Tuesday 15 September

[Steve271]

Tomorrow afternoon looks like it might deliver further up North.
Winnebago or Sheboygan - thoughts?

[PowerManJ316]

Will be a game time call. I'll be heading out around 3pm.

Winnebago will definitely work. The recipe is prime to work at Sheboygan as well. Hot, clear, SSW inland should lead to a nuking south outside in Sheboygan.

I personally will always choose lake Michigan over any inland lake if given the choice. Tomorrow will be no exception.

[jv.]

SW good as it gets in my back yard, assuming Bonnie wants to windsurf or work on wing I will be at home. If she decides not to, Sheboygan.

[dmonn]

Powerman, I'm not sure I agree with your Sheboygan prognostication this time. The water temp vs predicted air temp today are pretty close (64 water vs 75 air). I don't know if that's enough to cause the wind shift from an afternoon inland prediction of SW to go S at Kite Beach. It might, but not a sure thing. I've seen huge differences in wind direction there, but today seems iffy.

Windybago will deliver for sure. It will have more wind and more consistent wind than anywhere else inland. The launch at WindPower won't be the best, though. Probably plenty of waves for getting in and out of the water, and gusty/shifty because the wind will be partly coming off the land. The shoreline south of there runs pretty close to E/W.

Pike is going to be good. Easy launch now from grass or sand, and landing your kite on grass behind a wind shadow is easy. There may be a wind hole mid-lake unless the wind shifts more W. There will be better wind on the west side of the lake, but no launch site there. Probably have enough wind on the east side near the north end to get upwind to the west side. The gusts can be fun if you time them right. They can double the height of a jump! Some of my biggest jumps have been at Pike. Because the gusts are short-lived, you can ride with a bigger kite and just have fun with the gusts.

I'm hoping Bradford works today. I'll give it until 9 to decide. I don't want to make the trip there just as it goes from SSW to SW and not in play. You might be able to go with a SW direction from the north end of the beach. If you do, don't get too far offshore. Keep an eye on the downwind direction to make sure "downwind" isn't Door County or the UP of Michigan!

If it's gone SW at the Lake Express NOAA site at 9, I'll head for Pike.

[dmonn]

Hmmm. The 9:00 readings are not very definitive. At the Sailing Center, the wind is SW. I think that's the best site for Bradford. That makes Bradford not in play IMO.

West Bend Airport is reporting only 10 mph, which is the site I use for Pike. Hard to believe based on how my trees are behaving. I suspect it will pick up there very soon, and build quickly. It's a sure bet today. Just give it an hour.

Sheboygan is SSW at 15-17. It's out of play yet, but could shift later today and rock. It's a gamble. Kite inland now, or hope for a shift later in the day.

Winnie is SSW at 16-28. Good wind but not a great direction. Prediction looks like better later in terms of direction. Should be big chop (if that's what you like) and plenty of wind.

Kohler-Andrae State Park could work right now. The shoreline is more SW/NE, so if the wind is the same as at the Sheboygan Lighthouse, that would be side-side-onshore wind. I haven't been there in years, but the wind there has always been less than at Sheboygan. It also doesn't get the same shift in direction that Sheboygan gets. It might be worth considering, though.

Looks like the highest probability spots are Winnie and Pike. Based on water quality, chop, launch/landing, I'd choose Pike. I really wanted to get in a wave session on Lake Michigan today. Since the forecast looks like wind all day, I'll give it a little more time. I could drive the giant loop. Stop at Kohler-Andrae to see if it's working. If it's not, head for Sheboygan and wait a bit. Give up and head for Winnie. Get beat up on the chop and head home. I'll decide when I see the 10:00 readings.

[dmonn]

I'm going to start the giant loop. I hope it stops at either Kohler-Andrae or Sheboygan.

[BritishBlokeRyan]

Just arrived at Bradford. It’s blowing/gusting stronger than the forecast anticipated. Wind is slightly off shore though but has switched between that and parallel to shore since I arrived. Can’t go out too far with this direction though and the lulls are gonna be tough to handle also. I’ll wait it out for a bit

[dmonn]

I'm at Kohler Andrae state park right now and the wind is directly side Shore. Not a very safe direction, so I am going to continue the loop. Next stop is Kite Beach in Sheboygan.

[Steve271]

Thx Don,
I’m likely to be following you around soon
Will be driving somewhere in half an hour- likely Sheboygan
Keep us posted

[jv.]

Well, my back yard has 72 degree air, 71 degree water, SW wind 12-20 filled in nicely already. Our sails are rigged in the boathouse so we are not going anywhere. I expect to kite, windsurf & wing foil for as long as my back will tolerate. Never leave wind to find wind... good luck guys!!

[BritishBlokeRyan]

Bradford was a no go. Wind was side shore at best but more often off shore. It was also very meager in the lulls with not enough gusts to make it even worth trying. Disappointing given how it was looking in yesterday's forecast. There's a possibility for tomorrow at Pike/Musekgo or Thursday at SSYC. Hope you lads get some!

[PowerManJ316]

I am surprised that sheboygan has not shifted yet. Maybe a sign that it's not going to. I actually had a friend that is going to be out in Madison, so I'm heading out that way. I hope everybody finds a little bit of wind today.

[Steve271]

Sheboygan beautiful but cross offshore

[jv.]

My back yard was awesome. Besides windsurfing, Bonnie spent enough time on wing to become proficient enough at going and staying upwind that she is ready to foil - Hatteras next month! I improved my downwind foiling substantially, and completed some jibes foiling. Had so much fun I never changed equipment, but wore myself out. What a great day, hope all scored somewhere!!

[Steve271]

Just had the best afternoon at Deadwood point
Fully powered up on a 10m, way less gusty and hardly any chop
Outstanding