Jan 30 - Lac Bay

4,223 km

Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 5.5, 2015 iSonic 107, MFC KPRC360. Wind: 16-17 knots

Ribs are finally starting to recover to where sailing is tolerable. The jarring of the ribs still gets old very quickly. Hopefully within the next few days I can return to larger sails and start making some progress on jibing.

An interesting tidbit I noticed when comparing tracks with Taty was that he always gets his best 2 Sec numbers at the northern end of the run while mine are in the flatter water on the southerly run. Taty's 2 Sec numbers occur in the biggest swells and roughest water in the bay. I finally concluded that he is using this to his advantage and surfing the swell faces. Sure enough, when I asked him, that is exactly what he is doing. My old brain still has a few functioning pieces left...

Jan 24 - Lac Bay

4,214 km

Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 6.5, 2015 iSonic 107, MFC KPR360. Wind: 13 - 17 knots

Rain squalls kept the wind from being consistent. However, did get in a few good runs, enough to cause my ribs/muscles to become painful again. Seems I can go about 10 km and then it is time to stop for the day. Hopefully this will work itself out soon as the next ten days look windy. 

I may bring either the Hi-Tech Carbon Slalom or the 8'9" board tomorrow for some comfort riding. Today was a clear example that there is no middle ground with the iSonics. You are either schlogging along at 5 knots, or you are 18-20 knots or above. If the wind picks up, I am at 25 knots and being required to focus 100% to keep from being stacked in the chop. Not a relaxing way to sail. Fun, but not relaxing. I need more time on the water to get the timing down on the carve jibes. Won't be perfect on the Hi-Techs, but I think it will translate fairly well.

Below is the standard KA72 Google earth map AND a speed map created by GPSActionReplay. I selected the coloring so this may change. The maps provide different information, I like both of them.

Jan 22 - Lac Bay

4,204 km

Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 5.5, 2015 iSonic 107, MFC KPR360. Wind: 15 - 19 knots.

Rain squalls made for up/down wind. Fortunately, got a couple of good runs fully powered on the 5.5. Got a couple of jibes using the GetWindsurfing technique shown in Phil's videos on carving jibes. I have a good feeling that I will finally master jibing on the slalom boards using the technique shown. The main thing I noticed today was that even though I start the foot switch almost immediately after I initiate the jibe, I need to be starting it within about a second of when I lean forward and put the back foot on the leeward rail. I also need to remember to stay leaning forward and to lean the mast to the outside of the turn. All things that will come with practice. I think the turning point here is that staying low and being willing/able to stay powered using clew-first sailing will keep the speed up going through the jibe. Hopefully no more stall jibes.

The chest pains came back after the fast southerly run and relatively quick return to the mangroves. Hopefully the sore muscles will work themselves out this week since it is supposed to be good wind all week.

Jan 20 - Lac Bay

4,197 km
2014 Sailworks Retro 5.5, 2015 iSonic 107, MFC KPR360. Wind: 15-18, Gusts to 22 knots. Launched around 3 PM.

First consistently windy day in a long time. Rigged the 5.5 as I didn't want to get pounded/jarred too badly. I did something during the sailing session on the 16th that has caused my upper ribs to be very painful, starting the day the evening of the 16th. I managed to get in some runs and to practice a couple of clew-first exits on the southern jibes. The clew-first exits were actually easier than I thought they would be. Now I need to be able to sense when I have enough speed to do a normal carving/laydown jibe sail flip and when I have slowed down to the point where the clew-first exit makes sense.

The last couple of runs started to become painful as the wind picked up and the chop became larger. The last run back to the launch area was essentially survival mode for me due to the rib pain. The wind had picked up to the low 20's and normally this would have been a great adrenalin run back but the ribs hurt too much. So I sheeted out and limped back to the sandbar, made sure the water was deep enough, and sailed back to the launch site sheeted out. Derigging and loading up was a slow process. Hopefully I will recover for tomorrow as the wind looks to be good again. I think I'll be taking the Hi-Tech Carbon Slalom board to the beach tomorrow :).

A comment on the Retro sails: I had considered them to be pretty bullet proof given the thickness of the mylar panels so was surprised to find a 2 inch rip in the lower clear panel of the sail when I was derigging. The sail now has a duct tape patch. I guess nothing is bullet proof here on Bonaire...

Jan 16 - Lac Bay

4,187 km

Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 7.5, 2017 iSonic 127, Drake Carbon Race 44. Wind 12-13 knots. Launched at 4:30

Wind and forecast forgot to coordinate. Eventually decided to try some runs just to test the low-end of the wind range. Got two laps aided by pumping, then biffed the jibe, not enough wind to waterstart. Eventually gave up and uphauled. Made one slogging lap and called it quits. Forecasts for the past week have been consistently at least 5 knots too optimistic. 

Jan 13 - Lac Bay

4,181 km

Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 7.5, 2017 iSonic 127 Ultra, Drake carbon Race 44, Wind: 13-15 knots

Today was 'small world' day. I had just finished rigging (arrived late so was basically the only one rigging on the beach), when a car pulled up and the passenger asked me about wind conditions. A short chat later we did introductions - turns out the passenger is Dasher, who taught windsurfing at Vela on Aruba. In 1997 he taught me how to duck jibe  when we were on a windsurfing/scuba vacation. Somewhere, I still have the video he took of me as proof that I could consistently duck jibe. Dasher and his friend Rick looked over the situation and decided to rent a windfoil from Bonaire Windsurfing. Neither had done much, if any foiling but they caught on quickly. Will probably be back for more on Sunday.

I decided it was time to put the iSonic 127 to the test as to whether I was going to be able to deal with the massive width and enjoy sailing it - cut to the chase, answer is YES. Board popped on a plane very easily and I had a decent session where I would have been slogging for sure if I had tried to sail the iSonic 107. In these conditions the board was easy to handle. Will take a little more time to learn to jibe, but on the other hand, I can practice without falling in .

Jan 10 - Lac Bay

4,169 km
Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 7.5, 2015 iSonic 107, Drake DW38.  Wind: 15 - 16 knots

Reasonable exercise session. For the most part was nicely powered during the sailing session. 

The only bummer today was the session was cut short when my Sailworks 460 JoyStick mast broke FOR THE THIRD TIME . The top section broke in April 2015 after only about 10 sessions. It was replaced and the top section broke again in November 2015 (and I didn't sail on Bonaire from early May 2015 to October 2015). At that point I started using the Neil Pryde EVO sails and a NP 460 mast. I didn't use the 460 JoyStick mast again until a couple of weeks ago when I started using the Retro sails for laydown jibe practice. This time, the bottom section of the mast broke at the joint. The top and bottom mast sections were taped together so they did NOT separate during rigging or the sailing session. Time for the Sailworks 460 JoyStick to go in the trash bin. Fortunately, I have the 460 C100 Gaastra 100% carbon mast I just got from Taty which has the same constant curve profile as the JoyStick.

Oh, one learning for today... In preparation for going back to the GA Vapor sails, when I sort-of biffed a port tack jibe, instead of falling in the water and doing my normal waterstart, I did my very first sail uphaul on the iSonic 107 . This was practice for trying to keep the GA Vapors as dry as possible if I blow a jibe.

Jan 7 - Lac Bay

4,151 km
Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 7.5, 2015 iSonic 107, Drake DW 38, wind: 15G16

Arrived late, was going to focus on jibe practice but the wind was better than it has been for a while (stronger and more consistent) so got suckered into making a run to the rental area for a nautical mile run. Got my thrills on the way back going over the chop. I was looking into the sun and didn't realize I was over the sandbar until it was clearly apparent. Fortunately, the tide was high enough that I decided to risk it and kept going... was rewarded with my third best NM speed.

On the beach I noticed Taty had rigged up his slalom kit and shortly Terence Bernabela arrived on his freestyle kit. Words were exchanged and Terence ran back to the rental area and shortly arrived on his slalom kit. I handed Taty my GW-60,  asked Terence if he wanted to be part of the GPSTC, got a strong affirmative, handed him my GW-52 and off they went for some serious drag racing. Should have Terence set up within the day as part of the WCS  and will get his numbers posted! For those that might have watched a February 2017 video I did of Taty doing laydown jibes,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DBja5_gEO4 , Terence is the other sailor in the video!

All in all, a very successful day 

I commented:

Check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5jAODxmn64 of a portion of the GPSAR replay of Taty and Terence. As a team, I think we can benefit from using SW tools like GPSAR.

Jan 6 - Lac Bay

4,141 km
Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 7.5, 2015 iSonic 107, Drake DW38. Wind: 13 - 15 knots (pretty much followed the graph minus about 2 knots).

Arrived late, launched a little after 4 PM. The wind chart pretty much describes the results. Got in a few good runs. waited for the 'afternoon wind bump' that was a no-show. Eventually made one more run. Slogged most of the way across, caught a gust, made a jibe, and managed to ride the gust back to the launch area. 

Ironically, my 'weak port tack jibes' actually held the clue for me to recognize what I am doing wrong on my starboard tack jibes. For some reason, I naturally want to flip the sail first on the starboard tack jibes - doesn't work for me on slalom gear (or laydowns) but does on Gorge gear... But, if I do what all the videos seem to suggest which is briefly laydown the sail, start to pull it back up while switching stance, then flip the sail, golly gee, seems to work a lot better, which is what I did on the last jibe. . Now, if I can just break my old habit, little by little I may be able to do decent laydown (or partial laydown) jibes. Tracking my progress, I think this will happen in roughly 2050. Actuarial tables suggest with high probability I'll also be dead, but hey, there are always tradeoffs... 

All in all a decent day at the beach. Sunny skies, no rain squalls, a few good runs, and listening to 'Start me up' by The Rolling Stones blasting in my ears as I derig. What could be better?

Jan 5 - Lac Bay

4,134 km

Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 7.5, 2015 iSonic 107, Drake DW 38. Wind 13-15 knots (wind seems to be consistently ~ 2 knots higher at the airport than the readings at Jibe City).

Exercise day. Nothing particularly news worthy.

I did make one rigging change after being chided by Taty. I have always rigged the sails using the bottom (control grommet) rather than the top (power grommet). This applied to all my sails, Retros and Race. The reason has been that I felt I needed the control and since I was slow anyway, I would opt for control over power. After using longer harness lines, the control aspect seems to be better, well, under control , so I switched to the power setting. Of course, after I was all rigged, Taty happened to walk past, checked out the down haul, and out haul, than looked at me and said something to the effect that I rig weird. I use the power setting on the Retros and control setting on the Race sails. My counter to that was that this is the first time I've ever used the power setting, and it was because of what he had said a couple of days ago. He stopped, looked at me, and then broke out laughing as he remembered his comment. It is great having someone around on the beach that brightens the day - helps me overcome my Prednisone induced depressions. So, did the change make any difference? Maybe not in speed but the sail certainly felt more powerful. Hard to tell on the speed, of course, with all the variables (I didn't feel up to doing A-B comparison studies, figured Bruce Peterson and Dale Cook had already sorted that out ).

So, one more little-by-little step. I feel like I'm doing better handling larger chop in the bay while staying 'locked in', in part by using longer harness lines and in part by raking the rig to windward and sheeting in when I see a gust approaching, rather than backing off. Jibes - decent ones on the iSonic are still an aspirational goal. A couple of months ago I got so frustrated that I hauled out my 30 year old Hi-Tech carbon slalom board, which for me used to be very difficult to jibe, what a dream to jibe now . So, while I still look like a beginner at times, being able to outrun some of the guys on the water and every once in a while make a jibe seems to be keeping me interested in the sport...

Roo commented:
Hey Barton what are you doing slumming it again on your Sailworks, did you make a New Years resolution not to use race sails again? Or are you just keeping them for special days?

I commented:
Roo, I'm attempting to learn how to jibe (laydown). That guarantees that I'll be in the water. On the southern (port tack) jibe, that also means I'll crash in deep water that typically has a wind shadow. I would rather use my energy attempting to jibe rather than clearing the luff sleeve of a race sail so I can waterstart. When (if?) I ever get competent (or comfortable enough) to feel like I have a reasonable chance of making the laydown (or more accurately, partial laydown) jibe, then I'll progress up the difficulty ladder to using the race sails. I've tried laydowns with the race sails and don't have an issue attempting them on starboard tack since I can practice in meter deep water, but on port tack I typically don't commit the way I should for fear of biffing the jibe and going swimming (and maybe having a long drift until I can clear the sail). So, the Sailworks provide me a comfort zone where I can focus on the jibe technique. Don't worry, I will be back on race sails, just need my training wheels a little longer . And, while I'm dinking around crashing, I would rather risk a Retro than a Vapor ...

Jan 4 - Lac Bay

4,121 km

Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 7.5, 2015 iSonic 107, Drake DW 38. Wind: 12 - 14 knots

Struggled today. Even one run across had my heart racing and needed 10 minutes to recover. Don't know if this is part of the Prednisone fatigue or what? Also felt pretty depressed most of the afternoon - more Prednisone side effects?

The day itself wasn't too bad. Wind lighter than forecast but nicely sailable for the first half hour and required pumping to get on a plane later.  Only a few runs  because I just didn't have any stamina...

Jan 1 - Lac Bay

4,115 km

Lac Bay, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

2014 Sailworks Retro 7.5, 2015 iSonic 107, Black Project Freeride Delta 21, Drake DW 38, Wind: 15 - 16 knots

Started the afternoon with the Delta 21 fin based on seeing a lot of seaweed on the Jibe City webcam. When barely powered, the BP Delta sucks. It wants to point like crazy into the wind, spins out easily. I made one slogging run over and back. Fortunately, there were no weeds so I could overfin the board (for underpowered conditions) with the Drake 40. Life was good again after that. Made some runs, made some jibes, attempted some laydown jibes, and got my first catapult/back-slap on the sail launch of 2018 taken care of  . Tide was a little low today and I got cocky about cutting the corner of the sandbar to make a mini speed run back to the launch area. The sand bar decided to show me who was The Boss. GPS Results shows that this particular maneuver enables one to go from 22 knots to 0 knots in slightly under 3 seconds. Fortunately, no equipment broken and other than feeling a little stupid, I was fine.