We left Dallas on Friday mid-afternoon and fought crosswinds all the way to Abilene.  I knew we were missing some good sailing because we had violated the Never Leave Wind To Find Wind rule.  Oh well...  Sometimes you just have to be the sacrifice. 

We arrived at the lake in time to watch it start dying off, but were warmly welcomed by the Abilene crew.  I wasn't absolutely sure if the smiles were from a great day of sailing or from our arrival.  Whichever it was, we soon had a front row camping spot on Lake Fort Phantom Hill.  Lynne and I quickly setup camp and popped cold ones to celebrate our arrival.  Charles and his wife invited us to join the crew for pizza at their house, but we decided to enjoy a bit of quiet time instead (next time, Charles).   Jason and Lara Collins from Dallas soon joined us.  We helped them get their tent up and squared away, then rocked back with a few more cold ones.  It was a nice evening.  Some of ASA's boat sailors checked in on us to make sure we were OK (and to warn us about the rattlesnake they killed earlier that evening). 

On Saturday morning, I awoke to some pretty good wind.  I managed to get a few runs in before anyone else showed up.  Not being familiar with the lake, I got suckered into rigging too optimistically.  After a couple of semi-schlogging runs, I pulled out my big Xantos and an 8.3 Aerotech...  That was the combo I'd use for most of the weekend.  As I continued to sail that morning, the winds quickly rotated about 90 degrees.  It made for some interesting runs.  My wife, who was board shopping, hit up Roger for some demo gear.  She spent most of the day on a Go 180 and her Naish Alana 6.2.  While her top speed wasn't anything to write home about, she probably didn't notice.  She was convinced at the end of the day that the Go 180 was the new board in here one-board quiver.  I asked her if she had tried the Go 165 yet....  More on that some other time. 

By mid afternoon, I made the change to a Start board.  And even then, staying on a plane was difficult.  Zach and I were soon working the freestyle moves during the lulls.  Not ever having done a rail ride on a wide board, it seemed the thing to try.  It wasn't pretty.  But we had fun.  By 6pm, I think we were all pretty pooped.  It was probably the most Time On Water I'd had in a single day so far this year.  For the Juniors, it was just another day.

That evening, a group of the ASA members cooked us dinner.  Burgers and salads, with cake for desert.  A very nice meal.  Afterwards, we then sat around a small fire, relaxing and telling lies about past sailing adventures.  It was a beautiful evening. 

On Sunday morning, the winds were NE and the air was cooler.  I was the first to rig and I actually donned a wetsuit.  Which was a smart move considering I got semi-suckered again.  My initial rig was a Sailworks XT 6.4 on a Veloce 288.  I got some good bump and jump sailing, but I also fought some pretty big holes.  It's aggravating to be hauling butt one second and schlogging the next.  I suspect that has a lot to do with why the Abilene crew is on mostly Formula boards.  After about 45 minutes, I gave up on the small stuff and went back to the Xantos/8.3 combo from yesterday.  I also set up my anemometer to see what kind of lies I was telling myself.  When I say it was gusty, we were seeing winds in the low to mid teens.  But I also recorded a gust over 30mph that day, and also saw winds in the single digits. 

I was soon joined by the Abilene Juniors as they borrowed most of the Carves Roger had in his truck.  Considering these guys and gals spend most of their time on Formula boards, they had no trouble making the transition.  We got a few more heavy duty speed runs in before I had to start packing it in for the trip home.

I spent some time chatting with Charles about the facilities and equipment.  And while he's not one to brag, he's very proud of what the Juniors are doing.  They've got a great facility and some first rate gear.  And I don't see how these "kids" could be any more pumped about the sport.  Charles requires the participants to sail at least 15 hours a week.  Personally, I'm wondering how many hours over 15 they sail.  He also keeps track of their report cards so that nobody's school work goes undone.  As word spreads, I'm guessing they'll have to expand the program.    

Now Charles won't admit to how much of a role he plays in this arrangement, but it's obvious to me that it wouldn't be happening without him.  He says he just wants to make sure that kids with an interest get a chance to try windsurfing.  I believe that's only part of it.  I think that he's looking to enhance his fun.  And sailing with these Juniors is definitely fun.  They bring a certain energy level to the sport that is missing in many locales I've been to. It's addictive almost.  And it makes you younger.

Bottom line:  Abilene has a great Junior windsurfing program.  It's a model that could be used almost anywhere in the country.  Since returning to Dallas, I've spent some significant time trying to figure out how we could have a similar program here.  Cause what they're doing in Abilene is just about the best thing I've seen in a long time for growing our sport.  I salute everyone involved. 

Since I've written plenty, I'll let some captioned images on the right tell you the rest.

Dog