Windsurfing in Dallas, Tx
Brian Ulmer
Hi! If anybody does any windsurfing in the Dallas area could you let me
know where to go?? I'm just getting started and I want to watch and learn
if I could.
Thanks, Brian
The Dog
"Brian Ulmer" <brai...@onramp.net> wrote:
Oh Brian... Buddy.... Pal...
[btw, great first name. Anyway...]
Dallas has some great windsurfing. For starters, you could stop by
one of the North Texas Wind Riders club meetings. The next one is a
week from tomorrow (today... what time is it anyway?). OK, next
Tuesday down at O'Leary's Bar and Grill on Greenville, starting around
7pm. It's the last official meeting of the year, but you can meet
some of the hard core degenrates... errr, locals, along with Aris
(owner of the main local shop - Mariner Sails). And Mariner is having
their annual Christmas party on Friday, Dec 12(?). Another good place
to meet the Hobie and sailboard crowd... Not to mention free beer and
food.
As it's starting to cool off and there's no wind forecasted soon, it's
gonna be hard to find people at the lakes. But if you were to go
looking, try Lake Ray Hubbard at Windsurf Bay Park. Head east out of
town on I-30, exit at Zion Rd, turn south, take first left a Locust
Grove. Follow Locust Grove into the park.
Optionally, try North Lake. West on 635, past 35E to the Beltline
exit. Turn right (north) and go about 3/4 mile to the park entrance.
It costs money to go there, but the water stays relatively warm in the
Winter.
Or.... Got to Lake Lewisville (Lewisville Lake Park) or Lake Ray
Roberts (Isle Du Bois State Park) north on 35E.
But it all depends on the wind direction. Launches vary with wind
direction and what part of town you start from. But Hubbard seems to
have the biggest concentration of deliquents... dang... errrr,
boardheads.
But definitely contact Mariner (972-241-1498) to find out about events
(parties, swap meets, races, yada yada yada...) Ask for Aris or
Lamar. If you get stuck with Ligon, tell him I said to get back to
work. Gimme a ping if you need more info.
Later...
The Dog
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Kevin Clark
Brian Ulmer wrote:
>
> Hi! If anybody does any windsurfing in the Dallas area could you let me
> know where to go?? I'm just getting started and I want to watch and learn
> if I could.
Brian,
Call Mariner Sails at 214-241-1498... They can tell you when the
next club meeting is (I think it's next Tuesday), and fill you in on the
sailing sites.
Also, check out the clubs home page...
http://web2.airmail.net/wrightcc/
See you on the water,
Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
The Dog
Brian,
Kevin must be off of his regular kibble, so listen up for a second.
Kevin Clark <cl...@aud.alcatel.com> wrote:
> Call Mariner Sails at 214-241-1498...
Kevin's first mistake: Area code has changed to 972
>They can tell you when the
>next club meeting is (I think it's next Tuesday), and fill you in on the
>sailing sites.
Yes, the club meeting is on the 19th. O'Leary's Bar and Grill.
on Lower Greenville.
> Also, check out the clubs home page...
>http://web2.airmail.net/wrightcc/
Well, Richard hasn't updated in awhile, and we still don't have the
local lake guide worked out. So, the club homepage may not be much
help just now.
>See you on the water,
Well, at least Kevin got something right... ;-)
Sorry, Kev... I just had to do it.
Laterrrrrrr...
Kevin Clark
Here's an update to a posting that I made about 2 years ago...
---------------------------------------------------------------
If you're coming to Dallas, call Mariner Sails @ 972-241-1498. They are
the only place I know of that rents equipment and for all intent and
purposes, the only windsurfing dealer in the entire metroplex. There is
a dealer in Grapevine, but they are quite small.
There is an active club in the area called the North Texas Windriders.
Call Mariner's for information since the owner there is one of the
founders. See the club's home page at http://web2.airmail.net/wrightcc/
Around North Dallas there are 6 primary sailing sights. I've ranked them
according to the number of sailors each attracts on a typical windy day.
(1) North Lake near DFW airport is a small cooling lake for a power
plant. During the winter, the water stays significantly warmer than the
larger reservoirs. Since it's small, there is very little chop which
makes this lake great for beginners and those trying to perfect their
jibing skills. On a typical windy day you'll see 15-25 sailors, but
don't go here if you're if you're looking to chop-hop... Costs $3 to
get in April 15-Sept 15, and the rest of the year it's free.
(2) Lake Ray Hubbard is just East of Dallas, and there are several
launch sites on this lake.
a) Windsurf Bay Park (a.k.a., Fire Ant Beach) is the most popular
lauch. It attracts about that same number of sailers as North Lake. It
has relatively flat water inside the jetty, or you can head outside for
some nice chop in the main body of the lake. This launch is mainly used
for S winds and there is a wind shadow which gets worse as the wind
turns from S to W.
b) Dalrock Park is becoming more and more popular w/ intermediate to
advanced sailors. It has no wind shadow and excellent ramps in S
winds. Launch near the small inlet next to the boat ramps. There are a
bunch of trees and a picnic table marking the spot... It's O.K. to
parallel park along the main road, otherwise it's a bit of a hike from
the parking lot...
c) Terry Park is on the East side of the lake and used mainly in N
winds. Watch your step going in because it's steep and can be muddy.
(3) Grapevine Lake is just North of DFW airport. This lake gets good
chop when wind is directly out of the NW, otherwise it's so-so. Main
launch is Rockledge Park on the N shore near the dam. There's a launch
on the S shore, but it's hard to find...get good directions if you're
trying to find it.
(4) Lake Ray Roberts is NE of Denton and has an excellent launch at the
Isle du Buque (sp..?) State Park. This site is excellent for almost any
wind direction except NE-E which rarely happens here. Expect nice ramps
anytime it blows 5.5m or better. A bit of a drive, so crowds are
smaller, but there's still usually 5-10 on the water when it's blowing
good. Cost is $5 to get in and season passes are available.
(5) Lake Lewisville is in the northern suburb of Lewisville, and is
good in N winds, O.K. in S winds. There can be lots of boat traffic if
it's still waterski/jetski season, so watch out... Cost is $3 to get in
and season passes are available.
(6) Lake Lavon is NE of Dallas and has a couple of launches.
(a) Collin Park has hosted several local races and has nice launching
area. It cost $3 to get in.
(b) East Hill Park (I think that's what it's called) is free and I've
never sailed here, but from looking at a lake map, it looks like it
would be excellent for N winds. Contact Keith Meder @
med...@airmail.net for more info about Lavon.
General Stuff (my observations and opinions):
Wind -
The best time of year is early Spring when consistent South winds give
planing conditions 2-3 days/week. 5.0-6.0m sails are commonplace. Fall
and Winter can also have excellent conditions, but they are always
related to cold fronts passing through. I've gotten blown away on my
3.8m a few times when the North wind gets angry. Summers are dead! Maybe
a few 6.5-7.5m days, but your better off finding someone w/ a ski boat
or road tripping to Corpus.
Water -
A 4/3 semidry is sufficient in January, but you'll see some dry suits,
too. Late Spring you can pack the neoprene away 'till next Fall...
Road Trips -
Corpus Christi is 7.0 hours away and Lake Chenney (Kansas) about 6.0
hours. The club has organized trips to both.
Lake Waurika and Lake Arrowhead are both near Wichita Falls - a mere 2
hour drive from N Dallas, so day trips are definitely doable on the
weekends. From my observations, these lakes get close to twice the
number of shortboarding days as Dallas.
General-
In Dallas you have to watch the weather closely and be able to sail at
the drop of a hat. I've often heard people complain that there hasn't
been wind in 2-3 weeks even though I've sailed 2-3 times during that
period. My sailing buddies and I often hit the lake at 7am if we feel
the front will be finished by 11am.
Also, the weathermen can rarely forcast the wind accurately. One of the
best days I had in recent memory was a day when everyone had forcasted
calm - 5mph winds. I started to see the isobars stacking up on my
Internet radar, so I called Marian (a frequent poster here) and we had
nice 5.0m conditions for several hours.
Annually, I get about 50 days a year sailing in the Dallas area. My
biggest sail is a 5.9 and my biggest board is 9'1" , and at 155 lbs,
this combination can keep me planing in about 15 mph winds (YMMV). I
probably miss no more than 10 good days/year due to work or home
conflicts. Sail usage for me is probably: 5.9 - 50%; 5.1 - 30%; 4.6 -
15%; and 4.0 - 5%.
That's all and feel free to ask me questions, except for the Dog who I
am sure will have several knits to pick with this report... :^)
Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
The Dog
I'll spare most people the "fun" that Kev and I had going back and
forth today about this post... Just a few additions to make.
[snip]
> c) Terry Park is on the East side of the lake and used mainly in N
>winds. Watch your step going in because it's steep and can be muddy.
The big problem with Terry is the new waste water treatment plant that
has been built there. There's some skepticism about the safety of
sailing near this place... That, and the cop who patrols it is an
anal dickhead. Terry is two paws down.
>(4) Lake Ray Roberts is NE of Denton and has an excellent launch at the
>Isle du Buque (sp..?) State Park. This site is excellent for almost any
>wind direction except NE-E which rarely happens here. Expect nice ramps
>anytime it blows 5.5m or better. A bit of a drive, so crowds are
>smaller, but there's still usually 5-10 on the water when it's blowing
>good. Cost is $5 to get in and season passes are available.
It's Isle du Bois, and the per person entrance fee is now $3. $5 is
the old "per vehicle" fee.
If you plan to frequent state parks in Texas, get the Golden Passport
for $50. It covers all day us fees for the vehicle, trailers and
occupants. An excellent value.
[snip]
>(6) Lake Lavon is NE of Dallas and has a couple of launches.
>(a) Collin Park has hosted several local races and has nice launching
>area. It cost $3 to get in.
Be aware that during peak season Collin Park can have a certain "riff
raff" factor that is somewhat disconcerting. I've had gear pinched
there, and don't like the looks of most of the normal crowd.
The Dog's advice: If you go, be aware of your surroundings at all
times and "prepared" for trouble. My Opinion only. YMMV
[snip]
>General Stuff (my observations and opinions):
>Road Trips -
[snip]
Lake Whitney and Lake Texoma also make for most excellent and relaxing
short road trips. The water at Whitney is quite clean, the campsites
are great and the chop can be wicked. Mother Nature has actually
chased me off this body of water. Very wicked when it wants to be.
Texoma is a BIG lake, lots of places to camp and with some HUGE swell
when the wind is right. When I was still of the Dark Side (Hobie
Catter), I frequently "flew hulls" on this lake... Both of 'em.
>That's all and feel free to ask me questions, except for the Dog who I
>am sure will have several knits to pick with this report... :^)
As I told Kev... It's "nits." (Buy him books and teach him
things...) And my pickage is done.
Later... The Dog