Probably somewhat obvious but for most kiters but thought I would share my recent experience inside the Sodus Bay canal recently. I had an hour on an 8m cruising the smooth swells that entered the 1/4-mile coffer dam canal Thursday. There are some fantastic smooth drops created by some form of delta on the bottom of the entrance. A shallow spot makes the waves spike up, its pretty heavenly. Its a thrill to chase the smooth swells as they scrape along the leeward wall also.
At one point I had a quick pivot jibe directly behind the tall lighthouse and the kite went in the drink. I under-estimated the wind shadow the tower creates. Relaunch was impossible, no wind under the 10ft high walls. Luckily I was able to swing the kite out of the canal entrance and gain some puff a relaunch. Long story short, these slick spot canals are a one-shot deal. Once it goes down and we are deep enough in the canal there’s no re-launch. This is not good during boating season (quickly approaching). So far I have seen only a single vessel exit the sodus canal of the dozens of sessions Ive been experimenting inside the canal this year. Lines down across a canal and a kiter floating with no way out is bad…very bad. I write this to remind myself and others that we need to be careful as boating season opens in these canals. The reward is high but the risk may be too great. See folks on the water!