First water

When last we left our fearless hero (me) he was going sailing. But not so fast, eh, there is no wind. Hmmm… and so we wait.

I wandered around the yard taking pictures …

So great to hear everyone speaking different languages, yet talking about the same stuff. And so intimidating to see the average age and fitness level of the competitors…

Hey, it’s a friend – Helena Scutt, member of the US Olympic Team in Rio (FX), now a Moth sailor and the unofficial US Team captain. Last time I saw her was at Huntington Lake, what a small world.

I did get the boat wet in the end, but there wasn’t enough wind for foiling so I just paddled around a bit and came out. I’m lucky to be at the South end of the complex, the North end has way more boats and the line to walk boats out of the water looked like a freeway at rush hour.

I managed to climb up on the lawn / roof of the club to capture the scene:

(don’t tell anyone, I’m sure this is *not* allowed)

I had an interesting discussion with an instructor at the sailing school; he explained that Lake Garda has a super unusual wind system. In the morning the water is cool and the Lombardi Valley to the South heats up, causing a strong wind from the North. Too windy for Moth sailing and maximally choppy water. Then early afternoon the water heats up and the North thermal subsides. But the Dolomite mountains to the North heat up, and a bit later there is a milder wind from the South. This is the wind everyone wants for Mothing. Today there was too much cloud cover over the mountains, no thermal, and no wind.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings!