15ft MC TUE the 18th..dangzzzzz

[Pier]

No leftovers in Miller, trying MC...

[Flyboy]

Nice at S. Haven... VERY nice! My 2 visits to S. Haven - both 25 - 30 kt days. Thank you Lake Michigan!

Flyboy

[skysurfr]

Whoa nelly. Miller went off. I went way out there and the rollers with oh so perfect faces were well over head high. 9 10....11 foot faces. I haven't seen waves like that since da nort shore brah. Getting out there was a battle as the shore break was fairly harsh. When I started getting spanked, I put it away. It was no day to push it out there.


Nice seeing everyone!

Mike

[V]

there were just two guys by the pier when I came, and later only 3 more showed up...

Was that you on the red kite? Yea we got there early and rode upwind immediately to the jetty. I saw you on shore but i was feeling a little sick, actually, and we rigged at miller - you were at lake street, so i blew by on my way back downwind.

I rode bigger, much bigger, than that here before. Wasn't that bad, but the waves could have been cleaner. Hope the SH crew got it good...

[xwindsurf]

Was that you on the red kite?

Yes, it was me. I was also at Miller initially but didn't see a single trace of any kiting activity, not a bag, not a pump... and then I saw 2 kites in the air upwind so I thought you guys were on Lake Street. Drove there, and realized you're even more upwind... So I decided to stay where I was.

[Pier]

It turned out pretty decent considering that by the time I headed out to the lake the wind was dying everywhere, after a quick check at Miller that was desert I ended up in MC around 5pm.
The wind was barely rideable and the waves pretty big on the outside, none on the beach...Tyler got there right before me and was wondering what to do, we decided to stay and give it a try: by the time we got ready the wind picked up nicely and we rode for 1h approx before the storms nearby killed the wind and left some pretty images including an incredibly bright rainbow.



We enjoyed the colors of the sunset for a little





And right when we started to pack the wind came back again and we rode until dark, thanks Lake Michigan!

[4w7s]

Saint Joe - blown out

South Haven went off

ps: seems the forum program crops out the photo's a bit when posted w/Img. These pics better viewed directly from the links below to really see how long and clean some of these waves were at S. Haven -
http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab26 ... 77d415.jpg
http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab26 ... 82a3ee.jpg
http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab26 ... eab6e3.jpg

[mrgrey]

Rode St. Joe 330-530 10m with unbelievably clean waves that had what seemed like the great plains in between them. Some of the cleanest sets of my short career and well worth my time. I was the only guy out there wondering where everybody went....until.... four kites show up out of nowhere on the North side of the pier and who is it!? South Haven downwinder crew of course! Thanks West, John, and the whole crew for the brews and pizza and can't wait to join ya one day on one of those downwinders..

[Bryce FLK]

Had a blast at Miller on my 7m Eclipse Nano..... I had plenty of power early and it started to come down around 1. Everyone seemed to be on 7,8,9,10's from about 9am - 1:30 when I headed back to the city.

Finally put faces to names West, Tom, Scotty and a few more.... Thanks West for letting me Demo that board, I love it.

There was a little bit of carnage. One kite in the trees (luckily I think Tom saved that one) and another kites bladder burst through a Leading Edge / Strut seam after crashing in the waves.

What a great day to be on the water

[xwindsurf]

To me, the most amazing thing about yesterday was that people were everywhere - from Montrose to SH, and everybody seemed to get what they were looking for. Oh, Mighty Lake!

[4w7s]

Rode St. Joe 330-530 10m with unbelievably clean waves that had what seemed like the great plains in between them. Some of the cleanest sets of my short career and well worth my time. I was the only guy out there wondering where everybody went....until.... four kites show up out of nowhere on the North side of the pier and who is it!? South Haven downwinder crew of course! Thanks West, John, and the whole crew for the brews and pizza and can't wait to join ya one day on one of those downwinders..

Interesting...I was at St. Joe around 2pm and it was blowing almost straight on-shore so I backtracked to S Haven - had to go that way anyway - where the wind/wave angle/quality looked 100% better (rode some fantastic clean sets from 2:30 til 5:30)...but it just goes to show that things can evolve quickly depending on wind direction/velocity/duration.

(adding to this: I had a noon report from a reliable source that St. Joe looked great, 7-9m confditions, 45 degree side-on - so I raced there asap. Based on the S.Haven metdata readings the wind was blowing side off until 1pm?? so that was another reason to head to St. Joe...but when I got there it just didn't look inviting and the wind was much more westerly than expected, so I guessed S Haven would be good - and it worked out nice!)

[Misfit]

South Haven was awesome. Loving the good new days (as opposed to the good ole' days). Had a great time seeing everyone and kiting the nuclear breeze. Catch you all on the next one!

Cory

[V]

Was that you on the red kite?

Yes, it was me. I was also at Miller initially but didn't see a single trace of any kiting activity, not a bag, not a pump... and then I saw 2 kites in the air upwind so I thought you guys were on Lake Street. Drove there, and realized you're even more upwind... So I decided to stay where I was.

Sorry about that dude. We rode all the way up to get the cleaner sets at the pier...our cars were parked at Miller though, you should have seen em alone in the corner with kite stickers all over 'em!

Sweet shots to Pier and Roberto - those sum it up!

[FSP]

here ya go hogs...compliments of grand haven cam

[Flyboy]

Another stellar day on Michigan. As the forecast was very south, I decided to head to Grand Haven. Big waves & port tack on the way out - not my strong side! Got seriously tumbled a couple of times. Probably would have been a bit smoother on the north side of the pier.

Two days in a row on a 7m. - can't beat that. (pretty unusual to have a 30 kt. S. wind immediately following 30 kt. N.)

[adseguy]

(pretty unusual to have a 30 kt. S. wind immediately following 30 kt. N.)

Pretty typical actually. That's how we get these big winds. I hit a few "after work" places, but didn't get the best of it. Weeeeeee...the season is HERE!!

[Bryce FLK]

Another stellar day on Michigan. As the forecast was very south, I decided to head to Grand Haven. Big waves & port tack on the way out - not my strong side! Got seriously tumbled a couple of times. Probably would have been a bit smoother on the north side of the pier.

Two days in a row on a 7m. - can't beat that. (pretty unusual to have a 30 kt. S. wind immediately following 30 kt. N.)

I saw someone kiting on a small yellow cabrina kite on the webcam yesterday on the south side of the Grand Haven Pier. Be careful in the state park on a south... like you said you should really be north of the piers on a south. The problem isn't with an individual kiters ability its when a rookie comes out and sees another kite so thinks it must be ok... then ends up in the pier.

Even though there probably wasnt too many rookies out yesterday with 30+ winds.... its just a suggestion.

[West]

Gale force south....gale force north..........gotta love da big lake!!!!!!!!!! Like Tom said, alot of kiting going on all around the lake......

Hit miller at sunrise with V, side-on and cruised upwind to the jetty; a bit more organized by the jetty but just too much North in it to clean up much. Some bigger sets breaking past the end of the jetty at times, with a nice section here and there if you were patient... Kited for about 2 hours, a bit mystical as the morning sun would bathe the scene periodically. Saw Tom launch up at Lake, and got to met a few more kiters in the lot as I was packing up to go to South Haven........glad you enjoyed the board Bryce, keep on riding it and I will catch up with you sometime to retrieve it!!!

The wind turned onshore at da Haven just before I got there which resulted in some fine, smooth wave riding conditions. Rigged the 7m and had a blast with the crew....HAPPY BDAY sesh for Ivo and Cory.....nice to see those smiles. Madtown boyz made the journey over and caught some nice rides, smiles abounding!!!!!! Killed it with Eroc at the blue stairs for awhile, his fav spot.....Took off on a dwndr with John Lynch, Jimbo, TG and Hugh (nice job Mate).........waves were insane bout 2 miles down from haven, and then slowly turned more onshore, but that provided some great toeside riding right off the shoreline, I think I rode bout 3 and half miles within 10 feet of the shore "S" turning all the way down toeside, heelside, toeside, heelside. Macking sets on the outside, with onshore kind of made it a bit treacherous......

Came around the jetty at St Joe to find the wind a bit more side-on (go figure) and smooth waves, great to see a lone kiter just having a blast......pizza and pops in the parking lot, another dwndr for the BROS!!!!!!!!!!! Finished the day up at SU CASA celebrating Ivo's 32nd.......cheers Trooper.

Caught the South the next day at Holland.....sure was smoooooooooooooooooth, bit offshore at times, but unbelievably beautiful waves, building all afternoon. Conditions at HSP were challenging with the wind shifting slightly off at times. Dwndr later in the day with Greg, Jimbo and the Madison boyz........Some of the cleanest, smoothest waves I have ridden on the lake, great the entire way to Port Sheldon......ended it on the bluff sharing some smoked fish, cheese, and some pops watching the sun melt into the horizon!!!!!!!!!!!

Fall is here with the leaves beginning to turn and the winds coming and goin with regularity, get out and check it out.......many wonderful beaches all around ol' Mother Michigan to enjoy.......best time of the year for kiting the BIG LAKE...........

[mrgrey]

Came around the jetty at St Joe to find the wind a bit more side-on (go figure) and smooth waves, great to see a lone kiter just having a blast......pizza and pops in the parking lot

...I guess I timed my arrival just right to take advantage of the set-up, dumb luck... sorry I missed u Roberto maybe next time.

[Flyboy]

The problem isn't with an individual kiters ability its when a rookie comes out and sees another kite so thinks it must be ok... then ends up in the pier.

When I arrived at GH, I joined the only kiter I could see - John on the yellow Cabrinha - who was upwind of the pier (upwind of the State Park), which is why I headed there. Only later did the kiters on the N. side of the pier appear & it occurred to me that that might be a better place to launch. But, in any case, I don't think a "rookie kiter" would have had a chance of making it out through the shore break!

Pretty typical actually. That's how we get these big winds.

Well, in my experience (almost 30 years windsurfing/kiting the Great Lakes), a big SW is often directly followed by big NW. Less common to have a 30 kt NW immediately followed by a 30 kt SW ... but I ain't complaining!