Jan 31

Bonaire Lac Bay. Sailworks Retro 7.5, iSonic 107, Drake Carbon 38, Wind: 13 kts

Light wind but good to get out on the water.

Jan 28 - PB NM

Bonaire Lac Bay. Sailworks Retro 6.5, iSonic 107, MFC KP-RC 360. Wind: 17 kts

Last two days have been good to me. Finally broke my 22 kts bottleneck on the NM. Clearly I also now have a new NM course that is faster than the old one.

I do believe that some of the tips Taty Frans provided are showing some immediate benefits. I now have enough 'on the water' time with the new gear for the tips to make logical sense and for me to be able to feel the differences. I decided to make improvements in stages so have reverted back to the Sailworks Retros because they are easier to handle while I work on controlling the board, hanging on the harness lines more, and jibing. Part of my previous anxiety was concern about clearing the race sails in big chop if I screwed up. Not an issue with the Retros so I'm more willing to hang closer to the edge of control while I get more experience.

Jan 27 - PB 2 sec, 5x10

Bonaire Lac Bay. Sailworks Retro 5.5, Hi-Tech 8'4" SVF, Fox surf design. Wind: 20 kts

Great 'Gorge Gear' day!

Jan 26 - Taty Frans tips

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 6 7.0, iSonic 107, MFC KP-RC 360, Wind: 15 kts

Small distance today but LARGE on information. Spent time chatting with Taty Frans (PWA freestyle and slalom racer) - got some valuable tips which should help me in the future improve my speed and reduce my fatigue.

Boom height: Chin to chest high. Chin high for light winds, lower for strong winds.

Stance: Front foot is definitely 'toes up' in the strap. This is how he sails. He feels I sail 'too upright/rigid' and am putting too much of the load on my arms and let my legs flex more to absorb the chop. Wants to see me either 'sitting on the harness lines' more and/or leaning back more. The goal is for stronger winds to have the sail acting like a wing, taking weight off of the board. This, of course, will make the board more 'lively' so it is something I will need practice to perfect. It will also take an additional level of competency and confidence. 

Jan 24 - PB NM

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO  6 7.0, iSonic 107, MFC KP-RC 360, Wind: 15 kts

A little surprised that the NM section wasn't where I typically get my NM runs. Looks like I need to make my standard NM run a little more downwind, or just make where I just got a PB my new NM run :)

Jan 22

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 6 7.0, iSonic 90, MFC KP-RC 340, Wind: 16 kts

Nicely powered. Still struggling with jibing the slalom boards.

Jan 16

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake Carbon 38. Wind: 10 - 12 knots

Another short session. Arrived late afternoon in hopes of catching the 'wind bump' that usually starts around 4:30 or so - not today.

Jan 15

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake Carbon 38. Wind: 11 - 13 knots

Short session but good to be back on the water after the eternity of 8 days without wind :). Wind was marginal - had to catch a gust to get planing.

Jan 6

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake carbon 38, Wind: 14 knots

Short session but good. Wind about a light as I'm comfortable sailing in - don't want to slog home. Nice trade-off though as there was almost no chop.

Daniel and Toni have returned from Canada for their three month stay. Daniel, of course, had to tell me how good the wind was this morning... ;)

Jan 4

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake 38. Wind: 15 knots

Perfect rig for today's conditions. Wind was light enough that the chop was minimal - got to experience the joy of sailing quickly without worry about controlling the rig :). Spent the time doing NM runs and getting a bracket on distant markers to target at the start of the run to ensure enough distance. Still couldn't top the previous PB but came close. Not bad considering the light wind. Note to self: moved the boom higher by about 3 cm, now centered on the third mark up on the sail luff. This helped reduce arm fatigue.

Jan 3

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 6 7.0, iSonic 107, Drake 38. Wind: 17 - 20 knots

Fully to overpowered. Thought I might have gotten a PB on NM but turns out I missed my marker on the north side of the bay and came up short on distance. The speed chat numbers sounded good - a knot or two above my previous best. Oh well.

At this point on my experience curve, 25 knots in this type of chop is all I feel comfortable handling. Maybe that will change with more time on the iSonics.

Decrepit commented:

Interesting spot Barton, looks like with the right tide it could be a nice short speed course in that bottom corner?

I commented:

Hi Mike. I've spent time looking for a nice speed course, haven't really found one yet. The closest I've come is the short area just north-west of the launch site. Not sure which bottom corner you are referring to (left - South West, Right - South East)? The SW corner, south of where I blew the jibe in the track, is all in a wind shadow due to the mangrove trees and trees in the parking area. The total tidal change here is typically 30 cm or less so we don't get much benefit there. The SE corner, where I start my NM runs is relatively flat but the chop builds fairly quickly on the NM run and becomes annoying once one is in the deeper water. 

I'm sure that one could go much faster than I am here in the bay - it has to do with competence and 'fear factor'. 

Thanks for the question/suggestion and the interest.

The best 'speed courses' on Bonaire are on the leeward side of the island but that is also where the scuba divers are - just too dangerous, in my opinion, to be sailing there. A couple of extra knots isn't worth the risk of hitting someone in the water.

Jan 2

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake 38, Wind: 15 knots

Been a little while since I sailed the race gear. Perfect conditions - water was pretty smooth, only small chop. The iSonic/NP Race combination is a handful to jibe compared to the Sailworks Retro/Hi-Tech. Will take some more work to get decent alphas. 

Jan 1

Bonaire Lac Bay. Sailworks Retro 6.5, Hi-Tech Carbon Slalom 9', Angulo, Wind: 18 knots

Another good Gorge Gear session. Worked on jibes.