Autumn Seas

By

Chuck Rhodes

1996

There is a chill in the air, you can feel it in the breeze.

The sails pulling harder, than the summer so it seems.

The waters appear darker, and the shore more far away,,

Winter storms brew on the horizon, yet she must sail on today.

Salt air that stings the eyes, with cold and wetness deep,

Clouds that scud across the sky, from the winds that howl Nor’east.

The lonely sea birds soar, against the dark grey clouds above,

As the bow cuts on ahead, through the waves both tall and steep.

I hear the creaking of the joints as they work way down below,

The humming of the rigging that resonates in the blow.

The fizzling of the sea foam that races along her sides,

And the pounding of the seas becoming angry with the tide.

Yet the soft glow of the cabin lamp swinging slowly to and fro,

And the muffled sound of conversation emanating from below,

Reminds one of the friends who share this sailors realm,

You feel so alive, your hands firmly on the helm.

You’ll run her down the stream until in port she sails no more,

And leave her safely on the mooring as all go in ashore.

But the outgoing tide makes her tug upon her lines,

As she waits impatient once again, counting down the time.

Longing for the feel of the kiss of waves on wood,

Her spirit free, to roam the sea as every vessel should.

You cannot leave her moaning long for the deep blue beneath her hull,

Nor listen more to her cries for the seas cold, lonely call.

So loose her once again to sail the bounding main,

Let her preach the religion of the sea that courses through her veins.

Sail onward, ever onward to wherever she may know,

For the open sea’s where she belongs, and its there that she must go.

GRANITOLA and PUZZITEDDU, Wave Sailing Wonder of the Mediterranean

By
Chuck
October, 2001, Revised July 2003

Sunset at Capo Granitola

THERE is a lonely windswept place where the raw power of wind and waves has been unharnessed for centuries. In ancient times the Greeks built temples on its shores. Roman galleys sailed close by on their way to way to defeat the Carthaginians. Norman conquerors stood on the point and gazed out across the sea dreaming of future conquests. Now in the new millenium only a few have seen, let alone sought to challenge, the winds and waves of Granitola. Also known as Capo Granitola or Punta Granitola, (pronounced “Graan-EE-toe-la), the southwestern most cape point of the beautiful island of Sicily stands as one of the few remaining “world class” wave sailing sites yet to be discovered by mainstream windsurfing. Only a few have been lucky enough to sail this magic spot where sailors commonly find themselves doing 8-10 bottom turns on a single wave in perfect side shore winds.

Lone Sailor - Perfect Wave, Puzziteddu, Sicily

First sailed some 23 years ago by Albino Burgio, now known as the grandfather of windsurfing in Sicily, and current owner of the local wind and kite surfing shop in nearby Mazara del Vallo, “ Sea Store Sicily”, there still are only a handful of Sicilian sailors that regularly frequent the area. Many perfect sideshore, 2-3+ meter wave days come and go with maybe 3 – 5 sailors out, if any at all. Even with the few times that almost 25 sails were counted on the water simultaneously, the place is so big that there is room for many more. Located just about 15 minutes by car south east of the beautiful seaside community of Mazaro del Vallo, on Sicily’s southwestern tip, and a one hour drive south of Palermo, Faro (lighthouse) Granitola stands tall towering above the cape and the small community of Granitola, the Kartibubbo Resort. Just to the east is the prime windsurf beach the locals call “Puzziteddu”(pronounced PoozeeteAdoo). That’s the word for “The Well” in the local Sicilian dialect. At night Faro Granitola’s brilliant light sweeps across the wide half moon bay to the east and out across the Strait of Sicily towards Tunisia located only about 85 miles to the South. Strong Maestrale (North west) and Ponente (west) winds funneling down the straight, after traveling hundreds of miles from Gibraltar, Spain, and France, push waves against the lighthouse point causing them to break and peel off as they roll in across the bay. Thrilled wavesailors catch the waves and ride them down the line doing bottom turn after turn. Believe it or not local sailors have done 12 bottom turns and more on a single wave!

L to R: ??, Thomas Corsodoro (red shirt), Max, Albino at Puzziteddu


Local Wavesailor Paulino heading out at Puzziteddu,

If wave jumping is to your liking then this is the place. The strong side shore winds and waves coming straight in offer perfect 2, 3, 4 meter ramps to give even the hard core all the air time they deserve. Although there may only be a few locals sailing regularly, don’t underestimate their skills. These guys can tear it up and some are top notch shredders in their own right. They take full advantage of the frequent ideal conditions to hone their looping, and numerous other wave riding skills. After all who wouldn’t with a place to play like Granitola and Puzziteddu in their back yard.

Big Air - 30 knot NW Wind Day at Puzziteddu


Table Top –Scirroco Wind Day -Granitola

When the famous Maestrale and Ponente conditions turn to Scirocco (South East) and Levante (east) the geography of the cape still allows for sailing perfect side shore winds with starboard tack wave riding. Now you find yourself doing multiple cut backs and riding the peeling waves across the bay back towards the light house. About the only conditions that are not good are North, North East, and due South. Luckily prevailing winds are NW, W, and SE . Most of the great wave sailing days occur in the October through the May and early June with frequent 25 to 40 knots winds and 2,3, and 4 meter waves begging to be rode. Bring a full wetsuit if you are coming in the winter though as the water will be in the low 60’s and 50’s. The summer months from Late June through September generally offers flatter 5.5- 6.5 afternoon thermal conditions but occasionally higher winds and waves do occur.

Beautiful Spring WNW wave day- Puzziteddu

When sailing at Granitola and Puzziteddu you launch out onto the emerald blue Mediterranean off a beautiful sandy beach that runs east of the light house for almost 10 miles. If the winds are really strong Scirrocco from the SE everyone moves east about 300 meters west to the area of the beach in front of the big Karitbubbo Resort near the lighthouse. There the wave break is cleaner and getting out through the impact zone in strong winds and big waves is a lot easier. There are some areas with shallow sandstone fin snagging rocks to watch out for between the Puzziteddu beach and the beach area in front of Kartibubbo, however its only a problem if you try to sail in too close to the beach or step on your board to head out too soon in low tide. Once 25-30 meters out from the beach there is plenty of water depth and you can head on out all the way to Africa if you want. Be warned though that if you do venture way out beyond common sense don’t expect any quick pick up if anything goes wrong. Wind and current could make your next stop a visit to Libya or a port call in Alexandria.

Getting There!

So now your excited and you want to go, the best thing to do is to contact Thomas Corsodoro at “Sun & Surf Holidays”,Tre Fontane, Sicily. Besides being a local sailor his real job is managing a number of beach/vacation home rentals in the area. He can set you up with some great accommodations either right at Granitola or within a 5 – 10 minute drive. In the off season for tourism, Late September through May, he gives very reasonable special discount rates, to wind surfers. Thomas also speaks excellent English having lived in the United States for a number of years, as well as Italian. Definitely a good thing for those that don’t parle italiano. After you have made reservations for lodging with Thomas then get a flight to Palermo, Sicily and rent a car to get you to Mazaro del Vallo. Once there contact Thomas and he will give you the local directions you need to get there.
Also don’t let the thought of this far away place conjure up visions of a hot dusty off-road trip deep into the west coast of Baja, Mexico where you must bring everything with you. You will find that the area offers many amenities in terms of places to eat, shop, and enjoy the evening . Mazara del Vallo is host to many fine and inexpensive Sicilian restaurants, pizzeria’s and pubs. You can find some of the finest seafood in all Sicily there. A number of local wineries provide some great and inexpensive vino to add to your dining cuisine and there are all kinds of other places to shop from fine Italian designer clothing to ceramics. Also, where else can you walk centuries old downtown city streets paved with beautiful white marble stone?
If you need windsurfing gear, Albino Burgio’s “ Sea Store Sicily”, located on the boardwalk in Mazara, is a first rate and complete wind and kite surfing shop carrying many major brands of gear, boards, sails, accessories, and clothing. Sail repair is also available in the area and the local wind surfers are a great bunch of people to hang out with, proud of their rich Sicilian heritage, and anxious to show off the many great windsurfing opportunities that exist in the area.

Albino Burgio (Purple Shirt) and some of the locals at Puzziteddu

Wind not blowing? If this happens bring your mask and fins. The clear sea offers some great snorkeling and you can even swim out 100 meters off the beach at Granitola and see a sunken Greek Temple less than 10 meters down. Although not commonly seen, the waves at Granitola offer the opportunity to do some great traditional long board and short board surfing too. So bring a no wind stick with you too. If so inclined just hang out and catch a few rays, stroll the miles of beach, or take some side trips to the numerous historical sites in the area. Just 20 minutes away to the east are the beautiful Greek temple ruins in Selunite. Even greater temples and ruins exist farther east in Agrigento and to the north at Segesta but be ready for large crowds of tourists there. You can take a day trip to see the many wonderful and historic sites and buildings of Palermo or visit the spectacular medieval town of Erice overlooking the NorthWest coast of the Island. If you really get adventurous you can travel to 10,800’ high Mount Etna on the Islands NE coast and let the big Mercedes 4 wheel drive buses take you up near the summit to see the smoke and perhaps lava pouring out of the upper craters. You can even cross country ski there in the winter! Once down from the mountain enjoy a fabulous sunset meal at the beautiful and famous cliff side sea resort of Taormina looking out over the Ionian Sea towards mainland Italy and on towards Greece. Traveling south go to ancient Syracusa on the SE side of the Island site of the ancient battle of Syracuse between the Athenians and the Syracusians. There is a so much to do and see in Sicily that you could spend months just touring the island. If you want to check out other great windsurfing spots Marina di Ragusa on the South side of the island and the east end, also offers some great sideshore wind wavesailing particularly in west – north west winds.

35 knot day –Marina di Ragusa SE Sicily


30 knot West Wind Day at Isola Della Correnti / Portopalo, SE tip Sicily

Portopalo and Isola della Correnti on the very Southeastern most tip of the island is also a typically windy place the can also dish up some great wave and open ocean conditions. Up by Messina on the NE tip of the island you can find days when the wind funnels strong down through the Straits of Messina and you can race across the deep blue waters to the mainland in less than 5 minutes. There are a number of other sites as well if you have the time and desire to check out da spots.
Hopefully however, the famous wind and waves of Granitola will give you all the sailing you can handle and then some leaving you grinning from ear to ear as you head home already planning your next trip back- to the Lighthouse at the Edge of the World.

Contact Information:
Thomas Corsodoro
SurfSailing Holidays
Via N. Gentile 149
91021 Tre Fontane
Sicily, Italy
e-mail: thomas.corsodoro@libero.it ; thomas@puzziteddu.it
website: "www.puzziteddu.it"
Cell Phone: +39 333-3948499 From USA: 011-39-333-3948499

CAPO GRANITOLA - LIGHTHOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

THERE is a lonely windswept place where the raw power of wind and waves has been unharnessed for centuries. In ancient times the Greeks built temples on its shores. Roman galleys sailed close by on their way to way to defeat the Carthaginians. Norman conquerors stood on the point and gazed out across the sea dreaming of future conquests. Now in the new millenium only a very few have seen, let alone sought to challenge, the winds and waves of Granitola. Also known as Capo Granitola or Punta Granitola, (pronounced "Graan-EE-toe-la), the southwestern most cape point of the beautiful island of Sicily stands as one of the few remaining "world class" wave sailing sites yet to be discovered by mainstream windsurfing. Only a few local Sicilians and mainland Italians have been lucky enough to sail this magic spot where sailors commonly find themselves doing 8-10 bottom turns on a single wave in perfect side shore winds.

First sailed some 20 years ago by Albino Burgio, now known as the grandfather of windsurfing in Sicily, there still are only a handful of Sicilian sailors that regularly frequent the area. Many perfect sideshore 20-30 knot plus, 2-3+ meter wave days come and go with maybe 3 - 5 sailors out, if any at all. Even with the record of 17 sailors on the water simultaneously, the place is so big that there is room for many more. Located just about 15 minutes by car south east of the beautiful seaside community of Mazaro del Vallo, on Sicily's southwestern tip, and a one hour drive south of Palermo, Faro (lighthouse) Granitola stands tall towering above the cape and the small community of Granitola and Kartibubbo. At night it's brilliant light sweeps across the wide half moon bay to the east and out across the Strait of Sicily towards Tunisia. Strong Maestrale (North west) and Ponente (west) winds funneling down the straight, after traveling hundreds of miles from Gibraltar, Spain, and France, push wave s against the lighthouse point causing them to break and peel off as they roll in across the bay. Thrilled wavesailors catch the waves and ride them down the line doing bottom turn after turn. Believe it or not local sailors have done 12 bottom turns and more on a single wave!

If wave jumping is to your liking then this is the place. The side shore winds and waves coming straight in offer perfect 2, 3, 4 meter ramps to give even the hard core all the air time they deserve. Although there may not be many locals sailing Granitola, don't underestimate their skills. These guys can tear it up and some are top notch shredders in their own right. They take full advantage of the frequent ideal conditions to hone their looping, and numerous other wave riding skills. After all who wouldn't with a place to play like Granitola in their back yard.

When the famous Maestrale and Ponente conditions turn to Scirocco (South East) and Levante (east) the geography of the cape still allows for sailing perfect side shore winds with opposite tack wave riding. Now you find yourself doing multiple cut backs and riding the peeling waves across the bay back towards the light house. About the only conditions that are not good are North, North East, and due South. Luckily prevailing winds are NW, W, and SE . Most of the great wave sailing days occur in the October through late May, early June period with July, August and September offering flatter 5.5- 6.5 afternoon thermal conditions.

When sailing at Granitola you launch out onto the emerald blue Mediterranean off a beautiful sandy beach that runs east of the light house for almost 10 miles. If the winds are really strong from the NW (Maestrale) everyone moves east about 300 meters to a beach they call Pozzittedu. There the wave break is cleaner and getting out through the impact zone in strong winds and big waves is a lot easier. There are some areas with shallow sandstone fin snagging rocks to watch out for, however its only a problem if you try to sail in too close to the beach or step on your board to head out too soon in low tide. Once 25-30 meters out from the beach there is plenty of water depth and you can head on out all the way to Africa if you want. Be warned though that if you do venture way out beyond common sense don't expect any quick pick up if anything goes wrong. Wind and current could make your next stop a visit to Libya or a port call in Alexandria.

So now your excited and you want to go, the best thing to do is to contact Thomas Corsodoro at "Sun & Surf Holidays",Tre Fontane, Sicily. Besides being a local sailor his real job is managing a number of beach/vacation home rentals in the area. He can set you up with some great accommodations either right at Granitola or within a 5 - 10 minute drive. In the off season for tourism, Late September through May, he gives very reasonable special discount rates, to wind surfers. Thomas also speaks excellent English having lived in the United States for a number of years, as well as Italian. Definitely a good thing for those that don't parle italiano. After you have made reservations for lodging with Thomas then get a flight to Palermo, Sicily and rent a car to get you to Mazaro del Vallo. Once there contact Thomas and he will take you in from there.

Also don't let the thought of this far away place conjure up visions of a hot dusty off-road trip deep into the west coast of Baja, Mexico where you must bring everything with you. You will find that the area offers many amenities in terms of places to eat, shop, and enjoy the evening . Mazara del Vallo is host to many fine and inexpensive Sicilian restaurants, pizzeria's and pubs. You can find some of the finest seafood in all Sicily there. A number of local wineries provide some great and inexpensive vino to add to your dining cuisine and there are all kinds of other places to shop from fine Italian designer clothing to ceramics. Also, where else can you walk centuries old downtown city streets paved with beautiful white marble stone?

If you need windsurfing gear, Albino Burgio's " Sea Store Sicily", located on the boardwalk in Mazara, is a first rate and complete wind and kite surfing shop carrying many major brands of gear, boards, sails, accessories, and clothing. Sail repair is also available in the area and the local wind surfers are a great bunch of people to hang out with, proud of their rich Sicilian heritage, and anxious to show off the many great windsurfing opportunities that exist in the area.

Wind not blowing? If this happens bring your mask and fins. The clear sea offers some great snorkeling and you can even swim out 100 meters off the beach at Granitola and see a sunken Greek Temple less than 10 meters down. Although not commonly seen, the waves at Granitola offer the opportunity to do some great traditional long board and short board surfing too. So bring a no wind stick with you too. If so inclined just hang out and catch a few rays, stroll the miles of beach, or take some side trips to the numerous historical sites in the area. Just 20 minutes away to the east are the beautiful Greek temple ruins in Selunite. Even greater temples and ruins exist farther east in Agrigento and to the north at Segesta but be ready for large crowds of tourists there.

You also can take a day trip to see the many wonderful and historic sites and buildings of Palermo or visit the spectacular medieval town of Erice overlooking the NorthWest coast of the Island. If you really get adventurous you can travel to 10,800' high Mount Etna on the Islands NE coast and let the big Mercedes 4 wheel drive buses take you up near the summit to see the smoke and perhaps lava pouring out of the upper craters. You can even ski there in the winter! Once down from the mountain enjoy a fabulous sunset meal at the beautiful and famous cliff side sea resort of Taormina looking out over the Ionian Sea towards mainland Italy and on towards Greece.

Traveling south go to ancient Syracusa on the SE side of the Island site of the ancient battle of Syracuse between the Athenians and the Syracusians. There is a so much to do and see in Sicily that you could spend months just touring the island. If you want to check out other great windsurfing spots Marina di Ragusa on the South side of the island near the east end, also offers some great sideshore wind wavesailing particularly in west - north west winds. Capo Pasero and Isola della Correnti on the very Southeastern most tip of the island is also a typically windy place the can also open ocean conditions. Up by Messina on the NE tip of the island you can find days when the wind funnels strong down through the Straits of Messina and you can race across the deep blue waters to the mainland in less than 5 minutes. There are a number of other sites as well if you have the time and desire to check out da spots.

Hopefully however, the famous wind and waves of Granitola will give you all the sailing you can handle and then some leaving you grinning from ear to ear as you head home already planning your next trip back- to the Lighthouse at the Edge of the World.



Contact Information:
Thomas Corsodoro
Sun & Surf Holidays
Via Scuderi, 21
91021 Tre Fontane
Sicily, Italy
e-mail: thomas.corsodoro@libero.it
Cell Phone: 0333-3948499

Albino Burgio
Sea Store Sicily
Via L.M. Hopps, 17
Mazara Del Vallo
Sicily, Italy
Tel: 0923-93-3658


Sicily Wind Surfing Web Site: www.windsurfsicilia.it

Dream Soaring and the Gift of Hang Gliding

By Chuck
July 2008


Throughout the centuries gone by since humans first walked upon the face of the earth, we have gazed skyward in awe at the birds soaring effortlessly above. Envious, we have always been, of another living creature so able to roam the skies at will. A creature not tied to the earth by an invisible force, but so free of all things earthbound. We have always wondered what it would be like to fly, to envision the earth from above, on our own wings of flight.

In the search for answers, or perhaps by chance, we sometimes found ourselves atop a high ridge or windswept mountain top. From our lofty perch we marvelled at the birds flying far below us, gloating that for once we were above them. Yet, we still could not fly and this left us feeling empty. Searching further, some of us dared to look over the edge of a sheer cliff dropping off into a canyons chasm far below. Staring down the vertical rock walls bathed in shadows and sunlight, suddenly the eye would catch upon a something. It was way down there, circling and circling. At first it seemed so distant that it was hard to tell what it was. Then little by little, it came closer. Mesmerized, we would watch almost hypnotically as it began to climb higher and higher up out of the depths below. Up and up the unknown bird came riding on some invisible current of air, slowly gaining in size and now recognizable. Sometimes it was a great eagle, or perhaps hawk or vulture, but still it circled silently up, ever closer. Then suddenly, there it was flying right in front of us, its long wing tip feathers clearly seen moving in the wind. For a second its head turned towards you. You could sense its eyes seemingly searching deeply into yours as it swooped ever higher on its journey up into the blue. In your mind you are sure you heard its call to follow, but instead, you could only dream.
Upward, it soared on, and soon you could hardly make out the shape and form of something that moments ago was so close. The feathered one, who called out to you, had become just a tiny black spec silhouetted against the grey wispy base of a cloud far above. Then before your eyes, it disappeared. From whence it came to where it had gone was mystery, but for those few fleeting moments, you were allowed a privileged glimpse into its private sanctum of flight. In mind and spirit you had transcended the bounds of gravity.

We would continue to stand there in quiet contemplation, feeling the wind in our face, breathing deeply in the crisp cool scent of the air, and feeling so alive. You felt a strange kinship to that flying friend who stirred your imagination and awakened a deep longing for flight inside you. As in a trance we continued to gaze out across the vast expanse of sky and earth below, dream soaring. Lingering awhile longer we tried to understand the unseen magic that allowed this majestic creature such freedom and power over us? We began to ask ourselves; how could human kind dare to claim dominion over living things and not possess the gift of flight? Perhaps birds were indeed more spirit than flesh, put here to stimulate the great creativity inside us all. Is their purpose - to free us of things below, allowing us to one day takes to the skies in flight? Filled with desire we longed to simply lean forward into the wind, arms outstretched, and feel our feet lose contact with the ground beneath. To then swoop off into the sky, no longer earthbound, but soaring free. It must be so wonderful, we were sure it would be!

Down through the ages we continued to dream the dream of flying free, always wondering what it would truly be like, to soar like an eagle and see the world below as only they could understand. This dream became a life’s passion, a quest for flight, and the driving force of thought and invention. Slowly as human technology advanced many tried to turn their dreams of flying into reality. Strange contraptions and designs as wild as their imaginations were tested but failed to bring flight to mankind. Still, this did nothing to quench the thirst for flight. Years past and more flying inventions born of this dream, tried to cross the threshold; but none yet, could take us into the sky.

Then it happened! A primitive wing born of wood, wires, and cloth, light enough to be lifted and held aloft by the arms of man, appeared. Below, the original pioneer of human flight, a fellow dream soarer, picked up the wing and ran down the slope into the wind. A few steps later and magically, wonderfully, his feet left the ground. He was flying! Suddenly, all that went before since mankind first watched a bird fly by, and dreamed of flight, culminated in reality. Soon others, building upon the lessons of those first flights, flew farther and higher until one day a flying machine left the earth, not powered by gravity and wind, but a noisy, iron machine. The age of powered flight was born and spread quickly throughout the world.
Somehow though, there were those who continued to gaze in awe at the eagle, the hawk, the vulture, or the great soaring birds of the sea, and sensed that familiar deep primordial longing to soar with them. No noisy engine to mask the natural whistling of the wind around our wings, not to be enclosed in a cramped cockpit with a maze of gauges to concern ourselves with, but out in the open air, wind in our hair, and only our senses to guide us through the skies. Once again we found ourselves dream soaring. But this time, our dreams could become reality and the earliest form of heavier than air flight, was reborn.

On the slopes and hills around the world daring young men and women lifted up triangular shaped contraptions covered in sailcloth. They were called “Hang Gliders”. Running into the wind the hang glider lifted us off as we hung suspended from the heart of its frame, wind in our face, and free at last of the earth below. We were gliding, really flying, becoming fledgling human birds, and we wanted more. Then when our feet touched back onto the ground a sense of euphoria overwhelmed us. It was as if we had passed into another dimension of wonder and discovery that only those who dared share the experience could truly know.
Immediately we sought to fly farther, higher, faster, to satiate our passion and to live the dream. Rapidly lessons were learned, for better or for worse - some tragically, but; the dream to fly kept us coming back. We created better, safer, and higher performing wings, each tantalizing us with increasing capability to soar.
Soon we learned to seek out and ride the upward invisible thermal currents of air. We found ourselves climbing ever higher and higher as the earth grew small below with each turn we made.

Then one day from out of nowhere, a great soaring bird suddenly swooped in and flew off our wing tip. Matching our speed and climb perfectly the grand master of the skies, the feathered one, circled up with us. We could see its wing tip feathers moving and lifting in the wind and watch how a gentle twist of its tail gave it subtle but firm control. Sunlight reflected off its wings glistening in iridescent colour. Beautiful in its realm we felt honoured at its presence.
Momentarily it would turn its head towards us, shining eyes looking deeply into ours releasing visions from the dream soaring recesses of our mind. This time however, the voice heard beckoning us high into the sky was also our own. Our dreams had become reality. We had finally soared into their world and an overwhelming smile of joy from ear to ear came across our windblown faces. Then with a sharp, shrill cry our feathered friend seemed to say, “What took you so long?”, and left us to continue our journey exploring new frontiers of soaring that had always been theirs alone.

Looking back now the gift of hang gliding is the culmination of countless generations of those who shared the dream and eternal quest to soar. Of all things in life, the gift of pure, free flight, to soar on long outstretched wings, the gift given to us by the calls of the feathered ones since the dawn of man, is one of the greatest gifts of all. Those of us, who have lived in a time when we were finally able to answer its call, are indeed a very lucky few. For our wings have not only carried us high into the skies above, but also the spirit of the countless ones before who could only dream. So next time a feathered one joins you on the wing think of it not as just a curious creature of the air but the ancient soul of soaring who gave the dream to us all.

About the author: Chuck, Hang IV # 214, has been a dream soarer since his earliest memories of watching Golden Eagles soar above and beneath the cliff tops of Cross Mountain Canyon, North West Colorado as a child in the early 1960’s. He discovered hang gliding in 1974, and opened up the original “Adventure Sports” hang gliding shop and school in Flagstaff, Arizona soon thereafter. During this time he was one of the original five Arizona pilots to foot launch hang gliders into the Grand Canyon in 1976 and also helped pioneer a number of famous Northern Arizona flying sites such as Mt. Elden, Mingus, and Merriam Crater.
Although the shop did not last, his love of hang gliding did and he continued to fly actively at many places across the United States and internationally until the late 1990’s. He was also an avid rigid wing hang glider enthusiast flying early rigids such as the Icarus V, the Mitchell Wing, and Danny Howell’s, original 42’ span carbon hybrid flying wing, the “Apex”.
He last flew in September 2005 at the Mingus Mountain Arizona, 30 Year Reunion Fly-In since he was one of the original pilots to fly Mingus in early 1975. Although location, career, family, and other sport passions such as windsurfing, which he has been actively doing as well since 1980, have taken precedence over hang gliding, his love and passion for soaring has not diminished. He is still to be found dream soaring whenever the sky is blue, the breeze fresh, and great soaring birds are imagined to be seen circling beneath the snowy white cumulus clouds calling us all into the skies.

History of the Craters

First published in the May 6, 1993 Thermal Flyer by Chuck Rhodes.
Published again in October, 1998 Thermal Flyer.
Edited and resubmitted by Chuck Rhodes, 4 June 2002.

Hang Gliding Comes to Northern Arizona
As for early Flagstaff area flying I will try to fill in a few details as I remember them. I took lessons in May of 1974 from Rod Svoma at Chandelle Hang Gliding School in Phoenix and learned to fly on the Prescott Valley training hills. I advanced on my own to Shaw Butte in June 74 flying my 19' “Pappillion”, Lucky Campbell U.S. Hang Gliders standard rogollo. About that time my brother Bill forgot to hook his harness Pip Pin through both the harness loop and the control bar bracket on his 18' Pappillion. He then launched off Shaw Butte and his weight pulled the harness out of the bracket. Luckily he only broke both arms and had multiple lacerations and bruises when he fell out on take off landing on the rocks about 40 feet below after going through a small Palo Verde tree.

Being a NAU student at the time I thought I should have a source of fun income and decided to open a hang gliding school in Flagstaff. I borrowed $1200 from my grandmother, boy was she gullible, and bought 17', 18' and 20' tandem Pappillion U.S. Hang Gliders from Lucky. By August I was convinced that I must be an accomplished pilot due to soaring Shaw Butte for 5-10 minutes on several occasions. I promptly declared myself an instructor and with four gliders (a really cool thing) I headed up to Flagstaff to fly, teach, hopefully make some money, and maybe go to class at NAU.

In July 1974 the only place I knew to fly in Flagstaff was Sheep Hill on the east side of town. Some of Lucky's boys had flown there earlier. It wasn't a good training hill but it was okay for fun flying. Meanwhile I ran into a guy named Gary, last name (?) who was a Sun Kite dealer and also an NAU student. I also met Stu Arthur who had a really nice Manta Wing 18' Standard. Stu was one of the early Flagstaff pilots and the first hang glider pilot to ever fly off Mt. Elden. (See “Mt. Elden – First Flights” by Chuck Rhodes). Unfortunately he was killed in '79 or '80 flying a powered Easy Riser in Texas. About the same time I ran into Bill Nightwine and Jude Daggett. I think Bill had an 18' Chandelle and Jude had built a 17' Flexi-Flyer.

Government Prairie and Discovery of the Craters
Not recalling who told me about Government Prairie, I ended up on a hang gliding expedition there in August '74. Located about 25 miles west of Flagstaff just north of I-40, we found several 150'-400' grassy hills to fly. One was a really nice southwest by west facing ridge, about 1/4 mile long and about 150-200' high. Jude Daggett and I managed to get some 5-10 minute ridge soaring flights on it with our Standards in 20-25 mph winds. Of course we though it was a great site! You could drive to the top and there was plenty of landing area. It could also be flown in an east wind. We were stoked! Having never been there or seen it before, we thought we had found another Torrey Pines.

Calls went out to Lucky Campbell and the Phoenix flyers and by early September we had one of the first big Arizona fly-ins at Government Prairie. Almost all the Phoenix pilots and some Tucson guys showed up too. Flying continued there for about a month until Gary, the Sun Kite flyer, told me about this place east of Flagstaff that had some really high cinder craters. Of course we were eager to investigate anything of potential and went dashing out there. Here were these magnificent cinder craters just begging to be flown. Sometime later I remember Phoenix area hang glider pilot Bob Thompson telling me that he had flown out over that area in a airplane, and had seen the craters. He thought they had potential but had never gotten around to getting back up there to scout them out from the ground. Anyway, Merriam Crater was the grandest of them all but someone had told us there was no road up it. Happy just to fly Sheba Crater, we never bothered to drive around Merriam to really see if they were telling the truth.

In October '74, there was no road up Sheba Crater but Jude Daggett's Dodge 4WD managed to go straight up the northwest ridge. It was a scary, steep ride to the top. Cinders being thrown out behind the wheels, the rear end fish tailing and the whole truck bouncing its way up. We did make it and later learned to drive up the SW face ridge which was much less death defying.

One day when the winds were blasting out of the north/northwest about 25-30mph I tried to launch my 18' Pappillion standard about 2/3's of the way up Sheba. I quickly proceeded to go straight up and backwards while desperately trying to penetrate out. Flying seated, my body couldn't have been more out over the control bar while pulling in for all I was worth. My legs, head, shoulders, etc. all out as far as humanly possible trying to get forward penetration. There were no speed bars in those days. Managing to slow my backwards progress to a speed of 2-3 mph in reverse, I was able to get the glider low enough to touch the ground with my feet just as I reached the top. Unfortunately I also got the nose up, just a hair too much. The wind got it, the keel stuck in the ground. The glider and I did a 180 flip in about 1/2 second. I was slammed upside down breaking keel, king post and bruising my body! Luckily nothing serious happened to me. I repaired the glider and had learned a serious lesson about the pitfalls of high wind crater launching in standard Rogallo's. As far as I know, that was the first hang glider crash ever at the Craters. Some accomplishment, huh?

The Road Up to First Flights
Around late September or early October of '74, Jude Daggett, Bill Nightwine, myself and possibly Stu Arthur were out flying Sheba. A truck came over with some guys who had been out four wheeling. They asked us why we were not flying off Merriam Crater. We replied that we would love to but no one wanted to carry their gliders up 1000' of soft cinders since there was no road to the top. They said, “No road? There is a 4WD road on the NE side and we have just been up there!”

We couldn't believe our ears. Could these guys be for real? They volunteered to show us the way and you never saw four hang glider pilots get their gliders down and packed as quickly as we did that afternoon. Once we got around the east side of Merriam and saw the road up we felt like idiots. We had dreamed of flying there for a month but had never taken the time to drive around the whole base of the crater and see if there really was a way up.

Once on top, we stood in awe! Here was Nirvana, hang glider heaven. A thousand foot hill flyable in any direction with absolutely unlimited landing areas. We felt like the luckiest pilots on earth to be standing on top of such a fantastic flying site.

At first we just walked around the entire rim of the crater ranting and raving about its flying potential and scarcely believing our eyes. The wind was fluky and light. Somehow Jude Daggett got the honor of being the first to ever fly a hang glider off Merriam Crater.

Daggett's 17' Flexi-Flyer flapped its way down to a landing on the northeast side at the base of the road. The wind continued to be shifty and light and I ended up flying off the southwest side. I can remember that flight like it was yesterday. The sun getting low over Flagstaff, a light southwest breeze blowing in and on incredibly steep soft 1000' high cinder slope.

My trusty 19'red and white Standard just floated me off and I glided down through smooth cool Crater air landing at the south side LZ area. I was way stoked! I don't recall if Bill or Stu flew that day or if Stu was even there. He certainly was the next day. I think I called every hang glider pilot in Arizona telling them the news.

Fly-In Fun at Merriam
By the end of October we had the first Merriam Crater Fly-In. Lucky Campbell and all the Phoenix gang showed up. Mark Clarkson was there and wowed the crowd by doing an incredible three continuous 360 degree turns flying his 16' Standard Rogollo. Several months later he made the first real cross country flight off Merriam by flying that same little 16' Standard ten miles east to Grand Falls after thermalling out several thousand feet over the Crater. This was the longest 16' Standard glider flight that I had heard of involving thermal flying and an incredible feat for anyone flying a standard rogollo.

Everybody had a great time flying Merriam. A lot of pilots got their first 1000' high flights. We discovered the forgiving nature of soft sand and cinders when big Ron Svoma, 6'4", 230 pounds, flying a 20' Standard had a hard landing, and buried the nose two feet deep into the black Merriam sand. Other than getting a mouth full of sand and a bent control bar, he and the glider were okay. After that weekend the "hay-day" of Merriam Crater had began.

Crater Flying 75-76
In the next couple years Merriam and Sheba showed all their moods from hot, no wind days, to 80 mph plywood sheet flying wind storms. We flew in snow, rain, wind squalls, hot summer bumpy air and even experienced full moon soaring. The late great 16 year old pilot Tommy Goodman, Dave Shaw, Mark Warfel and John Lundgren made the first crater hopping flights from Merriam to Sheba. Larry Newman, of later first transatlantic balloon crossing fame, and his Electra Flyer hang gliding manufacturing company clan from Albuquerque, began showing up in the Spring of '75 on a regular basis thereafter to test fly the Electra Flyer Pathfinder and later their Cirrus, and Olympus glider designs. On one trip in '76 Larry came out with a prototype Olympus glider with aluminum fared ribs and double surface. Really on the cutting edge stuff at that time as regular gliders were still almost exclusively using flexible sail battens and were mostly single surface. It flew okay but didn't turn easily. If only he would have discovered the movable cross bar he would have easily beaten Roy Haggard and his UP Comet phenomenon by a couple of years. We all joked at dinner one night after spending the day test flying the prototype that he should call it the "Hoh-Toe-Dog", a name that had absolutely nothing to do with flying. We imagined people calling up Electra Flyer to ask "Hey, how's that new Hoe-toe-dog flying?" It went on to be the very successful Electra Flyer Olympus series of gliders.

Students by the dozens were experiencing their first flight and crater rash. My Adventure Sports Hang Glider School, based in Flagstaff, was doing well for awhile although later partnership problems, led to its unfortunate demise. Meanwhile Gary Waugh and several others from Phoenix began teaching there and Merriam's reputation as a great Hang 1 to Hang IV flying spot spread. Pilots heading east and west began stopping to fly. If we saw a glider on a car in Flagstaff from out of town, we would chase them down and try to convince them to stay and fly for a few days.

The camaraderie was great then and we were all so thrilled to be flying that we barely gave a second thought to hang gliding politics and the early manufacture competition wars of the day . Sure, there were some arguments and turf tiffs between dealers, but all-in-all it was really friendly rivalry. Sure we competed to see who could get the highest, stay up the longest, go the farthest, and claim bragging rights after the day's flying while sharing cold beers. It was flying stories, and the kinship of good flying buddies that made those times so fun. In that respect, they really were "good old days". This is not because the gliders performed that well, or were really that safe and well designed by today’s standards, but was primarily due to the close knit camaraderie among we fellow hang glider pilots. We were indeed a lucky few among billions that had discovered a gift of flying free with the birds. We were hang glider pilots; nothing else mattered!

A Trip Back and Recollections of Earlier Days
Many years have passed since the early Merriam Crater days but my memories remain clear. I went out there in July of '91 with my family after I had returned from Saudi Arabia and Desert Storm. I didn't have a glider, only a Chrysler Lebaron with some wind surfers on the roof. I just wanted to see Merriam and Sheba again. Talk about nostalgia overcoming you! I almost had a tear in my eye. The memories of many friends and flights I had there; faces of people and pilots I hadn't thought of in years; the pain of seeing Jude Daggett fall 100' off the South side of Merriam after take off due to failing to hook in and braking his back; knowing that my flying friend Joe Shaw was killed in his Fledge B model just over there on top of Merriam; seeing the smiles of many students who just tasted flight and their stories; and of the time I made my first cross country to Grand Falls on my UP Dragonfly in '75.

Walking up from the old NE side parking area to the top of Merriam I let the wind bring back the smells of the Arizona high desert. I could easily remember picking up Standards, Seagull III's, Pathfinders, Cirrus', Dragonflys, Icuras V's and my Mitchell Wing and flying off. Soon after a young pilot and his girlfriend came roaring up in his 4WD. He didn't know me but figured I was the "wuffo" with the car and the windsurfing gear parked down at the bottom. He proceeded to tell me all about flying Merriam where the good and the bad air was, how to avoid the slipstream on the side perpendicular to the wind direction, etc. I remember smiling and thinking to myself, if this guy only knew I had flown here before he had probably even heard of hang gliding.

Yes, Merriam was a great place and those were great days to be involved in hang gliding. Certainly none of us would trade our gliders and flying safety today for what we had then, but I bet a lot of us would like to see and experience the camaraderie we once had there, again.

So for those who may read this and were not around in the early times, think of this: the next time you fly over Merriam from Elden on your way cross country, look down, reflect for a moment about those who flew there years ago and the Arizona hang gliding history that was made at Merriam and Sheba when cross country flights off Elden were only fantasy.

First Flights - Mt. Elden, Arizona

Dreams of Elusive Elden
In the fall of 1974 hang gliding in the Flagstaff Arizona area began to get popular. Local and Phoenix area pilots had discovered the wonders of Merriam and Sheba Craters to the east and were having a grand adventure experiencing crater soaring in its infancy. Even so each trip out to the Craters and back found pilots looking up and dreaming of soaring the high ridges and spectacular natural bowls of Mt. Elden. Towering over Flagstaff to the North everyone instinctively knew that flying Elden would be spectacular. Twice as high as Merriam Crater the steep SW and WSW faces of the mountain had to be creating some tremendous lift when the predominate SW winds blew across Northern Arizona. The problem however, was there were no clear take off sites anywhere to be found where launching a hang glider was possible.

To Fly You Must Take Off!
Local Flagstaff area pilots continued to dream of flying Mt. Elden and after several scouting trips located a couple of potential take off sites but each would have to have trees cleared to be of any use. Determined to fly the mountain a meeting with the Flagstaff U.S. Forest Service authorities occurred in early spring 1975. Attending the meeting were local pilots Bill Nightwine, Stu Arthur, myself, and Dr. Willis from NAU. He was also a Professor of Physics and head of the Physics Department at NAU and considerably older than the rest of us. More importantly though, he too was a hang gliding enthusiast. We had invited him to attend the meeting to hopefully enhance our credibility in the eyes of the Forest Service officials. We did not want them to think we were just a bunch of young, long haired, crazy hang glider pilots. Surely someone of his stature and position would make the Forest Service think we really were a great bunch of guys although perhaps still somewhat crazy hang glider pilots.

At the meeting we explained the great potential for soaring that Mt. Elden offered, our concern for the environment and how hang gliding would have minimum impact on the mountain. We told them that we felt that removing a few trees in order for us to make a safe launch would not cause any irreparable harm to the mountain and would serve to allow us all to better appreciate the mountain and its environs. We offered to do the work ourselves, assist the Forest Service with doing it, or whatever was necessary short of selling our souls for a launch. After listing to our proposals the Forest Service Officials were impressed with our enthusiasm and commitment to the sport. They understood how badly we wanted to fly and really believed that we could conduct hang gliding flights off Elden with a minimum of environmental impact to the mountain itself. Yet, they could not officially make a take off site for us or be seen as officially supporting hang gliding activity at Elden for liability reasons. They did however, make various comments leading us to believe that if somehow hang gliders were to be able to find a place to launch off Elden, and they were not involved, or could not be seen as officially supporting hang gliding activities, that we could fly Elden to our hearts content. I believe one of us actually asked what would happen if “someone” just went up there and cut out a launch area. My recollection is that they responded by saying something to the effect that obviously the Forest Service could not condone that but if no one saw who did it, that there was not much that could be done about it.

So, with that thought in our minds we left the meeting convinced that we had been given the unofficial green light to go make a launch site at Elden. We had to keep in mind though that the Forest Service did not want to see it, hear about it, or know about it. We then began to secretly plot and plan. Going back up to Elden we located a suitable site that would require a minimum of trees to be felled. We wanted to make a launch at the top of the huge natural bowl below the Microwave towers, where the present day launch site is, but at that time it would require just too many trees to be cut. The site we ended up selecting was directly below the Forest Service Lookout station on the SE end of Elden. It was about an 1/8 of a mile down below the lookout tower road, just where the mountain face suddenly dropped off steeply to the bottom. The site was on the left side of a SW facing ridge and natural bowl about 1700’ above East Flagstaff. It was secluded, not easy to spot from below, and could not been seen at all from above. It would require a small ramp to be built as there were some big boulders that we could not move but could be used to support the end of the ramp. We figured we would need, a couple chain saws, axes, shovels, picks etc. and a 4 x 8’ sheet of 1” plywood for the ramp.

Having obtained all our tools we were ready. The problem was that we did not want anyone hearing the high pitched wine of a chain saw cutting down trees. Obviously we needed some way to disguise the noise. Wind! Yes, when the wind blew strong WSW 35-40 mph with higher gusts, the sound of the wind in the Ponderosa Pines was very loud. You could barely hear you self talk when the really strong gusts came through. So all we needed now was a wind storm and in the typically windy spring months of 75 we did not have long to wait.

A Launch is Born
Awaking one day soon after, to winds already blowing strong in the early morning, we knew that by afternoon it would be howling up there. Throwing chain saws, gas cans, axes, etc. in the back of the trucks we hurriedly drove up the rough bumpy dirt road to Elden. We stopped down below the Forest Service Lookout station and back somewhat from where we normally parked . We did not want anyone to see chain saws being unloaded and carried down into the woods below. The wind was just blasting through the trees, whistling and howling as it blew while even the biggest trees were bending in the force of the blast. The wind was probably averaging 40 mph and easily gusting over 50. Perfect covert launch building weather. Dan Tierney, Stu Arthur, myself and possibly Bill Nightwine, ( my memory has faded somewhat now 27 years later), made our way to the selected launch site. You had to walk about 10 minutes down through the thick forest, around rocks, fallen logs, etc. as there was not any trail to the site at that time. Once there we set about in earnest with our work. We wanted to get the job done as quickly as possible, especially the removal of the bigger trees. There were 6-8 trees of 6-12” diameter that had to go. Luckily the site did not have any really big trees as we did not want to have to play the role of serious lumberjacks. Firing up the chain saws we felled the necessary trees in short order and then cut them into smaller sections to be dragged way off into the woods out of sight. While that was going on, the others worked with axes, shovels, picks and hand saws clearing bushes, small saplings and rocks in the ramp area and below. I remember that someone had to go back up to the trucks for something and said that they could hear nothing up there over the terrific sound of the wind. That was good news.

After working the rest of the day we had our first launch at Elden almost ready. We put the plywood up over a boulder and filled in around it and underneath for support as best we could. The runway leading to the ramp was cleared of larger rocks and low areas filled in so that the transition to the ramp would be smooth. Leaving an axe, shovel, and hand buck saw, we carried the rest of the equipment back up to the trucks and went down the mountain now realizing that soon each of us would finally fly elusive Mt. Elden.

Last Tree, First Flight
Several days later conditions looked good. The wind was a light SSW with no forecast of strong winds. We wanted to launch in light conditions at first just to get the feel of the launch and flying the area. Stu Arthur, Dan Tierney, myself, and possibly a Phoenix flyer who had recently moved to Flagstaff by the name of John Lundgren went back up with our gliders. By now a primitive trail had begun to form due to our numerous trips walking down and back up from launch. We each shoulder carried our gliders and harness down through the woods. We all knew that if we did not fly, the gliders were going to stay at the launch until we did as there was no way we were going to carry them back up again.

Arriving at the launch it was blowing straight in out of the SW at about 10-12 mph. Perfect conditions! It was early afternoon and somehow Stu Arthur got elected to have the honor of being the first to fly Elden. He assembled his gold sail colored Electra Flyer Pathfinder clone that he had built himself in my Flagstaff Adventure Sports Hang Gliding shop. Once set up we realized that the width of the launch site was still a little more narrow than we felt comfortable with due to a small pine just to the right of launch.

Also an additional tree down below and to the right of the take off ramp needed to go. Luckily these were not very big and could be removed with the hand buck saw. Stu continued to ready his glider and harness as we worked to fell the two trees. First down was the one below launch. Stu was now in his harness and hooked in waiting for us.We set to work sawing back and forth on the tree to the right of Stu’s glider as he did his final harness checks.

As the last tree fell, Stu picked up his glider. The wind continued to blow straight in perfectly. He ran about 5 steps onto and off the ramp and launched into history as the first hang glider pilot to ever fly Mt. Elden. It was late spring 1975. He flew out perfectly, gaining a little lift as he went, turned west a ways and then headed out towards east flagstaff. At about 2000’ over town we watched him slowly fly around and circle down to a landing in a big field near the freeway. In those days there were a number of large open areas in east Flagstaff to land that had not been developed.

Now we raced to finish setting up our gliders. I was the second off, followed by the others. Even though we did not soar that day, just the knowledge that we were flying off Elden, and were coming out over town at 2000’ over and almost twice as high as Merriam Crater, was awesome! It was a dream come true! At the landing area we were all jumping up and down, talking excitedly a mile a minute, and just in a state of complete euphoria. “Hey, we have just been the first hang glider pilots to have ever flown off Elden! Far Out! Incredible site, Awesome flying! We knew then that nothing was standing in our way, except high winds, of far greater soaring flights to come off this magnificent site.

Vertical Soaring Air Everywhere
We returned again a couple days later when stronger but flyable SW winds had blown in. It had been too strong and gusty earlier in the day and through mid afternoon but by 4:30-5:00 pm the wind had steadied out some and was blowing right into launch at about 20 mph. I was somehow chosen to be the wind dummy but I don’t recall who was there with me except Stu. I do recall my launch because he was holding my nose wires. I recall my heart pounding, that dry mouth sensation, and the incredible excitement and anticipation that I was experiencing knowing that in seconds I was going to be launching into strong Elden soaring conditions. I got adjusted, leveled my wings, got the nose angle right and yelled “Clear”. I remember vividly Stu releasing the nose wires and ducking off to my left as I lunged forward. I seem to recall taking about two steps and then suddenly I was flying and going straight up in vertical lift like a bat out of hell. Pulling in to keep up some forward motion I just continued to climb and climb. I had never experience continuous strong lift like that before and could not believe my eyes as I watched myself climbing at a fast but steady rate higher and higher. The air was quite smooth, a few bumps but nothing scary. Looking behind me I watched myself rapidly climb past the level of our parked vehicles on the road, then the look out tower and I kept on going and going.

Finally about 800 over the summit of Elden my ascent slowed and I topped out in beautifully smooth air. I was flying just in front of the ridge, hovering at will but still able to get good penetration out if I pulled in. There was vertical air everywhere! The view was just incredible. All of Flagstaff lay 3000 feet below me. Behind me where the majestic San Francisco peaks looking like they were just a short glide away and almost at my level. I could clearly see way out to Merriam Crater and beyond to the Painted Desert. I was just in awe and wonder. It was even more beautiful to be up there over Elden than I had imagined it to be. The others soon launched and we all soared about the general area not being ready yet to go too far in one direction or the other. I do remember flying out towards the SW to the ridge leading to the main soaring bowl beneath the Microwave towers. At 700-800’ over the top I crossed the ridge and passed through a little turbulence as I continued to fly west over the bowl. As soon as I cleared the bumpy area over the ridge I hit even stronger lift coming up from the bowl and zoomed up to 1000-1200’ over the top. I knew then that this was only the beginning of many, many fantastic Elden flights yet to come let alone thermal cross country flying possibilities.

We soared around for almost two hours watching the sun getting low to the west. The lift just got smoother and smoother with no detectable drop in strength. Finally not wanting to land after the sun had set, and wanting to get down to talk about it I headed out. First I flew straight south out over Buffalo Park and central Flagstaff. Even after penetrating out against the southwest wind almost to Route 66 , I was still about 500’ over the top. I turned down wind and just raced towards east Flagstaff but still arrived over 2000’ above ground level.. Doing multiple 360’s big lazy turns, and figure 8’s I worked my way down out in front of the landing area. We all discovered that we could fly directly above the I-40 Freeway and by pulling in for more speed be going as fast or faster than the cars that were traveling 60-65 mph. It was not hard to tell that we had a significant tailwind pushing us along. Finally with about 400 ‘ altitude left and up wind of landing I made a 180, zoomed down the free way over the cars to about 150’ and turned quickly onto final just over the landing area adjacent to the freeway. I could see very surprised looks on the faces of westbound drivers seeing a hang glider flying directly at them only a couple hundred feet or so above the oncoming traffic. The head wind slowed my ground speed down to about 10 mph and I just slowly flew down to a perfect landing in about 8-10 mph of west wind.

Celebration, New Launch and Years Gone By
That night we celebrated the first true soaring flights off Elden. We called everyone we could think of to tell them the news of the great new flying site discovery. Above all else we knew then that Elden was going to offer endless soaring and cross country flying opportunities for years to come, and it did.

Sometime back in the 1979-80 time frame the big Mt. Elden forest fire occurred. Having began my Navy Career in 1977 I was no longer living in Arizona. However, other Flagstaff pilots, taking advantage of the number of trees that were burnt and felled as a result of the fire, were able to finally build a new launch at the prime site over at the top of the main soaring bowl below the Microwave towers. After that the original launch fell into disuse and obscurity. Most pilots who have flown Elden since then have not even known it existed or of its significance in the history of opening up this great flying site to all. I recall that Rik Fritz and I walked down to the original launch sometime back around 1995 when I was visiting Flagstaff from California. He had looked for it before and did not know exactly where it was and even I had a little trouble finding the site at first too, but we did. Amazingly the original plywood launch ramp was still there, mostly rotted away. Small trees and bushes had begun to reclaim the launch, but the memories of the place filled my head with nostalgia. Now even that was some 7 years ago.

Since 1975, Mt. Elden has seen hundreds of pilots launch and soar her slopes, ride her thermals out into the desert, and experience the beauty of Northern Arizona from high above her summit. Record flights have been made and many stories have been told of great soaring days that started off the formally elusive Mt. Elden. Today I dream again, reflecting on my carefree days in the air over Elden so many years ago. I think of those I had known and shared such wonderful flying memories with and long to return. To hear the wind in the trees and smell the scent of the ponderosa pines being carried up with the lifting air. Most importantly to feel alive and young again once more in the blue skies over Elden.

By Chuck Rhodes - 03 June 2002

Sea, Wind, Sky Sports and the "Coolness Factor"

by
Chuck


I have been very happily windsurfing since 1980. I am still amazed at the magic sensation of standing just inches off the water while speeding across its ever changing surface, wind in my face, and the sense of pure, unadulterated fun overwhelming me. Now to me, that is really cool. Most importantly however, it is FUN! It makes me happy, keeps me young at heart, and stokes the fire in my soul for more. But, is it still cool to be a windsurfer? Should the coolness factor take precedence over fun or force promotion of one sport at the expense of another?
Some years ago while out windsurfing, I first started seeing kite boarders on the water. I was somewhat interested in this new wind sport but not enough however, to spend money on lessons and kiteboarding gear when I always seemed to need that new windsurfing board and sail. Plus I was having so much fun windsurfing that I really didn’t think I could have that much more fun kiteboarding. So I just kept watching the sport evolve as we passed each other out on the waves and on the beach.
Soon however, it became very apparent that kite boarding was being promoted everywhere as the cool new watersport while windsurfing was suddenly being relegated to the realm of the “not as cool-has been” wind sport. Simultaneously kiteboarders seemed to be doing everything they could to make sure that everyone else knew they were “kiteboarders” and not “windsurfers”. You could see this commonly reflected by their kiteboarding water wear attire, attitude, bumper stickers and the like. It seemed very important for them to be instantly recognized as part of the new, exceptionally cool, kiteboarding scene and definitely not to be misconstrued as a no longer cool windsurfer. So, being an adventure sport kind of guy most of my life, it quickly struck me as how identical this kiteboarding vs windsurfing situation was to similar events that occurred in other cool sports I have had many years of experience and fun doing.

Skiing vs. Snowboarding

I started snow skiing at age 5 which seems a long time ago from the perspective of my now 56 year old body. For many years we skiers had the slopes all to ourselves and were having lots of fun. Of course we thought we were cool too. Suddenly however, a strange new breed of characters began to appear on the slopes riding wide single boards turned up on both ends, with funky sideways foot bindings. They were called “Snow Boarders”. They didn’t look or act like us either. Gone were the cool tight, striped ski pants, flashy racing suits and stiff florescent colored plastic boots; replaced by big baggy pants, bulky boots and drab, two sizes too big, looking jackets. To many traditional skiers they seemed to be a new breed of young anti-ski establishment, snow-surfer punks with an air about them of “we’re cooler than you”!
Many skiers soon began to dislike them, making all kinds of claims of how they were flattening out the mogul fields, getting in the way of skiers, ruining our fresh powder runs, and not following the established, previously cool skier behaviour protocols. They didn’t fit into the image of whom and what should be on the immaculately groomed slopes of America’s uppity ski resorts. They were seriously threatening skiing’s image of being the most cool winter sport.
Then almost overnight the Winter X Games and other events promoted the glory of snowboarding’s action packed fun. Huge numbers of snow thrill seeking youth from the skateboard and instant gratification generation flocked to this exciting new and now really cool sport. This in turn catapulted snowboarding to the forefront of attraction and perceived ultimate winter coolness.
For some time the traditional downhill snow skiing show struggled with it’s newly “uncool” image. Some skiers were knocked out of their highly self perceived level of coolness and didn’t like it. Regardless, skiing still offered tons of fun for those who stuck with it, or chose to learn to ski vice succumbing to the rapidly growing popularity of snowboarding. Gradually though, snow skiing, although always fun, became really cool again thanks to new ski designs, exciting new risk takers and non-traditional competition events.
The new wider, shorter skis made it easier to learn, to turn and ski more difficult conditions. That led to the enhanced ability to look cool quicker on the slopes. Adding to this was the high energy and excitement of the new winter sports and Olympic skiing venues. The big Aerial events featuring crazy skiers launching into space off huge steep ramps to twist and turn at insane heights and speed above the slopes. Plus the fast paced, big air, mogul competition saw daring young skiers pushing the envelope of these thrilling ski competition events beyond that previously thought possible. Augmenting this new image of skiing were the highly glamorized exploits, in movies and television of extreme skiing by young, brash, risk taking types, similar in mind and spirit to those young, brash, snowboarders some used to despise. All these things helped the sport regain a comparative level of coolness to snowboarding. Slowly over time, both sports learned to accept and live with each other at most areas despite the underlying competition that continues among many participants. Meanwhile there were those who just kept on skiing because they were still having way too much fun doing it, cool or not, despite the snowboard scene.

Hang Gliding vs Para Gliding

Of course one of the really fun things about both snow skiing and snow boarding, and for that matter, windsurfing and kiteboarding, is jumping and getting big air. It’s cool to do, looks even cooler, and is very exciting. Some of us really liked the sensation of being up in the air so much that we sought out a far cooler way to get and stay up there. In the early 1970’s a new adventure sport made an appearance that allowed air junkies like me to get more big air than we could have ever imagined. This sport was called Hang Gliding. Despite its dangers in the early years when the gliders were not very well designed or airworthy, we took to the skies often staying up for an hour or more. We learned to swoop and soar with the eagles, vultures, hawks, and each other, hundreds, if not thousands of feet above the earth. It was the coolest thing ever and was just so much more fun than anything else we had done. For those fleeting moments in our lives we were up there, soaring high in the sky, no longer human but transcended into fledgling man-birds. I was sure back then that it was way, way, more cool to be a hang glider pilot than a skier.
We hang glider pilots had the skies, our launching and landing sites all to ourselves for a number of years and life was good. Then almost overnight a new invader began to compete with us for space and sky. These were guys running down the slope with a big rectangular shaped ram-air parachute canopies lifting them off to hang 20 feet below from dozens of long, thin lines. These were attached from the canopy above to a big padded seat like harness suspending the pilot below as if seated comfortably in a big air, easy chair. They generally flew slower, turned tighter, hogged our thermal cores, and in otherwise just got in our way. Especially troubling were those long thin lines which we feared would entangle our sleek glider wings like a spider web if we got too close, causing us both to plummet like Icarus to our demise far below. In our closed minded hang glider world at that time, they were not very welcome or nearly as cool as we hang glider pilots.
Although at first we would not admit it, after awhile we secretly began to envy certain aspects of paragliding. First their portability was way less of a hassle than a hang glider. No 18 foot long, 10 inch diameter, 75 pound disassembled glider package to haul around. No need for an even bigger four wheel drive, V-8 engine truck with roof racks and a red flag on the overhanging ass end of the glider to get you and your glider up to the launch spot. No, these guys could just carry their “Paraglider” and harness in a big bag stuffed in the trunk of their little Subaru AWD’s or quickly thrown in the back of a Toyota mini-truck. Not only that, they could strap that pack on their back and hike up to a launch site. A much easier task than carrying a that 75 pound plus glider up on your shoulders, not to mention lifting the extra weight and bulk of the harness, helmet, flight instruments, etc.
Paragliders could also land more easily in a smaller area by just basically parachuting in with a little added glide slope or forward speed to deal with. We however, needed considerably more space. The typical hang glider came in faster and glided on final approach longer. Then they took more time to slow down enough, without stalling too soon, before the pilot could flare the glider safely for a stand up foot landing. We did have to admit that those were cool things about paragliding compared to hang gliding. Yet in our minds, it was still way cooler and fun, to zoom and swoop around faster, with a better gliding ability allowing us to soar farther and faster than the more lowly paragliders.
However, we soon perceived rightly or wrongly that many paraglider pilots thought they were the coolest of the sport. They even started wearing more colourful flight suits and gear to not look like us. They tended to hang by themselves in the take off and landing areas, and didn’t seem to want to associate too much with we, now less cool, hang glider pilots. So we started to isolate ourselves from them as well, sure that we were still more cool than they. Then as time went on increasing levels of separation and underlying animosity seemed to develop between us both.
Hang glider pilots were facing the cold, hard fact that paragliding was attracting significantly more new enthusiasts than hang gliding. It felt like we were being crowded out of our own flying sites by the new “bag-wing” crowd. We were so busy competing with each other for launch, air and landing area space that we almost lost track of the most important thing, flying site access rights!
As time went on both sports suffered from land owner concerns of accident and property damage liability leading to closure of prime flying sites both sports shared. The additional loss of access to flying sites and landing areas due to real estate development kept occurring while we also began to feel the heavy weight of increased FAA regulations and airspace controls. This was way uncool for all and the only way to prevent future loss of hang gliding and paragliding sites was to form an alliance. Now both sides were forced to work together through combining of National associations and local clubs. This lead to increased opportunities to work with local, and National officials and agencies towards the common goal of retaining places to get into the air, to soar again, be cool together and have the free flying fun we all lived for.
Sure there are those on each side of the fence, be it the “bag-wing” paraglider pilots or the “rag-wing” hang glider pilots, who may still be caught up in the uncool vs cool idealogy. Yet both sports are now much better positioned to maintain flying site access, landing area rights, work with the FAA and share the same thermals. Somehow keeping our right to do what we both loved and to enjoy the soaring beauty and fun both sports offered, transcended, who’s the coolest and brought increased mutual respect and understanding of each other.

Long Board vs Short Board Surfing

Another excellent example of the impact of the coolness factor is reflected in the history of the great sport of surfing. Born on the deck of a heavy wooden longboard early surfers were cool riding the waves from Hawaii to California. Then the advent of new lightweight but strong materials such as fiberglass, and foam led to a revolution in surfboard shape and technology resulting in ever shorter and lighter weight boards. The momentum shifted to maximum emphasis on the short board. They were fast, highly manoeuvrable on the wave face, you could cut, and slash turns, and do all sorts of amazingly cool things that were hard or almost impossible on a long board.
Suddenly it was no longer as cool to be a long board surfer and with the exception of a few die-hards surfing as a sport went to an almost total focus on shortboarding. Shortboarding was in; it was the cool thing to do. Long boarding was out and uncool. As a result a lot of former long boarders not attracted to riding the shortboards for what ever reason, simply faded away for awhile.
Over time however, a number of those now older guys who still had a passion for surfing and seeking once again to enjoy the pure fun of it, dusted off their long boards and headed for the beach. Other newcomers to the sport found the longer, larger boards much easier to catch waves, stand up on and experience the surfing sensation. Once again long boards began to appear in ever increasing numbers out on the waves.
Of course the slower but beautiful drawn out carving turns of the long board style and the general way they rode the waves, conflicted with the fast, flashy, and radical turning movements of the shortboarders. This of course led to turf battles and wave sharing issues between the two. A lot of shortboarders still thought that long boarding was way uncool but this time long boards were here to stay.
Today as we all know, long boarding has rightfully regained its position as a major form of surfing and is cool again. In the process many have discovered the stoke of surfing who would never have tried it if the sport was just totally focused on short boarding.

Windsurfing and Kiteboarding

That brings us back to windsurfing and kiteboarding. In thinking about the experiences and lessons of the coolness factor on all these sports, the exact same thing has, and is occurring, in our wind and sea sport world. Kiteboarding almost certainly will continue to attract more X-game types and other young thrill seeking, show offs, who are sure they are part of the coolest thing ever on water. Others will try kiteboarding vice windsurfing because it is perceived or promoted wrongly by kiteboarding schools and riders as easier and quicker to learn. Thus the opportunity to look cool on the water sooner. Plus it doesn’t have the board, mast, and sail transportation issues which appeals to those not wanting to deal with the stacking, storing and transport of boards and sails.
Meanwhile Windsurfing will continue to be seen by some of them as uncool or not-as-cool, but to be fair, windsurfing as a sport does still have its own fair share of coolness seekers who have and will continue to perceive their sport as cooler than kiteboarding thus helping perpetuate the issue. Others on both sides just won’t care because, they just want to have fun. So who is the coolest? What is the future impact on our sport of putting coolness over fun? Should we care?
Perhaps what is way more important is simply how much fun we personally are having while out there on the water, the snowy slopes, or in the sky, regardless of our chosen sport or skill level? If it were not for fun and enjoyment would we have taken up the sport in the first place just to be cool? Maybe from my older perspective on life, worrying about being cool, or how cool this or that sport is, is no longer important like I thought it was back when I was younger. Likewise, worrying now about whether my blue helmet, old black wetsuit or bright multi-colored dry suit makes me look like a dork and really uncool, is of no real concern to me. What is far more important is the level of fun and happiness that the pure enjoyment of the sport gives me regardless of my age or level of expertise. After all, who’s to say that I am not having as much fun or personal gratification windsurfing, hang gliding, or skiing, as that kiteboarder, paraglider pilot or Winter X snowboarder?
So don’t let the “coolness factor” be the driving force behind your chosen sport or reason to promote yours at the expense of others. Just get out there and ski, kiteboard, snowboard, windsurf, surf, hang glide, paraglide, play golf, bike, run, paddle your kayak, rock climb, jetski (well maybe not that one), or whatever it is that puts that big smile on your face and makes you feel alive. Do it just because it is fun, not just because it’s cool. Respect others chosen sport passion, fashion, and action and most importantly, work together to ensure continued access to your right to have that fun. NOW THAT’S COOL!

Go Board on the Ionian Sea

GO-ing For It On The Ionian

The beautiful island of Sicily frequently offers up strong winds. Perfect conditions for great ocean and side shore wave sailing on your favorite wave board and gear. This last Saturday however, the big wind did not materialize but I was desperate to sail never the less. Last year I had purchased a 2002 Starboard Go Friendship for my sons, to teach my friends to windsurf, as well as to have a low wind fun board for me. Not having sailed it much myself I decided to take it out for the afternoon and see how she performed with a long fin, big sail, and light winds. Although it came with a stock 54cm fin I had also purchased a Curtis carbon 62cm fin to better maximize getting my 6’5”, 205 lbs body up and planing. .
Arriving at Lido Azzuro, home of the local Sicilian windsurfing/kiteboarding club “Vikinghi ” I found the winds light and side onshore. Located on the 10km long sandy beach just south of Sicily’s second largest city Catania, on the islands east coast, there were a couple windsurfers and kite boarders out playing. The wind was ENE 8-10 knots and gentle 1-2 foot surf was rolling in.
I quickly rigged my vintage 1997 Neil Pryde 9.3 fully cambered race sail on my old Fiberspar 5000 520cm mast and headed out. The first few minutes were spent just getting used to the feel of a big sail on a big board and a seat harness again since my most recent sessions had been in 4.5-5.5 wave sailing conditions. As luck would have it no sooner had I gone out than the wind dropped down to 5-6 knots. I decided that since it was such a nice sunny and warm day that I would just stay out for a while slowly cruising the beautiful blue waters of the Ionian Sea.
Soon I found myself just sailing slowly out, my mind drifting back thousands of years to the Phoenician, Greek, and Roman galleys that sailed these same waters. I could almost imagine the sails of Ulysses ships coming up over the horizon, or the great Greek fleet on its way to attack the mighty ancient city of Syracuse just to the South.
Soon however, a puff of wind blew up and my thoughts once again returned to March 2003 and windsurfing. I noticed a few small white caps farther out and the big sail started to pull. I watched the blue water up wind getting darker as the wind line approached. Suddenly I was up and planning along with the greatest of ease. The wind had quickly filled in to around 12-14 knots and the GO Board just took off and flew. I couldn’t believe how well it cut up wind with that long Curtis Fin! Seeing a wave approaching I initiated a big carving jibe timing it so the boost from the wave gave the down wind leg of the jibe the added sense of surfing. I was amazed at how well the GO jibed for such a wide board and I could easily keep planing through the whole jibe. Yes it did require a little more foot pressure but nothing difficult. It even planned straight down wind with no effort. The most fun was just blasting by other windsurfers out on smaller boards and sails schlogging along or barely able to plane.
After about an hour of this the swells and waves had started to pick up making some nice 3-4 foot ramps. I spotted a perfectly formed one coming right at me, cut a little up wind to hit it squarely, and jumped. Up went the GO easily clearing the fin, the big flat undersurface catching the air and helping loft it up. Wow, never thought I would be able to jump this board like that especially with such a big sail and fin.
Later the wind picked up to around 14-16 knots but I never felt overpowered on that 9.3 and the speed of the GO was quite impressive. By now the wave break near the beach was 2-3 feet and I was actually able to surf the GO down and backside. I must admit that since the wind was on shore, and with that big fin, I didn’t try any front side riding. I did however; make sure I jibed well before I was in danger of running the big fin aground.
After about three hours of just plain fun the wind dropped away as suddenly as it had came. I went in tired, thirsty, but with a big smile on my face. All in all I was very surprised, and impressed, with the fun I had riding the GO. Certainly it is not a Formula Board or a Hypersonic, and certainly others have already discovered these GO board characteristics, but it was way more fun than I thought it was going to be. Besides, how often does one get to sail the Ionian Sea, let alone with the spirits of the great sailors of ancient times riding along with you. I'll be out there again soon,
GOing for it on the Ionian!

Chuck Rhodes
Sicily, Italy
10 March 2003

Sicily Windsurfing Stories

THE VOLCANO UNDER THE VOLCANO

By

Chuck Rhodes

Dec 2002

(Written for Yahoo NW-Windtalk.rec)

Last Saturday I went out with local Sicilian sailor Luca Massimo. Winds were blowing steady around 22-25 knots out of the North so he took me over to the east side of the island of Sicily just north of the city of Catania. This part of the coast is mainly volcanic rock, cliffs, coves, and small bays bordering the Ionian Sea. We decided to sail at the famous Cyclops Rocks. These are jagged vertical lava spires, about 50-75 feet high, that jut up out of the Ionian Sea just off shore from the classic Mediterranean seaside town of Aci Trezza (Ahchee Trayzzaa).
This is the very historic site where according to ancient greek legend, the giant one eyed cyclops (now believed to be Mt. Etna) threw huge rocks down at the ships of Ulysses. Hence the name Cyclops rocks. It was a spectacular clear day as the strong north winds blew out any smoke and haze. You could look up and see incredible detail from sea level all the way up the steep slopes of Mt. Etna towering above everything to the west. Even up at the 10,900'summit level the visual detail was unusually clear. The upper regions of the mountain were covered in wind blown snow except where hotspots kept the snow from sticking. There was a long trail of white/brown smoke pumping out of the upper summit craters being blow downwind for miles out over the Ionian Sea towards Africa by the strong winds.
So there I was out having a grand time sailing on my JP Freestyle. Yes, I was somewhat overpowerd and overboarded for the outside conditions but needed the extra board volume and larger sail to get out through the very light wind at the launch point due to the wind shawdow created by the seafront buildings and the Cyclops Rocks. We had to initially swim our rigs out about 25-30 meters to get to the starting wind line.
After a few runs I was about 3/4 of a mile out and turned to head back in. I was looking up admiring all this fantastic scenery. There ahead of me were the majestic Cyclops rocks and the red tiled roofs of the villas and building of Aci Trezza against the background of Mt. Etna. The beautiful deep and cobalt blue Ionian sea ahead was broken only by brilliant white foaming and breaking seas. I felt very privileged to be out there on such a fantastic windsurfing day enjoying this magnificent view of the island and Etna while sailing the same waters that Ulysses sailed thousands of years before me. It then dawned on me that I was also probably one of few wind surfers anywhere who can say that they have sailed a Volcano under the Volcano. There I was riding my North Volcano 5.8 in the shadow of mighty Mt.Etna.
Overall it was a very memorable sailing day that I will not soon forget. Had a full wetsuit on but no need of booties, gloves, or hoods, and was plenty warm despite the strong cold north wind and looking up at the snows of Etna. This weekend the winds are forecast to be 20-30 knot NNE so perhaps another chance to sail the Ionian awaits.

Ciao e Buon vento (Good Wind)

Chuck Rhodes
Sicily, Italy

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CAPO GRANITOLA GOES NUCLEAR

By

Chuck Rhodes

May 2002

(Written for Yahoo Windsurfing.rec)

Thursday, April 11, 2002. Capo Granitola, 15 km east of Mazara del Vallo, SW corner of the beautiful island of Sicily Italy. Local sailors awoke to solid 30 knot + Scirocco (SE) winds blowing perfect side shore at Capo Granitola, or Puzziteddu (poozeetaedue) as the locals call it, world class wave sailing site. Waves were already 4-6' (1.5-2 meters) on the inside and building. Big breaking swells were running full steam down the Strait of Sicily on the outside towards Sardenia and Spain.
By 1100, the first sailors went out as winds increased to 35-40 knots. At 6'5" and 200 pounds, I rigged a 4.2 North Zeta on my Naish 8.5, the smallest board I have. Everyone else was on 4.0's and 75 liter or less wave boards. Once out big, beautiful blue-green swells and waves, well spaced with wind blown glassy smooth water between, made for exhilarating sailing and surfing. Racing out fully powered and up the steep, long ramps, one could not help but get big air off the top. Coming back at high speed, then swerving up backside on the incoming waves, followed by rocket rides down the face and down the line off now logo high and higher swell faces and waves was incredible.
Around noon - 1:00 pm additional sailors were showing up from as far away as Palermo, having heard via the cell phone wind net that Puzziteddu was going nuclear. Wind, waves, and swell continued to build. By 3:00 p.m. wind was 38-40+ on the inside and 40-45 + on the outside. Big 3- 4 meter (12-15) foot swells and breaking seas continued to build farther out as far as the eye could see South towards Tunisia.
By then only 4-5 hard core, brave, and talented high wind wave sailors still were out throwing big high forwards, back loops, etc. and surfing down the line on 8-12 foot waves. There was no such thing as getting out beyond the break as the outside swells were pitching and breaking like surf. The high wind was blowing the tops off the waves and that misty spin drift look of horizontally blown water was becoming more and more dominate.
Finally around 5:00 p.m. the wind started backing off some and the few remaining sailors had had enough. Two masts had been broken, one loose board was blown way down the beach, and excited but exhausted and humbled sailors were left with many stories to tell over Sicilian pasta and wine that night. By the next morning it was back down to 5.8- 6.0 conditions and by noon it was over. As amazing as the conditions were the day before, the wave sailing is even better at Puzziteddu when it blows a good Maestrale (NW)!! Capo Granitola is truly an amazing place. If you are interested in coming to sail this fabulous site, contact Thomaso Corsodoro at: "thomas.corsodoro@libero.it" or Thomas Corsodoro Surf Sailing Holidays +39 333.3948499 Cell Phone http://www.windsurfsicilia.it/Pozzitello/pozzitello_completa.htm

See you at Puzziteddu,

Ciao e buon vento,

Chuck Rhodes Sicily, Italy