WHERE THERE'S A WIND, THERE'S A WAY

Dave Sutherlin getting a good run on the snow.

I just got back to Dallas after a month in the Boston area. Folks up there take a certain pride in the fickleness of their weather; they like to say, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute." Well, next time I go there, I'll let them know that Texas weather can be just as crazy.

On Friday, March 3, it was blowing 25 or so out of the South, and the temperature was in the 70s. Great sailing weather; just what I needed after my time away. Overnight the wind switched around to the North. Saturday it was sleeting, and by Sunday the temperature was in the 20s and we had a full snow emergency in progress. (Since they don't have plows here, a couple of inches of snow is enough to close schools and businesses down.)

So on Sunday morning, Dave Sutherlin and I were drinking coffee and trying to decide whether to spend the day watching TV or reading -- not exactly a pleasant choice for a couple of dedicated every-weekend boardheads. Just to make it worse, the North wind was cranking 25 to 35. I knew there had to be a way to take advantage of all that wind ... then it hit me. Take the fins off our old longboards, and go for it on the snow!

Half an hour later we were out at a local soccer field. Dave was wearing standard cold weather clothing: long underwear, down vest, etc. I had left my winter clothing in New England, thinking that of course I wouldn't need it in Dallas, with Spring only a couple of weeks away; right! But with my wetsuit long john protected by heavy pants and sweaters, and socks under my booties, I was warm enough. I also had my neoprene cap under the helmet -- DEFINITELY wear a helmet if you try any hard-water sailing, kids!.

We started by rigging up a 4.5 on Dave's SST. It had plenty of power, although with no fin it had a tendency to slip sideways in the gusts. But who cared, we were sailing! Then I put a 5.0 on my O'Brien. Being a polyethylene board, it was heavier and seemed to track a little better. Steering was done longboard-style by tilting the sail, or by shifting your weight. Leaning back would allow the nose to point into the wind; leaning forward would bear you off. Balance was critical: we made a lot of drunken S-curved tracks in the snow while we were getting the hang of it. Sometimes the board would spin right around in a 180; I found that I could stand on the nose and sail tail-first about as easily as in the normal position -- if you can call it "normal" when you're sailing on snow!.

If we ever get to try this stunt again, I think I'll see if I can brace the daggerboard so that it sticks down an inch or so into the snow. That should eliminate the side-slip problem without creating too much drag. As it was, we had a great afternoon of thrills, spills, and chills. We also attracted the attention of a number of passers-by, some with cameras. No doubt we helped to keep alive the belief that anyone who sails one of those things must be crazy. Yeah, don't get too close, it might be contagious!

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All text, images, designs, and other features created by Kent Multer except where noted.

Special thanks to Scooter Smith and Amy Martin for image scanning services.