This Guest Blog article is from Eddy Patricelli, a real world wave sailor who many of you have probably heard of from his days at Windsurfing Magazine- He hits a lot of nails right on the head! Enjoy

My home break isn’t Ho’okipa. Not by a mile. My go-to wave board is 100-plus liters, and often, it raises eyebrows for being too small. Recently, a promising forecast touted 30 mph gusts. So I drove to the beach … and spent the afternoon surfing glassy waves. Such is life for this Florida wave sailor, who has found the coastline east of Orlando to be as nuanced as the sunshine state itself.

So Matt asked me to write about real-world wave sailing. To be sure, this isn’t the faux real world where pros offer onshore wave riding tips using 5.0-meter sails. That’s dreamy. Think grittier: a 12-16 mph onshore tease breeze, a strong rip, and plenty of white water to punch out over.

Of course, there are good days (see photos). But most of the time, my first glimpse of the ocean sparks a sigh. So my real-world tips aren’t so much about technique, but attitude. Not just coping with lesser conditions, but excelling in them, and driving home hungry to go again.

That’s my real-world challenge: keeping the fire stoked. A three-year-old son, a full-time job, and an hour’s drive to the beach make successful windsurf sessions resonate as minor miracles. Enjoying each of them – even if the wind no-shows – is where my attitude has had to evolve.

Specifically, I ignore memories of Maui board tests for WindSurfing magazine. I block Punta San Carlos sessions from my mind. Ditto for summers spent sailing Florence, Oregon. Those conditions rarely materialize for me. Yet to this day, voices in my head try to wish it so, sparking delusions that derail water time and fun.

These delusions I consider seductive traps. Below are three seductive traps that haunt me, along with remedies that help keep my windsurfing fire burning no matter what the ocean serves up. My $.02 on real-world sailing: Don’t be seduced!

Real-World Bio

Eddy Patricelli

Age: 41 Weight: 185 lbs.

Primary Spots: Cocoa Beach, Playa Linda

Typical Wind: 12-16 mph

Real-world Challenges: onshore winds, strong rips;

job w/ lots of travel, three-year-old son

Drive Time to Beach: 1 hour

Windsurf Sessions Per Month: 0-4

Surf/SUP Sessions Per Month: 3-6

Seductive Trap #1: Invest in the Good Days

Two years ago, I bought an 85-liter board that dripped of bells and whistles, and beckoned for wind. Real wind. Not the typical tease breeze. My board for that wind (the 102-liter sled) was a decade old. It dripped of neglect and ding stick. And that was a problem. I wasn’t eager to ride it. Upgrading wasn’t an option. The little board tapped me dry. So I waited for good-wind days … and waited … and waited.  

 

Remedy: Love the Gear You Need (read: Not the Gear You Want)

I sail more when my big board and sail don’t smack of compromise. When I want to reach for my big gear, delusions that it’s windy enough for my small gear – the gear I really want – are quelled. Embracing that mindset requires nudges. This year, I saved (and saved) – splurging for a 100% carbon mast, boom and base for my big rig. It’s ridiculously light, powerful and I’m eager to grab it. And yeah, I sail more.

 

Seductive Trap #2: Grand Expectations

A great wind forecast. A good swell. Today’s session will be epic, and it’s about time. These thoughts are delusions that blossom on the drive to the beach. The more I indulge in them, the more chance of a letdown when I arrive.

 

Remedy: Unsinkable Expectations

My sailing expectations – no matter how promising of forecast – must embrace all ops for progression. My surfboard and paddleboard travel with me. Always. Windsurfing is my first choice, but I can’t hang my head if the wind vanishes. The clock is ticking. I didn’t leave my wife and kid to sit on a boardwalk and wind whine. So I go surfing, or SUPing. Both help my windsurfing, and both eliminate any chance of being skunked. I get wet. I get exercise. I learn new skills and I come home happy. Just ask my wife.

Seductive Trap #3: It Looks (and Feels) Windy …

From the boardwalk, a sea of white caps stretches to the horizon. I’m leaning into the wind. 5.4 or 4.7?

 

Remedy: Know Better

Of course it feels windy. The boardwalk sits on top of a dune. Wind is magnified on a hill’s peak. Also, my first view of an onshore wind day means looking dead into the wind – offering a panorama of white caps. I know these things, and yet this is the trap I fall victim to most – thinking it’s windier than it is. The mind sees what the heart wants.

But even the smart move – gauging the wind from the shoreline – carries a reality check. The rip (current in the impact zone) will steal 2-3 mph of wind from my sail. An onshore breeze that averages 14-18 mph on the beach will feel like 11-15 mph in the impact zone. 5.4 or 4.7? Yeah right. Grab the 5.8 (or bigger?) and get out there. This ain’t Maui.

Eddy Patricelli is one of Florida’s most hardcore windsurfers, driven by pure stoke, he works hard and wants to play hard. I tried to convince him to move back to Maui…… but that didn’t get too far. Thanks for the great article Eddy!

 

Photo Credits to: Peggy Giesenschlag