-up for the drawings or to get more information on the show got to: http://www.strictlysailchicago.com/attendees/features/promotions.aspx
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Come and Join the Fun in the Sun and Play on the Water! The Fun Weekend starts on Friday with the Lake Winnebago SuperCrossing run by Jeff Knutson from A-A. EXTERIORS.COM Friday Morning at 11:00 sharp the crossing starts from Roosevelt County Park (Wind Power) to a destination determined that morning. Wind direction, strength and the forecast as well as sailors input results in the course for the Crossing. West wind is the best for a full Crossing the length of Winnebago (28 miles). Years past we had perfect conditions and a number of us made it to High Cliff State Park. Niles Book (The Crazy Iron man who crossed Lake Michigan solo with NO CHASE BOAT) was the only one to sail back. I only know 2 others whom have sailed the length of the Lake and back. Bet you can’t guess who! Last year was again perfect conditions with the wind blowing in the 30′s and more further out on the Lake. Everybody rigged TOO BIG and what a disappointment that not one Windsurfer made it. I was disappointed with myself because I also under estimated the wind and after sailing a few miles of the 28 miles to High Cliff, I turned around because I knew from experience it wasn’t going to get any easier up the lake. It would have been miles of ugly survival sailing, not fun. 5 local Kiters made the grueling journey to High Cliff. Hopefully this year mother nature will gives another chance. Saturday and Sunday is the 26th Annual Wind Power Championships! Mark Greinert and myself hosted our first Regatta ever, not really thinking it would still be going on almost 3 decades later. Big Lake Winnebago and the access of Roosevelt County Park just across the street from Wind Power is an excellent venue to run BIG Regattas. Last year 53 racers enjoyed great times on Windy Winnebago. Everyone was sore and tired after 10 races. This Year we are excited to add 2 more Fleets, Kona and O’Pen Bic. For 2011 MoWind has dropped the Formula Fleet (because of lack of attendance) and added the new and growing Kona Fleet. For more information on the Kona Racing check out their web site: KonaOne.com Contact Mike Fox if you would like to charter a Kona for the weekend. He will be bringing boards from the Minneapolis area and would appreciate a call before he leaves for Fond du Lac. Call Mike @ 612-508-8083 The O’Pen Bic is a new Youth sailboat by Bic. www.O’Pen Bic.com Fleets are quickly growing in the Fox Valley area and all across the country. Wind Power has been supporting the O’Pen Bic movement and teaching many kids for 3 years. (this year over 350 kids learned how to sail with the O’Pen Bic) With all the kids sailing and racing a new youth sailboat, that is fun to capsize and do Freestyle on (Bailing is Cancelled), Wind Power felt it was appropriate to add their Fleet to our End of the Year Regatta. SO please welcome the kids who have learned to love our great sport of sailing. Let’s Keep the Wind Power Championships on the MoWind Calendar! After organizing Regattas for 26 years with the help of Family and Many Friends, I have decided all I want to do is be the PRO or Principle Race Officer. This entails getting the necessary equipment ready to run a Windsurfing race. Working with the Race Committee setting up the Schedule, Fleets and Classes, Courses and finally the Rules for the Event. I have all the necessary equipment to run a world class regatta but no longer have the desire to organize the whole event. Such as Promotions, planning the dinner, writing the notice of race and press releases, getting prizes and trophies, selecting a t-shirt and design. I have struggled through those task and many many times with the excellent help of others, But I no longer want to be the one in charge of doing them. I am retiring from those duties after this years event. I am hoping that a team will take over those duties and have fun doing it, so the Event will continue. Or someone else might want to start their own new Event on this weekend. I am sad to think this may be the end of a great Era, but I don’t have the energies needed to organize a whole event and still make it fun for me. It’s time for new blood. Check out the Wind Power Weather Center! If you haven’t been on the Wind Power Weather Center, it’s a must see. Version 2.0 will be installed this week. The new version 2.0 of the weather Center tracks history better and provides more in depth Wind Sock data. The Wind Sock rating has been tweaked to be more accurate to marginal conditions. The Wind Sock summary is awesome telling us how many days we had in a month or a year of the various wind socks. There is much more , so go to the new Weather Center and check out the Updates & Issues. We are constantly striving to make the weather Center more user friendly while providing the information and history everyone is looking for. We installed a new Wind Sensor (the Pro model) and the wind data we are collecting is more accurate to the real conditions. Use the wind history to your advantage. After a good day sailing or kiting at one of the launches, look up the wind history for the day. Take notes of the size sail or kite for the wind strength at the time you were out. Use this valuable information in the future to know what size sail or kite you should ride. The Weather Center is dedicated after Stella Blue, the developer’s beloved yellow Lab. Stella loved the water and riding windsurf boards as much as we do. She was an Icon on the beach. Looking forward to seeing, Sailing and just hanging out with everyone soon! Kevin USA 8 Click on the picture below to open the 2011 Winnebago SuperCrossing and Wind Power Championship Notice of Race (NOR)  2011 Winnebago SuperCrossing & Wind Power Championship NOR The Wind Power web site has a New Weather Center! On Monday June 20 the New Weather Center was added to the Wind Power Web site. The Site has it’s own URL at WindPowerWeather.com . A Weather Center link is available on Wind Power home page and under Information pull-down menu. As you can see in the picture above the Wind Sensor is mounted much higher than in the past. It will give a more realistic reading in more directions due to the added height. My brother Andy donated an A-Scow mast which we put on top of the shop. The Wind Sensor is on top of it which should put it at 60 plus feet. This is around the height of the neighboring trees. But that is not all that the Weather Center is about. It has a very detailed graphs of the wind speed with gusts, direction and speed, temperature and wind chill. There is also a tabular data. Forecast are available from several popular weather links. Water Temperature is also available. There are graphs with a detailed history of the past weather. Personally I like to see the peak gusts. A local advisory tells you what launches are good for the current conditions as well as the type of equipment to use. Don’t forget to add the Wind Power Weather Gadget to your desktop. It will keep you up-to-date with the wind conditions on Lake Winnebago’s south end. WindPowerWeather.com/gadget The Weather Center is dedicated to Stellablue, a longtime companion of the developer of this site. Stellablue was a yellow Labrador retriever and learned to windsurf as a puppy and loved cruising on the long-board. As you can see in the photo, she was ready to go, but was not much help up-hauling the sail. The Weather Center is dedicated to her memory. The Weather Center was many hours in development and deciphering data find what would work best for Wind Power. Some of the unique features are the recommended Launch Sites and desktop gadget (for Windows). The Weather Center not only provides weather data, but provides a lot of explanations and educational information. Check out the Information and Sensor pages for example. We are excited to bring this new service and it’s features to you. Feel free to blog back or contact us with any comments and suggestions. Enjoy the weather Center and make the most of it to increase you fun in the WIND on Lake Winnebago. Kevin USA 8 Have you blown the dust off you soft water sailing equipment? Well it’s time. Lake Winnebago opened on April 7th, as far as we could see to the north from Wind Power . The water temps are in the upper 50’s already. A few more warm days and you can put the drysuits away. Spring is a great time for those with experience to get out and enjoy some high wind action. Be sure to check all you cold weather gear so it’s going to protect you as designed. Don’t forget to also check over your equipment; u-joint, lines, all screws. Breakdowns can quickly become a much bigger problem with colder water temps. Wind Power enjoyed it’s annual spring trip to Hatteras. A great group of 14 enjoyed warm temps in the 70’s and lots of wind. I windsurfed overpowered on my 4.2 and kited with an 8m. Christy, Pat and Greg, new kiters, worked on getting rides on soft water and Debbie learned how to Windsurf. Wind Power’s Online Store has been busy this spring and new items are being added daily. Check it out at http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/shop/ The Mid-West largest used inventory and replacement parts will soon be showcased in the online store! The road construction on Winnebago Drive (in front of the shop) is completed and it’s a big improvement to the area. Come and enjoy a sail out of Roosevelt County Park. School will be out Soon! Wind Power is currently taking registration for the Kid’s Classes on wed. Starting Wednesday June 15th there will be a morning kids class from 10:00 to noon and an afternoon class from 1:00 to 3:00. Last year the classes were full. We will add a Thursday program if there is enough demand. Call Kevin at Wind Power or see the web site for more information: http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/lessons/windsurf#kids  Are we having FUN yet? Wednesday night will be the Advanced Windsurf classes. This program covers all levels, from those who have just learned to the aspiring racer. If you are nervous and not real comfortable out in the water, this is the class for you. Kevin will get you relaxed and having fun while learning how to windsurf better. Class curriculum is adjusted to the students level and the wind conditions of the day. Beginner Windsurf Lessons are available anytime just call ahead to set a lesson time. Wind Power prides itself on having the best lesson equipment available. We want you learning experience to be easy , fun and fast! Roosevelt County Park has a nice shallow sandy area where the beginner lessons take place, it’s an ideal location. See our web site for more information: http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/lessons Kiting Lessons are available, Wind Power supplies the equipment if you don’t have it. A large Pontoon boat is the launch site and a Jet-ski is the chase vehicle. Contact Wind Power for more information and to setup a time. Stand Up Paddling (SUP) Lessons and equipment are also available. If the wind dies stop over to the shop and pick up a paddle. Paddling along the shore checking out the houses is interesting, you can paddle back in the channel behind Wind Power or cruise up to the Light House and even go in Supply’s marsh.  Jay and Dr. D Increase your Summer Fun with Wind Power! The Annual Walleye Wagatta is this weekend May 14th and 15th. This is the first spring regatta of the 2011 MoWind racing season. See the MoWind website for information on the upcoming Regattas. www.mowind.org Arden Anderson is the Principle Race Officer, PRO. With the help of his family he will run the regatta out of Wind Power and Roosevelt County Park. Wind Power supplies the boats and buoys along with free camping in their spacious back yard. After dark on Saturday the bonfire will be lite and tales will be told, there might even be a game of Bite the Bag. Remember a Regatta is a Party! Don’t let the weather dictate whether you participate or not. Party first, sailing is a bonus.
There will be a Workshop Fleet for beginner and less experienced racers. Arden and other racers will assist those in the Workshop fleet so they understand the course and feel comfortable sailing with others. The Workshop Fleet race course is shorter and will be easy for them to get around. MOWind goal is to promote Windsurfing in the Mid-West and Racing is one of the best ways to learn and improve. Every race is a lesson and your sailing with some of the best in the Mid-West. The Sport Fleet is for graduates of the Workshop Fleet, but who choose start with the A-Fleet, but not to sail the longer course of the A-Fleet. There will be the new KONA One-Design Fleet along with the new 9.5 Raceboard Class. Racing will consist of Course Slalom, and Long Distance racing, weather permitting. Again this year Ted Schweitzer will be coming to the Walleye Wagatta and he is bringing a trailer with Original Windsurfers for racers and others to test drive. If you want to reserve an Original Windsurfer or learn more about them got to Ted’s web site: http://www.originalwindsurfer.com/site/index.html In the 70’s and early 80’s the Original Windsurfer had One-Design regattas all over the World with attendance up to 450 racers. It’s a great board for lightwind sailing and for freestyle. The Rig is very light and the board manuvers really fast. Come and meet Ted (his father is the co-inventor of Windsurfing) and try an Original Windsurfer.  Ted on the Original Windsurfer Sign me up for next Year! Bob and I had a blast and we are making plans for next years event.
We had 3 days of freeriding with the best snowkiters in the US. I saw gliding for the first time and it is really awesome to watch. On the way down the mountain the kiter lifts off and then just glides in the air at times reaching heights twice as high as the trees. The kiter must work his kite properly to maintain the glide or they will drop like a rock. I only saw a handful of kiters attempting this maneuver. Bob is fortunately hanging out with the best kiters in his area and he is starting to glide. Maybe by next year he will be gliding across the road like his friends.
Chasta, the Snowkiter from France, that put Snowkiting on the map was in attendance. He used his smooth kite skills and understanding of the mountain winds to place 1st in the Snowboard division. Brad Gordon from Utah won the men’s Ski division. The Winduro race was a grueling 4 mile course with the first leg upwind, up the lee side of the mountain. Then a blazing fast reach followed by a downwind, down hill broad reach to the finish. Bob got 6th in the Ski division, I was happy to just finish the course. Heather and Brian Shenck from Windzup put on a great event with Ozone as the major sponsor. The emphasis was on fun and not as much on competition. The fun vibe was definitely there with a snowkite type of Easter egg hunt. Instead of looking for eggs you were looking for bags with coins in them. 2011 Masters intro with video from 2009 On Monday following the Competition the winds were light so Bob and I decided to meet some longtime friends and ski with them. Dick and Arleen Ward from Chicago were some of my best students. I meet them in 1985 when they drove their motorhome past Roosevelt County Park with their windsurfers on top. I saw the windsurfers and waved to them. They turned around and within a half an hour I was giving them advanced lessons. They continued to come to Fond du Lac for lessons, even meeting me in the Gorge one year to do a clinic I was helping Mistral run. They retired in the late 90’s and moved to Corpus Christie to Windsurf. In the winter they move to their mountain home to ski. It is very inspiring to see a couple in their 80’s who still ski and windsurf. I was very happy to catch-up with them.
Kevin & Bob at Snowmass On Tuesday the winds were back so we traveled to Strawberry Reservoir, Bob’s favorite place and we put some major miles on. The terrain was beautiful with rolling hills a flat lake and several different sized half pipes, remains from an old railroad. All in all I had a great trip, many thanks for Bob putting me up and putting up with a rookie. I will be back next year! Stay Tuned for our next travels or event. Please leave comments and check out our new YouTube channel. Wow! A dream finally come true! I finally made it to Salt Lake City for some SnowKiting in the Mountains and to participated in the SnowKite Masters Event! Something on my bucket list since I heard of it a number of years ago. I had been out to Salt Lake skiing in 1983 with my brother Andy and Friend Jerry Kiesow form work. We had an awesome time, skied 9 different mountains with the last being Jackson Hole. I always wanted to go back there but with my new addiction to windsurfing I was spending all my vacation time on the beaches. We satisfied our addiction in the winter by sailing of some form on the lakes. Voila! Along comes Kiting! With the advent of kiting we were soon satisfying our new addiction in the winter again kiting on the lakes and sometimes on land given the right conditions. Soon the magazines were featuring articles on SnowKiting. As soon as I saw that I my desire to return to Utah started to re-flame. 4 years ago Bob LeGault, one of my friends a windsurfing/Kiting student of mine was relocated to Salt Lake City for his job. We have stayed in touch and he would tell me stories of him kiting in the mountains with some of the best SnowKiters in the USA. Of course he invited me and friends to come out and join him. Last year Mark Grienert one of my better traveling buddies were trying to make the trip happen. Sad to say, too many things got in the way. I told myself next year it would be my most important trip. I made it happen this year but sad to say none of my other kiting friends could make it. Bob picked me up at the airport Tuesday and we stopped at his house and quickly loaded up and headed to Strawberry Reservoir, where he was in a competition, placing 2nd in the amateurs 2 weeks ago. After sending an e-mail to Bob to find out what kite sizes to bring, I was surprised with his reply that his most used kite was a 17m. So I packed my 16, 12 and 9 all in a Naish Golf bag. Arriving at Strawberry Tues. afternoon there was absolutely no wind. I took some pictures and was amazed to see snow over my head. Awesome terrain for both Kiting and snowmobiling. Upon returning to Bob”s house I needed rest after getting up @ 3:30 and picking up a bug at the Milwaukee airport and suffering a little altitude sickness. Dehydration in the higher altitudes gives me bad headaches. Coffee and alcohol don’t help at all. Once I drink enough water (about a gallon a day) I’m fine. I need to start at home for my next trip. Wednesday morning I woke-up feeling much better and we packed up and headed to the Event Site for the SnowKite Masters. Check the Event out at www.snowkitemasters.com On the way up the mountain we checked out many of the sailing and summer kiting spots on Utah Lake which is just south of Salt Lake. We also stopped at the Skyline Motel we’ll be staying in tonight after attending the pre-registration Party! Up the mountain pass we continued, the wind was pretty much non-existent. At about 90% to the top we finally saw a little wind. Wow when we got to the top it was blowing snow. I got my trusty wind meter out and it peaked at 30mph, average of 25 mph. Bob gets his wind report from Kenny at www.forum@utahwindriders.org I must say Kenny was dead on with his report, but it didn’t look good on the way up. We pulled in the parking lot to find a two other vehicles and they were just starting to setup. You wouldn’t believe but the little mini-camper next to us were from Chicago. Amanda and Steven, with a friend from Germany. We pumped up our 9′s and headed out on the mountain terrain. It didn’t take me long to appreciate Bob’s local knowledge. Before I went far he warned me I was headed for a cliff. Visibility was not the best with angle of the light and blowing snow. I told Bob I would follow him and we went downwind and up a large hill. Something I had never done before with a kite. After getting to the top Bob told me to de-power the kite and we’d go down the hill. Well being cautious I de-powered my kite to the max and it would hardly fly. After finally putting it back to full power I could fly the kite and go down the hill. Did I say really haul ASS down the hill. The more we did it the more comfortable it was. Bob had his GPS on and topped at about 38mph. We then decided to go upwind to the top of another cornice. I followed Bob and watched him adeptly maneuver through a ravine. I was checking it out and positioning myself when he hollered that there was a wind hole there. I decided to pass on ride, not wanting to get stuck in the ravine with no wind. Did I say getting around in all that snow was exhausting at that altitude. After riding till we were beat, we took a break before a second session. Summary: Coming from the lakes to the mountains is like going from the lakes to Maui waves windsurfing. My former student Bob became my instructor in the mountains. I was very fortunate to have him in Salt Lake City. Checkout www.kitesites.com for awesome video of kiting in Utah. |
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