Taking advantage of the wind this windsurfer glides across the lake.
Photos and story by Ray Conner
The recent high winds that blew through the Kern River Valley proved to be just what the weatherman ordered for wind surfing.
When the weather changes and the winds pick up you can see the lake dotted with these extremists tackling their balance and strength to slip from one side of the lake to the other. They invade the shore of Isabella Lake and quickly unload their equipment and skate over the water to feel the freedom of “me versus the conditions” mentality.
The action is thrilling as the wind surfers glide across the water. They climb aboard and let the wind take them where they want to go. Well, it’s not as easy as that, but the way they perform on the water makes it looks easy. This past week there were plenty of wind surfers that took the opportunity to get away from it all.
The new trend for the lake is what is called wing foiling. The riders lift their board off the water and slice through the ripples with a fin (foil). The wind allows them to get the extra thrill of getting an out-of-body like experience. Upper body strength is definitely required to let the wind rip your arms up toward the sky and sail your way over the water.
There is a negative to wind surfing on Isabella Lake. One never knows if there will be enough breeze to carry their wind surfing yachts from the shore to the middle of the lake. You take your chances and hope the weathermen and the wind websites are indeed accurate.
So if you want to get a lift and ride the white-capped ripples, make sure the wind is blowing and become part of the wind surfing community on Isabella Lake.
