Windsurfing, sailing, and mountain stories

A nice 25 knots Peler let us enjoy very much on the morning of August 6th. Still very warm climate conditions, before the midday storm mixed the cards ....

Session data: 

Wind: Peler at 25 kts.

Water surface: irregular chop (about 1 meter)

Sail: Ezzy Elite 4,7 2016.

Board: Fanatic Triwave TE 86 litri 2013 and Tabou 3s 106 LTD 2013

Rider's weight: 68 kgs

Dressing: Shorty 3/2

Comments

I took the choice to come to Garda and sail with the Peler on Sunday morning, while I was with my family in Silvaplana (Switzerland - 4 hours drive from Garda), on Saturday afternoon. I went to Silvaplana, looking for cold climate and escaping from the unbearable heat of plain around Milan. So it was not that easy to go to Garda Lake, but it was worth it.

I left Monza at 22.30 (in the garage while I was loading the car, there were 34 degrees ... and that washed away the last doubts about staying in Monza). I arrived at Prà at midnight, I prepared the car for sleeping inside. Prà's parking lot, Saturday night, was full ..... Hot night, but with some wind for refreshing. The next day, the Peler started unexpectedly early for Prà, and at 6:50 the first riders entered the water, getting planing, even with small sails (except for the first 100 meters, in the early morning).

I entered the water with 4.7 and 106 at 8.10. The wind was pretty good, a little oriented from the Northeast. The orientation probably was the cause of a bit irregular chop, the only negative note of the session. Still beautiful warm water.

With the 4,7 and the 106, set with a 25 cm fin, I sailed upwind the main beach of the spot, and there I started to maneuver. In the first part of the session, I was also a bit oversized but the choice to rig the 4,7 was right, as it allowed me to stay in the water, still planing, for a long time (until 10:30).

In addition to being a bit oversized with sail, I was oversized also with the board, in the range of time in which wind was stronger, so, after an hour, I switched to the Fanatic 86 Triwave, set up as a single fin with a 21 MFC. But, at 9,30, the wind started to show some lulls, every now and then, which made the 86 not ideal, not letting me to sail upwind as I wanted.

So I returned to the 3s 106, which is a very fast board, and that, under these conditions, when water surface is not too moved (significant chops, or waves), it's perfect. In fact, I enjoyed the final part of the session (I was well powered with sail in second part of the session).

When wind was definitely decreasing, I practiced with Hely Tack.

Then came the storm ... Suddenly a violent thunderstorm (wich passed at Prà, around at noon), who finally swept away the hot climate of last week, and who prepared the ground (or it would be better to say the lake, in this case), to the spectacular afternoon wind from the north (called Balì) which blew all through the lake (read report). 

Aloha. Fabio

Click here, to enjoy the slidegallery of Prà session (thanks to Davide Migliorati for sending us also Arianna Mirandi's pictures, you will find in the gallery).

The video of the session