July 12 - Waterfront Park

3691km

Hood River Waterfront Park, Hood River, OR, USA

Sailworks Retro 6.5, Goya Bolt 115, MFC KP-R42. Wind: 16G23 knots

Was great to be back in da Hood. Spent yesterday helping the local windsurfing economy by purchasing more gear for Oregon. Got Sailworks NX 6.2, 7.0, and 7.8 race sails, a carbon boom, two carbon masts, a mast base and extension, and a new Goya Bolt 125. I had originally planned on purchasing the Bolt 135 liter board but after looking at the board and talking with the Goya rep (Jason) it was clear the Bolt 125 was the correct board to solve my light wind issues. 

Today I finally made it on the water a little after 10 AM. The equipment selection worked well. Made a few runs, even had a nice jibe on the inside and then the niggling cramping began. Decided to take a break and have a banana, since I had all day... During the break I got a call from our primary care doctor regarding the results of my wife's CT scan. All windsurfing focus vanished. Time to derig and head home.

Roo commented:

Mellow training day, did two 1 hour sessions to keep in shape. Started on Mistral Speed 55, been a while since I rode it. Still sorting out the right fin for it in the chop, felt pretty slippery. Ended up on the Naish replica for a good fang.

Barton was back in town, good to catch up and hear of all his new toys. He had to head home early as his wife is poorly, best wishes from all of us for a quick recovery.

I commented:

Roo, Thank you for your support and best wishes.

As my mother was fond of saying, "getting old isn't for sissies" (she made it to 96) ...

Peter commented:

Barton, have you tried taking vitamin E against your cramps? There are a few studies that show it works. I used to have leg cramps when or after windsurfing, and they went away after I started taking 400 units vitamin E per day. Look for a brand that contains mixed tocopherols, if you can. I would not go much higher in the dose, though. 

I commented:

Hi Peter. I'm taking a multi-vitamin which has vitamin E but only 60 IU (200% DV). I'll look for an additional supplement. I could certainly be wrong, but I suspect that my cramping issue is due to the high dose of Prednisone (corticosteroid) I'm taking to deal with the autoimmune inflammation behind my right eye. My suspicion is based on information I have read about side effects of Prednisone, one of which is an altering of the potassium in the body (reduction) and a resulting increase in the potential for cramping. Fortunately, I'm now on a steroid-sparing medication so over time I should phase off of Prednisone and it's nasty side effects.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Roo commented:

Make like a monkey Barton, go bananas!

Peter commented:

Barton, no doubt you are right about the link between your meds and the cramps. My mother has been on corticosteroids in varying doses for decades, so she's been dealing with cramps a lot. Potassium is always a suspect in cramps. There's been one study that found that the serum potassium levels are unchanged in patients receiving corticosteroids. They speculated that perhaps only intracellular levels are changed, but that was just a guess. The same study found that quinine help reduce or eliminate the cramps, but quinine has it's own problems. However, there are also studies that show that vitamin E worked better than quinine against cramps. There are only a few studies about this - there's no money to be made selling vitamin E.

It's still not well understood what really causes muscle cramps. Electrolyte imbalance plays a role, as does dehydration, so eating bananas and drinking a lot won't hurt. But it may not make much of a difference, either (except maybe for monkeys - they never complain about cramps!). Trying 400 IU vitamin E for a few days can hurt and may help more. Let me know!

I commented:

Peter, thank you for the additional information! I'll provide a 'cramp update'  when I have some data.

Roo commented:
This place is sounding more and more like a hangout for leisureworld sailors. Come on boys, man up and start posting some big numbers. First person that mentions incontinence is out!

I commented:
Incontinence 

Roo commented:
Right back to the United Speedsailors of America with you, or better known as the geriatric slowpokes!

I commented:
Peter, sign me up

Peter commented:
Barton, of course we'll be glad to have you. But there's no need to switch teams yet. Just laugh when it appears that Roo makes a joke (even if most people would consider it an insult), bow to his infinite wisdom, and NEVER EVER mention that other windsurfers living in the US are faster than he is, despite windsurfing a lot less.

Peter commented:
"Geriatric Slowpokes beat West Coast Speedsters in monthly rankings" sounds good, though. If I were you, Barton, I'd be worried about what motivational tools Roo will bring out next .

I commented:

Peter, I talked with Roo later. Yes, he intended it as humor, although my passive aggressive response probably didn't help . We have talked about his approach to humor and he is aware that it blows right past a lot of Americans, and some Aussies too... Also joked about 'Alpha Males'... No issues, I'll stay put on The West Coast Speedsters.

One problem with 'geriatric slowpokes' is that, as a percentage of membership that sails regularly, he has a higher percentage on his team than Team USA . I have tried recruiting for the speedsters to lower the percentage but no luck yet...

Roo commented:
Careful Barton we'll be changing our name to Leisureworld Speedsters if you don't find some new blood soon!

I commented:
Wait, I'm not the team captain.Until that activity is officially delegated, that job is above my pay grade 😂

Actually, Leisureworld Speedsters has a certain charm to it. Roo, while it doesn't fit your sailing style, it fits fits mine perfectly. Maybe we need a third USA team, one for me .  Unfortunately, GPSTC probably isn't too thrilled to have teams with only one member... and Leisure World is a registered trademark so two strikes against it already... bummer . Guess will have to settle for the second alternative, Geriatric Slowpokes 

Roo commented:
That's the other team Barton, your memory is already going.

I commented:
Oh, I didn't think they were too keen on the name so I could appropriate it. .


Roo commented:
I don't think they will find that very funny.

I commented:
Just as I was about to launch today a fellow walked up to me and asked if I was going to Floras Lake soon - it was Rolfe! I made another pitch to get him on the GPSTC team. I think he will, at some point in time...