Baja Girls Test The Panther 3 – January 20, 2011

We’re enjoying a few days of rest after a couple of weeks of great wind here in La Ventana.  Last week was 4.2 to 4.7 with big swells from several days of Norte winds.  The Norte also created perfect conditions for the Lord of the Wind contest in Los Barriles 35 miles south of us, where new Ezzy Team Rider Kevin Pritchard did us proud winning the Course race, Slalom, and Long Distance race which combined kiters vs. windsurfers.  Amazingly he accomplished all of this on the new 2011 Infinity (which isn’t even a race sail).  Welcome to the Team Kevin; check out the details on his blog:  http://blog.pritchardwindsurfing.com/blog-mainmenu-44/751-lord-of-the-wind-showdown.html

La Ventana is a busy place from Christmas through January, with the village, beach scene, and campground pumping at maximum capacity.  Two sailors from California were the first to test the 2011 Panther 3, and share their impression of David’s newest Panther (4.7).  Both women have been sailing Ezzy’s, so their impressions help us see how the Ezzy Wave sails have evolved.  Tami and her family sail the Delta in Central California and she has a ’08 Ezzy SE.  Here’s what she thought:  “It immediately felt comfortable and I knew it was an Ezzy…the power and balance is still there.  But the biggest difference with the Panther 3 is that it feels so LIGHT!  It’s so easy to waterstart, but it’s amazing how light it feels while sailing.”  Nearly everyone who has tested the Panthers for the past two years has the same impression.

Tami testing the Panther 3…not sure what her husband Mark was testing.

Val was eager to take the new Panther out for a test, but I also have to thank her also for helping me test the GOPRO camera mounts I’ve been testing.  My goal is to enable you to ride along and enjoy sailing in Baja without getting wet.  Val is a seasoned Ezzy sailor from California, and she and her husband Dan share a quiver of Panther 1 & 2’s.  Here’s her report:

“The Ezzy Panther 3 is fun to sail. It feels similar to the earlier Panthers (which I love) but it’s even more finely tuned. The Panther 3 is powerful, but easy to control. It feels light in the turns and the pocket fills quickly, which makes for smooth jibes that are easy to plane out of. I like that! The Panther 3 is even easier to rig than before –no guesswork involved, just follow the instructions on the sail; and it’s perfectly rigged every time. There’s even a little pocket to stow the downhaul line. All in all it’s an awesome sail. The Panther 3’s are very distinctive looking (love the mango) so it’s easy to find my friends on the water!”

Thanks to Tami,Val and Rosemary for being the first to test the new Panther.  The rest of the Baja test crew is eagerly awaiting their test session.  Feel free to join in if you will be in La Ventana.

This week is La Ventana Classic Week, which is the annual kite fest.  Most of the events are for the kiters, but they do have some events for SUPs and windsurfers.  This morning is the cross channel 9 mile SUP race, and fortunately the water is calm and smooth.  The wind should return tomorrow, so it’s looking good for the rest of the events.  See you on the beach, Gary