Trip Plans: Corpus Christi 26-28 May 2007

The time has come. Another windsurfing adventure has been scheduled for May 26-28. My apologies that this overlaps with some people's schedules. Unfortunately my first choice of weekends got booked up before I had a chance to send out an invite. Don't fret: I'd like to have a June trip as well.

This will be trip #5. A trip to Corpus means windsurfing classes during the day. At night, we'll be eating wonderful seafood and drinking a good beer or two. Except for the windsurfing, everything is within walking distance of the hotel downtown. You can see the photos and posts from the last trip here, here, here, here.

If you have any questions, you can leave a comment, call me, or shoot an e-mail to john at windaddict dot com.

Feel free to invite others!

Lodging:

For lodging, I'm staying at the Best Western (Best Western Marina Grand Hotel). This 2-star hotel is downtown, right next to a marina on the bay. You can find more info on it elsewhere on the blog. Check-in time is 3pm, checkout time is noon.

To Join in the fun:

This is your to-do list. Please don't procrastinate -- rooms in this hotel will fill fast:

1. If you have an invite please respond. If you don't have an invite, you can shoot a mail to john AT windaddict dot com.
   
2. Make reservations at the Best Western Marina Grand hotel or arrange to share a room with someone who did. Check in on 26 May, checkout 28 May. When I checked, the internet rate was the best deal. You are responsible for your own hotel reservation.
3. Call Worldwinds at 1-800-793-7471 and schedule your classes, or reserve a board rental if you don't want to take a class. Tell them that you're with John Knox's group.
   
4. Arrange to carpool and share your room. Feel free to post comments asking for rides or riders.
   

You can find more information on Worldwinds, what to pack, and more in other posts.

Class Suggestions:

Beginners:

You'll want to take the beginner class on Saturday. You can ask Jay, Jason, Matt, Karen, Freddy, or anyone else -- it isn't hard, and it's lots of fun. The beginners class will probably start at 11:30 am.

On Sunday, you might want to try the intermediate class. I suggest at least giving it a shot, but it's up to you. The difficulty level increases a little, but it just means falling off the board a bit more often. Falling is half the fun.

Intermediate and Beyond:

I strongly suggest taking a class on Saturday even if it is just to get a refresher. With a month between each surfing session, a refresher can mean the difference between struggling all weekend and moving on to the next level.

Don't forget to reserve a rental board for the days you don't want to schedule a class.

Schedule (suggested):

Saturday:

The drive from my place down to Corpus takes about 4 hours. If you live north, it will take longer. Lets leave Austin at 6:30am. This will give us some time to get there without rushing, and maybe pick up lunch along the way.

We should be surfing at Worldwinds by 11. Worldwinds closes at 6pm, so we should all be checked in at the hotel by 7pm. We'll desalinate and aim to grab dinner downtown at around 8pm. I'm thinking that I'd like to try the Waterstreet Oyster Bar.

Sunday:

Sunday, maybe we can get brunch at the Water Street Seafood Co. or La Bahia. After, Windsurfing class or practice for as long as we can take it. We'll play it by ear for dinner.

Monday:

Lets do breakfast at Agua Java. Afterwards, of course, more surfing. Around 2 or 3 pm, I'll probably drive back to Austin.

The Peconic Puffin

The Peconic Puffin blog has posted two interesting videos recently.

The first features a couple of kids showing off their crazy freestyle skillz at night. They look like they're having a blast. I'm jealous.

The second has a video summary of attempts at breaking the 50 knot sailing speed barrier. The current world record is held by Finian Maynard, at 48.7 knots, or 56 mph. You'll see him in the video: he is the giant riding a toothpick. Can't miss him.

Velocity Games in Corpus Christi

The Corpus Christi Velocity Games, AKA The US Wind & Water Open takes place May 11 -13 2007. The event features windsurfing, kiteboarding, and skateboarding competitions.

If anyone is interested in carpooling for a day trip (or longer) to watch the games, let me know!

The Maltese Falcon

Tom Perkins's Maltese Falcon
Originally uploaded by Ciccio Pizzettaro.

No, not the Bogart film. The sailing yacht.

289 feet of shiny black hull. 3 rotating masts. 15 square sails.

Check out the Wikipedia entry.

And visit the official Maltese Falcon website. Be sure to look at the photos and the log once there.

I wonder if the owner ever needs someone to boat-sit. I'd be happy to help out. I don't think I'd mind living on a yacht like this.

Hydrofoil Windsurfing

This video isn't really exciting, but it does show that hydrofoils can work in windsurfing. I've been wondering about that for a while. It also shows that adding a hydrofoil is a bit pointless.

The board doesn't seem to be going any faster with the foil (watch for the traditional board in the background). I expect this is because the foil requires a lot of drag to create the necessary lift. The foil does make the ride smoother, but that seems boring. Maybe the foil would come in handy in wave sailing?

Wind Forecasts with WindGuru

WindGuru provides a detailed weather forecast several days in advanced. Each day breaks down into three hour intervals with information on wind speed, direction, cloud cover, precipitation, temperature, and more.

The biggest limitation I find is the number of available locations. Corpus Christi has forecast data, but Austin does not. I'll live.

If you have a mac, there is a WindGuru dashboard widget available. The widget provides data for a 24 hour window. It also has a nice animated windmill which really spices up the dashboard.

The Columbia River Gorge

I'm probably cheating by posting videos three days in a row. You'll survive though. Watch for the guys who confuse their rig for a hang glider.