New to Boulder, CO-- Any windsurfing?

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Tom

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Aug 24, 2010, 9:15:37 PM8/24/10
to Colorado Windsurfing
Hello,

I just moved here to Boulder from Berkeley, CA, where I've been
getting into windsurfing. Is there any place to windsurf around here,
where I can rent gear? I realize that moving away from the coast did
not improve my chances of finding spots, but I miss it.

Thanks,
Tom

Barry

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Aug 25, 2010, 12:28:40 AM8/25/10
to Tom, Colorado Windsurfing
Hi Tom,

Here's the lowdown:
Boulder Rez: Fuhgeddaboudit btwn Memorial Day and Labor Day, i.e. the summer. They want $30/board/day. Ridiculous. BUT, here's a little secret... shhhhhhhh... don't tell anyone... AFTER Labor Day, there's no one at the front gate AND no one cares or checks if you go in and windsurf. It can be great when the west winds blow as it does in the Fall. Take the first left about 50 yds past the entrance and you're practically in the parking lot. Sometimes you'll encounter kite sailors who will tell you that you have to move because you're in their set up area. I just laugh and shake my head like I'm in on the joke they're telling me. Ooooo BOY... snort... that's a good one!

Btwn MD and LD, i.e. summer, the best spot is undoubtedly Standley Lake. I used to fly hang gliders and there is a wind corridor that was a bitch to get across when you were either flying from Golden to Boulder or vice versa. It points right at Standley. That's the good news. The bad news is that they are nearly as expensive as Boulder so not many people windsurf there.

The next best place is Union Rez, which is out Hwy 119 (aka Diagonal) about 2 miles past Longmont. Turn left at County Rd 1 (big intersection, stop light, very large low white bldg on the NE corner). Union Rez will cost you $8 per car. That's it. You park on the South side of the lake.

When the wind is out of the NW quadrant, i.e. West counter-clockwise to North, it rocks. One big problem: If the wind gets over 20mph, the swells start to crank up. At 30mph, they will be about 5 ft apart and 3-4ft. Best strategy: get to the upwind shore fast. If you're around 150lbs plus/minus 20lbs, rig a 7.5m sail. If you weigh more than that, you might need an 8.5m sail. 90% of the time I'm (225lbs) on an 8.5m sail with a 165l board and my wife is on a 7.5m sail and a 149l board.

Here's the secret to sailing Union Rez. As soon as it start whitecapping and it has any kind of westerly component, head to the NW corner of the lake. We call it "El Coche Cove". If you've ever been sailing in Isla Margarita, Venezuela, you'll understand perfectly what this means: very smooth wind and very flat water. If the sail you rig is too big, just wait about 20-30 minutes. The wind will change and it will be the right sail again. Sometimes I just have to get off my board way up in the NW corner and wait until the wind subsides a bit.

If the wind is west with a south component, the turbulence from the cottonwood trees is tremendous. You have to sail to the middle of the lake (at least) to get away from it.

2 things to note: 1) Do not sail near the shore from the boat ramps around to the west. That's where everyone fishes and it's a good way to get people really mad at you. There's a point on the west shore that juts out the East - it's marked by a single tree. North of that tree you can sail as close as you want to the shore. BUT, 2) do NOT get out of the water in that area because it's s protected bird nesting area. As long as you're in the water, you're probably fine. It's probably best to stay as far away from shore as you can to avoid disturbing the birds nesting there. Same with the North side of the lake.

East side is no problem - that's where the Longmont Sailing Club has their pier, parking lot, and storage sheds. That reminds me - the few times I've been sailing around them, they pretended like they don't know the sailing right of way rules when it comes to windsurfers. It's kind of funny how that's never a problem when they're sailing around each other. Anyway, stay away from them unless you really know you're sailing right-of-way rules. I have found that they suddenly remembered them when they realized I'm wasn't going to yield and that I had the right-of-way.

The wind in Colorado changes very rapidly. You have to get used to it.

When you get good enough, you might want to try sailing Lake Hattie, Wy. It's a little over 2 hours drive from Boulder and one of the windiest places in the US. It's a small lake so the worst that can happen is you fall off your board, can't get the sail out of the water because the wind is cranked up, and you blow into the shore. Usually, the walk is short or you take a short nap (you know cuz' you can sleep when the wind is roaring), the wind changes, and everything is fine.

One additional note about Hattie: It's usually no fun camping there in a tent. The wind at night can make tent camping a lot like trying to sleep with a 200lb tuna flopping around all night. I can't count the number of nights I've had to tie my tent to the car, large rocks, and/or long screw-in stakes and then woken up with most of the tent tie-down loops completely ripped out. I think you'd need a really strong, like Everest quality, 4-season tent and large snifter of brandy at a minimum to guarantee a good night's sleep there.

Good luck.

Paradoxically, Denver metro has something like the 3rd largest windsurfing community in the US. Yeah, ain't that weird?

PS There's a group of windsurfers at Union every Sat pm - rain or shine. Just walk over and say "Dude." ;-) BTW, that group doesn't use the word "lying". We call it "demonstrations of imagination" and it's considered a high art form. Just hang around a bit and you'll see.

Barry


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Tootle,
          Bar

Every form of refuge has its price. -Eagles

Bruce Burkland

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Aug 25, 2010, 1:13:57 AM8/25/10
to Colorado Windsurfing
Yo Barry,

Wow, you know your stuff when it comes to the skinny on sailing all the lakes you mentioned. Too bad you can't hire yourself out to report on all the windsurfing spots across the country. Would be a good gig (smile). I'm sure Tom appreciated your info. Heck, even us long time natives liked what you had to say.
Cheers, Bruce Burkland

BartWindrum

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Aug 24, 2010, 10:48:21 PM8/24/10
to Colorado Windsurfing
Hi Tom. Welcome to Boulder from a fellow Boulderite. I dunno about the
Bay area, but here it can be howling on one end of town and dead on
the other. With rare exceptions when regional fronts move through we
sail local (storm) fronts. Having never sailed a bay (distinct from
Laguna Madre at South Padre Island, TX), I can only suppose -- and
others may chime in -- that there might be some similarities between
bay and lake sailing in terms of water surface. Fresh water is less
buoyant than salt, and air is less dense at altitude, so we sort of
have a double whanmy off the bat. Then add predominantly gusty
conditions and just try to figure what to rig. Anyway,
- rental gear: the sole shop left in Denver metro is Larson's Ski &
Sport, our venerable, erstwhile, and generous co-sponsor. I *think*
they rent. They're at: 4715 Kipling just south of I-70 in west Denver.
303 423 0654. The Marriott family. Larson's hosts 2 seasonal swaps,
early May and early July.
- Boulder Res is the closest local lake. Union Res west of Longmont,
the next town north, is next. And, RMWA has a season-closing event
there next month. That's RMWA's social/race season, not at all the
close of fall sailing here. About 12 miles south of Boulder (and
closer to Larsons) is Standley Lake. These 3 are the closest to
Boulder. From there we range, to various mtn lakes, up to S. WY, out
to mid-west Nebraska, some other front range lakes, and finally, to
the gorge and SPI, TX.

Bart Windrum

Barry

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Aug 25, 2010, 10:20:14 AM8/25/10
to Tom, Colorado Windsurfing
A few more tidbits...

One of the most neglected lakes in the North area is MacIntosh Lake in Longmont. It's slightly smaller than Union. Go East on Hwy 119 to Hover Rd and turn North. Turn West at 17th St. Turn North on Harvard. You can sail from either the South of North shore but you can park closer to the water on the South shore. One item of note: It's almost impossible to sail that lake if the wind is strong out of the SE. The turbulence off of the houses and trees makes it really twitchy. The best directions for wind are from the SW around west to the North. Keep in mind that a lot of that area's shore is protected bird nesting areas. The water seems to stay pretty flat there.

There are good places to sail in the south Denver metro area too. You should try them out if you get a chance. Aurora Rez is probably the best of them although it's about an hour's drive from Boulder. Soda Lakes cranks up a very localized anabatic canyon wind (often mis-named a "thermal", which is another thing entirely) quite frequently in the early morning. The windsurfers calls it "Dawn Patrol". Here's how it works. Call the wind line @5am (yes, AM). If it's blowing 13mph or more, drive there... about 45 minutes. At around 6:45am, the gate will open. I think if you keep making right hand turns whenever possible you can't miss it. The wind usually gets planable until about 8am and sometimes 9am. Here's something to remember: If you go upwind, it gets stronger. Downwind it slacks off. So, you can pick your spot. You have to jibe a lot because it's only a short distance across the wind. There's a scruffy bunch of characters who are mostly harmless (disclaimer: some risk of psychological damage) who will tell you all about it if the wind isn't blowing. BTW, do NOT use the word "dude" around these guys.

The secret to how strong it's going to blow at Soda is the air temperature differential btwn the Soda Lake area and Conifer. There is a fairly complicated micro-meteorological explanation for why this is so but that's for another time.

As for how to find gear... you're in luck. We're about to have the Fall windsurfing sail swap. You happen to be in the best place in the US to find the cheap, good, used windsurfing gear. Call Larson's Ski and Sports for details. They are the only sporting goods shop in this area that speaks windsurfing. Karen, besides being a really cool person, is an Olympic windsurfing contender. You will have no problem whatsoever choosing gear. Just look bewildered for 5 seconds and someone is bound to ask you if you need help.


HTH :-)

ba...@axiomaction.com

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Aug 25, 2010, 10:59:04 AM8/25/10
to Barry, Colorado Windsurfing, Tom
I want Barry for my personal sailing guidance counsellor.

But I need to correct several things:
- Boulder fees are $10 or $20 (I forget) annual 2-board pass plus $6/person recreation gate fee. Boulder has been known to take its pound of fle$h but has backed down recently.
- Standley, last I was there, was $15. Dunno if they charge anything else. If you're in south Boulder Standley is no longer a drive than Boulder Res, although it might seem to be when merely thinking of driving there. But if the wind's blowing anywhere in the Denver/North section, Standley is probably it. It's a whole different group of sailors there.
- Unless Larson's has changed, the fall swap is history. We used to have 3 swaps/yr; last year and this it's down to the 2 I mentioned. Their website currently does NOT list a fall swap, still showing the July dates.
- We have a mussels issue developing along the Front Range. Some of the lakes, not all, have instituted inspections and/or hot water gear hosedowns. This of course only during the MD—LD timeframe which coincides with lesser winds.
- Boulder res is free when the staff has put away all the summertime piers, etc. Consider MD—LD a general rule; the gate actually gets staffed prior to MD and stays staffed later than LD. Bottom line: if you drive up and it's staffed, you'll pay. It's been awhile, but in years past early spring sailing (March/April), and I would presume late fall sailing, the launch informally changes from Windsurfer Cove at the west end to the boat ramp by the marina on the east end. The lake is X-times wider on the eastern damn side than the western cove.
- One of Barry's less evident tongue in cheek pts is, I suspect, kiters telling sailors to move from cove signed, in metal, as Windsurfer.
- Macintosh: it's a neighborhood lake, ringed by streets and houes. South shore is all lawn with, as I recall from years back, a single pass through the shore rocks they installed (damn those!) way at the narrow eastern end. Limiting south shore launching to the east edge when best sailing winds are W—N makes this annoying. The north shore launch is accessed by walking gear across a footbridge from a parking lot. It's adjacent (I mean *adjacent*) to a tot playground. These are two downsides. The upside: urban bathroom and water fountain.

Christy Grant

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Aug 25, 2010, 2:18:52 PM8/25/10
to ba...@axiomaction.com, Barry, colorado-w...@googlegroups.com, kissandasl...@gmail.com
BTW, McIntosh Lake is FREE year-round - no permits,  gate, etc.  If there's a bathroom and water fountain on the South side I don't know where.  Maybe it's just on the N side.
http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/parks/park_list/overview/mcintosh.htm
 
Here's the link to Boulder Res:
 
http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1267&Itemid=3684 - main
http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12531&Itemid=3692 - fees
 
It says $30 for sailboard permit.  That may cover 2 boards.
 
You can check on Craig's List for gear.  Don't know what type you need/want depending on your skill level but there's some out there.
You'll want something that doesn't sink if you plan to actually get on the water ever.  And then around a 6.0 - 8.0 sail or 2 to start.
People on this forum may also have stuff :-)  And they'll help you if you have questions about gear (Barry being similarly expansive in that arena as well :-)
 
When we go, we go to Union and just freestyle or hang out and teach our daughter when it's not planable.  Maybe we'll see you.  We have a big white moving truck :-)
http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/parks/park_list/overview/union.htm
 
Good luck!
 
Christy
 

From: ba...@axiomaction.com
To: rakeh...@gmail.com
CC: colorado-w...@googlegroups.com; kissandasl...@gmail.com
Subject: RE: New to Boulder, CO-- Any windsurfing?
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 07:59:04 -0700

doug.w...@comcast.net

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Aug 25, 2010, 7:31:10 PM8/25/10
to ba...@axiomaction.com, Colorado Windsurfing, Tom, Barry

Not that anyone could add much to the conversation, but I do suggest that you check the Facebook pages for Larson's Ski and Sport and Rocky Mountain Windsurfing and Kiteboarding....Larson's website is www.larsonsport.com .... great folks that do rent equipment and can order anything you need if they don't have it in stock....please consider going to Lake McConaughey the weekend after labor day for a great camp/sail/maybe race windsurfing weekend.....see more info on the Larson's web page or facebook.....welcome to town....d


----- Original Message -----
From: ba...@axiomaction.com
To: "Barry" <rakeh...@gmail.com>
Cc: "Colorado Windsurfing" <colorado-w...@googlegroups.com>, "Tom" <kissandasl...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 8:59:04 AM
Subject: RE: New to Boulder, CO-- Any windsurfing?

dale...@aol.com

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Aug 25, 2010, 2:20:52 PM8/25/10
to rakeh...@gmail.com, kissandasl...@gmail.com, colorado-w...@googlegroups.com
Barry,
All good info, but Soda gates open ~5:45 (not 6:54).
Soda Lake fees $5 per day or $45 per year (Jan 1 to Dec 31).
Last Sunday sailed 12 miles with a top speed of 27mph on a 7.5 and 144 L board (others did more/faster).
See ya on the water, Tom.
Dale
CO98

dale...@aol.com

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Aug 25, 2010, 4:58:57 PM8/25/10
to rakeh...@gmail.com, kissandasl...@gmail.com, colorado-w...@googlegroups.com
Very informative , but it got me looking at Wikipedia for "anabatic".
Actually an anabatic wind is an upslope wind produced when the mountain top heats faster then the surrounding plain.
In actuallity Soda Lake experiences a katabatic wind "from the Greek word katabatikos meaning "going downhill", is the technical name for a drainage wind, a wind that carries high density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity."



-----Original Message-----
From: Barry <rakeh...@gmail.com>
To: Tom <kissandasl...@gmail.com>
Cc: Colorado Windsurfing <colorado-w...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wed, Aug 25, 2010 8:20 am
Subject: Re: New to Boulder, CO-- Any windsurfing?

Barry

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Aug 29, 2010, 12:18:23 PM8/29/10
to dale...@aol.com, kissandasl...@gmail.com, colorado-w...@googlegroups.com
Sorry, confused ''anabatic" with "catabatic". Similar, but reciprocal, process.
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