Midway through yesterday this post was going to be called "The Magic Day" but the wind continued to build until it was Tarifa style windy and I was forced to come ashore a little short of my target. Time to rethink the title. The wind had to moderate eventually, and with 30 minutes of sun left (now low and glaring, reducing my ability to see fishing line trip hazards) I finished the job and arrived at Yonago city, having moved the tracker position by 36 nautical miles. That equates to at least 100 km sailed in downwind zigzags.

I posted a video last week  where the board was racing downwind over a flat sea. Everything was in balance, it was effortlessly fast, and it felt glorious! The real deal about windsurfing round Japan, right? Erm, not exactly...

At zoomed-out scale (from space! Wakasa Bay is an indent on the Sea of Japan coast. Having not previously zoomed-in, I'd assumed it would be a continuous bay and easy to sail. In fact, it is an indented coastline with many peninsulas and deep inlets. That's much more challenging. It was a rewarding section and one I will look back on fondly.

There is a joke that Norwegians share about their summer: they say that it falls on a Tuesday. The day doesn't really matter of course. Here in Japan (west coast Honshu), winter has been reluctant to release its grip, and within an eye-blink it will be summer. That doesn't leave long for cherry blossom. Hopefully, when spring does arrive it will stick around a while - a full weekend would be nice.

March 27th - to Shinbo

Windless AM. Around midday I give up waiting and make some miles with the paddle. It soon gets rather choppy, so I am thankful for the faint trickle of breeze that also arrives. The chop continues to build, and rebound with interest from reflective shores. The most perfect mirrors are port walls. Around me, white horses tumble in defiance of Lord Beaufort's mandate. Despite the absence of wind, clearly it is blowing hard nearby.