Friday the 13th marked the start of this trip to Corpus Christi. The cast of characters included Jason, Saurabh, Mike, Jacob, Justin, Jeff, Matt, Karen, Gumbo (the dog), Freddy, and myself.
The excitement started early when a rental car had to be returned to the airport before Jason's crew could start for Corpus. The detour delayed my rendezvous with them at the Whataburger at Slaughter and I-35 where we evened out the carload for the drove down.
Jason and Jacob rode with me. We chatted for a while, Jacob told us some very funny stories, and we listened to a podcast of Cory Doctorow's Ownz0red to pass the time.
We stopped for some McDonalds before meeting everyone at Worldwinds -- almost right on time. The wind was blowing near around 25 Mph. As the day progressed, it got near 30 Mph with gusts up to 41. Holy smokes.
Justin, Saurabh, Mike, Jeff, and Jacob all took the intro to windsurfing class. Considering the amount of wind, they did quite well. In fact, they were more successful than Jason, Freddy, and myself -- all who had taken the intermediate class and were renting smaller boards. Show-offs.
I rode a JP 160 xcite ride, and flew a 4.7. the other intermediates had various sails and started with JP 180 boards. Everyone but the beginners had an incredibly difficult time uphauling and sailing in the stiff wind and choppy water. The sail tended to whip out of my hands, or the board tip before I could get moving. Almost the only time I got really moving, it was by performing beach starts.
I think everyone got blown around a lot. All of us got to take what has been dubbed the "walk of shame" back upwind. Many of us had the pleasure of walking several times. Overall, it was a difficult day for us intermediates.
After the sailing the day away, we drove to the hotel and desalinated before meeting at Waterstreet Seafood. We ate lots and lots of excellent seafood and gave the waitress a difficult time.
Sometime after dinner, Matt and Karen arrived. Matt joined us for a few beers downtown at Cassidy's Irish Pub and then Bourbon Street where Freddy made a new friend.
The trip photos are here.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Worldwinds
Worldwinds is a business which rents and sells windsurfing equipment. They also happen to teach excellent windsurfing classes.
Worldwinds is located inside the Padre Island National Seashore, a national park. This means that you will need to pay admission to this park and also pay for parking on Bird Island. Admission is good for seven days, but parking is only good for one. The fees can be found here. You may wish to get the annual passes for both -- I have them and they only cost twice the normal costs.
To get directions to Worldwinds, you can use Bird Island Basin Rd., Corpus Christi, TX as its address. The business is located at the west end of that road, on the beach.
Update: It is important to note that there isn't any running water in Bird Island Basin. There are public restrooms near Worldwinds, but they have hand-sanitizer dispensers instead of sinks. This is one reason why it is critical to bring lots of bottled water when you visit.
Worldwinds is located inside the Padre Island National Seashore, a national park. This means that you will need to pay admission to this park and also pay for parking on Bird Island. Admission is good for seven days, but parking is only good for one. The fees can be found here. You may wish to get the annual passes for both -- I have them and they only cost twice the normal costs.
To get directions to Worldwinds, you can use Bird Island Basin Rd., Corpus Christi, TX as its address. The business is located at the west end of that road, on the beach.
Update: It is important to note that there isn't any running water in Bird Island Basin. There are public restrooms near Worldwinds, but they have hand-sanitizer dispensers instead of sinks. This is one reason why it is critical to bring lots of bottled water when you visit.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Eating in Corpus Christi
Corpus isn't Austin, but there you can still find lots of cool places to eat here.
Executive Surf Club
Despite the fancy name, the Executive Surf Club is a burger joint / bar with an order counter. The food is tasty, the bar appears well stocked, and you get to eat off of real surfboards. Well, no, the plates aren't boards, but some of the tables are. The walls are covered with various memorabilia, and they show surf videos on the TV.
They also have a stage outside that bands regularly play on. Located on Water St. across the street from the Best Western.
Waterstreet Seafood Co.
Waterstreet is a nicer seafood restaurant with a small bar inside. The food here is awesome, and the wait staff is very friendly. The dynamite sticks are an awesome appetizer.
Don't confuse this with the Waterstreet Oyster Bar, which is right next door. I have not eaten there. And yes, both are across Water St. from the Best Western downtown.
Agua Java
The Agua Java coffee shop sits right at Water Street and Williams Street, across from the Best Western (again) in downtown Corpus Christi. For some strange reason, this coffee shop smells a lot better than any other coffee joint I've been too. It doesn't have that stale bean reek even though they appear to roast their own coffee right there. Yeah, I notice strange things.
Agua Java serves sandwiches and kolaches in addition to coffee beverages. Their breakfast panini is yummy in my tummy.
La Bahia
The Mexican food at La Bahia warms the heart. The breakfast I had here was very tasty and quite inexpensive. The tortillas are thick and unique, probably home made.
The food probably won't qualify as healthy, but it will fill you up and make you happy. The location lies only a few blocks away from the Best Western (I know!), down Williams St, left on Mesquite St.
Official Corpus visitor website.
Texas Outside Corpus website.
Executive Surf Club
Despite the fancy name, the Executive Surf Club is a burger joint / bar with an order counter. The food is tasty, the bar appears well stocked, and you get to eat off of real surfboards. Well, no, the plates aren't boards, but some of the tables are. The walls are covered with various memorabilia, and they show surf videos on the TV.
They also have a stage outside that bands regularly play on. Located on Water St. across the street from the Best Western.
Waterstreet Seafood Co.
Waterstreet is a nicer seafood restaurant with a small bar inside. The food here is awesome, and the wait staff is very friendly. The dynamite sticks are an awesome appetizer.
Don't confuse this with the Waterstreet Oyster Bar, which is right next door. I have not eaten there. And yes, both are across Water St. from the Best Western downtown.
Agua Java
The Agua Java coffee shop sits right at Water Street and Williams Street, across from the Best Western (again) in downtown Corpus Christi. For some strange reason, this coffee shop smells a lot better than any other coffee joint I've been too. It doesn't have that stale bean reek even though they appear to roast their own coffee right there. Yeah, I notice strange things.
Agua Java serves sandwiches and kolaches in addition to coffee beverages. Their breakfast panini is yummy in my tummy.
La Bahia
The Mexican food at La Bahia warms the heart. The breakfast I had here was very tasty and quite inexpensive. The tortillas are thick and unique, probably home made.
The food probably won't qualify as healthy, but it will fill you up and make you happy. The location lies only a few blocks away from the Best Western (I know!), down Williams St, left on Mesquite St.
Official Corpus visitor website.
Texas Outside Corpus website.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Sailing Measurements
The numbers in the name of a board or sail are more than just model numbers -- they are measurements. A New School 180 board, for instance, has a volume of 180 Liters. If a sail is a "5.5" it means it has a surface area of 5.5 square meters.
Board length and width seems to get measured in centimeters.
It seems that surfers like metric.
Speed can be measured in miles per hour, kilometers per hour, or nautical miles per hour (knots). One knot is equal to about 1.15 mph. One kph is equal to about 0.62 mph.
Hint: google has a built-in calculator which understands units. For instance, you can type 5.5 square meters in square feet into google and click search. Another example: 20 mph in knots
Cardinal wind direction is indicated by origin. A north wind comes from the northern direction and blows south. An east wind blows from the east towards the west.
However, it seems that an offshore wind blows from the land towards sea. An onshore wind blows from the direction of the sea on to land. Online I've seen a few folks get this wrong.
Incidentally, offshore winds are considered dangerous because they blow you away from safety. If you lose a fin, you'll have a very difficult time reaching shore.
Board length and width seems to get measured in centimeters.
It seems that surfers like metric.
Speed can be measured in miles per hour, kilometers per hour, or nautical miles per hour (knots). One knot is equal to about 1.15 mph. One kph is equal to about 0.62 mph.
Hint: google has a built-in calculator which understands units. For instance, you can type 5.5 square meters in square feet into google and click search. Another example: 20 mph in knots
Cardinal wind direction is indicated by origin. A north wind comes from the northern direction and blows south. An east wind blows from the east towards the west.
However, it seems that an offshore wind blows from the land towards sea. An onshore wind blows from the direction of the sea on to land. Online I've seen a few folks get this wrong.
Incidentally, offshore winds are considered dangerous because they blow you away from safety. If you lose a fin, you'll have a very difficult time reaching shore.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
The Intermediate Class
The intermediate class at Worldwinds mostly refines the skills you learned in the beginner class.
When I took the intermediate class with Jason and Stephen in October 2006, we switched to smaller, more streamlined boards than were used in the beginner class. These were JP 180 "New School" boards. For comparison, I think the beginner boards are in the 200+ liter range. The JP 180s look more like real boards and less like floating tables. The JP 180 boards are still stable, but not as stable as the beginner boards.
We also used bigger sails, ranging from 4.5 to 5.5 square meters. The larger sails and smaller boards mean more speed and maneuverability. You should get a much better sense of how to control your direction on these boards.
In this class, you work on posture and positioning quite a bit. I suggest practicing as much as possible after taking this class so you have a chance to memorize the skills while they are still fresh in your head. The posture didn't really click for me until I got to the harness class. I probably would have had an easier time if I had practiced the next day after the intermediate class.
The first aspect of posture is standing so that you are more prepared to resist gusts of wind and so you don't have to use much strength to hold the sail up. If you're leaning forward a lot or your back feels tired, you probably need some help on your posture.
If you still hold the mast with your front hand, this class is where you start to migrate it to holding the boom. This will be a necessary skill for getting into a harness in later classes. This seems a little tricky because the mast won't be straight up and down like you probably held it in the beginner class. You'll need to adjust your idea of how to hold the sail.
Finally, you will try to move back on the board as you gain speed. This part is easier said than done. I still can't move very far back on the board. To be able to do this, you need enough speed and power in the sail so that the back won't sink as you move. If the back sinks, you'll quickly turn up-wind until you lose power.
Keep in mind that these are my personal thoughts and notes on the class. I'm a student, not an expert.
When I took the intermediate class with Jason and Stephen in October 2006, we switched to smaller, more streamlined boards than were used in the beginner class. These were JP 180 "New School" boards. For comparison, I think the beginner boards are in the 200+ liter range. The JP 180s look more like real boards and less like floating tables. The JP 180 boards are still stable, but not as stable as the beginner boards.
We also used bigger sails, ranging from 4.5 to 5.5 square meters. The larger sails and smaller boards mean more speed and maneuverability. You should get a much better sense of how to control your direction on these boards.
In this class, you work on posture and positioning quite a bit. I suggest practicing as much as possible after taking this class so you have a chance to memorize the skills while they are still fresh in your head. The posture didn't really click for me until I got to the harness class. I probably would have had an easier time if I had practiced the next day after the intermediate class.
The first aspect of posture is standing so that you are more prepared to resist gusts of wind and so you don't have to use much strength to hold the sail up. If you're leaning forward a lot or your back feels tired, you probably need some help on your posture.
If you still hold the mast with your front hand, this class is where you start to migrate it to holding the boom. This will be a necessary skill for getting into a harness in later classes. This seems a little tricky because the mast won't be straight up and down like you probably held it in the beginner class. You'll need to adjust your idea of how to hold the sail.
Finally, you will try to move back on the board as you gain speed. This part is easier said than done. I still can't move very far back on the board. To be able to do this, you need enough speed and power in the sail so that the back won't sink as you move. If the back sinks, you'll quickly turn up-wind until you lose power.
Keep in mind that these are my personal thoughts and notes on the class. I'm a student, not an expert.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
The Beach Start
You stand with your board in knee-deep water. No, you're not sailing. One possible solution to this terrible situation might have you climbing on the board, balancing, hoisting the sail out of the water, and sheeting in.
A more elegant and fun method of starting to sail exists: the beach start.
Imagine... You grab the boom, aim, step aboard, and zoom away. It's a lot more fun than uphauling, faster, and the wind even does most of the heavy lifting for you.
A few limitations spoil the convenience of the beach start. You have to properly position the sail and board relative to the wind. This requires either planning or work on your part, but uphauling has the same problem.
Also, the water has to be deep enough that your board will float while holding your weight. At the same time, you can't really perform a beach start unless the water is shallow enough so you can easily step up on the board. That means water about knee deep, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. Unless your knees are in a funny place.
If the water is deep enough that you can't comfortably step onto the board, then you'll need to either learn the water start, or bite the bullet and uphaul.
A more elegant and fun method of starting to sail exists: the beach start.
Imagine... You grab the boom, aim, step aboard, and zoom away. It's a lot more fun than uphauling, faster, and the wind even does most of the heavy lifting for you.
A few limitations spoil the convenience of the beach start. You have to properly position the sail and board relative to the wind. This requires either planning or work on your part, but uphauling has the same problem.
Also, the water has to be deep enough that your board will float while holding your weight. At the same time, you can't really perform a beach start unless the water is shallow enough so you can easily step up on the board. That means water about knee deep, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. Unless your knees are in a funny place.
If the water is deep enough that you can't comfortably step onto the board, then you'll need to either learn the water start, or bite the bullet and uphaul.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Corpus Trip Plans (April 13-16th)
The time has come. Another windsurfing adventure has been scheduled for April 13-16.
This will be my fourth trip to Corpus Christi for windsurfing. 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 from a past trip here.
Here is the plan for a windsurfing 4-day weekend in Corpus. If you have any questions, you can leave a comment, call me, or shoot me an e-mail.
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:
Class Suggestions:
Beginners:
You'll want to take the beginner class on Friday. You can ask Paul, Jay, Jason, or Freddy -- it isn't hard, and it's lots of fun.
On Saturday, 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:
I think you'll probably want to take the intermediate class on Friday if you already took the beginner class before. On Sunday you might want to take the beach-start or harness class, but I suggest some practice first.
Beyond Intermediate:
If you already took the intermediate class, you may wish to consider the beach start or harness class. You'll probably want to get some practice under your belt first though. Reserve a rental board for the days you don't want to schedule a class.
Schedule (suggested):
Friday:
The drive from my place down to Corpus takes about 4 hours. If you live north, it will take longer. Lets leave Austin at 7am. This will give us some time to get there without rushing, and maybe pick up lunch along the way.
We should be at Worldwinds at noon and start surfing. 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 the Waterstreet Seafood Co.
Saturday:
Lets get breakfast at La Bahia at 9am. After, Windsurfing class or practice for as long as we can take it. We'll play it by ear for dinner, but maybe the Executive Surf Club.
Sunday:
Sunday, lets get a nice brunch at the Water Street Seafood Co. at 11am. Afterwards, of course, more surfing. We'll play dinner by ear.
Monday:
Breakfast and then the drive home.
This will be my fourth trip to Corpus Christi for windsurfing. 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 from a past trip here.
Here is the plan for a windsurfing 4-day weekend in Corpus. If you have any questions, you can leave a comment, call me, or shoot me an e-mail.
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:
- If you have an invite please respond. If you don't have an invite, feel free to come anyhow -- just introduce yourself in the comments.
- Make reservations at the Best Western Marina Grand hotel or arrange to share a room with someone who did. Check in on 13 April, checkout 16 April. When I checked, the internet rate was the best deal. I am willing to share my room with someone and spit the cost. You are responsible for your own hotel reservation.
- 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 my group.
- Arrange to carpool and share your room. You can post a comment to try and get some passengers.
Class Suggestions:
Beginners:
You'll want to take the beginner class on Friday. You can ask Paul, Jay, Jason, or Freddy -- it isn't hard, and it's lots of fun.
On Saturday, 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:
I think you'll probably want to take the intermediate class on Friday if you already took the beginner class before. On Sunday you might want to take the beach-start or harness class, but I suggest some practice first.
Beyond Intermediate:
If you already took the intermediate class, you may wish to consider the beach start or harness class. You'll probably want to get some practice under your belt first though. Reserve a rental board for the days you don't want to schedule a class.
Schedule (suggested):
Friday:
The drive from my place down to Corpus takes about 4 hours. If you live north, it will take longer. Lets leave Austin at 7am. This will give us some time to get there without rushing, and maybe pick up lunch along the way.
We should be at Worldwinds at noon and start surfing. 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 the Waterstreet Seafood Co.
Saturday:
Lets get breakfast at La Bahia at 9am. After, Windsurfing class or practice for as long as we can take it. We'll play it by ear for dinner, but maybe the Executive Surf Club.
Sunday:
Sunday, lets get a nice brunch at the Water Street Seafood Co. at 11am. Afterwards, of course, more surfing. We'll play dinner by ear.
Monday:
Breakfast and then the drive home.
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