Windsurfing » Lost In Hatteras

Lost In Hatteras (230 unread)

RT 12 is open, and the waves are firing!

Posted: November 18th, 2009, 3:16am CET

First item:

Route 12 is open to ALL traffic! 2wd cars, tractor trailers, everything. NC DOT built a temporary surface on top of one lane of the existing highway. You may have to wait a few minutes until oncoming traffic clears, but that's a heck of a lot faster than taking the Stumpy Point to Rodanthe emergency ferry service... That also means that the supply chain is wide open again, so things like gas, groceries, mail, et cetera are all readily available again. Don't fret, you WILL have Turkey for Thanksgiving! More updates here.

Next item:

The Lighthouse was Firing today! Well overhead set waves, and pretty light winds kept the faces clean and barreling, and the consequences high. Keith, Caleb, Stuart and I windsurfed, and every one of us took a pretty solid beating at one point or another. Personally, I schlogged/positioned for 27 minutes before I caught my first solid wave. It took me 9 minutes to get to the outside, and 18 minutes to get back up to the peak and find a good set wave that was lined up. It was worth the effort. After that first good wave, I lost all inhibitions and sailed much more carelessly, dropping in on most anything that came my way. 'Twas a very fun sesh!!

Keith gets the only pictures of the day:

And I caught a rare glimpse of his secret weapon- a 34 cm freeride fin!! No wonder he never has any trouble staying upwind...

More wind in the forecast! GET HERE!!

Ida Action (2 Videos)

Posted: November 16th, 2009, 6:33am CET

It's no secret, Ida caused her fair share of destruction across the Eastern Seaboard, including taking a good chunk out of NC12 up in Rodanthe. NCDOT is working furiously to repair the road, and they even had a lane open at low tide today to let 4wd vehicles on or off the island. There's lots of info all over the net about the storm damages and repair schedules and what not, so I'm not going to add any more to the confusion. Check out islandfreepress.org and ncdot.org for the latest info and some crazy slideshows.

I will, however, add to the action report! Ida kicked up some serious swell, but our winds were slow to catch on as the low hung out pretty much directly over us. So, the first day or two were a wash (literally). By Friday afternoon, however, the low slipped off shore just enough to kick up some North winds. Friday had potential to be an epic wavesailing day on the southside, but North winds are straight offshore down there. It doesn't sound like much of a difference, but NE is really the money direction, while due North is downright dangerous, especially when it gets big. With the East beaches an out of control washing machine, we decided to hit up the sound side at Island Creek. 4.2 and freestyle board. Check da vid:

Ex-Ida Windsurf HQ from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Major thanks go out to Drew for filming and Ace for the loaner on the camera!!

We had another batch of wind on Saturday morning. Fluky 4.7 at the same spot, with really very similar conditions to the video. By late evening, the wind died down, and the swell backed off to 12 feet at 15 seconds or something ludicrous like that. I caught word that a few guys were thinking about paddling out down at the lighthouse, so I grabbed Anne, Banana (the dog), and the video camera and headed to Buxton. Joey Crum and Brett Barley made their way off the beach in the fading light and caught a few mackers. I've got nothing but respect for these guys, as these were exceptionally difficult conditions, and they made it look easy. Check da vid:

Ex-Ida Surf HQ from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Yow!!!

Epic!

Posted: November 12th, 2009, 2:21am CET

You guys are not going to believe how sick it was today! Remember that forecast I showed you the other day? Well, check out what ended up happening:

Epic!! from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

OBX Marathon, some surf, and looking ahead

Posted: November 10th, 2009, 3:12am CET

So Anne ended up doing really well at the OBX Marathon yesterday! She ran the 26.2 miles in 4 hours 15 minutes 40 seconds, which is 30 minutes faster than her last marathon time! It was one heck of a scene up there, with a total of almost 7,000 people running in the 8k, 1/2 marathon, and full marathon. What an event! Here is a little video showing the scene:

OBX Marathon 2009 from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

After we made it back to Avon, Drew, Stuart and I paddled out and caught some waves. It's been a really long time since I've surfed... It's just been so dang windy! Luckily, my first wave lined up perfectly, so I got a great ride, and built up some confidence for the rest of the sesh. Laura and Anne stretched out on the beach and snapped a few pictures of the action:

Drewski

Drew posted quite a few more pics and a recap of the Marathon here.

Keep an eye on that forecast! It looks like it's going to get pretty crazy out here... of course, you never know what you're going to get until it actually happens, but some of the forecasts have been touching on 50+ knot winds and waves in the 8+ meter swell range... Yikes!! I doubt it'll get that crazy, but I won't be surprised if the road gets washed out. I'd plan on being here by Wednesday afternoon or not at all. Oh, and make sure you don't have to be anywhere until next Tuesday, because that might be the first time you'll be able to leave!

windguru.com forecast as of Sunday evening. We don't see that shade of purple all too often...

Loop Face

Posted: November 8th, 2009, 12:56am CET

My, oh my, it has been windy... Until today. But that's okay, because we needed a break anyway. I strapped up Stuart with the GoPro camera yesterday for his Buxton Slick Sesh on a 4.7. Check out his flat water loop face:

Haha, nice!! I took a bunch of footage of him from shore, too, with Ace's hand-me-down video camera (THANKS ACE!!!) but it's going to take me a while to get around to editing anything.

In the meantime, check out this video from the Reunion Wave Classic. These guys scored some unbelievable conditions, it's pretty insane, really. Chargin' it, too!! Bear in mind, the wave breaks over a really shallow, urchin infested reef. Yikes!! My vote for best overall rider goes to Alex Mussolini, mostly for his smooth, yet aggressive, style... For example, his wave that starts at 1:20... unreal!! Although, it might be Thomas Traversa on Alex's gear, so, uhhh, yeah, maybe Thomas gets my vote. Don't skip out on the video's ending, either. Watch it all the way through for the grand finale!

Ravine on Fire from Arnaud on Vimeo.

Wicked, eh?? (For my Canadian readers, haha)

In other news, the shop will be closed on Sunday the 8th, because Drew and I are going up to Manteo to cheer on our ladies as they run in the OBX Marathon!! Wooohoooo!! These gals have been training hard. I think we're going to see some new personal bests! Wish them luck!

Old Road

Posted: November 4th, 2009, 12:54am CET

From the dunes, the setup at Old Road looks very tempting- little itty bitty waves lapping up on the shore, an inner bar that looks fairly heavy but fun, and then an outer bar that gently throws and fizzles for upwards of 50 yards... Very inviting!

Until...

...you actually step foot into the ocean. Immediately, the sideshore current sweeps you off your feet. And you realize that there's no shorebreak because the inner bar is shin deep and 25 yards wide, eventually opening into a little thigh deep tidal pool at water's edge. That fun looking inner bar now looks mean, as it sucks out below sea level, hurls a thick lip, and then continues to churn all the way in, coming to rest in the little pool that you're standing in.

A tiny puff fills your sail, just enough to lure you onto the board. As you drift with the currents, you inch your way closer to the heaving section. The water pushing in under the board gives you a sense of speed and power, that really isn't there. As soon as the tidal push evens out, you sink to the bottom, with zero actual sail power. Just in time to watch the next wave heave, peel down the line, and then spit it's churned up exhaust as the last section closes out just 5 yards in front of you. Ain't no gettin' over that one, so you get washed all the way back into the little pool, in a matter of seconds.

Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and declare "Old Road" as unsuitable for windsurfing, at least for now. Maybe with more wind? Here's the best moment of my windsurfing session this morning:

Other than that little swimming sesh, it's actually been really fun down here for the last few days! We've had decent wind every day, 4.7 or 5.2, decent temps, and that chilly, overcast, spitting rain that keeps most normal people indoors. Luckily, we as windsurfers, know how to make the best of a crappy day!

Looks like more wind through the end of the week, with an emphasis on Thursday and Friday, which might provide the first real solid NW blow of the Fall. Reef Run, anyone?

Telltales

Posted: October 30th, 2009, 3:52pm CET

It has been a super windy Fall, here on Hatteras Island. Wanna know how I can tell? Check it out:

These are some of the only flags left here in Avon. All of my shop flags have been completely thrashed by the relentless winds. Most everyone else already took down their tattered remains, and probably won't put up any fresh flags until Spring time. How will I ever know what direction the wind is blowing? : )
Stuart needs a shout out for yesterday's freestyle session at the Canadian Hole. He was ON FIRE out there, just killin' it on his 4.7. I'm going to need to chug some Red Bull to keep up with him... Yeeeehaaa!!

Wasted Wind

Posted: October 28th, 2009, 2:32am CET

Hi! Wow, this weekend was ALL over the place. We saw south winds, north winds, strong winds, light winds, sunshine and 70s, rain and 50s... Some of those variations were within a span of minutes! Regardless, lots of people flocked to Hatteras to go windsurfing, and man did we have fun! Personally, I got some time on the 2010 World Sail Surge, in a 4.7 and 5.2. They are feeling super light, very pumpable, and they go neutral very easily, making them a great choice for freestyle. I've got a few available for demo at the shop if you want to give one a try.

For lack of a better story: Last night we got hit with a major thunderstorm. It was gnarly. The iWindsurf.com wind meter at the Avon Pier recorded a gust of 51 mph! Wow! That same gust ripped a piece of the sign off of the roof at the shop. Luckily, the parking lot below was deserted, since it was 2:30 am. I'm kinda bummed about that chunk of wasted wind, because:

It was dark out (doesn't always dissuade me from windsurfing)
It was due to a major thunderstorm with tons of lightning (always dissuades me from windsurfing)
It woke me up in the middle of the night, so I then proceeded to oversleep, and missed the 5.2 dawn session
I have a new 3.7, but obviously, that was not a good time to give it a try

Source: iWindsurf.com

Looks like more wind over the next few days, and this weekend. Don't forget: ABK Boardsports clinic this weekend, Fri-Sun. Sign up here. Anne is taking the clinic, and I'm insanely jealous. She's probably going to be throwing flakas by Monday...

The Calm Before The Storm

Posted: October 24th, 2009, 4:56pm CEST

Serenity... I was lucky enough to enjoy a 15 minute sunset sail last night. SSE winds, 8-12 mph.

(Photo: Anne)

Week's Recap

Posted: October 23rd, 2009, 5:37am CEST

Phew- Alright- Here's the week's recap:

Early in the week, it was windy, and cold. It felt like winter, but Stuart, Justin, and I snagged the year's first good Buxton Slick sesh! Booyah!! There's no photo evidence, but it was sweet. How about a pic of Anne and Jenny de-rigging after their sunset sesh, instead:

Then the wind died but the swell was macking for a few days! Check out this video on Surfline to get an idea of the conditions!

Andy Brandt came to the shop for a THIRD FREE CLINIC on Wednesday! That has got to be some kind of record, we are hooking you guys up!! It was another good size crowd (50+), with topics ranging from The Sail Flip to The Shuv-It.

Then the swell faded and the wind hasn't come back yet. Today was as flat and windless as it gets around here, and honestly kind of rare. All of the beach goers and everyone who owns a Standup Paddleboard is still loving life, though. Warm and sunny all day today!

I'm loving life, too, because a few 2010 World Sail Surges showed up at the shop this afternoon!! They are looking sweet, with a cool color scheme and some nice construction details like lots of x-ply, hemmed batten sleeves, and a heavy duty double thickness head cap strap (among lots of other things, of course). I rigged up the 4.2 and am pretty stoked with how it looks. Can't wait to get some wind to try these sails out!!

And check out the sweet graphics on the Chinook Carbon Big Wave boom! Dang, lookin' hot! Give me a call if you want to get your hands on one!

It looks like we might get some wind this weekend... C'mon out and join us!

Super Fun Morning at The Cove!

Posted: October 16th, 2009, 6:07pm CEST

***Update 10/18/09*** Check out the re-cut on the vid! (It's not really different, just smoother edits)

I Love Windsurfing At The Cove! That place is just so much fun. Soft, easy waves, lots of jumps, and down the line rides... What a rad place!

It started off pretty small yesterday, so I sailed the freestyle board for awhile. It actually worked really well on the soft waves, but I don't know if I'd ever take it out on a more critical day. Once the wind came up a bit and the waves built, I switched over to the Pocket 80 and had an insanely fun time! There were lots of folks out, I think I counted about 10 windsurfers and another 10 or 12 kites at one point, which got a bit crowded, but no-one was really stepping on any toes or anything so it worked out alright. Here's the scene:

And a cool shot of Lane:

And here's some GoPro boom cam video:

I just want to shout out a major "Thank You" to Keith, Rick, and an unknown kiter who helped me get my board back after I had a little separation issue... Much appreciated, folks, thanks for keeping an eye out!!

Cheers, to many more days just like that!!!!

North Winds =

Posted: October 14th, 2009, 6:11pm CEST

Wetsuits!

It's been windy, every day! In the last post I made the claim that I hadn't put on a wetsuit yet. Well, yeah, that's all changed. I've been suited up every day since! I had a few Lighthouse sessions, in pretty weak waves but it's all good. Here's an image grab from some boom video:

See the Lighthouse in the background?

Yesterday was pretty solid, too, NNW in the AM so I went to the Hole and threw down some freestyle. The crowds were building just as I had to leave, but I took a few little video clips of Andy Brandt, Dave C, and West Coast Meredith on my way out.

Andy Brandt Old School at the Hole from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Speaking of Andy Brandt, he threw down a huge windsurfing clinic at the shop last night. I counted over 60 people before everyone even showed up, at which point it was impossible to even try to count! I'm stoked that everyone came out, it was a great time and I think everyone picked up a tip or two. Hopefully, they're all out on the water trying some new tricks right now!!

The forecast is looking... interesting... ? Keep an eye out for soundside flooding Thursday night/Friday morning...

Sorry, but...

Posted: October 11th, 2009, 2:02am CEST

...I've gotta rub it in!! Two things:

I haven't put on a wetsuit since May.
It's been howling!!

Last night and this morning were just awesome- Well powered 5.5 and 5.0 respectively, trunks and shirtless, freestylin' it up at the Canadian Hole with lots of people out and about on the water. If you're here, you're stoked! If you're not here, well.... Get Here and Join Us!! It looks like it's going to be a great week to be on Hatteras Island!

Check the forecast here.

And, an announcement:

Earlier, I announced a few free evening clinics at the shop with Andy Brandt. Surprise! We've got an addition to the list! Tuesday, October 13th at 7 PM! Be there, or be not as good at windsurfing as everyone who was there.

Rejuvenating...

Posted: October 9th, 2009, 4:20am CEST

So I've been pretty locked up in that shop... Combined with the shorter days, it's been a bit tough to hit the water... But I did snag 5 minutes of 4.2 weather Wednesday morning after teaching Craig some waterstarting techniques. I really enjoy sailing, even if it's only for a few minutes. Sometimes the short sessions are the best- just go out and throw down for five or ten minutes, make it happen as best as you can, and then go ahead with the rest of your day feeling revitalized and ready to rock and roll!

These guys were probably feeling the same way about their SUP sesh tonight:

One of the reasons I've been locked up at the shop is because it's pre-season time of year- as in, now is when we're placing orders for our 2010 shop goodies... So if you've been eyeing anything up or are in need of a new board or sail, please give me a call so that we can discuss your needs and make sure that your dream board actually exists come springtime!

IBSCC Week Roundup

Posted: October 3rd, 2009, 3:21pm CEST

Not too much action for me the last few days... But Anne and I grabbed a moonlight sail with the IBSCC guys last night, with 5.5 on the 100 Freestyle board. Super fun! Thanks for the hospitality, fellas! It was great having you around this week! After the crazy winds earlier in the week, they've been busy SUPing, and have put together some great little movies. Check them out here and here and here.

If y'all are looking for some more fresh material this weekend, check out:

var mag = new TinyCatalog(199639, "Oct 09 Windsurfer International Magazine Issue 02"); mag.setBackgroundColor("#FFFFFF"); mag.setSize(260, 183); // Change line below to link to an url // mag.setLaunchURL("http://www.dom.tld"); // mag.setTarget("_self"); mag.draw();
Windsurfer International Issue 2

And be sure to tune in to the Live Ticker for the PWA contest at Sylt! It's gusting over 40 knots with 5m waves right now... Sounds pretty epic!!

**Update** Tabou/Vandal team rider Alex Mussolini won the Sylt Wave Event! Check out some of the pictures on the PWA website!

And don't forget- Free clinic with Andy Brandt, Wednesday October 7th, 7 PM, at Sailworld Hatteras!!

Wave Jam, Take 2

Posted: September 30th, 2009, 7:39am CEST

So Monday ended up being extra windy SW!! After scouring the whole island, we ended up at Old Lifeguard Beach. The timing was such that everyone showed up exactly at high tide when everything got weird... The waves were doubling/tripling up, hard to read, voodoo chop inside, voodoo chop outside, the North swell instantly faded as the new South swell tried to take over... Tough conditions to make anything happen, to say the least... But everyone tried their best and did a great job out there!

Luckily, once the tide switched around and started pulling back out, everything reorganized. Just in time to rig down to a 4.2!! Even then I got yanked over the front while trying to drive down the line on a few waves... man that wind was punchy! Anyway, the sunset sesh was sweet, to say the least! I don't know that I've ever seen a bigger, redder, sun make contact with the dunes... It was very distracting...

Bill posted up a bunch of great pictures on OBX Beach Life (Thanks for shooting, Keith and Martine). Hint- if you click on a picture, a slideshow comes up, with captions.

While rigging, I snapped a few pics too:

Caleb, lining it up...

...And smacking it! (or getting smacked?)

I also tied on the ol' boom cam. I've had a bunch of requests for pictures of the GoPro Wide setup that I've been using, so here y'all go:

Put a safety knot in the straps (around the boom), and use the extra outhaul to tie a safety line around the camera itself.

Tie it up as snugly as possible, and angle the camera down towards the mast base for best results. In the camera menu, set the record mode to "upd" (upside down) since the camera is hanging upside down from the boom.

And here's what I got for video from the early sesh, on a 5.0 with the weird high tide waves. When am I going to learn to save the batteries for the real deal footage??? Oh well, something's better than nothing, right? :) Enjoy!

Wave Jam '09 from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Wave Jam 2009!!

Posted: September 27th, 2009, 5:26am CEST

Wave Jam is scoring some super fun conditions! It's not huge, it's not flat, it's not too much or too little wind. It's just plain old fun sailing. We've had two days straight of side/sideon winds in the 5.7-5.0 range, with waves in the waist to shoulder high range. Basically, Perfect Clinic Conditions!

Friday was NNE so we sailed at Old Lifeguard Beach. It was a blast. Very little current, very fun waves, lots of juice for some great jumps and backside/frontside hits. There were a ton of people out, and the energy level was way high. Very good stuff. Janice took A MILLION pictures (actually 1,583). You can check out the cream of the crop here.

Here's Stuart, on a wave indicative of Friday's conditions

Sailworld hosted a wave sailing clinic on Friday night. A solid bunch of people came out and listened to me wax poetic about the onshore-wind switch-stance clew-first bottom turn technique. Luckily they had beer to amuse themselves with.

The Crowd

We ran a bunch of Heats for the "Beast Of The East" Wave Jam competition all day Saturday. The wind had shifted to the East, so we ended up down at the Bathhouses in Frisco. It was very similar to Friday's sesh, except the current was stronger, the wind was flukier, and the waves were warblier. Regardless, it was super fun to head out for your heat and throw down whatever you could with what was available. Just hanging out on the beach was rad, with all the energy and stoked sailors. Everyone was looking to push their own personal limits, and the venue provided the perfect arena for wavesailing newbies and experts alike.

I'm sure Janice and George are tirelessly sorting through hundreds of photos as we speak. Keep an eye on Live to Sail to check out the latest action photography. Janice is a Superstar behind the lense, and George deserves some serious recognition for all the work he puts into his blog to promote windsurfing. Go Check It Out!!!

I just want to give a quick thanks to Bill for putting this whole thing together, and a huge thanks to all of the sponsors who helped to make the Hatteras Wave Jam 2009 a massive success!! Cheers, to a great weekend, and to future installments of the Hatteras Windsurfing Festival Series!!

Upcoming Fall Events

Posted: September 23rd, 2009, 6:53pm CEST

Wow, you guys have got it good! There is a ton of stuff coming up this fall. Check it out, and mark those calendars!!!

Friday, September 25th, 7PM: FREE wavesailing clinic at Sailworld Hatteras! This is part of the Hatteras Wave Jam, and is centered around getting newbies out into the surf. Come one, come all!!

Friday, September 25th through Sunday the 29th: Hatteras Wave Jam "Beast of the East" Wavesailing competition. Event locations/times TBD (condition dependent), although there will be daily "Meet and Greets" at 9:45 am at Sailworld Hatteras.

Wednesday, October 7th, 7PM: FREE windsurfing clinic with Andy Brandt at Sailworld Hatteras!

Wednesday, October 21st, 7PM: FREE windsurfing clinic with Andy Brandt at Sailworld Hatteras!

Tuesday, October 27th, 7PM: FREE windsurfing clinic with Andy Brandt at Sailworld Hatteras!

Monday, October 19th through Friday the 23rd: ABK Boardsports 5 Day Windsurfing Camp!!

Friday, October 30th through Sunday, November 1st: ABK Boardsports 3 Day Windsurfing Camp!!

Wow, that has to be some sort of record! This is going to be an EPIC FALL!!! Get Here!!

Tabou Rocket 125

Posted: September 20th, 2009, 10:08pm CEST

Quick update for y'all:

We're back to the NE winds again! It's not really cranking, but there's plenty of wind to sail. I've gotta tell you guys about my lesson with Greg. He's been tooling around his local pond for a month and a half, and has caught the windsurfing bug pretty bad, so he decided to come to Hatteras on a whim. He's a natural- I got him beach starting, into the harness, and fully lit up over the course of just one hour! He was going so fast that I couldn't keep up on my freestyle rig!! Needless to say, his smile was pretty big... And I have a feeling he'll be back to good ol' Cape Hatteras... He's gonna have to feed the addiction... haha

After the lesson I ran down to the Lighthouse and sailed with Keith for a while. It was pretty fun, although I was mostly schlogging. The waves were about head high, and they were lined up for a few good hits. Fun spot; we're lucky to be getting loads of days there so far this fall!

Last night I ran down to the Hole and rigged up some freeride gear for a change- Tabou Rocket 125 and a 6.1. Man it was fun to just go fast and lay into some jibes! That board is so smooth and fast, it's ridiculous. It's in the demo fleet at Sailworld, so you can try it out the next time you're in town. Check out the short vid:

Sailing the Rocket 125 from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Argiope Aurantia

Posted: September 16th, 2009, 9:23pm CEST

After our 11 day streak of Northerlies, we just made it through a few days of virtually zero wind. Luckily, there has been some swell, so we've been surfing it up, dawn and dusk. Got out on the SUP, too, and had a blast the other night. Check out the vid:

Evening Surf from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Fun stuff! Wendy and Roland were out last weekend, also, and just sent me a few pics. Killin' it!! Check 'em out:

Roland on the outer bar in Avon

Wooohaaa!!!

And then down in Frisco

Look at that smile!!

Wendy and her dolphin friends!

Anne and I have a hibiscus plant on our porch. I've noticed that some of the leaves were looking chewed up lately. This morning, I found the culprit:

And then I noticed this guy:
See it??

And then I went to get my board and almost walked straight into this little lady:

Eeeek! That thing is the size of a tennis ball!! Huge, and freaking scary. So I looked it up, and it's called an Argiope Aurantia- eeek! Sounds scary, eh? Then I got to the common name: Yellow Garden Spider. Not even remotely poisonous or lethal or territorial or anything. Sheesh, what a letdown... Stained the old underoos for nothing!

Can we please just go ahead and call it Fall already??

Posted: September 12th, 2009, 8:41pm CEST

I just checked the iWindsurf archives, and it's been blowing out of the North since Monday, August 31st. 11 days straight, with cooler temps, and punchy wind. I think we can go ahead and just say that we've moved on from summer... And right into one of my favorite times of year!! Yeehaw!

Tuesday, September 10th, iWindsurf meters

Donny Bowers at the Hole

Anne, 3.7 and 75 combo

Jim Krenzel

Anne, Mach 2 Jibe...

...Attempt :)

Don't forget to smile!

It felt too windy to do much more than loop and hero jibe!

After the big winds, it faded and went west... with a leftover northeast swell... which equals insane surf conditions! Again, the sacrifices were many- buckled and broken boards, and a bit of slice and dice action on some legs. Coulda been much much worse, but Stuart ended up with 11 stitches! Again!! More on that later...

That's way bigger than it looks...

Oh yeah- more insane sunsets, to boot!

Wave Jam is fast approaching! If you don't have your travel plans, you'd best get on it!! Free in-store wave sailing clinic on Friday, September 25th, 7 PM. And the competition is scheduled for that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday... Cross the fingers for waves and wind!!

More North Wind!

Posted: September 10th, 2009, 4:59pm CEST

Well, I can't believe it, but the North wind has held on... We've been sailing everyday!! It's starting to feel a little chilly- I had to put on an insulated rash guard yesterday... Oh, the terror! hahaha

The wavesailing has had it's ups and downs, so Stuart and I have reverted to the ol' Freestyle to have some guaranteed fun. Last night we ended up running an impromptu SuperCross race against each other. I can't tell you how much fun it was to chase a buddy: he loops, you loop, he spocks, you spock, he duck jibes, you duck jibe... All at top speed, trying to get in front... Fun fun fun!!

Sorry, I've been slacking on the photo/video documentation, but I'll make up for it. Check out this footage from the Reunion Wave Classic. It's a pretty sweet idea for a competition- Invite a handful of pros to a spot with guaranteed insane conditions, team them up with other pros and a handful of local hotshots, and peer judge the whole thing. The PWA has been doing a really good job lately of running some great comps, but they're a little tied down by their sponsors. These grassroots comps don't have the $$ to throw around but they're more free to move around to score the best conditions... so the images that come out of them are almost always just fantastic... But hey, judge for yourself:

Reunion Wave Classic 09_Teaser 2 from Open Ocean Media on Vimeo.

Wo! Pretty sweet, eh?

Tropical Storm??

Posted: September 8th, 2009, 9:07pm CEST

Hey hey- Hope y'all had a great weekend! First off- Thanks to everyone who took advantage of the Labor Day Sale!! I truly appreciate your business!! And if you're still thinking about something, just give me a call, I'll get you hooked up with the goods!!

Secondly- we scored some seriously beautiful sunsets for about 4 evenings straight! Check 'em out:

2nd night

4th night. Big file, grab yourself a new desktop!

Third- I think we're in the midst of a tropical storm! It feels like it, at least. We had huge thunderstorms last night, an insane amount of rain, the road is completely flooded in Avon, there was some solid wind damage in Buxton this morning, and the (cranking) wind started East, veered NE, to Due North, and is supposed to finish off at NW this evening. Looking at the radar, there was definitely something that looked like a center of rotation, slowly floating by just offshore... Hmmmmm.....

Anyway, Stuart, Jim, Jim and I chased Keith down to the Southside but were too late to catch it. Stuart and I tried, but the wind had gone extremely straight offshore, and was super fluky and gusty inside the impact zone. We'll just say that it was a whole heck of a lot of work... But we each caught a wave, so whatever, it's always worth it. Here's Keith while the wind was still about 10 degrees off of straight offshore:

Go Keith GO!!

Pretty lines...

So now I'm going to go grab Anne from school, and we're gonna hit the Hole for the sunset NW sesh!! Woohoo!!

Labor Day Sale!!

Posted: September 5th, 2009, 3:31pm CEST

Hey Folks! Just wanted to announce a sale for this weekend at Sailworld Hatteras! We're slashing prices on almost everything in the store, for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday ONLY! So come on down to the beach and check out the goods, or feel free to give me a call at (252) 995-5441 or shoot me an email. I'd be happy to help you out with anything you need, all you need to do is ask!

Shipping is available, or we can hold an item for pickup.

Some of the stuff ON SALE:

Sweeeeeeet......

If you do come down this weekend, you can expect a pretty hearty helping of NE winds... Should be a fun one! Hope to see y'all!

Lighthouse Video

Posted: September 3rd, 2009, 2:07pm CEST

Well the Lighthouse was working pretty well the last few days! When the wind stays more North than NE the swell never really pushes in the right direction to wrap around to the southside, so side/side on at the Lighthouse is pretty much the only option... Not that I'm complaining! The Lighthouse is pretty darned fun when it all lines up... The waves are a lot heavier than they look, and a little tricky to be in the right spot, so you do have to plan ahead a bit (especially with the whole current + light wind inside thing), but when it all lines up it's pretty sweet, with long down the line rides and sometimes some absolutely huge jumps...

I caught a little bit of footage with the GoPro camera. Of course, the half hour when the wind bumped up to the "lit" level was after the batteries died... Never fails... haha! But there's still some cool stuff in there... Check it out!

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

I caught a few pictures of Keith, too, before I went out last night (my trigger finger wasn't timing it right, Keith was making some sweet turns right before and after these shots):

The scene at The Jetty

Next up?? Keeping an eye on Erika...

First NE of the Fall!

Posted: September 2nd, 2009, 5:09pm CEST

I love this time of year... It seems like we always get the first good batch of Northeast wind sometime in late August or early September, and this year is not letting us down!

So, we all love that consistent summer SW wind... but the NE... is so comfortably cool and crisp feeling! I mean, it's still 80 degrees out, and the water's warm, but the humidity is all but gone. It's a welcome change...

It started to hit Monday evening, so Stuart, Dave, Dale and I caught a late sesh at the Hole, 5.5 and freestyle board, lovin' life (but sailing like poop). Same thing Tuesday morning, but I sailed much better. Here are a few pics from the GoPro boom cam:

Yup, sailing like poop! haha But hey, if you're not falling you're not trying hard enough, right??

Later in the afternoon, the waves started to bump up a notch, so Keith, Donny, Dave, Jim K, Stuart, and I went to the Lighthouse. We shared the water with a few kiters, surfers, boogie boarders, skimboarders, and swimmers... Etiquette was high on the priority list all the way around. Cheers!

Here are a few pics of Keith that I shot within 45 seconds of getting to the beach:

Needless to say, I rigged up pretty quickly thereafter... 5.0 and the Pocket 80. It was a bit light in the current on the inside, but overall it was a pretty sweet setup. Got some great jumps off, and a few really fun waves... Multiple turns, frontside and back... The Lighthouse is such a FUN place to sail!! So fun, that I couldn't be bothered to stop, for about 3 hours straight! I was starting to feel fatigued, when I heard a *pop* and looked down to see that my harness spreader bar had broken! Well, if I was tired before, that last reach back to the beach without a harness really took it out of me... Cramped forearms, biceps seizing up, the whole nine yards... But it was definitely all worth it, as the sailing was top notch fun!!

So, I stretched out and took pictures of Stuart in the fading sun. Check out the Stuart Show:

Loopin' off the first ramp... Good Man!

I love this picture!!

Big File if you want a new desktop

Another Big File

Yeah, loving the NE!! More today, hopefully tomorrow, and maybe even Friday too!! Yeah.... Fall in Hatteras!!!!!!!!! Woohooooo!!!!!!

Warning- Gruesome Pics Herein!!

Posted: August 31st, 2009, 4:08am CEST

So Danny, packing nowhere near the punch of his predecessor Bill, seems to have managed to take a few prisoners... Perhaps we were all caught off guard, for after Bill's full brunt of brutish bullying, Danny's demeanor seemed so... diluted...

I know of at least two boards broken clear in half.

I know of more than a handful of minor dings.

I know of at least three counts of bloodshed.

I guess that after focusing so hard, and expending so much energy to deal with Bill, we just couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Danny, and just wanted to have some fun. Turns out, Bill was the gentle giant, while Danny was the scrappy little punk who took a swing when you weren't looking...

The scene at S-Turns. I was most decidedly NOT there.

Here are a few of Danny's waves (Most pics by Drew or Laura):

Moi, southside shorebreak

Stuart, goofing around

Stuart, serious

Moi, goofing around

Goofing around, again

Warning- If the sight of blood makes you queasy, stop scrolling down and visit some other page.

So here's what happens when you stop paying attention, even for just one second:

Moi, no longer goofing around

Dan, not goofing around

And here's how you fix the ding that your face left in your surfboard:

Broke

Rough it up with sandpaper

Buy this stuff

Set up a piece of plastic to cover the repair area

Squirt said stuff into repair area

Cover with plastic

Smooth it out

Put it in the sun for 5 minutes

Remove plastic and sand the repaired area flush

Squirt in some more stuff to fill any divits

Try a tongue depressor to smooth it out

Put it in the sun again

Sand it down again

Viola! Good as new, if not a bit stronger!

An interesting aside- The board being fixed here was my polyester resin board that Stuart put his knee through. Dan dinged up his polyester resin board pretty well with his nose. My forehead cut?? Well, the recycled foam core bamboo mat epoxy resin constructed Imagine surfboard looked brand new after it bashed a hole in my head. The question then becomes- Would my forehead cut have been milder or worse if I were on a polyester board? Busted boards end up with exposed edges that can really tear you up... my guess is that it would have been worse, like Dan's (who needed multiple stitches).

All's well that ends well- Everyone has been surfing everyday since said accidents, and the waves have been really really fun!!

Looks like our first batch of Fall NE winds might be hitting this week! Keep your eyes on it!!

Cove Sesh!

Posted: August 29th, 2009, 3:12pm CEST

Nice! First Cove session of the Fall! 'Twas far from epic, but it was also much more fun than it looked from the beach... The winds were light ESE with a few puffs of about 20 rolling through, and holes in the single digits. The waves were mostly waist high with the occasional shoulder or head high set rolling through. Keith, Stuart, and I sailed, and there were about 5 or 6 kites in the air. Etiquette was top notch in all directions. Cheers!

I schlogged the Pocket 80 with a 5.5. The wind was fickle enough that I was almost never able to use the harness, so the arms got a solid workout. The cardio system and legs caught up to the arms while trying to waterstart in the impact zone with 8 mph wind. But the one *good* wave made all the effort worthwhile! It was clean, walled up, and begging for me to hit the lip on 3 solid down the line turns... mmmmmmm...

We all know windsurfing is addictive. But there's something special about a mostly lame session with 10 seconds of glory that just makes everything seem so sweet. It's tough to explain, but the possibility of being in the right spot at the right time and scoring that one fleeting moment of perfection keeps the fire so definitely alive... First, the yearning hits when you spot the perfect set wave breaking just out of reach. Then, eventually, the realization that it might actually come together for you, as you schlog yourself into position and see the horizon bump up as a set approaches. Finally, the excitement of following through and taking full advantage of the opportunity provided... It's such a simple thing, but so completely satisfying... Maybe because it doesn't happen that often, so it just seems that much sweeter when it does. Maybe because it took so much effort, that the simple reward seems so satisfying... Whatever it is, I love it!!

No pics, due to the far offshore action and lack of sunshine. Sorry!

The more time I spend on that Tabou Pocket, the more I love it... That nose shape just pops up and over whitewater like nothing happened, and the tail is so loose on the wave face... It's just so easy to sail... With these new shapes, performance wavesailing is so freaking accessible! Gimme a shout the next time you're around, and demo the 80 or the 85- Sailing in the ocean is already hard enough... There's no need to make it harder... Come try out the Pocket!!

Danny's surf, Day 1

Posted: August 27th, 2009, 7:14pm CEST

So I had a little accident last night... I took a hit from the rail of my surfboard, right on the forehead... It was just enough force to pop open a little gash, about 1" long, very shallow, but kinda wide... And if any of you have ever gotten a cut on the forehead, you'll know just how dramatic it can look... Well, I felt fine, but the faces of Drew, Stuart, and Daniel proved that I looked pretty dang far from fine! hahaha! Drew took a picture or two, maybe I'll post 'em up, maybe I won't... They're kinda gruesome looking... Luckily, no signs of brain damage yet... Good thing I've got a big thick Irish skull!

So anyway, I'm on dry dock for a few days while it starts to heal... Which is very challenging, because the surf is just gorgeous right now... I stopped by the beach while running a few errands this morning to shoot a few pictures of Drew and Laura. Pure torture to sit on the beach... But hey, being the designated photographer is fine by me, I like getting the pics just as much as riding the waves! Enjoy!

Drew, lining it up...

...and tucking in (yup, he made it)

Nice bottom turn, Drew!

Glassy, walled up, peeling... What more could you ask for??

That's one way to get out the back!

There were a few lefts coming through

Awwww, man!!

he he he he...

Better look where you wanna go, Dewski!

Laura, kicking out

You know it's good when no-one even bothers to paddle for a peak like this!

So, yeah, I'm a bit jealous, but it's all good. I needed a rest anyway, as it's been non-stop for a week or two now! And you should have seen how fast Kevin took off when I told him I'd watch the shop if he wanted to go surf! Haha, I think his shoes were on fire!

All eyes are on Danny now... Looks like he'll stay offshore and shoot the gap between Bermuda and here, just like Bill, but some of the models have him coming a little close...

Leftovers...

Posted: August 26th, 2009, 6:04pm CEST

Man the swell has just been super fun! We've been catching the dawn and dusk sessions for the last few days. The beauty of a glassy, windless ocean with nice clean waves is pretty tough to describe, especially when you add in epic sunsets, birds flying, and fish jumping... You've gotta experience it to know it I think...

I took a bunch of pictures this morning. Check 'em out, I left a lot of them as pretty big files if you're looking for a new desktop image... Enjoy!

Sea Oats in the morning light

Stu and Drew, looking like twins

The view from inside

Empty

Stuart

Drew

Drew

I finally got my hands on one of the Imagine Surfboards- the 6'1" Pocket Rocket thruster- the thing has such a nice feel on the wave, it's really responsive and super fast! It's a bit smaller than I'm used to surfing, so I'm training myself to sit a bit deeper to make the drops, but on the face the board is just unreal... Loving it! Give Drew or Kev a call if you want to get your hands on one of these things, you won't be disappointed!

Schlogging Bill's Leftovers

Posted: August 24th, 2009, 2:06pm CEST

So, the meters bumped up a bit yesterday afternoon! It was just barely windy enough for Keith and me to catch a schlog sesh out at Ego Beach. The shorebreak was ferocious, and the wind was super light, but the outer bar was working pretty well- it still had some size, and the big ones were crumbling top to bottom. Since the wind was so light, positioning was tough and it was a lot of work to make anything happen, but when it all lined up it was definitely worth the effort!

I only caught two really good waves, definitely overhead, and lined up for 2 or 3 really good down the line lip smacks. They were both "turn and burn" style- schlogging out, see it starting to stand up, jibe, and take off super steep and late... So none of the good waves were caught on film, because Anne had put the camera down and didn't expect the late drop in :) But she did catch a few pictures of some of the mediocre waves :) Thanks for shooting a few, Anne!!

Keith, lining it up

Deep!

Again

So, I've gotta tell you how impressed I am with the Tabou Pocket waveboards... I snagged the 85 for the sesh, instead of the 80, because I knew there would be some serious holes in the wind. I got clipped on the way out through the break just one time- by a very sizable set wave that broke about 10 yards out past me. I was literally just standing on the board with virtually zero sail power, and figured "what the heck, lets see what happens." So I stood strong, and gave a tiny little pump and "bunny hop" as the whitewater hit, and I kid you not, I bounced right up and over this overhead high wall of water! As light as the wind was in front of the wave, there was zero wind behind it (plus a little swirl), so I fell on the backside of the wave, but with sheer amazement that I even made it that far! There's something magic about the volume flow and nose shape of those boards... They handle anything you can throw at them, with ease!! Love 'em! (Not to mention the turns you can pull off......)

A Few Pics

Posted: August 23rd, 2009, 7:17pm CEST

Here's a sequence of Drew, Killin' It, Friday morning before it bumped up:

And here are a few pictures taken on Saturday at the Avon Pier. No picture can truly do justice to the size and power of this swell...

Outer Bar Bombs

Whitewater, as far as the eye can see

This was a quick swell, and it's already on the way out... Drew and I surfed this morning in some overhead peaks. It was fun, but really bumped up. I took a late drop and went over the falls on a decently sized one, and was literally giggling the whole way down... After Friday's experience, it just seemed, well... laughable!

Paddling out to meet Bill, face to face

Posted: August 22nd, 2009, 4:31pm CEST

Hurricane Swell... Sheesh. I actually bowed, in thanks, to the ocean last night after Stu and I were back on dry land. Not that we were ever truly in danger, but we did come out completely unscathed, which is pretty cool.

Stuart and I paddled out after work at about 6:45 PM on Friday. It was an endless battle, constant paddling and duck diving, for over 35 minutes (I was wearing my watch) and 1/2 a mile of lateral drift, before we finally managed to poke through to the outside. And by outside, I mean OUTSIDE. We were easily 1/4 mile offshore, well past the outer bar, well well well past the end of the pier. And there were still macking cloudbreak sets breaking on the horizon and fizzling all the way in to the bar we were *trying* to sit on...

One's mentality can change many times over when you're constantly barraged by endless piles of whitewater. And by the time you think you've finally made it, well, you most certainly haven't. That's tough to swallow. I nearly gave up, two particular times, but Stuart was persevering and I wasn't going to let him go at it alone...

There's a very distinct line between the aerated water and constant struggle of the inside, and the solid water and powerful strokes one can achieve once you finally break through to the safety of the outside... The moment you cross that line, you realize that there is actually a chance that you might make it. The bummer about crossing that line is that you are now smack dab in the crosshairs of the true impact zone for the bigger sets. Right where the majority of wave energy is expended... There was no relaxing.

The majority of the time I spent in the water, I focused on inhalation, exhalation, and heart rate control. Staying calm in big surf is paramount.

How big was it? It's impossible to put a number on it. I've windsurfed in over mast high waves (~15 foot faces), and this seemed to be regularly at least that height, with occasionally much bigger sets. My 6'3" squash tail board seemed impossibly small for the speed and height of these waves.

The more time we spent out there, the more used to the rhythms we got. And we got comfortable just looking at that size of wave, watching it stand up, learning when and where to scratch towards to make it through. If it had already broken, we'd paddle to the spot that had broken first, as that had already expended the most energy. If it looked like the shoulder was in reach, we'd paddle like mad to get there before it broke. Confidence built, a balance was reached.

I paddled for a few, but couldn't move nearly fast enough to get into them. Stuart got worked, taking off just a yard too far inside, but he got spit out with minimal harm and made it back out without much issue. Then...

...We're already out in the middle of the ocean. The pier looks like it's made of matchsticks, the water tower is a speck on the horizon. And a wave starts to stand up, impossibly far on the outside. Cloudbreak, when you're already in the clouds... The white water is fizzling towards us, 15 feet high, just to the right, while the wall that didn't break on the outside starts to jack up, tall and steep, to the left. It looks like we can make it, we start scratching, fast, out and to the left. We're gonna make it. We're gonna make it. We're gonna make it.

Stuart, 10 yards to my left, made it.

I didn't.

With one last, *calm*, breath, I watched the lip start to crest, many many many feet above me and 5 yards outside. I pushed the nose under with all my strength, then followed suit with my foot on the tail. I didn't get nearly deep enough, and knew it right away. First, the impact. Then, as I got pulled back over the falls, I bear hugged my board with all the strength my hands, arms, and legs could muster. Yes, I had my ankles locked around each other on the board, hanging on like one would hug a violently swaying tree from 30 feet in the air. There was no way that I was going to lose that board.

Eventually, I was spit out of the mayhem.

I caught a glimpse of Stuart as we both crested a wave at the same time, and gave him a wave. All's good! I had been pushed impossibly far to the inside, Stuart later estimated 50 yards. My sesh was over, there was no way I was making it back to the "outside" again. So I sat in the relative calm of the trough and waited to see what Stu had in him.

I pondered: Had I ditched my board, I probably would have been able to get under that wave, but certainly would have snapped my leash or broken my board in two. By holding on, I also limited the chances of random impact with the board or fins while getting tumbled. Yes, I spent a long time underwater, getting pulled along inside the wave, but it wasn't so long that holding my breath was challenging, and it deposited me well inside of the impact zone, meaning consecutive hold downs were pretty much out of the question. I'm happy with my decision, and will probably do the same thing if a similar situation presents itself in the future.

Stuart eventually paddled for another macker, and I watched the lip envelop him, and then saw him get pulled back over the falls. He came up with big eyes and a big smile, got back on his board, and got immediately worked by the next pile of whitewater. Again, big eyes and a big smile as he regrouped and made his way to the trough.

The shore break was HUGE, so getting out was a bit of a waiting game, and then a sprint to the beach. But, we both made it, unscathed, and joined the masses of people watching the ocean from the stronghold of dry beach. With zero waves ridden, but massive experience gained, and renewed joy of the beauty that life can bring, I gave a humble bow of thanks to the ocean, for she had shown her power to me with the authority, yet gentle grace, reserved for the uncontrollable forces of nature.

Swell's starting to show...

Posted: August 21st, 2009, 4:31am CEST

The surf is starting to build... Drew snagged a picture of me this morning (Thanks Drew!!):

A rare left, most everything else was peeling right

Stuart, Drew and I went out again this evening. It was fun but chunky. It definitely seems like there's some water pushing in and it doesn't all quite know where to go. Careful of rip currents over the next few days, folks! It's probably best not to even put your big toe in the water, if you aren't comfortable swimming in heavy seas...

Looks like tomorrow morning will still be in the fun range. By the afternoon it'll probably be starting to get out of hand. And Saturday looks to be off the charts... We'll see what happens... There might be some breeze, too, so we'll see if it's sailable...

The Mosquito Fleet

Posted: August 19th, 2009, 1:48am CEST

My jaw just hit the floor. I try not to get too excited about forecasts... but we've got the potential for some seriously epic conditions... The latest update has Saturday blowing straight west at 5 to 10, with a southeast groundswell at 10 to 12 feet at 14 seconds. This is certainly subject to change- Heck, it could be blowing 130mph out of the Northeast if the system just tracks a tiny bit west of it's current path... But sheesh! That is going to end up being absolutely huge, clean, heavy surf. Methinks the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" will be collecting quite a few freshly broken surfboards this weekend...

Honestly, 12 feet at 14 seconds will probably be just plain old too big for the beach. The sandbars can only handle so much. Might be interesting to see what the tow kids get into, way out on that outer bar...

Sunday looks like the day for the rest of us, with light North winds and a fading swell. Well, fading to 6 feet at 12 seconds, which is still insanely huge for this beach.

As I mentioned yesterday, I think I'm going to bust out the Mosquito Fleet. At 7'3" and just a touch over 20" wide, the thing glides effortlessly. I usually surf my 6'2" up to a few feet overhead at 9 or 10 seconds, but when it's 12, 13, 14 seconds, the waves are just moving so much faster that they're very hard to catch on a shortboard. The Mosquito Fleet was my first board, and I'm super happy that I kept it around, especially when I see forecasts like this one!

Her hiding place, right where a TV would sit in a normal household...

Buzz buzz

Long, trim, parallel rails, and very little rocker=fast fast fast!

The responsible party and dims. I will never get rid of this board.

Redman is a local shaping legend, and I feel lucky to have one of his boards.

The "Mosquito Fleet" board is named after a Civil War conflict that took place on Hatteras Island in 1861. The Mosquito Fleet was a Confederate offensive fleet who left Roanoke on ships in the middle of the night to retake Chicamacomico from the Federals. Long story short, the Federals saw them coming and retreated to the more solid fort at Hatteras Inlet, and the Confederates had trouble with the shallows of the Pamlico Sound and most of the offensive couldn't get to land anyway, so no-one really got hurt and the Chicamacomico Fort was abandoned by both sides for the better strongholds of Hatteras Inlet (Federals) and Roanoke Island (Confederates).

I like the story of the Mosquito Fleet, because the Roanoke guys manned up and decided to take an offensive against rumors of an outpost of 2000 Federals. Translating this to surf culture, it relates to going against all odds and charging, whether you think you'll make the wave or not.

Whether I'll charge 12 feet at 14 seconds remains to be seen :) It's entirely possible that it'll be way bigger than that anyway, since Bill is now a category 4 Hurricane with 135 mph winds gusting to over 160... And some of the buoys have already recorded seas over 20 feet...

Definitely gonna keep the gas tank full for this one... "Retreat!!!"

Just in time...

Posted: August 18th, 2009, 5:08am CEST

... to pick up my slack, the Beach Telegraph introduces:

Windsurfer International, an ezine, totally free, totally dedicated to spreading the stoke of windsurfing! Check it out, you won't be disappointed!

Also: Maybe you've surfed over to Dana Miller's little slice of the web already, but if you haven't, you should go check it out! It's just so dang Dana, it's ridiculous! Rumor has it, Dana may be sliding back over to the East Coast for a little while this Fall... I can't wait to see him back at the beach, and hopefully get a sesh or 30 with the man!

On a more local note- We're all anticipating the year's first real burst of Tropical action! Hurricane Bill looks poised to send us some solid swell... At the moment the forecast track has the storm running directly up the Eastern seaboard, shooting the gap between Bermuda and Hatteras Island sometime Saturday night or Sunday. All of the forecasts are keeping it out to sea a little ways, so hopefully it'll stay offshore and we'll just get some waves out of the deal...

I'm thinking of slapping the fins back in my 7'3" Mosquito Fleet... Its been a few years since she's seen salt water...

Your local launch?

Posted: August 11th, 2009, 5:19pm CEST

I love Hatteras in the summer! We've been getting hooked up with afternoon SW almost every day!! It's really perfect- we can all get a full day's work in, and right at quiting time the wind ramps up to perfect freestyling conditions- 5.5 on the 100 liter Tabou. Considering how often it happens, I should really be a much better windsurfer!! haha!

Every day has been just like this... Come join us!!

Sailing the Canadian Hole at sunset is really fun, and the sport of windsurfing gets a bit of a shot in the arm. The shoreline fills up with camera toting tourists just checking out the sunset, and the more windsurfers out there the better! Lately there have been zero waves, so lots of the local crew have been sailing the Hole. I love it, the level of sailing is high, the social scene is great, and invariably lots of people are seeing and asking about how to get into windsurfing.

How about your local spot? Is it tucked up in a small, barely accessible cove in the middle of the woods? Or is there a restaurant perched on stilts overlooking the action all day every day? As sweet as your private little secret spot might be, maybe hitting up the ol' downtown launch (overlooked by the masses) every now and again could help bring some more visibility to the sport!

(Please answer the poll in the top right corner of the page)

Killian Mansfield's "Somewhere Else"

Posted: August 9th, 2009, 9:10pm CEST

Hey Folks! I'm happy to be back in NC, refreshed and ready to rock and roll!

About a year ago, I met a 15 year old guy named Killian Mansfield at my buddy Chad's wedding. Killian brought down the house with a ukulele based rendition of Prince's song "Kiss." It was, simply put, awesome, and something I'll probably never forget. Killian (now 16) has put together an album entitled Somewhere Else, which is available on Amazon as a pre-order, due for release in just a few days! I can't wait to get my copy, as I'm sure it'll be chock full of some great music! The best part of the story- Killian has chosen a charity (Hope and Heroes) to receive proceeds from the sale of the album!

Unfortunately, there is some bad news associated with this story- Killian himself is having a rough time battling a rare form of cancer. I'd like to ask you all to help him realize the benefit he is providing his charity by purchasing a copy of the album, joining his facebook page, or even sending him an origami crane! (There's some more info about Killian on the origami page)

Thanks for any support you can give!!

Seven days with no posts...

Posted: August 2nd, 2009, 10:53pm CEST

...makes for one weak blog...

I'm ditching my computer/cell phone/electricity/all things related to human convenience for the next week!! Woohoo!!

In the meantime, call Drew and Kevin at the shop and pester them with questions about mast compatibility issues.

:)

See y'all around the bend...

Mo' 5.0!!

Posted: July 31st, 2009, 10:48pm CEST

Anne and I had a great session this morning, super lit on 5.0. I put the boom cam on to shoot some video, but I didn't strap the camera on tight enough, so the video is kind of shaky and hard to watch. Here are a few image grabs, though, to tide you over:

Look where you want to go!

Pop...

...and slide

Dang-it, time to go to work :(

Sweeeeet, it's still cranking out there!! Gotta go get some more before the sun goes down. See y'all out there!

Oh wait- gotta claim it- last night I nailed a clew first spock 540 and had a few really good slides on my bad side (port)! Stoked!

Energizer Bunny Wind

Posted: July 30th, 2009, 5:29pm CEST

Mo' SW. It just won't stop blowing! Of course, now that I said that, I probably skunked everyone... Sorry!

So I've sailed the same sail (5.0), same fin (14.5 cm), and same board (Tabou Freestyle 100), for 4 days in a row now. It's amazing how a little consistency can aid progression and boost confidence! Not that I'm pulling off anything crazy new, but I'm comfortable and confident with the random grubby, clew first spock, bad tack vulcan, and flaka attempts... Ahhh, dreaming of summers past, when the Bermuda High stuck around for 5 or 6 weeks straight... How long will it last this summer??

I've been slacking on the pics, but I do have a couple of poor quality images of Stuart that I threw in the photoshop rinse cycle to make 'em a little more visually stimulating. Hope you like 'em!

Stuart is getting his new board dialed in, and sailing like a champ!

Looks like a great weekend forecast. Time to take a Friday off and GET HERE!!

Finally a Bermuda High!

Posted: July 28th, 2009, 7:29pm CEST

Loving the Bermuda High! We're just a few days in to a nice long stretch of SW winds here on Hatteras. 5.0 for the last 2 afternoons, and more to come. Looks like Wednesday, Thursday, Friday are all going to CRANK, and maybe through the weekend, too! It's a good time to be here, that's for sure!!

Anne and I have been hanging out up at Island Creek with a big batch of Jersey kids who are all amped up on windsurfing! There are a handful of experienced sailors and quite a few newBs, so I'm gonna see how far I can get them this week. This weather setup is perfect for progression, since it's basically like the windsurfing equivalent of that Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. Moderate winds every morning, gradually building through the afternoon until you're lit up on a 4.5 or 5.0, from the same direction every day... I have no doubt that a few of the newBs will be in the harness and straps ripping by the end of the week! Sweeeeet!

Here are a few pics I took during last night's sunset sesh:

I had a friend on the hood of my truck

He wasn't too keen on the photoshoot, and a millisecond after this shot he leapt at the camera and ferociously attacked me. I'm not gonna lie, I shrieked like a baby! Now I know how the paparazzi feel...

Skip, litsky on a 5.5!

Skip, jibe entry

Anne, 4.7/75 combo

Happy happy!

oooh...

Ahhh... These last two files are big, if you want 'em as a desktop.

Should be a great end to the week down here... Might be a good time to take that long weekend you've been thinking about... There's even talk of holding another Summer Edition of the Hatteras Wave Jam...

Waves have arrived!

Posted: July 23rd, 2009, 6:22pm CEST

Finally a bit of swell in the water! Drew, Stuart, Laura and I had a pretty fun time this morning! Looks like it's going to stick around for a bit, too... And I think we might have some wind on the way... Could be fun!

I took all of these pictures in about 3 minutes:

Drew dropping in

Stuart getting back in front of it

He made it

Happy Stuart!

Drew

Nice, Drew!

Keep an eye on that wind!! It could be a great weekend to make your way out to Hatteras!

Wave Jam!

Posted: July 19th, 2009, 6:13am CEST

So, we had some great conditions for the ocean NewBs taking part in the Wave Jam on Friday! Strong, shifty, gusty wind and weird psycho chop. If you can sail that junk, you can sail anything :) hahaha Just Kidding, it was really fun and we all made the most of the conditions out there. I personally had a pretty good time. I was hooting and hollering at everyone, trying to get them to step it up a notch, when I realized that I really haven't learned anything new lately... So I tried my first one handed loops! I'm stoked, as they came around much more controlled than I thought they would...

Anyway, here are a few pictures that I took right when I pulled up to the spot. It was great to see everyone out there, and the energy level seemed pretty high. Fun sailing with everyone, that's for sure! Cheers, to more (and better) conditions the next time we all get out!

George, going up!

Keith ducking, Stuart spocking

The Beach Scene

For more pictures and reporting, check out George's blog Live2Sail!

So I'm sure y'all have seen the Philip Koester video by now... But I'm gonna paste it up here, too, to give everyone an excuse to watch it again. Here's some basic background info: Philip just won the PWA Pozo wave event, at the mighty age of 15 years old! Every little bit of action in this movie occurred during the 11 minute final against Victor Fernandez (reigning 3 time Pozo champ). Pretty much any single one of the jumps he throws would make my lifetime top ten most bad-@ss moments list if I were to throw it, yet he did it all within a whopping 11 minute time span... You get the point. Watch the vid and be inspired to go huge the next time you hit the water!

Looks like there's some swell on the way... Time to wax up the surfboards!!

Surfin' and Sailin'

Posted: July 14th, 2009, 9:36pm CEST

Lots of fun down here on Hatteras Island... We've had some great beach weather, some waves, and some wind to boot! No complaints! I don't have too many stories to tell, so hopefully you'll enjoy the pics. All shots from the beach taken by Anne! (Thanks!!)

Saturday's surf was glassy and fun, all day long, by all reports. Until, of course, closing time, at which point some SE wind gave the waves some insta-bump... Never fails! Oh well, bumpy waves are more fun than no waves at all!

Long one!

Still going...

Me and Drew

Speaking of Drew, he made an awesome announcement on his blog the other day! I am REALLY excited to check these puppies out! Just in time for hurricane season, too :)

By Sunday, when the wind really kicked up, the waves pretty much completely disappeared. Jim and I sailed at 34 in virtually non-existent surf, but juiced up wind, so it was fun. Here are some clew mount pictures:

Carvin'

Loopin'

Splattin'

Keep an eye on that forecast, folks! Looks like quite a bit of SW is ramping up at the end of this week!! Yeehaw!

Harness Line Length

Posted: July 12th, 2009, 12:06am CEST

Here's another short vid to help you size up your harness lines! Hope it helps. Try not to fall asleep.

Harness Line Length from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Wind is on the way!! Woohooo!!

Have y'all been following the Pozo Competition? Check out the Live Ticker if you get bored :)

Here, there, everywhere!

Posted: July 10th, 2009, 5:36am CEST

It's been a fun summer down here on Hatteras Island! We've been surfing, sailing, SUPing... Down in Frisco, Buxton, here in Avon... Dawn sessions, sunset sessions, lunch break sessions... All the sports, all the places, all the time! :)

On Wednesday night, Stuart, Drew and I SUPed at sunset. The waves were alright, knee to chest high and pretty weak but clean. The tide was getting higher and higher, so we were moving closer and closer in toward the beach until we were basically dropping in on the shorebreak... on 10 foot boards... race down the section and kick out, or else! haha... no broken boards or necks so all's well that ends well. But as the sky lit up, pinkish-purple, with teal blue water underneath and reflections all around... Dropping into a wave was a task teeming with distractions. I'll never forget the visions of reflected purple sky morphing into teal blue water as your eye traveled up the contour of the wave... Indescribable really... I should have brought a camera out there... Sorry!

Wendy and Roland have been enjoying their Stand Up Paddleboard, too. They sent in a few pics from down in Frisco last week- Check 'em out! Sweet, thanks for the pictures!

We had a bit of NE wind Thursday. Stu and I sailed a morning sesh on our freestyle gear in side-onshore conditions at the lighthouse. Sheesh, it was fun! I guess we were inspired by all that Lanzarote footage. The freestyle boards plane up instantly, so even though conditions were far from ideal we were able to throw some perfect forward loops on the outbound tack and found the occasional ramp for a back loop attempt. The jumps, coupled with a few decent waves here and there, made for a much better sesh than I thought it was going to be when checking the conditions from the beach. Stoked on that one, for sure!

We went back for more this afternoon. I sailed a 5.0 on the Pocket 80. The waves had kicked up a notch, but the wind was a bit spotty. I was lucky enough to get a few down the line rides and throw a bit of spray, but I didn't have the juice to throw a single jump. I'm really impressed with how early the Pocket planes up, with virtually no sail power. It was kind of weird to see a ramp, and have board speed, but not be able to do anything with it because the sail was running completely on apparent wind and there was no juice to work with. Oh well, those backloops will have to wait until another day...

Tangent Dynamics Reapers!

Low and behold, the Tangent Dynamics weed fins have arrived! I know a lot of you have been waiting for a pretty long time for these puppies... I now have most fin boxes available in the bigger sizes, so give me a call at the shop or shoot me an email and we'll get you hooked up with a new fin!

Keep an eye out for wind on Sunday- It could be worth the trip! And, Pozo is about to start, so keep an eye on the PWA website for details and updates! They did a great job covering Lanzarote, I hope they keep up the good work!

4th Recap, PWA Lanzarote Event

Posted: July 6th, 2009, 5:58am CEST

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! We had our fair share of fun down here in Hatteras, that's for sure! HIB has a bit of a tradition running, hosting a party for the last 7 (or so) years in a row. It's pretty sweet, since the fireworks are right across the street at the Avon Pier. So we had a band playing, the grill was fired up, and everyone had a great time!

Drew's got a big smile on his face for some reason

Some of the crowd

Some of The Band (who were awesome, by the way)!

The Surfing and sailing has been ok for the last few days- nothing epic, but I've had reports of a few hours of wind here or there, and some fun little waves around low tide. Wendy and Roland, and Rob, have all come in with stories of SUP glory and huge smiles on their faces :) You're skunk proof with a SUP, that's for sure!

On to some worldwide sailing news- Gollito and Sarah-Quita just won the PWA Lanzarote Freestyle event! This is such a cool place to have an event... When conditions line up, they've got big ramps on the outbound tack to throw huge jumps, and semi-smooth water inside for the more "traditional" freestyle spinny moves. I think it's a much more interesting, vivid, and radical set up for a competition, where competitors can really go all out and show some of the best stuff windsurfing has to offer (except for actual wavesailing). But whatever, check out the video of the last day of competition and make up your own mind:

Sweet, huh?! Let us know what you think in the poll on the top right!

Threading Your Downhaul Line

Posted: July 2nd, 2009, 8:42pm CEST

How-To:

Properly threading your downhaul line reduces line wear, and, more importantly, keeps people like me from constantly bugging you while you rig. Check out the proper method:

Threading The Downhaul Line from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

"Bueller?... Bueller??... Bueller???... Anyone?... Anyone?..."

Ocean Sailing Video

Posted: June 27th, 2009, 11:50pm CEST

Still buzzing from that swell... Which is Still Lingering... Sweet...

Anyway- I put together a short vid from 2 different ocean sailing sessions last week. The first one was powered 5.0 in nonexistent surf, the second one was barely schloggable 5.7 in head high surf. Both were really fun :) Enjoy!

2 Ocean Sessions from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Stuart, Anne and I showed up at the beach last night just in time to rig up and then hear some thunder... Doh! So we did a "Lightning Fast" de-rig, got back in the truck, and got the heck off the beach! The sailing looked pretty fun, but it certainly wasn't worth getting electrocuted for ;) Ken and Bill said it was pretty sweet for about an hour or two.

Check out that sky! We ended up getting quite a light show, but from the safety of our house...

Looks like a few lightwind days approaching... But keep your eye on those weather charts- Dare I say it... (Bermuda High?!)

Summer Swell

Posted: June 26th, 2009, 3:05pm CEST

The first swell of the summer has arrived....... Life is good! We've had days and days of fun swell, with some wind mixed in here and there for sailing, and even some light west to clean it up for some butter smooth surfing....... ahhhhhhhhh........ I'm sooooo tired....

We didn't think to stop and take any pictures until after we had had our fill and it started to back off a bit and get bumpy... So these are representative of some of the worst conditions from the last four or five days!! Yow! Anne is responsible for most of the pics taken from land (Thanks Anne!)

Keith, Ken and I sailed one of the first days in super light on-side-on wind. I tried a 5.7 on the Pocket 80. Man, that board schlogs like a champ! I think a 5.5 would be perfect... I'm gonna have to update my quiver a bit.

Keith!

Author

Author again

On to the Surf! I have no idea how many waves or even how many boards I've ridden... Shortboards, longboards, SUPs... They've all been in the mix!

Drew!

Anne!

Laura!

Drew!

Author!

Happy Anne!

Drew!

Laura on a looooooong one!

Stuart!

Looks like wind this afternoon and tomorrow! Some of this swell might stick around, so it should be FUN! See ya out there : )

Happy Father's Day, Windy Weekend!

Posted: June 22nd, 2009, 2:25am CEST

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I know it's raining and gross out up north, but hopefully you had some fun anyway. Here's a picture of us burning the midnight oil playing pool a few Christmases ago:

Dad, lining it up!

We're just finishing up a windy weekend down here on Hatteras Island! Gotta love it when the weekend warriors can score some fun conditions... Saturday saw some pretty strong SW breeze all afternoon, but unfortunately the tide was too high to take advantage of the little bit of swell out there. So, we freestyled it up at the Hole! Good stuff, pretty well powered 5.0 on the Tabou 100. The 540s were coming with ease... time to try something new and start falling again :) Actually, everyone was pretty amped up- Wendy claimed success with tacks and duck jibes, Roland nailed a few willy skippers, Contos was working on the duck jibes, Ken threw a few loop attempts, Drew was going fast and staying upwind, Anne got on 24" lines and Keith tried out my 28" harness lines! Sweeeeeet....

I remember seeing a GoPro video from one of the Maui sites, maybe Kanaha Kai (?), with a pretty cool under boom mount, looking forward. I decided to give it a try, and I like the outcome. I can see it being really handy for dissecting a move, because you get a great view of the sailor, the gear, and the water conditions. Anyway, here's a quick vid- what do y'all think? Worth exploring some more?

Canadian Hole, Boom Mount from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Stuart, Marty, and I sailed again this afternoon, after the wind switched north. 5.0 again, but this time on the Pocket 80 and in the ocean. Not much wave to speak of but some fun jumps. I set up the GoPro again and got some cool footage. I'll probably pull some clips out at some point but in the meantime, check out a few image grabs:

duck jibe

side-on bottom turn (clew first, switch stance)

loop

touchdown!

Facebook is blowin' up with windsurfing pages! Check 'em out and join in the fun-

Windsurfing Magazine

Windsport Magazine

East Coast Freestyle

East Coast Wavesailing

Hatteras Island Boardsports

Looks like some more wind for the next few days... Hope to see ya out there!

Int'l Surfing Day/Surfrider Foundation

Posted: June 18th, 2009, 5:35pm CEST

On June 20TH, the Surfrider Foundation and Surfing Magazine will present...

THE INTERNATIONAL SURFING DAY
SURFRIDER FOUNDATION
MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE

Here's the deal: Join or renew your Surfrider Foundation membership on International Surfing Day, June 20th, 2009, and Surfing magazine will print your name in its upcoming Green Issue! That way, not only can you brag to your friends that you finally got in Surfing magazine, you can also show them that you're down with keeping our oceans, waves and beaches clean and healthy.

In addition to getting your name in the mag and receiving a year's membership to the Surfrider Foundation, we'll also throw in a special limited edition International Surfing Day t-shirt.

All this for only $20.00!!

And for those of you who really want to go big, we're also offering this killer deal:

Join or renew your membership for $620 (as in 6/20) and you'll get your name AND YOUR PHOTO in the magazine!!

In addition to your Surfrider Foundation membership, you'll get the International Surfing Day t-shirt, a subscription to Surfing magazine, a Dakine deck pad and leash and an ISD water bottle.

ISD 2009 watch

To top it off, we'll throw in a limited-edition, 25th Anniversary Surfrider Foundation Casio G-shock solar paneled watch!

These offers are only available on International Surfing Day! Go to this webpage on 6/20.

I received the above in an email from Surfrider, and it seemed to be an appropriate message to pass on to as many people as I can. If you'd like to sign up to be a member of the Surfrider Foundation, go to this webpage on 6/20/09 and click on "Become a Member."

The time has never been better, really. Locally, the Outer Banks Chapter of Surfrider is spearheading a campaign to head off an attack on our local beaches by the petroleum industry. Here are some excerpts from a recent email I received from them:

The purpose of this letter is to introduce you to our “Clean Beaches=Healthy Businesses” campaign to stop drilling for oil or natural gas off of North Carolina and to invite you to attend our June 20 informational rally and International Surfing Day event at Bonnett Street in Nags Head.
With last year’s lifting of the federal ban on offshore drilling — and Bush’s last-minute allowance of rigs within three miles of America’s coast — North Carolina is once again in the position of battling back petroleum interests. If it seems like we’ve been here before, we have — roughly every 20 years. But the current fight is our most dire ever since the economic crisis has weakened public support for environmental issues.

If that’s not frightening enough, this March, commissioner Richard Johnson suggested Dare County ‘revisit’ their position to keep oil off our coast. And, from our understanding, as least half of the board is leaning in the direction to let the petroleum companies in, even though NC’s coast generates $15 billion every single year [2002, The Marlow Co.] — $12.5 billion directly from the beach — compared to just $24 billion that the Mineral Management Service estimates the state stands to earn from revenue-sharing from offshore leases after 30 to 40 years.
In other words, our elected officials are seriously considering risking $450 billion in reliable revenue for a chance at $24 billion down the road.
Also: if you haven’t already, please submit a public comment to the Department of Interior ([mms.gov]) by Sept. 21. They’re gathering as much input as possible before suggesting which states should get derricks. And even if the current administration is less petroleum-happy than the last, they will gladly sacrifice whatever state seems willing in order to seem ‘reasonable’ to the public at large.

The good news is our chapter fully believes we can fight this one. We had our first meeting down south at Lisa’s Pizza in Rodanthe last week — as well as tabled the Real Triple S kiteboarding event in Waves — where we received lots of positive feedback and got a good chunk of stickers and petitions out. No matter their political leanings, most local businesses seem to recognize that claims like ‘drilling is clean’ and ‘save money at the pump’ are just false promises to get leases while the climate is ripe to snatch up offshore rights. Now our job is to convince our elected officials to listen.
If you can’t make the June 20 ISD event, please go to www.surfrider.org/outerbanks and sign the individual petition there. If you’re a coastal NC business, sign the ‘business sign-on’ as well. And for more info on why this is a terrible risk for our livelihoods and way of life, check out www.nottheanswer.org.
Or, consider this fact: at the kiteboarding contest last week, the only Gulf Coast resident we couldn’t get to sign the petition worked for an oil company – and that was his only reason. Otherwise, any person who’d ever lived in the shadow of oil derricks couldn’t grab a pen fast enough – including a woman who also worked for an oil company in Houston, but still signed because – in her words – “Galveston’s a s--t-hole.”
That’s why she flew from Texas to Hatteras. That’s why people come all the way from Quebec. Why Pennsylvania tourists come here – instead of Jersey. It’s why Jersey residents drive eight hours south instead of their very own beaches: to enjoy a purely natural ocean experience, free of not just oil rigs but the very image of big industry and pollution.

So, if you have a second, and care about Hatteras staying Hatteras-ey, please check out some of the links, sign the petitions, support Surfrider, and help make a difference. I don't want to risk getting oil gunk lodged in my sinuses the next time I get worked at the Lighthouse. Do you? And as most of my readers are visitors from out of town, your names mean more on the petitions, since you're basically saying that you would not come back to Hatteras if there were oil rigs offshore and petroleum funk on the beaches! Thanks for your help!

Wee Waves (video)

Posted: June 14th, 2009, 1:20pm CEST

I know I said that summer was here last time, but now it's really here... The only place that it really shows is at the Food Lion, in the form of huge lines and bare shelves. So we usually shop at the Village Grocery, at the northern traffic light in Avon. Better food, no lines. Just a head's up, in case you want to support a local business and don't want to spend all day getting your groceries : )

Fun little waves, and a bit of wind lately, although I've been getting scammed by some 6PM thunderstorms rolling in across the sound right at closing time... So this morning, I'm finishing my coffee and getting out there, no matter what!

I did put a camera on my noggin for a sunset SUP the other night. Check it out:

Piddly knee high SUP from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

I've been teaching lots of beginner lessons, too. I'm a one man show at the shop these days... Putting in the hours, for sure. It's fun to get out there and spread the stoke around though, so I don't mind the long days! Check out Michelle, grinning ear to ear after learning heli-tacks on day one!

Now that's a happy camper!

Swing on by the shop and get yourself and/or a friend signed up! Time to learn the most fun sport in the world! See ya out there :)

Full-On-Summer

Posted: June 8th, 2009, 5:38pm CEST

I have zero action pictures for you... but trust me, it has been super fun down here lately! We've been surfing and sailing our butts off, every free moment! I can't claim any epic conditions, but it sure has been fun... Lots of SW wind last week, some great freestyling weather, and a big blow on Friday finally kicked up a little swell. Stuart and I sailed most of the afternoon at "The Bush" aka "alter-ego" aka "across the street from D's spot." There was a short guest appearance by Keith, too, but he bolted pretty quickly. It's a fun little spot, although a bit inconsistent on the sets and gusty on the wind. Those are the conditions that really make you adapt a lot and therefore learn a lot, though, so I'm not going to complain! It was fun to share the water with some kites, too, including Jay, Lane, Pam, Brad, George, Dan, and some others that I didn't recognize. Good to see y'all out in the side-off!

Oh wait- here's a helmet cam image grab from some Canadian Hole freestyle action the other night:

3/4 of the way through a one handed spock

I'm happy to report CRYSTAL clear water. I'm talking the kind of crystal clear where you can see little pebbles on the sandbar, 8 feet deep crystal clear. It's downright gorgeous. While sitting out a lull in the sets last night, two little 2" long brown and yellow striped fish decided to seek sanctuary around the nose of my board. It was really interesting to watch them dart around with all of the currents and little bits of wave energy pushing them around, yet they never drifted more than 6 inches away from the nose of my board. I was thoroughly entertained, until a big set wave woke me up from my trance by crashing on my head...

Speaking of gorgeous, a few little rain showers here and there and some nice warm intermittent sunshine has made the flower gardens spring to life. I felt bad for y'all, not having any action pictures to share, so I snapped off a few pics of the flora around my house. Enjoy!

Maybe some more moderate SW this week, and the end of the week is looking great for wind! Swing on by the shop and grab the Serenity or a stand up paddleboard if you're jonesin' to hit the water!

Shorebreak Lessons

Posted: June 2nd, 2009, 2:27pm CEST

Happy June, everyone! And, Happy Birthday to Drew!! Yeehaw!

Stuart and I took Anne windsurfing out in the ocean the other night. It was pretty flat, except for a sizable shorebreak... so it was good practice at least, to get used to launching and landing. Anne asked me to demonstrate how to best get on and off the beach. Let's just say that it quickly turned into a "How NOT to get on and off the beach" demonstration! Haha, I had sand lodged in places that I didn't know I had places! I think that I learned more than she did... Anne did great, despite the quality of instruction, and made it off (and back on) the beach unscathed, even having to punch through a big barreling section! She's ready for the big league, now!

Anne "staring down the barrel"

The Latest NEWJ came out the other day! It's a Hatteras rich edition, with a recap of Windfest, a gear tweaking lesson learned (and passed on) by Stuart, and an ocean sailing lesson by me. There are some great Lane Dupont and Rick Eustis pics in there, too! Not to mention, Robby Naish on the East Coast!! Wanna know more? SUBSCRIBE (or call the shop and I'll sell ya one)!

Lots of South winds on the way! Should be a fun few days here... it's looking like a great time to call in sick, load up those trucks, and make a Hatteras blitz!

Sanity Savers, AKA...

Posted: May 31st, 2009, 9:18pm CEST

...SUPs. They turn mediocre conditions into really fun days on the water!!

That Starboard Drive 10'5" has been treating me REALLY well the last few days! We've had beautiful days with light winds and about waist high surf, and that board has kept a huge smile on my face! Stuart and I went sailing on the SUPs the other night in a sideshore wind, about 5 gusting to 12 or 14. We each caught about a thousand waves, and got crushed a few times, too! Those things keep you honest, for sure! Still, there's no other style of board that would have worked better for the conditions, so I'm stoked that I've got it at my disposal... Swing on by the shop and try it out some time, I guarantee you'll have fun!

Friday saw some good Southwest wind. There were a whole bunch of people out at the Hole on anything from 4.2 up to 6.0, as it was pretty gusty. I split the difference and had a good time on 5.0 and the 100. No complaints!

Last night was really fun. The swell dropped out to pretty much nothing, and the wind was super light, so we loaded up the truck with SUPs, some charcoal, a grill (thanks Tim!!), and a cooler full of beer meat and veggies and headed out to the beach. It ended up being a beautiful night for a paddle, with crystal clear bluish green water and a nice clear sky. Drew, Ralph and I had some fun paddling around and watching the schools of spanish mackeral swim under the boards. Wish I had brought a fishing pole to go trolling! Oh well, maybe next time...

Drew, Laura, Banana, Anne, Moi, Leah, Ralph (L-R)

It's SW at about 20 right now... and the forecast actually looks halfway decent for the next week or so... So come on out and join us for some fun!!

Anne's B-Day Toast!

Posted: May 29th, 2009, 4:10pm CEST

It was Anne's birthday on Wednesday! Woohoo!! Happy Birthday Anne! Not too much wind to celebrate with, but lots of fun surf! Drew put together a little post on The Pursuit of Paradise that I got a chuckle out of... We had a party, and I decided to give a toast- Check it out!

Anne's Birthday Toast from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

: ) Oh yeah, it's true!! Wooohoooo!! : )

Summer's Here!

Posted: May 26th, 2009, 4:07pm CEST

What a beautiful weekend we just had here on Hatteras Island! I traded in the windsurfing gear for surfboards and SUPs as the wind lightened up quite a bit, although there were some brief moments of plane-able breeze if you knew where to look. It's been so freaking windy lately, though, that I was happy to just go surf it up in the knee to chest high waves. We've got a magic little bar here in Avon that seems to be picking up just about any little bit of swell... But I'm not giving up any secrets so don't bother asking! hahaha, just kidding... The more the merrier, as far as I'm concerned :)

I decided to put the Starboard Drive 10'5" SUP into demo for a some of the W.E.T. group who wanted to try it out... And boy am I glad I did (because that means that I get to ride it now, too)! Man that board is sweet! It's nice and surfy, fast, and very well balanced, which makes it super easy to ride. I definitely surfed out of a few completely ridiculous situations/positions that I never would've pulled off on any other board I've ever ridden... Period. 'Nuff said. Come try it out for yourself!

Starboard Drive 10'5" SUP

The Dims and Responsible Parties

Perks

I can't wait for a tiny bit of breeze so that I can toss a sail on the thing and see how she does... I can only imagine that it'll rip, based on it's paddle performance!! Anyway, it was fun sharing a few waves with everyone (Anne, Tim, Stuart, Kevin, Dan, Wendy, Mac, Wendy and Roland, Drew, the guy from Montreal with the Imagine Eco-Surfboards, among others)... Hopefully that little swell will keep doing it's thing...

Looks like potential for a little SW build Thursday and Friday... Keep your eyes on it!

Tetralogy

Posted: May 22nd, 2009, 7:05pm CEST

First: Happy Birthday to my Mom!!!

Second: Anne took the ABK Clinic a few weekends ago. She's always been fun to watch sail, but now she's officially REALLY fun to watch because she blows up on almost every reach trying something new! Suddenly, though, I've reallized that she's more bad-ass than I am, and that she's showing me up out on the water. Thanks a lot, ABK. Sheeesh. I was filming with the GoPro helmet cam the other day when it was blowing 30 plus out of the North. Anne's out there killin' it on her 3.7 and 75, and all of a sudden, she busts this out of her bag of tricks:

Anne Shuvs-It!!

"????????? Where the heck did that come from ????????"

Dangit! Time to play catch-up.... Just goes to show how valuable an ABK Clinic is though, doesn't it?

Here are a few more image grabs:

Any guesses?

Any guesses?

Third: Drew is awesome! Check this out!!

Fourth: Looks like light wind over the weekend, and plenty of fun sized surf to play in. Surfing, light wind freestyle, SUPs, and cruising on the Serenity will be the name of the game. Colin knows how much fun the Serenity is. Do you?

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone! Get out there and get wet, even if the wind doesn't blow!!

Cold Snap!

Posted: May 19th, 2009, 9:40pm CEST

Sheeesh, you know you're getting spoiled when 55 degrees feels absolutely frigid! All of the Canadians have been walking around in shorts and T-Shirts, meanwhile I busted out my big puffy down jacket last night! Anyway, this cold air is rushing down in the form of heaps of North wind... So we've been hitting the Lighthouse...

I took a solo mission on Monday morning. It was freezing cold, spitting rain, gusting up to over 40 mph, with waves about logo high on the inner bar, if not bigger... It was a "full concentration" session, one of those days where you couldn't let your guard down for one second, as there were rogue waves breaking just about anywhere and everywhere, without much rhyme or reason. Pretty much classic Lighthouse! Anyway, I put the helmet cam on my noggin so that you guys could come along for the ride. Bear in the mind, the waves look tiny, but I assure you, they were not! Enjoy:

Solo Survival Sesh from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

One of the interesting things that comes out of wearing the cam- I know for a fact that I only windsurfed for 5 minutes and 20 seconds yesterday morning! And I'll tell ya, that was plenty to satiate me for the rest of the day! Here are a few freeze frames from that movie:

"don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall....."

"don't fall don't fall don't fall don't fall......"

Anyway, Stuart and I grabbed a sunset sesh at the Hole last night, freestylin' it up on the 4.2 and 100 combo. It was just about the complete opposite of my morning sesh- all fun, little fear! I tried a few clew first vulcans, but to little effect... gotta work on those, for sure! Here's the sunset:

How does that saying go? "Red sky at night, ..."

Olaf, Stuart, Brad and I sailed again this morning, at the Lighthouse. 4.2 again, lit up pretty well in the gusts, and comfortably planing most of the time. It was another "concentration" session... dodging heaps of whitewater... Kinda fun after the fact, kinda scary during!

Word is the Southside got really good late this morning as the tide started to push back in, with side off wind and nice clean faces... I happened to check the Frisco Cam on Surfline.com and noticed someone out sailing! That's gotta be the first time that's ever happened?! I don't even know where the cam is...

I think I'll go try to find it after work!! : )

Clinics, Wind, and Waves!

Posted: May 17th, 2009, 6:09pm CEST

Busy busy busy... Where to start?? Chronologically, I guess.

Andy Brandt of ABK Boardsports came to Sailworld and gave a free windsurfing clinic on Tuesday night! Yeehaw! These things are fun, and everyone always walks away with a ton of new knowledge. Imagine how much you could learn from him on the water?!

Lots of questions, lots of answers!

Bits of wind here and there, with some fun SW most every day it seems. Here's Stuart packing up at the Canadian Hole the other night after a 5.0 freestyle sesh:

I gave another forward loop clinic on Friday night! It was sponsored by Sailworld Cape Hatteras, and part of the Hatteras Wave Jam 2009. Attendance wasn't epic, but neither was the forecast... A lot of times those two things go hand in hand. We did, however, have two of the crucial elements for a Forward Loop clinic:

Willing participants, and cheap beer!

As I said, the forecast wasn't great, but Saturday afternoon ended up being awesome! George, Bill, Andres, Olaf, Keith and I caught it up at Ramp 27. Half and half schlogging/powered on 5.5 and my Pocket 80, with waves in the thigh to overhead range! The big ones were pretty heavy, with some solidly barreling lips breaking in knee to thigh deep water... I was amazed that I didn't break anything, as I definitely took some nasty spills... until I started derigging and noticed that my extension was cocked over 30 degrees! Oh well, better a $60 extension than a $300 mast half!!

Bill on a nice one!

Olaf in the pocket!

Fun sequence of me kooking out:

We followed the sesh with a fun sunset Barbeque on the Beach. Good Stuff!!

Anne and me (check out the rad Wave Jam T-Shirt!)

Oooooh

Janice on grilling duty!

This morning we've had some fun SW in the 20 mph range, but we're expecting a big front to push through pretty soon here... I've been watching it on iWindsurf.com as it pushes south- it's blowing North at 35-45 up in Norfolk right now, and just switched North at Elizabeth City... And now Pea Island... Still warm and SW here, but not for long : )

Outer Banks wind meter map from iWindsurf.com

Time to tie down the porch furniture and secure the loose windsurf rigs lying around all those soundfront homes! Something tells me Olaf is gonna be busy repairing 7.5s tonight...

ABK at the Hole, Survival Sesh at the Lighthouse!

Posted: May 13th, 2009, 2:11pm CEST

More great days here on Hatteras....

Monday was insane-o windy! And you know you're getting spoiled when 60 degrees feels cold... It was certainly a stormy day, with periods of heavy downpours, but the winds were cranking, so I don't think anyone really cared. You're getting wet anyway, right? I took an extended lunch break and caught a pretty sweet freestyle sesh at the Canadian Hole with a bunch of people out, including ABK Boardsports staff members Brendan, Tom, and Andy Brandt! It's fun sailing with people who actually know what they're doing! I'm gonna have to schedule a clinic one of these days, so that Andy can straighten up my Grubbys... Check out the vid to catch some of the action:

ABK at the Canadian Hole from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

After work, I decided to run down to the Lighthouse to grab an ocean session. Stuart, Bill, Keith, Olaf, and Graham Ezzy had sailed there earlier and said it was pretty fun (read Bill's report here). So I pulled into the Lot and there was no-one there anymore. Solo sesh... I knew it was pretty windy so rigged up my 4.2 and put on my nasty, wet, cold wetsuit (hardest part of the whole sport). First tack out I made it through the impact zone, no problem. The waves on the inner bar didn't seem all that meaty, probably about head high. As I got away from shore, I could feel some insane power in my sail, so I was kind of on damage control, just trying to keep everything in one piece. Approaching the outer bar, I could see that things were a little different out there... Monster rolling swell was starting to jack up and break out in the middle of the ocean... I decided to jibe on the first one, just to keep it close to shore in case anything were to happen. This did not seem like the type of day to go whale watching, if you catch my drift...

So I'm halfway through my jibe, surfing down the face of this outer bar wave, completely in the lee. I go to jibe the sail, drop my back hand, and the sail just goes nuts on me as a gust comes ripping over and down the wave that I'm coasting along on. It's completely flagged out and the thing is violently shaking the way my old rusted out Toyota used to do when I would push it up to 70 mph!! Everything solidified as soon as I sheeted in on the opposite tack... I picked up one of the nuggets that sucks up right off the jetty and got one good bottom and top turn, and headed right back to the beach.

After a few seconds of a breather, I tried my luck again and had a pretty similar experience, so I decided to call it a day, happily, as everything (gear and body) was still in one piece! I know for a fact that I was in survival mode out there, as evidenced by my hair, which stayed completely dry. It was a "No-Fall-Zone" kind of day out there... Check out the Avon Pier iWindsurf graph- I was out from about 5:30-6 PM...

iWindsurf.com Avon Pier, Monday May 11th

Yikes! I love this place. : )

Hatteras has a few visitors!

Posted: May 10th, 2009, 9:07pm CEST

Happy Mother's Day!! I was in charge of mailing out the cards for Anne's mom and mine... and totally messed up... Sorrrrryyyyy!! You'll get your cards really soon, I promise! (What a jerk! it must've been windy the day I was supposed to send them out...haha) Here's some of the fam around Christmastime a few years ago:

Clockwise: Mom, me, Jim, Pauline

I got bombarded with so many phone calls and text messages yesterday that I just couldn't take it anymore and closed the shop to take a lunch break session. Well, my allotted hour quickly turned into 3!! Whoops! It was simply too beautiful outside to go back to the shop and sit around inside all afternoon... Sunshine, warm air and water (I sailed in trunks!!), 4.2 wind, and fun little waves made for a great afternoon on the water.

Lots of people out on the water, including (among others) Keith, Olaf, Rick, Chad, Charlie, Stuart (eventually), and...... PWA sailor Graham Ezzy!! The stress of studying for his upcoming final exams got to him, so he bolted to Hatteras for the weekend to get some sailing in and decompress a little bit. Nothing like a little windsurfing to set your mind straight; I'm sure he'll do much better on his tests now!

Anyway, everyone was sailing great out there, but Graham was KILLIN' it! He was fun to watch. Where someone would get a 3 or 4 foot jump, Graham would chuck a 10 foot stalled forward loop or perfect push loop. And where someone would straighten out and head for the beach, Graham would take one more turn and throw a taka off the lip. It was pretty inspiring, and he definitely made me want to up my game a bit!

I would've loved to get some pictures...

but Anne had my camera........

...... at the ABK Clinic she's taking this weekend!! I'm so jealous, it's ridiculous. She and about 15 other attendees scored a day of serious wind (3.7) and sunshine! Anne claims to have dialed in her planing jibes, duck jibes, chop hops, and learned to jump jibe!! And apparently, Andy taught her something else really cool, too, but she won't tell me what. I think she wants to wait for the perfect moment to chuck it in my face and surprise me! She must've been trying something cool out there because she came home with skinned knees and a smile on her face! Can't wait to see it!

I feel bad for you guys, with no pics or anything, so here's a little video from some footage I shot a few weeks ago. It's Stuart and I, sailing up at Ramp 34, in some pretty strong SW winds. It's pretty indicative of the type of conditions we've had for the last few weeks- Lots of SW wind, and small, weird waves. Anyway, Enjoy!

Ramp 34 "wave" sailing from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

In-Store ABK Clinic with Andy Brandt!

Posted: May 8th, 2009, 11:27pm CEST

If you're missing this weekend's ABK Clinic, don't worry, because you can still get a taste of the ABK experience by coming to a Free In-Shop Clinic with Andy Brandt! Clear up some time (in your busy Hatteras nightlife social schedule) Tuesday night (May 12th, 2009), starting at about 7PM, and come to Sailworld Hatteras with the windsurfing related question of your choice!

See ya then!

In the meantime... Looks like it's gonna crank all day tomorrow! Warm, sunny, SW... Weekend warriors, Load Up!!

Record Profits from Windsurfing Sales!!

Posted: May 7th, 2009, 3:17am CEST

This morning, Sailworld was worth 9 million dollars! Unfortunately, the nice woman at the bank decided to correct the mistake she had made with my deposit, so we were only a multi-million dollar company for about 2 minutes. (dang-it!)

Once again, I got scammed by mid day winds that faded at 5, and a long day stuck at work... But, all my customers have been stoked (and limping, with blistered hands, broken ribs, stitches, etc), so it's fine because I know they're having a killer time out there!! In any case, all this wind has kicked up a nice sized swell, so Stuart, Drew and I caught a few lumpy bombs this evening. It felt great to get in the water on a surfboard... Man it's been a long time... its been soooo windy!! The bod feels great, just from an hour's worth of paddling around. It evens you right up after windsurfing so much!

More wind tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday! Good time to GET HERE!! Don't forget to sign up for the ABK Clinic!!

Wave schlogging when it's blowing 30

Posted: May 5th, 2009, 3:31pm CEST

Business first, then pleasure!

Tons of new stuff for you guys to check out at the shop! New Gaastra, New Starboard, New RRD, and more.... Come check it out!

Gaastra Plasma 8.3, Technora, rigs on a 460!! $928

Gaastra Manic HD, bombproof with a light feel in the hands $640

Gaastra Poison, powerful wave sail $661

Truckload of new Starboards!!

Moving on, to the Pleasure:

It has been unbelievably windy down here in Hatteras! I've been grabbing dawn and dusk sessions, which timing wise has been a bit of a bummer because the wind has been light, while mid day, all day, it's been blowing 30+..... but, whatever, it's still fun to get out there and catch some waves or work on the freestyle! Here are a bunch of pics from the weekend (taken by either Anne or me)

Dawn Sesh! Small Waves, Medium wind

Sunset Sesh, Super light wind wave schlog. I'm getting a great feel for that Tabou Pocket 80! (It Rips)

Keith schlogged around, too

And was killin' it with all of his normal style

Ken K, rigged and ready, dawn sesh

I'm loving this new board! Even at 80 liters it's uphaul-able and schlogs like a champ!

Ken

Birthday Boy Stuart!!

Sunset wave schlog. Check out Rick on the right hand side of the pic!

Olaf on the face!

Even though the wind was light and the waves were small, I'm still adept at making big splashes!

??????

That's better!

Rick has been all over the place, emailing me about all his exploits in the wind!

Small, mushy, and surprisingly fun!

Coming up-

More SW!!

ABK Boardsports is holding a clinic this weekend, Friday through Sunday. Sign up and reap the benefits of instruction from the best coaches in the Americas! We may have a free in store evening clinic as well, but we're not sure on the timing of that yet... Will keep you informed!

Lots of other's Hatteras experiences are showing up on the net... Check out this thread for some cool pics and stories. And don't forget to read through this thread for a pretty candid look at Mike's Hatteras vacation (and a review of the Jibe lesson he and Gary took from me). And don't forget to check out the great pics and Loop success story written by Ken on Live2Sail!! Good stuff, I'm glad you guys are all having such a great time down here!

Hope to see the rest of you soon!

C-Hole Vid

Posted: May 4th, 2009, 2:48pm CEST

Man it's been soooooooo goooooood here for the last few days..... I know you guys are fiend-ing for updates, and I've got a lot of good stuff, but I'm sooooo frickin' busy at the moment... So you'll have to settle for a little video of Anne, Mikey Z, Ken K and I, filmed with a GoPro Wide angle (watch out! You've gotta get close to catch the action!!). This was from a sunset sesh a few days ago. I don't even remember when, because it's been SW and Crankin' for the last 2 weeks straight... It's just been unbelievably windy here on Hatteras this spring.... ahhhhhhh.......

Sunset Sesh at the Hole from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

By the way- Anne's been killing it... She's on a 3.7 and 75 liter RRD in the vid... Duck jibing like a champ!! Actually, everyone has been killing it out there... I've got sooo many success stories for you guys... just have to find time to write 'em...

Better budget a few minutes for this one, folks...

Posted: April 29th, 2009, 3:32am CEST

First things first- A wholehearted "Nice Job!!" to the Avon Volunteer Fire Department and all the neighboring crews who swooped in to help keep a huge house fire from spreading throughout the whole neighborhood last night!!

Not even a speck of ash on those neighboring homes!

Nice work, thanks for helping to keep our community safe!!

While I'm thanking people- I'd like to let all my customers know that I truly appreciate them! I especially appreciate the ones who bring me treats :) For example, this morning I ate the last of 2 dozen bagels delivered straight from Brooklyn, by Chip! And last night I imbibed in the last "Alexander Keiths" beer that Don so thoughtfully brought down from Nova Scotia. And Mark! Mark dropped off a bottle of Jamaican Rum the other day! Yup, I truly am lucky, and I really do appreciate the gifts, guys!! Thanks!

How am I supposed to get any work done?!

Moving on-

We've had a lot of warm SW wind over the weekend and the beginning of this week. There's a pretty solid Bermuda High sitting out there, but it's a little too close to us to really pump the afternoon winds that we like so much. As it is, we've been seeing a mild afternoon build into the mid to upper teens most every afternoon. It certainly hasn't been epic, but it sure has been fun!

Here's a little play by play:

Saturday Cranked SW. Windy windy, all afternoon. I gave Gary and Mike a jibe lesson late in the evening, and they both did great, despite having sailed for hours prior to our commitment. Stu and I closed down the hole on 5.0s and caught an amazing sunset from out in the water. Gotta love it!

Some action at the Canadian Hole

Anne and I took out the Starboard Gemini tandem on Sunday afternoon. It was pretty fun even though the winds were kind of light. I taught Anne how to sail backwinded and we worked on helitacks and duck jibes and all that fun stuff. Wendy and Roland showed up at the beach, and seemed like they were looking for some fun, so I sent them out on the Tandem, and strapped a GoPro helmet cam to Roland's noggin'. This was the outcome:

Wendy and Roland sail the Gemini! from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Since it didn't seem like the wind was really filling in, we made some plans to do a standup paddleboard down-winder. Wendy decided to pull the trigger and bought the Naish 11'6" that she's been eyeing up for the last week or two. So we went and grabbed it from the shop, and set off on a Hole to the house downwinder, which is about 5 or 6 miles!

Wendy and her new Naish!

Anne and Wendy setting out on the voyage

Of course, since we were determined to go paddling, the wind DID fill in to some pretty good levels, and the whole way through Avon we were dodging windsurfers and kiteboarders who were out enjoying the evening winds (or were they dodging us??). There was one group of guys on some kites that had us all laughing, as they were obviously trying to show off, and were catching about 18 inches of air and then faceplanting in knee deep water. It was, uhhh, entertaining...

Nothing like finishing up a voyage by paddling to your backyard!

Here's Stu, at the Hole, lit up on a 7.5:

Nice form!

And here's Mike, on Stu's 7.5. I gave Mike a jibe lesson a day earlier. Hmmmm, maybe I didn't do so good of a job!! Haha!

Nice dismount!

Last night, the wind faded out to the low teens, and I was able to take advantage of it and test out the Tabou Rocket 135! It's been awhile since I bombed around on an 8.5 and big freeride board, and man, was it fun! That is one smooth, fast board, that's for sure! I let Dave C. take it for a spin, and he came back in and simply stated "That's the best 130 liter board I've ever ridden!" Here's some more GoPro action for you guys:

Testing the Tabou Rocket 135 from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

By the way, every morning has provided a fun little longboard wave in the waist high range. Stuart and Chris went SUPing this morning and I happened to pass them while walking Banana (the dog). Fun surf in the mornings, afternoon siestas, and evening breezes... If only I weren't stuck in the shop all day...

Stuart and Chris, SUPing the shorebreak

Looks like a pretty big wind event is in store for this weekend! All you weekend warriors need to get the truck filled with gas and the boards on the roof rack 'cause its gonna get good!! Awwww yeah!

Hope to see y'all soon! Swing by the shop and say hello when you get here!

They're here...................

Posted: April 24th, 2009, 4:58am CEST

Bling

I'm a lucky guy. Usually, when you get a new high wind stick, it kills the wind and you just have to stare at it for weeks on end until the wind gods smile upon you. Well, I must have done something right, because yesterday my new 80 liter Tabou Pocket showed up, and it just happened to be gusting into the 40s all afternoon!

Awwww yeah!!

I'll tell ya, 5 o'clock could not come fast enough!! At closing time, I raced on down to the Hole and rigged up Anne's 3.7. The straight west wind was kicking up some fun swell and pushed the water all the way up the beach to the parking lot bulkhead. It was a little hectic for the first sesh on a new stick, but what the heck, might as well jump right in, right?

Light and balanced (photo: Dan Kramer [Thanks Dan!!!])

Some impressions: Smooth and Fast!! Even though the Pocket is officially a wave board, the sucker really does have some speed built in to it, making it a great option for bump and jumpers. Freestyle, you ask?? My first mild attempt at a vulcan instantly slid all the way through a full spock... effortlessly! And with a wave fin, nonetheless! Hmmmm, does it jibe? The harder you push it, the slashier it becomes!! And does it jump? Well... yeah!!

Slishy Slashy (original photo: Dan Kramer; but I'm responsible for messing it up with photoshop)

I can't wait to get this thing on a wave face, where it's true beauty will really shine!!

Speaking of wave faces, Rick sent me a note saying the South side got pretty big in the afternoon... He spent most of his time out on the monstrous third bar, well powered on his 4.2! This pic is of his friend Peter inside on the second bar:

Billy Mitchell looking gnarly! (Photo: Rick Eustis)

So, my board wasn't the only one to show up.... We received a whole range of Tabous for y'all to check out the next time you're here in Hatteras! Available to demo (left to right in the picture): Pocket 80 and 85, Freestyle 100, 3S 97 and 107, Rocket 115, 125, and 135!! These boards are sick, all you have to do is hop on one and you'll feel the Tabou love instantly! I must warn you, however, that you'll dread getting back on your beloved Astrorock after riding one of these beauts... hahaha : )

Come and get 'em!

Springtime SW

Posted: April 22nd, 2009, 12:15pm CEST

Saturday: Southwest about 20
Sunday: Southwest about 20
Monday: South-Southwest 25 gusting up to about 30
Tuesday: Southwest 25 gusting up to about 30

AKA: Springtime in Cape Hatteras... Warm temps, afternoon winds, fun swell, daylight until 8PM... Love it!

All pics are by Stuart, who was blasting the race horn, driving a jet ski, watching the clock, officiating the races, and taking pictures, with only one hand, as the other hand is still out of order!! Nice work, Stu!

Host unlimited photos at slide.com for FREE!

We ran some heats for the Hatteras Wave Jam Fast 8 race on Sunday night. It was super fun, and each race was up for grabs as everyone fell, everyone schlogged, and everyone planed about evenly... I was racing on my Tabou Freestyle 100 (with 14 cm stubby freestyle fin) and World Sail 5.7- hardly a race kit! But everyone else was on pretty wavy gear so I guess I had a bit of an advantage in the planing ability of my kit...

Took the lead in the first race but made a huge tactical error by rounding the wrong side of the buoy at the finish... hahaha whoops! So it was down to the wire as I struggled to schlog around, jibe again, and schlog back over the line on the correct side before Donald came blasting in and sprayed me down, crossing the line just inches ahead of me! haha! Nice work, Donald!

I timed my start perfectly on the second race, crossing the line on a full plane just a millisecond after the horn... so that race was in the bag right from the beginning. Then on the third race, we all had a great start and I got caught in some dirty wind and chop and got pitched over the bars... Luckily most everyone fell at the first and third jibe mark so I made up some time there and got back in the running, but Donald was too fast to catch! Nice work, Donald, on taking 2 out of 3, and a big thanks to Stuart for officiating!

On Monday evening, Anne and I watched from the queue at the grocery store as the bushes bent over backwards in the quickly building breeze... but by the time we got the milk back home and in the fridge the sun had faded... So I chalked up a "missed it" in the calendar. Looks like Bill and Caleb had some fun up in Pea Island.

Made up for it Tuesday afternoon, though, as the SW hit again! This time, Keith called with a report of fun shoulder high waves at "The Stump" out on ramp 34. By the time I got out there, Chad, Justin, Caleb, and Dan were already ripping with Keith or in the process of rigging up their 5 meter sails. I rolled in with a truck loaded to the gills with very little windsurfing gear, but three friends and their insanely high quality video gear! The light was perfect with clear skies and the evening sun setting behind the beach, illuminating the wave faces. Should be some great footage in there, although the conditions deteriorated as the light got better... Wind faded, tide got too high, waves lost their punch, etc etc. It was far from epic, but it was a really fun sesh anyway! On a personal note, I think I'm over my fear of starboard back loops (the move that caused me to break my own hand by punching myself in the face), so that's good (not that I can land them yet anyway, but at least I'm trying again)!

Looks like more solid westerlies this afternoon and a Northwest fade tomorrow morning. If you're here, this afternoon should be super fun in the sound, or if you want to wavesail, the southside (Isabel's or the Airport) will be sideshore but probably pretty disorganized. The secret for tomorrow morning is to wake up super early and rig one size bigger than you think you need. It's not as windy as it looks, and it generally fades pretty quickly, so don't dillydally and get on it as early as you can!

Side note from the shop- We've got lots of new harnesses, footstraps, and accessories from Dakine and Protec helmets have arrived as well. I'm expecting Tabou and Gaastra today or tomorrow, as it has "out for delivery" status on the tracking page... I can't frickin' wait, because I've got one of these for myself in that shipment...

Seeeee ya out there!

Good from far...

Posted: April 19th, 2009, 2:13pm CEST

... but far from good... describes my and Drew's Saturday morning surf sesh. I'm mostly to blame as I pushed to keep it local and not go driving all over the island looking for a working sandbar. Sorry Drew! It didn't look all that bad from the beach, but once out, there was all this voodoo chop and current bumping it up and pulling the power out of the waves. Word is, the Lighthouse was absolutely firing, but with 50 some odd people out, I'm sure I wouldn't have caught many waves anyway (I'm generally too well mannered in the lineup to catch a lot of waves when it's crowded)...

Keep an eye on Surfline and Surfkdh, as I'm sure they'll publish some pics of the action sometime soon! **4PM Update- Rick Eustis sent in this picture from the Lighthouse:

The Lighthouse, looking lined up, fast, and fun! (Photo: Rick Eustis)

It was a beautiful morning, though, with warm temps, sunshine, and straight West winds making it look better than it was!

Puuurty

That left was looking good, but it dumped you out right into the pier...

Luckily, I decided to paddle back out in the afternoon, when it looked worse due to a more sideshore wind, but was actually way better... So the day was redeemed and a few waves were caught!

The wind kicked in SW last night, too, and on a dog walk behind the house Anne and I counted 40 some odd windsurfers and about 6 kites all having a grand ol' time out there! Looked fun, but we were spent by that point and decided to skip it. Drew said he went out and was having fun, getting in the straps on a 130 liter board for the first time!! Woohoo! Nice, Drew!

Probably tried a new World Sail, and reallized that it's time to update the quiver!

Looks like it's lining up to be a great week, with lots of warm SW winds! Should be a fun time, I hope to see y'all out there! Swing by the shop and say hello if you're here, we're expecting lots of new toys for you to check out including Gaastra, Tabou, Severne, Starboard, Dakine, Chinook, Tangent Dynamics Fins, and more, all this week!! I'm available for lessons, too, if you want to dial in those jibes or work on some vulcans and loops!

Bill's scheduled the Fast 8 Race, too! It's tentatively scheduled for this afternoon. Check out the details here!

I also want to shoot out a quick "Happy Anniversary" to Jim and Pauline, who were married exactly one year ago!! yeehoo! Here they are on the morning of their wedding:

Jim and Pauline

Super Windy Thursday

Posted: April 17th, 2009, 6:38pm CEST

Super Windy Thursday was pretty good, folks! If you were here and caught it, you're stoked right now! If you weren't here, well, what the heck are you waiting for?! Get here already!

I woke up early and checked the Lighthouse, but it was already pretty dumpy and heavy looking (although dead low tide didn't help). The risk to rad ratio was looking a little skewed towards the carnage side, so I ran back to the Hole and caught a solo sesh on 4.2 until Alex came out and joined me. My energy level was pretty low, as I'm just getting over a little cold (damn tourists, haha), but it was great weather to dial in the looping technique for the Wave Jam Clinic that I hosted last night.

A few more people showed up by the time I was heading to work. Here's a piece of the scene:

Alex on the orange sail, Cliff and friend hiding in the lee

Brett was cool enough to let me run down to Isabel's in the afternoon, where I sailed with Bill, Olaf, Keith, and Nico. It was pretty fun down there, with super easy waves and strong wind. It reminded me a lot of Tropical Storm Noel, minus about 3 meters of swell and 10 knots of wind!! For some reason, I spent a lot of time down in the impact zone (?) but I scored some awesome views of everyone ripping down the line and making some sweet turns (if only I were a cameraman)! Good stuff, for sure! As a matter of fact, it was enough fun to make us completely lose track of time...

It was pretty out there, for sure. Here are a few pics of Bill that I shot off before rigging up:

Frisco Pier in the background

These folks have probably been married for 40 years (just a guess, of course)

Looking towards Hatteras Village

Fun, Easy wavesailing!

Isabel's is a good 20 minute drive from the shop, and when I got out of the water and checked the clock, still suited up and with a sail to de-rig, it read 6:42... And the clinic that I was hosting was starting at 7! Doh! So after a lightning fast de-rig and de-suit, and luckily no speeding tickets, I rolled into a crowded shop 15 minutes late and taught about 25 oddly patient and stoked people how to chuck their first forward loop! Yeeeeehaw!

Anyway, now that Super Windy Thursday is over and done with, we're looking forward to lots of wind early next week... It's a good time to get here folks... Swing by the shop and say hello, or sign yourself up for a lesson- let's get those loops dialed in!!

Schlog a 5.7 on 75 liters??

Posted: April 16th, 2009, 1:19pm CEST

I know I've been bombarding you guys with stories about the ranginess of today's gear... But I think it's really pretty interesting, and could help you guys plan out your personal quivers a little differently. So here's the latest story:

Yesterday afternoon, the wind puffed up a bit out of the NW. There was a fun little south swell out there, so Olaf, Chip, Brett and I "sailed" at Ramp 34. I use quotes because it was pretty weird out there, with virtually no wind, current running in odd directions, voodoo chop, and drifty wave peaks moving around and faking you out...

Anyway, in the spirit of getting everyone out there, Brett used the 95 liter board that I had brought, which left me with a '09 RRD FSW 75. I had a 5.7 rigged, and actual wind on the water was about 10 with an occasional gust to the high teens. Even at just 55 cm, that 75 liter board handled great, and felt pretty well balanced with that 5.7! Who'da thunk it? It eeked up onto a plane in those gusts, and schlogged like a champ in the lulls.

Was it the perfect board for the conditions? Absolutely not. But it still worked reasonably well...

Now, this morning, it's blowing 29 to 39 mph. I'm gonna go use the same board again, but I think I'll rig a smaller sail this time : )

See y'all out there!!

Quick Update

Posted: April 14th, 2009, 4:23pm CEST

Sorry to leave ya hangin' there for a few days, folks... April is busy busy busy with all the regulars in the shop, plus a bunch of family and friends in town... which leaves little time for hitting the water, let alone blogging about it!

So not too much water time for me, except for a little sesh at ramp 34 and the lighthouse a few days ago, and some reeeealllly fun surf yesterday morning! The next few days have some serious potential, too, so I'll try to keep y'all informed! Looks like massive swell (5 meters) and near nuclear winds for Thursday... Yikes!!

In the meantime-
We've got lots of new stuff rolling in at the shop! Check out a few of the new Prydes:

5.7 Neil Pryde Firefly, lots of low end grunt with plenty of maneuverability. $728

4.0 Neil Pryde Combat, bomber construction, soft feel. $711

So, whaddya think? Love the colors or hate 'em?

We've also got a few sizes available in the V8 Helium- Tons of grunt, light weight twin cam freeride. A 7.5 is $898.

Tabou boards have landed!! We'll have a bunch by early next week for you to demo... awww yeah, get on it!!

Also- the Loop Clinic is coming up, Thursday night, 7 PM! This is all about getting you safely and easily around your first attempt... at which point you'll reallize that it's not such a big deal and you'll kick yourself for waiting so long to try one... And your world will be changed forever!!

Early Season Treat!!

Posted: April 9th, 2009, 3:33pm CEST

I don't know how long it's going to last... But we have an early season treat:

Today's Sea Surface Temperature, image swiped from marine.rutgers.edu

That's over 60 degree ocean water from Avon South!! Better take advantage of that! Friday afternoon and Saturday morning hold a lot of potential for some fun, easy wavesailing. Good time to get things rolling on the Wave Jam! We've got a loop clinic coming up a week from today, Thursday the 16th, at Sailworld Hatteras. Feel free to come in and badger me for tips earlier, though, if you want to give 'em a go this weekend! I'm semi-available for actual lessons, too, if you want the real deal instead!! Gimme a call or swing by the shop to schedule!

Hope to see y'all out there!

Photo Heavy Recap!

Posted: April 7th, 2009, 10:33pm CEST

Man it has just been cranking out here.... My 5.0 is all busted up right now (don't ask... it's embarrassing), but it doesn't matter because it's been full on 4.2 every day! Loving it! Anyway, a few people have dropped off some great pictures from the last few days... Thanks photogs!! Enjoy, public!!

These first two are of Charlie from the crazy session last Friday. Check out those smooth faces!! What a sesh!! Photos by Rick Eustis (Thanks Rick!!)

Scratch that 4.2 everyday remark from earlier... It did quiet down on Saturday afternoon and Sunday, but I personally welcomed the break!! Anne and Drew grabbed a sunset sesh at the Hole:

Anne stole my Tabou

Drewski

The wind kicked in again all day Monday, to some pretty intense levels... I happened to see Stu grabbing an evening sesh while I was walking the pooch. He's on a 3.7, jacked!

I had sailed in the afternoon, during my "lunch break." I grabbed a quick Ego Beach session and then bombed around in the Hole for a bit. There were a bunch of people out and it was a lot of fun! Sasha Ostiguy was nice enough to snap some pics and drop them off at the shop today! Thanks, Sasha!!

Outer bar forward loop

Outer bar back loop (attempt... a sequence of this jump would've made you either laugh or cringe depending on your disposition)

Jonathan from Florida in the foreground

He was ripping for sure, as were his entourage!! It's great to see some people throwing themselves around out there!

It was a jumpfest, aww yeah!!

Stuart, Mark, the Florida crew and I all sailed at the Slick this morning... 4.2 again! Yow! Unfortunately, Stuart got a little too rad out there and ended up slicing up his hand pretty bad on his fin (tail grab spock 540 or something??). So the sesh was cut short for a quick clinic visit, but all is well now, only 20 some odd stitches later!! Luckily, he missed his tendons and arterys and all the important stuff and just gouged out the flesh... Anyway, make sure to wish Stuart the best the next time you see him!!

It's blowing again... Time for the sunset sesh!! See y'all out there!!

Friday's Wavesailing Video

Posted: April 5th, 2009, 4:50pm CEST

***Update*** The vimeo version has completed uploading... It has mildly better quality than the youtube copy... Enjoy!

Ramp 34 Wavesailing from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Here's a quick video from Friday's crazy wave sesh out at Ramp 34. Unfortunately, my little point and shoot camera can't really deliver the goods when it comes to zoomed in quality... Especially when compressed by YouTube... but hopefully you can at least get an idea of the conditions out there!

Enjoy!

If you're here in Hatteras swing by the shop and I'll show you the original file... It's not much better, but at least you can see what's going on...

More crazy winds on tap for tomorrow! So, I'm going to bed. See y'all out there!

It Happened....

Posted: April 4th, 2009, 2:08pm CEST

...Again!

Cranking, warm SW wind with plenty of sunshine all afternoon!! I Love Springtime in Hatteras!!

I swung by the Hole and found Fred of BABA holding down the fort, solo. Where the heck is everyone?!?! Nice job out there, Fred!

Fred, solo at the Hole

Checked out Ego Beach, and decided to skip it due to the shorebreak situation:

Yikes! but where's my surfboard?!

So Keith and I ended up North of Avon on Ramp 34, followed shortly thereafter by Rick, Chad, Dan, and Charlie. I think Olaf made it out, too, but a little further South. In any case, it was an insanely good wavesailing session!! The faces were big and smooth, the lips barreling, and the wind cranking! The outer bar was over mast high, but tough to read and bumpy, and the inner bars were overhead to logo or sometimes mast high with beautifully clean faces. The wind was almost too strong, as it was ripping my 4.2 out of my hands at the top turn... Killer sesh, folks!! I'm claiming it as the best wavesailing sesh of the year!!! Woooohaa!!

Check out the Keith show. I took all these shots in about 3 minutes while suiting up, so the action was non-stop out there!

Tacking on the face to kick out the back... gimme a break man!!

I shot a bunch of video out there, too. It'll take me awhile to sort through it all, but there are some real gems in there... including some footage of Rick getting CRUSHED by a rogue set wave!! There are dues to pay, I guess, but this just seemed way too harsh... Sorry Rick, but I've gotta post it up!

It's blowing again right now this morning.......... Hope y'all are out there having the time of your lives!!

It's Happening...

Posted: April 3rd, 2009, 12:20pm CEST

Looks like another insane day is bearing down on us, as the meters are already gusting over 30mph at 6am! This is a really similar setup to last Sunday's, which I'd proclaimed the "Most Fun Day of 2009." I wonder what I'll be saying this evening?!

Speaking of last Sunday, Dale B. dropped off a few pics of that day's Ego Beach action! I'd say he did pretty danged well considering his list of circumstances:

1) His arms were jello from sailing all afternoon
2) He was using a brand new camera
3) He was using massive amounts of zoom from the top of the dunes
4) He was not using a tripod
5) The wind is uber strong at the top of the dunes, blowing him all over the place

So, thanks so much, Dale, for the effort! I'll post up two shots to get you guys psyched for today's sesh, and then I'm going sailing:

Olaf approaching the outer bar

The medium size waves (like the one above) were just barely pitching out there, so you could attack them with total disregard for your well being... FUN! The biggest ones (logo-mast) were hitting a lot harder, but still not as heavy as their size would indicate... FUN!

I'm on the inside bar here

The inside bar was smaller but a lot heavier... with flukier wind... kick out early if you're going to play around in there today!!

Hopefully, we can expect more of the same this afternoon!! See ya out there!!! (If you were on my Weather Alert e-mailing list, you'd have already known that it was going to crank today, and you'd have called your boss last night complaining of a sore throat, and you'd be pulling in to the Canadian Hole any minute now to share this insane day with all the other "sick" people!! It's a free service, so what are you waiting for?? Sign up details are here)

Canadian Hole tailgate video

Posted: March 31st, 2009, 8:23pm CEST

A tailgate video from Sunday's Canadian Hole session, including me, Anne, Dave C, Stan, Lou, Rick, Ralph, and I'm sure a few others (sorry if I forgot ya, it's been one heck of a few days):

Tailgate Video, Canadian Hole, March 29, 2009 from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

I'm still not fully recuperated from Monday morning's mast high dawn sesh down in Frisco. My adrenal gland is shriveled up like a prune and cowering in the corner. Once it reemerges, I'll fill you in on the details of the sesh!

I'm claiming it, folks:

Posted: March 30th, 2009, 5:06am CEST

Today was the most fun windsurfing day of 2009!! Yeeehaw!!

And I've got a mild sunburn, raw hands, a sore body, and a fat lip to prove it.

First of all, we had wind. And PLENTY of it (lit up 4.2 ALL DAY)! Second, we had company! The morning session at the Hole was FUN, because there was a small crowd of super amped up people to share it with! I'm glad y'all made it down/over/out to catch this rad day! Third, we had waves, to boot! That's a recipe for a fantastic day...

Moments of note:

1) Chatting with people other than the three I've been hanging out with all winter. (no offense to those three)
2) Catching a few logo-ish high down the line rides with Stuart, Jim K, and Olaf.
3) Watching Dave C. make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a 13" weed fin instead of a knife.
4) Watching Anne TEAR IT UP on a new 75 liter RRD/3.7 combo with smoke on the water gusts pushing through!
5) Screaming at the top of my lungs at Stuart to get him to chuck something huge off a logo high wave. He threw a weird back/push loop thing and actually sailed away from it! At which point I realized, that in order to be fair, I had to chuck something huge off the next one... A big delayed forward fit the bill... with a perfect landing nonetheless! Yeehaw!!
6) Watching Ralph get lit up on the smallest gear he's ever used!
7) Sailing my Tabou 100 liter freestyle board for hours in gusts over 40, totally in control!! (Until the whole fat lip thing happened)
8) Dodging a pod of dolphin while careening down the face of a head high wave!
9) There are so many more rad moments from today's uber long sessions (about an 8 hour total of watertime for me!!!)... the list is honestly endless!!

If you also sailed today, I'd love to read your additions to the list of awesome moments!!

I shot some tailgate video today, but I'm too tired to look at it tonight. And there were a few photographers hanging out at Ego Beach, too. So, if anything came out, I'll be sure to post it up! Also, check out Bill's coverage of the Northern sites. And George's coverage of Delaware. Sounds like they had a great time up there, too! Anywhere else on the Eastern Seaboard go off today??

Weather Alert Emails!!!

Posted: March 25th, 2009, 8:41pm CET

Hey Folks!

So I've decided to start a weather alert email list! The idea is to shoot out a warning note whenever it looks like its gonna get good here on Hatteras Island! I'll limit the mailings to announcements of a forecast containing two or more days in a row of 20 knot or higher winds, based mostly on the iWindsurf and Windguru forecast charts... and maybe a little intuition...

Hopefully, all you road warriors out there will be able to benefit from these emails and score a few epic days of Hatteras wind and waves that you may have otherwise missed!!

Here's how you sign up:

Simply send a note to lostinhatteras at gmail dot com with the subject "Hatteras Weather Alerts." In the body of the message, let me know what email address(es) you would like to receive the alerts at. Don't forget to mark my address as "safe" so that the alerts stay out of your junk folder!

If you ever want to be removed from the list (knowing how often it goes off here may end up being pure torture for some of you), simply send a note to the same address with the subject "unsubscribe" and your address in the body of the note.

Please feel free to let me know if you're interested in hearing about occasional specials, sales and general goings on at Sailworld Hatteras, as well!

Please note:

By signing up, you agree to release me from any liability due to false alerts and missed work days if the weather doesn't hold... etc etc etc... AKA: Don't get mad at me if the forecast doesn't come true!!

I hope to hear from (and see) y'all soon!!!

Downwindas/Surfrider's Stance

Posted: March 24th, 2009, 2:30pm CET

Sorry to leave ya hangin' there for a few days, folks. We've had some great surf, and wind to boot for the last 3 or 4 days now. Gotta love it, just wish that warm water would push itself in already!! Not that 50 degrees is all that bad, just gotta put on the boots and hood, that's all.

Sea Surface temperature, courtesy of the marine.rutgers.edu website. That 70 degree water is SO CLOSE!!

Stuart, Brian and I took a nice long downwinder yesterday, from Askin's Creek to the Lighthouse (about 4 miles). The buoy was reading 7 ft at 12 seconds which produced the occasional logo high set, but it was mostly about head high, and kind junky but fun in the sideshore wind. The wind actually backed off quite a bit while we were out there, to the point where Stuart and I were schlogging probably 60% of the time. But every now and then a puff would roll through, and set you up for some awesome action!

My only moment of glory was caught on one of those puffs, where I was barely able to eak onto a plane. I was headed out, while there was a big set looming and Brian was coming in on the biggest one. There was definitely the moment of decision: To Chicken Jibe, or Charge? Well, you know me, of course I decided to charge it. Pumping my butt off, I was able to pick up speed as this logo high wall was starting to pitch in front of me. Brian let out a hoot as I whizzed past him about 10 feet upwind. Man, did I launch into a huge backloop! There's nothing quite like hitting a 10 or 12 foot vertical face going just as fast as you possibly can!! I swear, I ended up flying higher than Brian's kite! Hahaha! Of course, I botched the landing, but it was still plenty of fun...

So again, I got to test the range of today's gear... 4.5 and 85 liter board in 15mph gusting to 25, average 20. Planing at least 60% of the time, maybe more. Could I have used my 5.7? Yeah. Could I have used my 5.0? Yeah. Could I have used a 3.7? Probably not planing, but yeah. Get the point, folks? Don't stress the choice of sails so hard!! Just pick one and go, for crying out loud!

It's windy again today... Stuart and I have plans to try and snap off some photos for y'all, I know I've been slacking on 'em... Oh, and check out this Sunday's forecast!! Could be time to load up the car and take that first road trip of the Spring, folks!

Also- Surfrider Foundation has composed a pretty reasonable petition concerning Off Road Vehicle access on Cape Hatteras. Read their overview here (and check out that picture of the Cove GOING OFF!!). If you agree with their stance, sign the petition here.

Sail Quiver Rant/Lighthouse Radness

Posted: March 21st, 2009, 1:14pm CET

***update*** Bill posted some pictures on his site, you can check them out here. Click on the photo of the lighthouse, and a little slideshow will pop up!

Bill and I scored a sweet sesh at the Lighthouse yesterday afternoon! The wind was almost perfect sideshore (due North, maybe a tiny touch NNE), but when factoring in the way the waves wrap around the jetty and get a bit pulled in towards the beach there, on the face itself it was side off. That's a fun setup, because sneaking off the beach is usually pretty easy (unless you get stuck in a lull, which were all too frequent), the jumps can be fun, and the waves rides can be epic! We both caught some great waves today, and we both got worked super hard as well....

Begin sail quiver rant:

I'm telling ya, folks... the range of modern gear is just unbelievable... I started off yesterday with a perfectly powered 5.2- it wasn't overpowered at all, it just felt nice and light in the hands, easy to handle, and dialed in. But, as happens a lot at the Lighthouse, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and snapped a mast. Bill was just 20 yards behind me, and he snuck out no problem with dry hair... Just bad luck for me...

So, my only option, without going back up to the shop to get a new mast, was to rig the next best sail. In this case, I also had a 4.2, a full meter smaller than I had just been on! Furthermore, this is in the smaller sizes that everyone swears you need to space no further than .5 meter apart... I rigged it up, just a tiny bit light on the downhaul (maybe 1 cm less than normal, if that), and definitely light on the outhaul (about 2 cm less than normal). This gave the sail a nice deep pocket, but kept almost all of the normal stability. If anything, the slightly lighter downhaul tension allowed the mast to respond to pumping a little better, too.

On the water, there was virtually no noticeable difference between the two sails, 5.2 and 4.2. Sure, the 4.2 took a bit of pumping to get up and running. But once planing, all the speed and stability were still there. The lighter weight of the 4.2 probably factored in a bit, as well- helping the board float just that tiny bit higher in the water, making planing a bit easier than with the bigger, heavier sail... regardless of having less power.

So the verdict is- don't stress about what size sail to rig!! If a 5.2 and 4.2 can work equally as well in the exact same wind and water conditions... well, what the heck do you need both of them for? So, minimize already!!!

Get yourself a few key, widely spaced sizes, ditch the mega-oversized van, and cart your two or three sails around in a honda civic. It's better for the environment, its better for your checkbook, and it's better for your sailing. At least this way, newB's looking into the sport won't think they have to change their whole way of life to start sailing. One board, one sail can work perfectly well for 75% of days on the water. Add another sail, and maybe another board, and you're covered for 98% of days on the water. That's a beautiful thing.

The only caveat: This philosophy only works with modern gear (younger than 2005 or 6... and there's even a noticeable difference between '06 and '09).

OK, the rant's over. Thanks for reading.

Anyway, Bill took a few minutes to snap some pictures yesterday, you can check them out here. Click on the photo of the lighthouse, and a little slideshow will pop up!

Fun surf sesh with Stu and the Local Boys!

Posted: March 20th, 2009, 3:45am CET

Stuart and I got in the water and went for a surf this afternoon. It's been a long time since I paddled around, due to how much wind we've had lately.... Definitely felt out of surfing shape! Which wasn't too good because because it ended up being pretty big out there. The buoy was reading about 5 ft at 11 seconds, which doesn't sound like much, but I'll tell ya, around here that ends up being some pretty good sized surf.

The lineup was pretty crowded out there today... Lots of local boys... As in, dolphin! They were everywhere, dropping in on waves, jumping around... It was a pretty cool spectacle, with the clear blue water, sunshine, and pretty glassy overhead waves rolling through. Gotta love it! It did feel like a pack of wave hungry surfers out there, though- At one point there were about 5 or 10 circling around me and catching waves. I saw a set approaching and started paddling for the outside, flanked on all sides by dolphin. A few of them turned and burned on the first wave, but I could see the second wave jacking up way outside, so I kept scratching out. Made it just far enough to pivot around and take a super late drop on this macking wave! I didn't have a chance to look up and see how big it was, though, because I was busy watching all the dolphin scatter out from in front of me as I was careening down this huge glassy face... By the time I kicked out over the shoulder and started paddling back out, the next wave was bearing down and I could see 3 or 4 dolphin dropping into that one, a few of them punching through the surface and catching some air... What a sight!!

Speaking of sights- I watched Staurt catch some big ones today, too. He was charging, for sure! It was inspiring, and... uhhh, well... entertaining! I wish I had brought my camera out there... He caught this one set wave, and just kind of shot way out into the flats in front of it, while it was heaving this thick lip behind him. Somehow, I have no idea how, but he started to get pulled back into the wave and somehow cleared the lip and got back onto the face. At this point, he just kind of stood there, as the whole thing folded over the top of him and clipped him right in the head, sending him cartwheeling down to the bottom!! Hahaha! I'm laughing, but I'll tell ya, his eyes were pretty wide by the time he resurfaced! Nice work out there, Stu! Way to get on it!

Anyway, wish I had some pics for ya... but I've got the sights burned into the ol' memory banks, so if I ever take up painting I'll recreate them for y'all... Ahh what the heck- here's my best attempt at drawing Stu right before his head got taken off:

Stu, about to get "The Axe!"

As I write, that North wind is starting to rattle the windows again... Should be a heavy day at the Lighthouse tomorrow... See ya out there!

Happy St Patrick's Day!!

Posted: March 18th, 2009, 2:54am CET

I hope y'all had a great St Paddy's Day!! Grandma, and Uncle John, I couldn't help but think of you two today, and what wonderful lives you lived!! I miss you both dearly!

A quick family history- Apparently, we used to live in Scotland, and go by the name MacKinnon. For some reason or another, we got booted from that wonderful country. I'm sure it was a good reason. In any case, we moved to Ireland, dropped the Mac, and turned into McKinnons. Shortly thereafter (within a few hundred years), one of my ancestors took the boat to America, at which point we dropped the "on" and turned into McKinneys.

So there you have it.

Anyway, it was super windy today, which was rad. I rigged my 4.2 and 100 liter Freestyle and got two great sessions. The first one was at the Hole. It was perfect freestyling conditions, a bit bumpy, but still great. Got some perfect, planing starboard tack spocks, and worked pretty hard on the port tack action too.

Mark, speed check at the Hole!

The Afternoon Venue

Later in the afternoon, I met up with Stuart, and a few of the St Mary's College of Maryland Windsurfing Club brosefs at the Lighthouse. The waves went from chest high to logo high in the course of an hour. It was pretty rad. For some reason, I decided to ride my 4.2 and Freestyle board again... It actually worked pretty well, but I've gotta tell ya: Dropping into a meaty, overhead, Lighthouse barreling lefthander is a little sketchy on a board that size.... Anyway, all's well that ends well...

Stu, workin' it before it jacked up a notch

Looks like a day or two of light winds, and then massive winds again on Friday and Saturday!! I'm not sure what y'all are up to, but shoot me a note if you're coming down this Spring. Let me know if I can help you out with anything- be it boom choice, fin screw size, jibe or spock lessons! I am here to help you out!! Time to get rad, folks! Let's turn it up a notch!!

Speaking of getting rad, the 2009 Hatteras Windsurfing Festival Series has been announced!! Oh yeah!!!! Sign up here! Just to clarify, this festival is NOT for experienced sailors only! The main goal is to get NewBs out into the ocean, chucking loops, and pushing their limits! So sign yourself up, come to the clinics, and get rad on the water!! Oh Yeah!!!!

Waaaaaave sailin'!!

Posted: March 14th, 2009, 12:38am CET

Happy Friday, everyone!!

It's been one heck of a few days... Stuart, Chris, Dan and I sailed the Lighthouse yesterday afternoon, pretty juiced 5.0 and some big sets rolling through! Personally, I had a pretty short sesh, due to some equipment malfunctions... But I got one sweeeet wave and a few good jumps, and a nice, long, relaxing swim followed by a nice, long, relaxing walk back up the beach. Stuart claimed the biggest wave he's ever ridden on the outer bar, and it looked well over mast high to me! Sickness!!

Stu, launching off the jetty

A nice left usually lines up off the Jetty

Chris on the way in. There were some nuggets out there!

Stuart and I sailed again this afternoon, down past the Ferry Docks in Hatteras Village. It was pretty finnicky, gusty, shifty wind and waves, but when it all lined up, there were some rad moments! I saw Stuart throw some serious spray with his new wave board, he is amped on that stick! I caught a few waves myself, with a few good lip smacks, but my jumping was feeling a lot better today. Lots of good forwards and a bunch of great backloop attempts... Gettin' close....

Stu, whitewater hit

Stu lining up on a nice one

Bottom turn #3

Yeah Stu!

Solid Ego Beach, and Solid Progression!!

Posted: March 12th, 2009, 2:40pm CET

Spring is here, folks!! Stuart and I sailed logo high sets at Ego Beach yesterday afternoon in warm (but light) SW winds. The swell was running the wrong direction on the outer bar, but you could line up one or two good hits before it would closeout. And let me tell you, the shorebreak was "difficult." But once out, it was plenty of fun 5.7/85 liter.

Stuart, in front of a set(Anne pic)

Moi, driving down the line(Anne pic)

Anne showed up after a little bit, so we crossed over and joined her at the Hole for the remainder of the evening. Had a fun little freestyle sesh, and everyone nailed some sick stuff!! Stuart almost nabbed a Grubby- the first 3/4 was perfect, he just kinda botched the sailing away part. But the big news is that Anne destroyed her first duck jibe!! She couldn't have done it better, planed out and everything!! Siiiiick!!

So here's the situation- Anne's perfect duck jibe was nailed on about the 10th attempt she's ever made. Anne's been sailing for under 3 years, and only about 15-30 days a year. She's a great athlete, but the unique thing about her quick progression lies in 2 factors-

1) She takes lessons (from local instructors like Stuart and I, and ABK Camps as well)
2) She sails on good, modern gear

Is there something to be learned from this? I think so......... The lessons have provided her a solid foundation of proper technique, which makes progression much easier. And the modern gear is substantially more stable and easier to sail, which also makes progression much easier. That's a win win combo right there- and you should have seen the smile on her face!!!

While we're on the topic, I'm planning on making myself MUCH more available for lessons this year- so shoot me a note or swing by the shop and get yourself signed up! Windsurfing's pretty danged fun, but it's even more fun when you get better at it!!

Cranking NE is on the charts for the next... umm... forever! See ya out there!!

Back on Familiar Sand

Posted: March 11th, 2009, 12:43pm CET

I made it back to Hatteras, with little trouble... except for getting caught with the fresh oranges, limes, and lemons I had stashed in my carry-on. I had time to step aside in the security area and eat one of the oranges, but had to throw the rest away :( It was unbelievably juicy, and I made a total mess of myself just peeling the darned thing. The lady operating the x-ray machine took pity on me and offered some paper towels :)

Four airports and many many many hours later, I crossed the Oregon Inlet Bridge and breathed a sigh of relief, as I was finally back home... Just in time to catch a classic Hatteras Sunset...

It's still standing!

Looks like SW this afternoon, and then a massive batch of NE for the next few days! Time to get the East Coast Spring Season started!! Anyone care to join?!?!

Beautiful Afternoon!!

Posted: March 8th, 2009, 7:38pm CET

Well the nastiest morning on Maui ended up being the prettiest afternoon yet! By noon the rain had all but stopped, by 2 the sun was fully out (as were the peaks of the West Maui Mountains!!), and by 4 the wind had started to fill in (again).

West Maui Mountains from the Ho'okipa bluff

Russ, making it look FUN!!

Kudos to Russ for being the guinea pig and getting out there! We watched him bob around for half an hour, barely moving at all and only catching one wave. Then, all of a sudden, he chucked a big ol' forward loop and sailed off to the horizon... at which point GP and I simultaneously said "Guess it's time to rig up!" 5.3 Manic HD on the 3S 86 provided plenty of juice, especially on the outside. That board is a bit corky in the rails for true, powered, down the line sailing (at my weight), but it did just fine out there...

And now, it's my last day here :( But that's alright, because it's been an amazing trip, and I'm truly looking forward to getting back to my life in Hatteras! Anne, Banana, all of the Scalias, Stuart, all of the Kramers, Bill, Keith, Martine, Pam, Lane, MNOP, Mark, George, Dale, David, Zach, Chad and the rest of the pre-season crew- I'll see y'all soon!!!

And a sincere "Thanks!!" to everyone who has helped make my trip to Maui both possible and unforgettable! Mom, Dad, the Pritchards, Rebecca, Casey, Olaf, Jazz and everyone else I've met (it's a long list)- "Aloha!!!" Thanks for the unbelievable hospitality, the stoke, and for sharing some waves!! I hope to see you all again sometime soon!

Friday Fun

Posted: March 7th, 2009, 9:21pm CET

Follow up on the teaser from last night...

So it was pretty light winds yesterday... But the waves were still there... I took a nice drive up into the hills in the morning just to check out some of the little towns up there. The words gorgeous and idyllic pretty much sum it up. I can see why so many people would want to make this their home!

Looking down towards the south shore

I was pretty wiped out from my extra long day testing on Thursday, so I had no issues with taking a break and sitting on the bluff above Ho'okipa, watching the pros do what they do best. What a show! As I said before, the wind was super light, especially on the inside... but these guys and gals all made pretty easy work of it.

Levi, gouge!

Levi, shaka

Jace was out filming for the WM, II. Levi, Kai Lenny, and Fransisco Goya were putting on quite a show!

Fransisco Goya

Marcillio Browne, super light wind waterstart in front of the rocks

Levi over Jace

The crowd, bobbing around waiting for the next set

After about an hour of watching, I couldn't take it anymore and had to go sailing. Those rocks were looking pretty treacherous in the super light wind, so I decided to head downwind a bit. I ended up at the same spot as last Monday, with just 3 people out and head to logo high waves, peeling down the reef setting up 2-4 turn waves! Super super fun, at the perfect size to give you some face to work with, and throw you around a little bit if you messed up, but not be totally jaw dropping scary... It was well worth the short swim out the channel, that's for sure! I put a 5.3 Manic HD on the Pocket 75. I was a little sketched out about the bigger sail on the tiny board, but the Pocket handled it just fine, and still schlogged and planed up like a champ. It honestly ended up being one of the best sessions of the trip!

Last night I joined some people for sushi and some Friday night crazyness at Jacque's. Let me just say, the place held up to its reputation! Sizable crowd, lots of ultra famous windsurfers hanging out, loud music, and a good vibe! Heck yeah!

And a quick story to finish this morning's post- The other day I was getting out of the water at Kanaha, kind of lost in my own blissful world. I heard someone say "Hey, you must be Andy!" Looking up, I saw PWA champ (and one of my personal windsurfing heroes) Kevin Pritchard extending his hand to introduce himself. So I responded "Yeah, I'm Andy, who the heck are you?" Hahaha, just kidding! I did not say that. I did, however, allow my ego to flare up for a minute... until I remembered that I was sailing on his brother's gear, driving his brother's van, and staying at his brother's house for the last week... Of course he knew who the heck I was!

Teaser

Posted: March 7th, 2009, 5:04am CET

Awesome day today, folks! Light on the wind (5.3 Manic on the Pocket 75), but a bit more side off than it's been, and still plenty of wave action. I did not sail Ho'okipa, but I still caught some great action elsewhere. More later, I just wanted to tease you with this shot of Levi:

Ho'okipa Goiter

More Thoughts on More Gear...

Posted: March 6th, 2009, 6:11am CET

Oh man I am just shot right now... What a day on the water... It was a bit lighter this morning, which was good because I haven't had a chance to try any of the normal sized gear... So I blazed on down to the beach and got in a good hour or so on the 6.0 Remedy and Rocket 105, and then the 3S 107. Shortly thereafter, I rigged the Echo 5.6 and put it on the 86 3s. An hour later I was on the Poison 5.0. And half an hour later, the Da Curve 79... So three sails, four boards, and about 5 hours on the water... Yow!! The waves were pretty fun today, with some of the sets still coming in about logo high, but mostly smaller in the head high range. A few of them were lining up Really well, for 2 or 3 good down the line turns... Very fun out there! (Sorry Janice, no goiters yet)

Looking towards the West Maui Mountains

There were lots of Pros hanging out at Kanaha testing slalom gear today- KP, Robby Swift, Finian Maynard, Phil McGain, Barry Spanier, and I'm sure quite a few more... I thought I was pretty danged fast on that Rocket 105 until Robby Swift blew my doors off like I was standing still!! Haha! Granted, he was on 2 extra meters of sail and a full on slalom board... I did, however, have a much easier time jibing than him. : )

Some thoughts on today's gear:

Rocket 105 LTD- Slalom board speed, upwind ability, and responsiveness, with a freeride board's ease of use, chop eating ability, and comfort in the jibes (both wide and tight). Oh, and I wasn't afraid to jump it, either :) Accessible speed is the name of the game on the Rockets! This board is aptly named, as it's a fricken rocket ship!

3S 107- Good speed, but a notch down from the Rocket (just a small notch though). Significantly smoother and easier to handle in the chop. Nicely balanced, especially in the air, and for those basic freestyle moves. Overall, just super easy and fun to sail- quick, responsive, smooth in the jibes, controllable.

3S 86- See above, but for stronger winds. Performed pretty danged well in the waves, too!

Da Curve 79- Watch out waves, cause you're gonna get smacked! This thing is fast down the line, and likes to drive on one rail or the other! Super smooth in the chop. It took some power to get it up and running, but with a wave behind it this thing was MONEY! It definitely takes more input than the Pockets, but rewards with instantaneous rail to rail transitions and tons of grip in the turns. Sick!

Remedy- Fast, stable, easily pumpable, no-brainer freeride sail. Smooth in the transitions!

Echo- Tons of low end grunt, at the expense of overpowered stability. Mega pumping power, and lots of torque from up high. Thie sail gets you up and running, and provides a ton of juice for easy popping in the jumps. Freestyle heaven!

Poison- Very similar feel to the Manic, but with more juice. Stable, nicely balanced, fast(ish), and tons of grunt gets you up and running, and helps to pull you through the turns. This sail forces you to oversheet in the bottom turns, or else you just get yanked over the front! Good stuff.

Haleakala emerges from the clouds (almost)

Sorry for all the gear talk, but that's what I'm focused on at the moment... I can see why all the pros and manufacturers base themselves here- it's so easy to test gear, in the consistent wind and water conditions... Windsurfing heaven, eh? But I might forget how to sail port tack waves if I spend too much time here! Good thing I'm leaving in a few days... Gotta keep it balanced, you know?

Tabou 3S and Pocket, Gaastra Manic thoughts

Posted: March 5th, 2009, 5:18am CET

Another solid day out here on Maui! The way outer reef at Kanaha Uppers was breaking at well over mast high during the big sets! The regular inside reef was a bit confused but still really fun and maybe logo high if you found the right nugget. Goooood stuff, and really not that challenging or punishing, despite the size... Just fun sailing!!

Looking downwind at an empty Ho'okipa

I didn't see anyone out at Ho'okipa when I drove by, both in the am and pm. I watched for a while, and there was plenty of time between the sets, but most of the big ones were closing out the whole stretch, all the way down to Lanes. I hear that most of the pros went over to the Westside somewhere, where the wind was super offshore and the waves were massive. I'm sure it was pretty insane, I would've loved to join them... or maybe just snap off a few pictures from the beach :)

Thoughts on today's gear: (Well powered on the Manic 4.5 again, this time I sailed the Tabou 3S 76 and the Pocket 75 head to head)

So, I've been super impressed with the Tabou line. The 3S 76 that I rode today handled the psycho chop and big waves impressively well. It was really just a super early planer, with lots of speed and great pop for big jumps. It even handled those mast high waves pretty danged well... It wasn't super snappy off the lip like the pockets, but it had a real nice feel in the bottom turns and kept it's speed up without needing too much input. Definitely seems like a no brainer go-to board for general high wind blasting, jumping, trickery, and forgiving wave sailing. Two thumbs up for ease of use and radical accessibility!

And the Pocket 75... Man, I might have to sneak that thing onto the plane when I go home! What a beautifully responsive, fast, snappy, forgiving platform to ride waves on! The Pocket planes up super early for it's size, yet remains easily in control on the biggest, steepest wave face you'd really want to get yourself onto... The rails are very trustworthy in the turns, and it's got a real nice balance and pop when hitting the lip. I Really Like This Board!!

The van, chock full of goodies- 7 boards, 10 sails, 9 masts, 8 booms, and enough bananas to feed a troop of monkeys

Up next- some of the bigger 3S models, a Rocket or two, the Da Curves, and (if there's time) some Freestyle action (but I already know how rad that board is).

I'm also getting a great feel for the Gaastra Manic line. Lots of stability, great speed and easy handling. It's got a very light feel in the hands, even when overpowered. Two thumbs up! I've still got a pile of Poisons, Echos, Remedys and Vapors to try out, too... Busy busy busy!! It's a good thing all this testing is fun (I mean really here, I'm seeing how well the 3S rail holds while driving down the line on a mast high wave!!!)... Otherwise, it wouldn't seem like much of a vacation...

Kanaha Confidence

Posted: March 4th, 2009, 8:06am CET

Alright, finally got some confidence up today! Good old fashioned fun sailing at Kanaha, I hung out at Uppers all day long. Again, I started off on a board that was just plain old too big (for me) for the conditions. I just couldn't get the rail to engage on the bigger, faster waves, which was honestly a bit scary! I'm just not heavy enough to drive that Pocket 85 in these big (logo high+), windy conditions. Once I switched to the Pocket 75, though.... man what a difference!! Medium power on a Manic 4.5, and the Pocket 75, and life was GOOD!! I finally found the control I was looking for, and started attacking some lips.

Uppers is a funny wave, kind of peaky and weird with these cross swells bowling up the big sets... If you happened to be in the right spot, it was super fun, but if you were 20 yards off you basically had nothing to work with. Still though, a lot of the peaks were solidly logo high, if not occasionally bigger. You just had to find them, that's all...

West Maui Mountains

I still haven't really gotten worked... at all, really... which means to me that I'm still not really pushing it... The swell is supposed to bump up a notch tomorrow, and I feel like I've got that Pocket 75 dialed after today, so it's time to get wet!

Hana Highway

North Shore, Maui

Windsurf celebrities spotted over the last few days: Fransisco Goya, Finian Maynard, Kai Lenny, Robby Swift, Jake Miller, Nick Warmuth... the list goes on and on.... Even the people you've never heard of rip out here. It's so cool to be surrounded by incredibly talented people who are just charging it... Good energy out there, that's for sure!

Can't wait to get some more tomorrow!!

Mast High Madness!

Posted: March 3rd, 2009, 8:22am CET

Oh man, talk about getting right into it! Took off on some waves today!! Yow! Pretty finicky weather out here, chilly, with lots of rain squalls pushing through and killing the wind, but when it was good, it was really good! Casey and I ended up a little bit downwind from Ho'okipa, at a sketchy little launch site with just a few other people out. Rigged up the 5.0 Manic and Pocket 85 again, but I would've been fine on much smaller gear. The extra size did help with sneaking out past the very frequent, very big sets, though, so I was grateful to have the extra juice.

I snapped off just a few pictures, as I was mostly in the water while it was windy... The light was bad and the reef was pretty far out there... But they should give you an idea of the conditions.

The only shared wave of the day

Same wave... look closely to find both sailors!

Look closely, again!

Looks like these conditions are going to keep up for the next few days... I really played it conservative today... caught a bunch of the big ones, but stuck to the shoulders and kicked out early... Not too many critical lip smacks from me today... Maybe tomorrow I'll get a bit more aggressive... I just don't want to break all of Matt's gear... Poor guy's had enough breaks recently... (be warned- that last link is not for the faint of heart). Heal up fast, man!

Mm mm mm mm....

Posted: March 2nd, 2009, 5:43am CET

...Made it to Maui!! After 20 long hours of traveling, Casey picked me up at the airport, and 15 minutes later I had a Manic 5.0 rigged on a Pocket 85 at Kanaha! Unbelievable!! Nothing like some wind and crystal blue water to wash off the airplane funk!

Casey gave me a quick tour- we briefly hit uppers, and then shot down to lowers and joined the crowd for a few waves. Nothing epic, pretty onshore and garbled, but a heck of a lot of fun!! No complaints from me, that's for sure!!

I'm writing this from the back porch of the unbelievable pad I'm staying at. Truly beautiful, simple, idyllic. More on the digs later. Right now I just want to mention the sound of the breeze rustling the tree tops, and the smells of lush vegetation and fruit trees wafting through the air. Perfect!!

Small Town Life...

Posted: February 28th, 2009, 2:05am CET

I had to ship a box via UPS today. I purchased the shipping label online, and since there's only one road out here, I parked myself in a vacant lot and just waited for the UPS guy to drive by. When I saw him coming, I jumped out of the truck, grabbed the package, and stood in the middle of the highway and flagged him down. He happily slammed on his brakes and pulled off into the shoulder, popped the door open, grabbed the package and drove off. Does that happen in other places?

Sometimes, if I'm walking Banana (the dog), the UPS and FedEx guys will screech to a halt in the middle of the road and chuck dog bones out the window. Does that happen in other places?

Over the holidays, Anne, Banana, and I were in Brooklyn. When the FedEx lady come bursting through the crowd, Banana ran up to her, and sat down with puppy dog eyes, directly in front of her. Of the hundreds of New Yawkas that passed by on the street that morning, Banana only knew the FedEx lady, and tried to befriend her. Alas, she had no treats. New York is not a small town.

...Anticipation...

Posted: February 26th, 2009, 11:05am CET

Man, I had been doing so well. I was relaxed, content, sleeping... Until now... now that my Maui vacation timeline has slowly crept into a forecast-able period... I've been clicking this damned link at least once an hour, even though it only updates 3 or 4 times per day. And it's looking good... Very, very good...

Tonight has been exceptionally harsh. I've been awake since 3 AM, unable to take my mind off of the approaching adventure. My pulse is racing, just laying in bed... dreaming of lofty starboard jumps and some down the line wavesailing in tropical paradise...

The last time I felt like this was, ummm, about 9 years ago... Uh-huh, yup... Right before my first trip to Cape Hatteras : )

In all honesty, though, I feel this way pretty danged often. Every time the windows rattle in the breeze, the anticipation hits. We all feel it, as windsurfers. You can't escape it. It's not a bad thing... It's just a little reminder that Yes, You Are Alive!! As GP likes to say: "What a life!"

Less than one week...

Posted: February 23rd, 2009, 7:54pm CET

...until I visit Windsurfing Mecca for the first time : )

I just checked the Maui forecast. Looks like 14 foot seas and 20+ knot ENE winds the day I arrive... Perhaps I'll start with the Da Curve 79 and a 4.7, going down the line at Ho'okipa? Nothing quite like throwing yourself right into the thick of it........ Wish me luck (getting off the rocks in one piece)!!

Sunset Vid

Posted: February 20th, 2009, 7:45pm CET

The wind *finally* puffed up a notch just as the sun was setting last night. "Grab the kit and go go go!!" Luckily, I'm very practiced at rigging... otherwise, I would've missed the whole sesh... It's pretty amazing how just 20 minutes in the water can reset the balance of your whole day!

Anyway- I set up another tailgate cam, with the intention of sharing this sunset with all of you (awwwwwww, isn't that sweet). So pour yourself a spot of rum, sit back, and enjoy the high speed Hatteras Sunset!

Sunset Sesh from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Have a great weekend, folks!

Solo Sesh Tailgate Video

Posted: February 17th, 2009, 8:47pm CET

More North winds yesterday and this morning on Hatteras Island! It honestly seems as though the wind never ends out here... Check out the forecast for the next few days!!

I decided to sail the ocean just north of Avon yesterday. One truck drove by as I was rigging, but other than that I didn't see one other person... Nobody at all as far as the eye could see... Just a few dolphin and seagulls...

I wouldn't call it a wavesailing session, more like ocean bump and jump. There was the ubiquitous shorebreak, current, and light wind on the inside to deal with, but a easy, mushy wave was standing up on the sandbar, providing lots of ramps to jump!

Inspired by the parking lot webcasts coming from Ho'okipa the last few days, I setup a camera on the tailgate of my truck. The following short movie is what came out of the effort : ) Enjoy!

Solo Sesh from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Slacking on the Blogging, Busy with the Sailing (video)

Posted: February 16th, 2009, 5:50am CET

Man, if y'all were paying me for this whole blogging thing, I'd be fired right now! It's been one full week since my last post... and I assure you, the lack of posting has not been due to a lack of post-ables. In fact, quite the opposite! So, let's make up for it:

This morning was rad. Sailed at the Lighthouse, with one fisherman casting off the Jetty as an audience/Coast Guard Caller if need be. 5.0, mostly schlogging on the inside and juiced on the outside. Got a few great waves, a few great jumps, and was (mostly) able to stay upwind in all the current. Stoked!

Valentine's day was rad. No conditions for windsurf or surf, so Anne and I spent the day on Ocracoke, chillin' and picnicking. Hatteras always seems like a pretty removed place, until you hop on the ferry and go to Ocracoke.... Man, that place is in the middle of nowhere! We saw one other person, the whole day, which actually made it kinda romantic : )

We saw a harbor seal from the ferry

And a very rare sight, a seagull!

Anne and I, overlooking Hatteras Inlet

Tailgating

Ahhh

Oooh

Woof

Other than that, I've been sailing my butt off! I received a few prototype World Sails in the mail last week, so I've been testing and providing as much feedback as I can before they go to production. I'll tell ya, I've been on the World Sails for 8 years now, and they just keep getting better and better. This new batch has the potential to blow the doors off all of the previous ones, I'm really impressed!

I've given the 5.2 Surge prototype a solid work out- I sailed it all afternoon at Ego Beach the other day in some ridiculously up and down wind. We're talking 8-30 mph. Yow, but this sail handled great, schlogging like a champ, and powering up smoothly and staying in control during the big gusts. Waves were waist to occasional shoulder or head high peaks, and breaking in about knee deep water. I got absolutely demolished a few times, fully expecting to have exploded a mast, or some sail panels, or a boom, or some thing... but everytime, my rig came up unscathed! Solid!

Stuart showed up the next day, all amped up to hit the Hatteras waters again. He's been out of town, supposedly up in Edenton... but I think he's secretly been flying down to Bonaire to train with Tonky and Kiri... He was on fire out there! Check out the video for some evidence. You'll also see Lane, smoothly schralping; Brian going big; and me on that new prototype World Sail Surge... What do y'all think of the new color scheme?

Windsurf and Kiteboard Freestylin' from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

I also had a chance to sail the new Blast 7.5. What a powerhouse! It was blowing 10-14 mph, and I had very little trouble planing on a 135 liter board. It pulls you into the jibes with ease, and the cams rotate like they're not even there. It's not quite as stable as a full on race sail, but it has low end grunt comparable to a 9.5 meter Formula rig. Again, very impressed, especially considering that the price is going DOWN this year! Check the ad for yourself, World Sails is keeping you HOOKED UP!!

The approaching week looks solidly windy, which is good because I need all the practice I can get...

before...

my March 1st...

first ever...

trip to....

MAUI!!!! Wooooohoooooo!!

Sunny Weekend on the Beach

Posted: February 9th, 2009, 3:42pm CET

Before we start the weekend's water time report, here's a forwarded email, written by Buxton Jim. I think it'll give you guys a feel for winter time life on Hatteras Island:

Dear Margaret: It snowed again today. In winter at The Point it is common for pelicans to hang out close to the fishermen or even to walk right up to the driver side door hoping for a meal. Now it is too cold. Nobody is at The Point. I biked to Conners to get groceries. A pelican found that by standing about ten feet away he could activate and open the sliding doors. The woman from the cash register was throwing him fish. Jim

Thanks for sending that, Margaret, and great account of life on Hatteras Island, Jim!

Onwards: Great weekend out here on Hatteras! The temps warmed up to "fun beach weather" levels, with lots of sunshine and light breezes. Anne and I did a lot of surfing, and generally hung out in the sun as much as possible!

Friday, I surfed with Chad and Shaun. We found a great longboard wave, crumbly on the outside, and then standing up really steep in the shorebreak section. Good fun, that's for sure!

Chad, lining it up

Chad tucking in

I took out the Bonga Perkins 10' SUP both on Friday, and Saturday again with Anne. What a great picture taking (and wave riding) platform! Check 'em out:

Anne making the drop

Local boys

Anne's toes

Large file- new daydreaming wallpaper for y'all

Anne and her new friends

moi (photo: Anne)

Sunday was super windy in the morning, and I snagged a quick Slick Sesh on 5.0 before it faded out. Word is the southside offered up some fun side on conditions while the wind was up. So all in all, it was a killer weekend! I hope y'all had some fun out there, too!

Picture Fest!

Posted: February 6th, 2009, 5:45am CET

Man, Hatteras cranks in the winter... If you can deal with the cold, you're pretty much guaranteed some gnarly conditions. Sailed 4.2 again yesterday, lit up. I had been reading some shoveit suggestions Mike Burns had made on rec.windsurfing so I decided to give them a good whole hearted attempt. They made my abs hurt, but Mike's suggestions helped the progress a lot! Thanks for the tips dude!

It was windy again this morning, but I was running around dealing with frozen pipe issues (don't worry, not yours, Corey, or yours, MNOP)... So no water time for me today, but I did run down to Buxton just in time to see some guys catch some great waves. That water is cold- the sea surface temperature imagery has it pegged right about 40F. And the air was a balmy 25F... These guys were killin' it out there!! Anyway, enjoy the pics.

Long, workable lefts

A few closeouts

His wetsuit isn't normally blue, it was just really cold.

Take it easy? Nah...

#11 in a 15 photo sequence!

And, to keep you windurfing hyenas satiated, Pam Bailey sent a few pictures over, some more from that Marathon Ego Beach sesh last week! Nice work, Pam, thanks for shooting and sharing!

I'm getting ready for LoopFest 2009!

And Wavefest 2009 too!

Keith

Keith, all tied up

Lane

Lane's Gouge

Lane

Lane drawing lines

Thanks for the pics, Pam!!

Looks like it's going to warm up next week! Hope to see y'all out there!

The Tabou Meets The Slick (with video)

Posted: February 4th, 2009, 4:05pm CET

Had a sick-o slick session yesterday in Buxton! 4.2 on the Tabou 100, and life was good!! It was chilly (~36F, 2C), so I couldn't get my camera batteries to hold a charge for more than about 45 minutes, but here's what I came up with:

Tabou meets the Buxton Slick from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

That was my first good slick sesh with the Tabou 100. Man that thing is crazy! If you go into a trick fast and low, it spins around almost instantaneously, and I'm NOT used to that! A little slower entry and it spins with much more control, and if you go a bit higher and set the nose it gets a little more carvy than spinny. This board is so responsive to your input, it's unbelievable... Next up on the trick list: controlling the fast and low insta-spins so that I can start attempting double spocks! Booyah!

Looks like more 4.2 today and probably tomorrow morning, as well! I Love Hatteras! See ya at The Slick!

Reader Contributions

Posted: February 2nd, 2009, 4:21pm CET

Hey hey! We had a sweet day yesterday, warm SW winds in the 5.0 range all afternoon! Frisco George, Dale, Anne and I hit up the Canadian Hole for some fun afternoon action. Gotta love sailing in February!

Bill found a link to a bunch of great photos from the Marathon sesh the other day! Nice work, Yana! Rider key:
Green sail+blue board=Keith,
blue sail+yellow harness=Caleb,
green sail+orange board=me,
red and white "B" sail=Bill.

And here are a few emailed reader contributions to Lost In Hatteras! The first two are some pictures taken by sailor Dale B. The third and fourth images are GPS tracks submitted by VikingSail Tom of the ABC.

Iconic (Photo: Dale)

Buxton surfer Dave enjoying the warm January waters (photo: Dale)

Logging some miles with the Viking

Exploring Rodanthe with the Viking

Tom also sent in a link to a video of some of his crew, visible at the top of this page.

Thanks for adding to the stoke, fellas! Hope to see y'all soon (looks like some good wind over the next few days!!)

Lane DuPont is "The Man" behind the lens!! (and a well rounded waterman, to boot)

Posted: January 30th, 2009, 3:40pm CET

Lane DuPont just sent a few pics my way, from the Marathon Ego Beach sesh on Wednesday! Owing to the fact that Lane is "The Man" behind the lens, he's become a main supplier of local Hatteras action shots for all of the Windsurfing and Kiteboarding print publications. His latest appearance is a full page picture of Keith M, in the "Hot Shots" section of the April 2009 Windsurfing mag! Awesome stuff! Congrats, Lane and Keith!

Lane nabbed these particular shots shortly after taking a grueling 2 hour kiteboarding sesh. He had to stand thigh deep in blowing sand and ocean mist, just to grab a pic or two. Everyone else I know would've just gone home exhuasted and grabbed a shower and a beer. Thanks, Lane, for fueling the stoke!

Keep an eye out for backwash! Yikes!

Off The Lip!

Brian stirring up some spray

Brian, getting deep!

Looks like some good, warm winds might be pushing through again on Sunday, and most of next week is looking SUPER windy (but cold again)! Come on down and join us, folks!

Ego Beach/Canadian Hole Marathon Sesh

Posted: January 29th, 2009, 6:13pm CET

Oh man, I am feeling rocked today! We had a marathon Ego Beach session yesterday, lit up 5.0 all afternoon! Conditions weren't the easiest in the world with a ripping (over 5 knots?) littoral current right in the impact zone, but every now and then a nice wave face would open up for a few down the line turns. Good stuff, overall, definitely left me with a smile on my face!

Anne, after work jibe at the Hole!

I like the picture above- it shows the sparse feeling of Hatteras. This is one of the most famous windsurfing sites on the East Coast, yet all it consists of are a few outhouses and a parking lot (with 3 cars in it). Just over the dunes, you can find Ego Beach, wide open to the thrashings of the Atlantic Ocean. One could hit a baseball clear across the island, from water's edge to water's edge! (but I wouldn't recommend it, you might clock a unsuspecting sunbather in the caboose)

Here's a quick clip of Loopee and Anne bombing around at the Canadian Hole, enjoying the strong winds and 60+ degree air temps!

It was great to see everyone out and about yesterday, as it seems like I've been sailing alone all winter! Cheers, to a warm windy SW day in January!!

On a purely shop related note, now's the time to get in touch if you're looking for anything specific this spring! Shoot me an email and I'll help you pick through the hundreds of rig choices out there to get you on the correct piece of equipment! There are a handful of closeouts available, too, so there are some sweet deals to be found. In any case, if we get the ball rolling now, we can be certain to have your new board or sail ready and waiting come Spring Time (which will be here sooner than you think)!

Hope to hear from you/See you soon!

Heart-Rate-Techy-Dweeb-Babbling-Nonsense

Posted: January 27th, 2009, 5:24am CET

I've always wondered how much exercise we get when we go windsurfing. So I stole (err- borrowed) Anne's heart rate monitor while she wasn't looking, and went for a skate sailing session!

First things first, here's an explanation of basic heart rate guidelines. This stuff is all over the web, but I'm using an article by Sally Edwards on howtobefit.com as a basis for the following:

Everyone has a generic maximum heart rate (HR) based on their age and weight. I'm sure there are fancier ways of figuring out a more personal max HR, but the generic equation for a male is:

210 - half of your age - 5% of your body weight + 4. That equals 191 for me at 29 yrs old and 165 pounds.

From there, you can look into different "HR zones" for efficient training.

Zone 1 = 50 to 60% of your max (96-115 for me). Minimal effort, warm up/cool down type stuff. It's good for your health, but not very strenuous.

Zone 2 = 60 to 70% of your max (115-134). Moderate effort. Your body will use fat for up to 85% of it's caloric needs if you exercise here!

Zone 3 = 70 to 80% of your max (134-153). Aerobic effort. Your body will burn about 50% fat and 50% carbs in this zone. This is the zone where you actually get fit and your body will see the most health benefits.

Zone 4 = 80 to 90% of your max (153-172). Anaerobic effort. Your heart cannot supply enough blood and oxygen to your muscles, so they start to "burn." You still see healthy benefits here, in the form of getting stronger and faster, but it hurts.

Zone 5 = 90 to 100% of your max (172-191). All out insanity. Don't go there for long, or you may just end up hurting yourself.

So, here are the (much anticipated, I'm sure) results from the skate sesh:

Heart Rate, Recorded While Windsurfing

Looks like the act of rigging up bumped me into Zone 1. Rigging is good for your heart!

I started by just cruising around, playing with duck jibes, heli tacks, etc etc. It wasn't all that strenuous, and I stayed in the upper end of Zone 1 for most of the warmup.

As I started throwing the occassional vulcan, spock and grubby, the HR started to elevate a bit and I crept up into a solid zone 2 workout! Goodbye, fat!

Then, I really got in the groove, and didn't sail further than 10 yards in a straight line, choosing instead to carve turns, throw spocks, slide the wheels out, pump the sail maniacally, etc etc. I was into it, man! And that pushed me up into Zone 3, a true aerobic workout, which lasted... all of 15 minutes!

All in all, I put almost 3 miles on the ol' skateboard, nailed a few port tack vulcans and spocks, and figured out the sail handling for a funnell. All in a small parking lot sized 40 x 20 yards, and with 9-13 mph north winds.

Just think, I could have been on a treadmill breathing recycled air and watching MTV.

I LOVE WINDSURFING!

Sunday Update

Posted: January 25th, 2009, 3:59pm CET

Man it's been fun the last few days! Frisco George, Mark S, Loopee and I got in some fun (but gusty) 5.0 on Friday afternoon. The air was warm, but the water was cold so we were all dressed like it was -20... haha... FG called the water "refreshing." I was certainly getting my fair share of dunks, as I was working pretty hard on the grubbys in the semi choppy water. Loopee gave me a great tip that helped with the initiation- keep the sail back a bit when you pop. It seemed to help me get around the first half of the rotation without getting off balance from too much sail power. Thanks, Loopee!!

Beyond the odd hour or two of sailing, there have been some super fun waves!! Yesterday morning, I had this peak all to myself, even though I had called a bunch of friends and said "Let's Go!!" Winter time in Hatteras... Where else in the world are you looking for more people to surf with?!?! Anne came out to the beach and snapped a few pictures off (Thanks, Anne!!!)

Easy drops

Workable shoulders

The lefts were walling up nicely

That board I'm riding is a 5'8" Magic Fish by Walden. It's honestly like cheating, it's so easy, forgiving, and fun to ride. I love it, especially when the water's cold and I'm wearing a lot of neoprene because it's got tons of float and catches waves super easily. Good stuff! Check out HIB if you want one of your own!

And, since I've been letting you down on the local windsurf media lately, check out Andre Paskowski's sick new movie "Road Trip"

And, take another look at "2 for 10," which Andre made earlier this year. If these movies don't make you want to go windsurfing, I don't know what will (except maybe some Cabo Verde footage)

Hey- I just realized that I've been at this whole blogging thing for over a year now! Time flies... Anyway, I encourage you to browse through some of the past posts using the archives in the lower right hand column- there are some real gems in there. And, if you're thinking of coming to Hatteras, I encourage you to check out the month's postings for a look at the kind of conditions you might get while here. Could be useful information, and you might be pleasantly surprised with the "off peak" months' offerings : ) Hope to see you soon!

Winter surf

Posted: January 23rd, 2009, 3:00am CET

We've had some great surf down here the last few days! It's been chilly, but the waves have been fun enough to warrant dealing with the cold.

Mmmmmm....

I grabbed a quick sesh Wednesday evening. It was about chest to head high, and super clean in the light offshore winds. Very fun stuff! Anne and Banana came out to the beach to provide moral support. Anne snapped off a few pics, but her fingers went numb so she gave up on the camera pretty quickly. She did, however, snag a sequence of me chumping out on a dredging right hander. Thanks a lot, sweetheart... : )

Oh well...

NC Snow Emergency

Posted: January 21st, 2009, 2:21pm CET

Anne and I were out and about yesterday, all the way over in Greenville, when the "Snow Emergency" hit. What a joke. Zero snow was sticking to the roadways, there was about a 1/2 a centimeter in the grass and bushes, and everyone was freaking out and the radio announcers were telling people not to leave their homes. Gimme a break.

Over the course of the drive home, there were some squalls, and the snow totals amounted to about 1" on the roadway. There were cars scattered all over the place, deep in the ditches, having slid across three lanes of traffic. Gimme a break.

Hwy 12

Pea Island

Luckily, the plow drivers don't have to do any work on Pea Island, because Mother Nature takes care of it. A good gale out of the North was blowing sand all over the highway, providing some natural traction. Winter storms in NC... Gimme a break.

Serendipity in the snow and blow

What did I do when we finally got home? Well, I went windsurfing, of course! It was full on lit up 4.2 weather in the gusts (27-40 mph). I can say with certainty: blowing snow and sleet hurts your face just as much as rain does. It was a bit challenging to deal with the cold weather, stinging snow flakes, gusty winds, and fading light, so I ditched my usual repartee and just went for some speed runs in the semi choppy water. Got the wave kit up to 31.4 mph (27 knots) during a 22 minute, 6.5 mile outing. Gimme a break : )

Canadian Hole, 1/20/09

Speed sailing seemed like an appropriate way to spend Inauguration Day, since that was exactly the same way we had spent Election Day. Speaking of speed sailing, there's a guy from the Netherlands, Erik Loots drumming up some interest on the iWindsurf forums. As the Spring edition of the Hatteras Windsurfing Festival series is entering the planning stages, I thought it would be good to poll you on potential topics. Please let your voice be heard by answering the poll in the top right hand corner of the blog! Also, please note that this poll is completely unofficial, and may or may not affect the topic of the Festival Series come Springtime. Gimme a break. : )

I love salt water...

Posted: January 17th, 2009, 3:20pm CET

...because it won't freeze until it gets really cold outside...

While the guys in Maui are stepping up to the plate, and facing over mast high waves in punchy Kona winds, the least I can do is go for a sail at the Canadian Hole in arctic temps... My sesh had it's own challenges, albeit nowhere near as daunting as what the Maui pros were dealing with! Those guys are frickin' rock stars!! (if you haven't seen the recent conditions in Maui, each of the above links are worth a click)

Yesterday, before heading out, I wrote a short guide to windsurfing in cold weather. I followed every one of my own suggestions, except for numbers 2, 3, and 5. It ended up being a great session, a bit over an hour long before the wind faded out. No problems with the cold at all, my hands, feet, head and body were warm the whole time! Medium power 5.7 on the Tabou 100. The air was 26F (-3C), and the water was less than or equal to 41F (5C), which adds up to a maximum combined 67 if you're using the formula for the 100 degree rule. Perfect freestyle windsurfing weather!

Still smiling

I forgot the vaseline, but chapstick works equally well in a pinch. It is unbelievable how much it helps in the ice cream headache department!

Here's my kit after the sesh. That sail window isn't dirty, it's frozen over with ice! An interesting side note is the condition of the sail- it has close to 100 days of use, and still looks virtually new! Anyone who's ever sailed with me knows that I don't baby my gear, either... Way to go, World Sails!

Here's a closeup of the ice:

It's a good thing it was a solo sesh, because I couldn't see a darned thing to leeward!

Not still smiling

I did bring the portable hot tub, which was one of very few good decisions I made yesterday. My hands were fine while sailing, but rolling up the iced over sail immediately froze my fingers and palms. Another interesting side note- apparently an hour of below-freezing sailing, a tightly cinched wetsuit hood, and chapstick all over your face makes you appear 20 years older than you actually are.

Welcome to Freezing Cold-Ville...

Posted: January 16th, 2009, 2:05pm CET

Hmmm... Well, I'm procrastinating this morning... It's full on 5.0 conditions out there, but a bit chilly, as the thermometers are registering 26 degrees Fahrenheit (-3C for all you non-American readers). I am planning on heading out in a bit, but first I've gotta let the coffee seep in and do it's trick, so that I'm thinking clearly. Otherwise, I might actually go... : )

So, here are my tools for dealing with frigid temps:

Billabong Solution Gold 6/5/4: It's a fully sealed in neoprene surf suit with a built in hood. No water gets into this thing, my hair is literally dry after a sesh. The neoprene construction means that it still insulates, even if I somehow manage to rip a hole in it or blow out the zipper or something.

Billabong 5 mil winter booties (Aaron, take note)

Dakine Cold Water Mittens: They're pre-curved, nice thick neoprene over the back of your hand, and a super thin palm so you can still feel the boom and there's no forearm fatigue. They aren't totally dry, but a pair of latex surgeon's gloves or dishwashing gloves underneath and you're good to go.

So, the only thing exposed is my face. On days like this, that means instant ice cream headache if you get dunked. One method to ward off the headache is to smear vaseline all over your face before you go out (hey, it's not a fashion contest, right?). That thin layer of, well, grease, keeps the frigid water from making contact with your skin, and deflects that frigid wind from crushing your temples (that's quite literally what the headache feels like).

Have a plan:

1) Bring a cooler full of the hottest water you can pull out of your tap. It works wonders if your fingers or toes go numb. I also recommend dipping your boots and mitts in it before putting them on, especially if you left them outside the night before...

2) Sail with a buddy. And actually sail with them, right next to them. They jibe, you jibe. Don't go wandering off on your own mission somewhere without him, because then what's the point of having a buddy? Last year Stuart was my bro, but he's mostly out of town this winter. Anyone feel like stepping up?

3) Wear all the normal protective gear: helmet, life jacket, etc...

4) Don't go whale watching! Keep it close to shore, and in a spot and conditions you are very familiar with!

5) Make sure someone knows where you are going and when you should be back.

And of course, make sure all of your windsurfing gear is spot on, in great condition. No one wants to swim in due to a universal joint failure, even on a summer day... So check your stuff, and replace what needs replacing! That includes downhaul, inhaul, and outhaul line, too... Why risk ruining a good session for $5 worth of line, right?

So is there anything else I missed? Leave a note in the comments if you can think of anything!

** Disclaimer: Cold weather windsurfing is dumb and unsafe. You should not do it. Following these guidelines does not necessarily mean that you will be safe windsurfing in cold weather. Do so at your own risk, which happens to be quite high.

Oh, and by the way, it's been wicked fun the last few days! With the exception of Tuesday, that is... But I've gotten in a few sweet 5.7 and 5.0 freestyle sessions, even though it's been a bit chilly (40s). Even caught a double sesh yesterday! Buxton Slick in the am westerly, and then it switched north and cranked in the afternoon, lit up 5.0! Loving it!! (sorry, no pics or anything, they've been solo missions)

No need to be scared that today's cold is shutting down the winter season, either... The ocean is still about 50 degrees, and the sound follows the air temps very closely, so it'll warm back up if we get a few days in the 50s or 60s... Which should happen on Sunday!

December, and the 2008 Wrap-Up... (Super-boring post)

Posted: January 13th, 2009, 4:21pm CET

The whole point of the wrap-up is to serve as a reference for people thinking about coming to Hatteras. Hopefully, it'll give you an idea of what to expect, on a month by month basis! Unfortunately, it's pretty boring to write and read about... but then, I've never read a reference book that wasn't boring, so I guess I'm just keeping up with the rest of them...

December, by the numbers:

16 windsurf sessions (5.7 x8, 5.0 x6, 4.2 x2)
4 surf session
Suits: one session in a 6/5/4, eighteen in a 4/3, one in a 3/2
10 days off island for the holidays!

So, December was super windy, and not all that cold if I made it in a 4/3 for most of it (I tend to overdress). I missed a third of the month, too, so I'm sure the numbers would have been much higher had I been around...

And now, the 2008 Hatteras Wrap-Up:

My 2008 days on the water

The chart above shows the number of days per month I was able to hit the water for a good windsurf (5.7 and smaller sails) or surf (reasonably clean, surfable waves) session. I also included the number of rest or out of town days I had, because it's possible that those days offered up some decent conditions that I may have missed. I was out of town a lot this past summer, usually there are more windy days than I've recorded here!

So, August pretty much sucked for wind, but that's normal. Every other month offered up a ton of wind, especially when taking into account my rest days.

I haven't included temperatures, because the suits are so freaking good these days that there's no reason not to go out. But in general, my most used suits are probably:

January/February: 6/5/4
March/April: 4/3
May: 3/2, Shorty
June/July/August: Trunks
September: Shorty
October/November: 3/2
December: 4/3

So, come on down and join us this winter!! Don't wait until April, keep an eye on that forecast, and ditch the skis one of these weekends! Shoot me a note if you're coming down, I'll keep you in the loop!

Board Swap Afterthoughts

Posted: January 12th, 2009, 2:12pm CET

Never ending perfect days down here, I tell you. Wind for a portion of the day, surf for the rest. Over and over again.... Lots of people out on the water, and obviously, everyone's in a good mood! Remind me, again, why the rest of you only come here during the third week of April?!

Popin' and Slidin' at the Hole (Anne pic)

I would describe the wind on Saturday as "lulley." It wasn't gusty, as the gusts were more sustained than the occasional bottom dropping out lull that would leave you flat on your back wondering what the heck just happened. In order to help Anne deal with the lulls, I offered a board swap. She gladly jumped on my 100l Freestyle, and I hopped on her 85 fsw (my old one). I can't believe how far the boards have come in just a few years... I hadn't ridden that 2006 since May, so I kind of forgot how it felt. It's probably only a cm or two longer than my '08 same model, but man it felt all long and skinny... I can't believe I learned how to spock on that thing!!

Anne's only question, asked while reluctantly giving back the Tabou 20 minutes later, was "Is this thing hollow?!" Apparently, even at 100 liters, it felt lighter and more responsive than the '06 85 liter...... I would agree with her... In fact, I haven't even been putting my '08 85 in the truck, even when it was blowing 4.2 the other day.... (Sorry, baby, I still love ya in the waves, but I think it's time to say "sayonara" to the flat water)

My only afterthought on the decision to board swap? "Doh!" Now we're gonna be fighting over the 100 everytime we go to the beach... Maybe I'll just have to get a second one....

Multi-Sport Days

Posted: January 10th, 2009, 5:17pm CET

Had a few sick-o multisport days on Thursday and Friday! My friend Dan and I have been on different schedules lately, but we were able to sync up and get out there. He's super fun to hit the water with, mostly because he charges it on his kites and paddles circles around you when surfing. It's pretty hard to keep up with him, which keeps it interesting!

We hit up the Buxton Slicks on Thursday, with MikL and some other dude. I was making my 4.2 work on my Tabou 100 liter Freestyle (which RIPS!!!) while they were on 12m and 9m kites, respectively. The wind kept fading, fading, fading.... So I got a chance to really see how well the board planes up and performs when ridiculously underpowered. Lets just say that I was VERY impressed. I also got the chance to figure out just how shallow the water needs to be for me to catapult with my freestyle fin. It needs to be exactly top-of-the-ankle deep... Got a faceful of nasty mucky silty sand on that one... Yuck!

When the wind Really died, we decided to just walk across the street and surf. We found perfectly peeling rights, about head high in the sets, nicely groomed in the light offshore wind. Literally less than 100 yards away from where we had been tearing up the slicks on our wind gear. I Love Hatteras. I don't even know why I own a vehicle. I could get away with a bicycle and a trailer for all my gear. And my quads would be HUGE!

Look at that right-hander! Yow!!

Same thing yesterday, but different spots. Windsurfed 5.0 in the AM up at Island Creek, until I got kicked out by the maintenance guys. They said some of the houses got broken into, so now the owner of the land won't allow anyone to hang out there. I'm 99.999999999% sure it wasn't a windsurfer who broke into the houses, but I respect the guy's decision. It's really a shame, though, how one person's lame actions can ruin access for everyone.

Last night's moon-rise

Anyway, looks like the wind's coming back up. Should be a killer weekend! See ya out there!

And so it begins...

Posted: January 8th, 2009, 4:10am CET

...2009... The year of chumping out... For on this first windy day, I have forsaken my 3 sail quiver, and rigged a fourth. Yes yes, it's true. I rigged... down (gasp). Today I sailed with Anne's 3.7, instead of just hanging on to my 4.2. LAME!! It wasn't even that windy, 30 mph gusting to 40... Easily 4.2 weather.

Today's Frisco Woods iWindsurf.com Graph

For those who don't know, my usual reply to "Whatcha riggin'?" when everyone is coming in defeated on their mid 3s has historically been a quick "Eh, 4.2". Was it worth sacrificing my manly-hood today? Well, the 3.7 actually worked great. The only issue I had was hand chafe from holding on to generally unused, and still very grippy, portions of the boom. Other than that, the thing sailed sweet, and allowed the gusts to feel a little more playful than usual. So yeah, it was worth it! Will I do it again? Probably not : )

Keith, guinea pig on his 4.2

**update**- Bill's got a nicely detailed report of the day's action here!

After a few hours of bashing around at the Hole with Frisco George, Loopee (who was killin' it), Mark, Jim K, Keith, and Bill, a huge squall pushed through, virtually unannounced. Luckily, every one was de-rigged (well, Bill and I were still in the process, but it was fine). Torrential downpours and gusts into the 50s smacked us down for a few minutes, but they left as fast as they arrived, so Bill and I decided to head to Old Lifeguard Beach to see how the waves looked.

I'm in there somewhere, click to enlarge (Photo: Keith) (Thanks for the pic, Keith!!! Why the heck didn't you rig up and join us?!?!?)

I'm so glad we went down there! We arrived to find clean, peeling rights, in the chest to overhead range, and much lighter wind than earlier. I rigged my 5.0 (familiar territory again). There was ZERO wind on the inside, but I caught a few little puffs and squeeked out. Lined myself up for a nice looking wave, it jacked up on the bar, ended up well overhead and long enough for two solid turns! Stoked!! Kicked out and rode the conveyor belt for another 2 hours! Unbelievable first good day of 2009!!

Oh, and I forgot to mention, it was 65 degrees F all day! Winter? Huh? What's that?

The forecast is for never ending radness, so come on down and join us for some fun!!

Sunset Session Video!

Posted: January 6th, 2009, 8:24am CET

Well, I was cleaning up the ol' computer and came across a bunch of video footage that I had totally forgotten about! VT Don was nice enough to film a sunset session at the Canadian Hole. It's from the same day that we had all headed out to the Reef for the dawn sesh. Needless to say, we were all pretty pooched by this point, but we went out and had some fun anyway. If I remember correctly, I was pretty well juiced on a 4.2.

So, lucky you, you get a new video to watch : ) Enjoy!

Sunset Bump and Jump from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Back to reality : )

Posted: January 5th, 2009, 6:50pm CET

Just got back to NC! The first thing I heard, upon exiting the car, was a wave breaking. Gotta love being across the street from the beach! And the first thing I did was take off all the layers I was wearing- it's downright balmy down here compared to the 2 degrees F we left up in VT! Here are a few more pics from my last days traveling up North:

Me, Dale, Anne, Erin (and Banana). Cold sunset atop Mt Philo

That's Lake Champlain in the valley and the Adirondacks across the way

You know it's cold when there isn't a cloud in the sky...

Meg's idyllic Vermont country home

Anne and I joined Keith, Martine, Donny, and Anne at Wendy and Roland's house the other night. We all started trading stories of our first windsurfing experiences, remembering tie-on booms, gusty lakes, and 50 pound longboards! Donny recalled learning to uphaul at the lighthouse in big nor'easters! Unbelievable, ha!! Man, this sport has come a long way in a few short years...

If you've still got some vacation time leftover after the holidays, now's a good time to use it! Tuesday afternoon through Sunday has some serious potential! Can't wait to get wet again... Hope to see you out there!

Happy New Year!

Posted: January 1st, 2009, 12:57am CET

(Picture salvaged from July 4th, 2008, but it fits the bill)

Happy New Year, Folks!! 2008 was pretty insane (in a good way).

Cheers, to more, bigger, and better in 2009!!

Y'all are the best, keep up the good work, keep pushing your limits, and I'll see ya in the water!
-Andy

Travellin'

Posted: December 27th, 2008, 7:54pm CET

Contrast abounds in NYC. For example, here is an old condemned building on the river, neighbor to a multi-billion dollar (failing) industry residing in a multi-million dollar skyscraper.

Here is the Brooklyn Bridge, looking from Manhattan to the East:

Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, 125 years ago. According to wikipedia, over 150,000 people crossed the bridge on opening day. Nobody was windsurfing under it on December 26th, but there were tons of people walking and driving on it : ) Maybe a new stop for your Urban Sailing Tour, Geoff?!

Meanwhile, back in Hatteras:

Dale sent me this picture from X-mas Eve at the Canadian Hole. Looks like Dave C. powered up on his 6.5. Not a bad way to spend the Holidays! Glad you guys got out there!

Dave C. at the Hole (Photo: Dale B)

And, per reader Paul's request, the greeting card picture sans text. Paste away, with credit to Anne for snapping a sweet Hatteras shot! If you look closely, the Frisco Pier is in the background.

Photo: Anne

It's great to see family and friends, but I'm getting a little stir crazy from the lack of action... I just read "Ultramarathon Man" by Dean Karnazes. Dude's a major inspiration, maybe I'll start running to burn off some of this extra energy... Figures that I'm about to turn 30... Read the book to get the reference : )

Have fun out there, Folks!

Happy Holidays!!

Posted: December 25th, 2008, 5:19pm CET

To my family, friends, and anyone else who happens to click on a link to this page:

Have a wonderful Holiday Season, may the wind be at your back, yada yada yada... You get the point : )

Much Love and Gratitude,
Hope to see you soon,
Andy

Momma Nature Is Handing Out Holiday Gifts

Posted: December 20th, 2008, 5:03pm CET

Anybody here on Hatteras has gotten some great Holiday Gifts from good ol' Momma Nature over the last couple of days! I know the Northeast is getting slammed with ice and snow right now... but I gotta tell ya, it's been 60 degrees, sunny and windy down here! Not to rub it in or anything... : )

Drew, Gary and I surfed the other day, head-ish high groundswell, and nice and clean with light offshore wind. It was lining up for some long, workable rights, and quick, steep lefts on the bar that we found. Bonus points if you can find Gary in the picture below:

Sunset surf, click to enlarge!!

Friday afternoon, the wind showed up! SW, warm, and slowly building throughout the afternoon. There was still a bit of swell left out there, but I really wanted to get some more time on my new freestyle board... So I did it all! Cape Hatteras is rad. I was able to sail 5.0 on the Tabou 100, flat water at the Hole, and then when the wind really cranked up, I just switched boards and walked across the street to Ego Beach! Gotta love the ease of variety! There were lots of people out enjoying the warm winds at the Hole, and smiles and hootin' and hollerin' all around! Sailors included (but aren't limited to, sorry if I missed ya): Anne, Martine, Dave, George, Dale, Norm, Charlie, Dan, and just one visiting sailor!

Ego beach as the wind was filling in

Caleb, Norm, and Dan also went out at Ego, and just one kiter by the time we got on it. There was plenty of space out there, that's for sure! Fun sesh, hitting up sketchy shorebreak waves in the chest to head high range, and some nice jumps lining up on the outer bar. As the sun started to set, I crossed back over to the Hole, and did some flat water blasting under one of the most incredible sunsets I've ever seen!

I mean really... Come on!!(Photo: Anne)

Dale and I stayed out until it was virtually pitch black. I just couldn't give it up, lit up 5.0, warm, unreal sky...

Are you kidding?!(Photo: Anne)

I woke up bright and early this morning to try to catch the clearing winds, but it faded pretty fast. I scored a few passes in the straps, but it was pretty light out there... I'll tell you what, the sunrise made up for the lack of breeze!

Dawn at the Avon Pier

Looks like some more weather will be pushing through over the next few days, but I'm outta here! We're headed up North to play in the snow and visit with Family and Friends! Can't wait to see y'all! In the meantime, keep an eye on Bill's blog to see what you're missing!

Happy Holidays!

Tabou Love Song

Posted: December 19th, 2008, 3:50pm CET

After an extra long day and a half of waiting for even a trace of wind (but happily surfing head high groundswell in the meantime), I finally got a chance to try out my new Tabou Freestyle 100! I'll tell ya, that was a long 44 hours, staring at that beautiful beast, waiting to get some breeze...

The wind was super light, so it wasn't the most appropriate testing conditions, but I just had to get out there and see what it was capable of. The meter was reading avg 13, lull 11, and short lived gusts to 17 or 18 mph. I was definitely milking it with a 5.7... But here are my initial reactions anyway:

Once out of my living room and onto the beach, the board looked a lot smaller than I initially thought it was. That held true for feel under foot once in the water. Don't get me wrong, it was exceptionally stable, but underway it had the twitchyness and responsiveness of a much smaller board. The step rail really made the tail feel narrow and responsive underfoot, especially when comparing it to other flat decked freestyle boards.

Even though the board felt small underfoot, it still "planed up on a fart" (to borrow a phrase from Andy Brandt). With virtually zero sail power, the board still just wants to get up and moving. So that's a pretty rad combination of characteristics- ultra maneuverable, responsive, and light, but planes up as early as boards that feel much bigger and relatively "dead" underfoot.

How does it slide? Well, my first attempts were a bit ugly, but once I got used to how little energy it takes to pop the board, I slid through a perfect 540, one handed spock, and even attempted a halfway decent grubby. This is all under super light sail power, mind you.

I can't wait to get this board out in some real wind!!

Oh, Yeah...

Posted: December 17th, 2008, 6:26pm CET

This Spring,
swing on by

Sailworld Cape Hatteras

to try out
the new

2009 Tabou Board Lineup.

Let the radness commence.

Take a look at the lineup, and if there are any boards in particular that catch your eye, shoot me a note, and we'll get you hooked up.

Oh Yeah!

Catching Up...

Posted: December 15th, 2008, 4:38pm CET

Wow, the whole Holiday thing has been keeping me busy... No time to write!! By the way, there's still time to send out Gift Certificates and/or product, in time for the Holidays, so give the shop a call or send me an email and place your orders!

Last week was pretty fun, although I must have angered the wind gods with something I said... For two days straight, every time I rigged up and got in the water, the wind died. It got to the point where Dave and Ralph were chasing me out of the parking lot, before I had a chance to mess it up for everyone...

Here they are, ripping around, well juiced, 15 minutes before I hit the water and ruined it for everyone:

Dave, mid flat-water jibe

Ralph, in the straps and ripping

George, entertaining the "crowds"

Retribution came on Friday, when it blew 30-45 for a few hours in the AM. I think I'm getting old, because as I was loading up the truck, I hesitated as I walked by Anne's 3.7... and I decided to take it! Did I rig it? Well, no, I just hung on to my 4.2, but the action of simply putting the thing in the truck was a pretty major admission of truth for me. I am getting dangerously close to the dirty 30s...

Ghost town, 60 degrees and blowing 30! Where is everyone?!

Ego Beach, looking seductive

Ralph shot a few minutes of video and sent me this short clip: (Thanks, Ralph)

Speaking of video, I've put some of my previous ones up on Vimeo.com. The original files that I uploaded are exactly the same as the ones on youtube, but the quality is much better on vimeo! Check them out, here!

Other than that, Stuart and I snagged a killer Saturday, sailing in the AM and SUPping in the PM... Which had the effect of knocking me out before I could get to D's Holiday Party, and I missed the Parade, too... Man... slacking!!

Blog special of the day: Starboard Flare 104 Wood (The link is to a review of a smaller 99 liter version, the 104 planes up even better)!! Freestyle boards are super fun and easy to sail, and I think everyone should own one! It's hard to not plane out of a jibe on these things... Plus, you can rig small, light sails, and still outplane everyone on their 8.5 race sails! What's not to like?! So here's the deal- this board is brand new, although a previous model year, so we're going to hook you up for $949!! Pick it up in the Spring, or I'll ship it to ya, doesn't matter, but get your name on this board!! Call the shop or send me an email!

A Brutally Honest Review of ABK Boardsports

Posted: December 9th, 2008, 3:38am CET

Anne attended a ABK Boardsports clinic this past October, here in Hatteras. This is what she has to say about the whole affair:

The fall 2008 Hatteras ABK camp ROCKED! Thanks to the ABK crew for a fun weekend full of sailing (even on the day when there wasn’t that much wind). It’s just crazy how much you can learn from these guys in only a few days. Planing jibes, fin first sailing… whatever you can think of, they’ll teach it. This was my second clinic and I was amazed at how much I learned. I can’t wait for them to come back and help me with forwards (ha!). Let’s face it windsurfing is hard. After all, if it were easy… you know what they would call it. See you in the spring!

So there you have it. Thanks, Anne! A week or two after the clinic, we had some HUGE winds. I mean, lit out of my gourd on my 4.2. The cool thing is, Anne, who weighs about 50 pounds less than me, was tearing it up on her 3.7, trying chop hops and blazing through planing jibes! Before taking the clinic, she probably would have just stayed in the car (sorry sweetheart, but you know it's true), but after the clinic, she was full of confidence, and her sailing showed it!! 'Nuff said, take a ABK clinic and reap the benefits!

Anne and I attended the wedding of my friends Tom and Pearl over the weekend. They're both windsurfers, so it was, by default, a rad wedding. We had an unspeakable amount of fun hanging out with some old windsurfing friends. Congratulations, guys, it was great night, and a lot of fun to see everyone!! If any pictures surface, I'll post 'em up, but they might need censoring...

Of course, the whole East Coast was going off while we were driving home, but that's a given when that many windsurfers are pre-engaged in a non-windsurfing event...

Chesapeake Bay, Going Off!

This was tonight's sunset. You could be here!! In fact, you probably should be here, looking at our forecast! Temps up to 70, winds up to the mid 20s for the next 4 days straight! Suh-weet!! Get here!

Sailworld Cape Hatteras steal of the day: Brand Spankin' New 2007 Starboard Carve 111 Technora, $949!! Only one left! This board is sweet with freeride/freerace sails in the 5.0 to 7.5 range, and offers smooth handling, early planing, and accessible speed. It likes a locked and loaded stance, yet remains smooth and easy in the jibes. Shoot me an email or call the shop to snag this one time blog based deal!! By the way, the Revolution 5.8 is still available!

Meeting the 2008 goals!

Posted: December 5th, 2008, 7:26pm CET

Alright, so a week or two ago I claimed my first grubby. I even had video of (half of) it. I was pretty stoked on it, to be honest! But yesterday, I nailed one so clean that I planed out of it! WAY better than the first one I claimed... So now, I'm really gonna claim it : ) That's good news, because it was one of my 2008 windsurfing goals. Anyone else have any luck with theirs, now that 2009 is looming on the horizon?

Billy D, Mach 10

Billy D, Dave C and I had it all to ourselves

We had perfect freestyle conditions yesterday, 5.7 and 100ish liter board. It was pretty punchy wind, and the gusts were pushing through in these nice, visible long lines. It made it really easy to pick out the right spot, timing wise, to chuck a move. I really don't mind gusty conditions, it opens up the world to such a huge range of possibilities: Hass or helitack in a lull, loop and jibe in the huge gusts, spock from a gust into a lull... If you open your eyes and work on appropriate moves at appropriate times your success rates can really skyrocket!

Closing time at the Hole, Thursday evening.

10 minutes later...

Zach and Sean passed through

Anyway, a bunch of you took advantage of the DaKine Handwear Sale, so it's time to move on to the next item on crazy blog-only closeout from Sailworld Cape Hatteras:

Sailworks Revolution 5.8

This Sailworks Revolution 5.8 is a previous year's new closeout. The sail matches up well with bump and jump/freestyle wave type boards really well. It's built durable enough for surf conditions, with solid rod epoxy battens and tons of x-ply. It'll rig on either a 460 or a 430, standard or reduced diameter mast. Bigger, power hungry folks tend to like the longer, stiffer mast option, while smaller, more finesse oriented sailors usually like the shorter, softer 430. Regular price is $605, crazy one time only blog based blowout on the last one: $399!! That's over 30% off! Holy $&@*!! There's only one left, so the first person to email me (at the address in the Welcome section of this blog) gets dibs. If this is an item you would like someone to buy for you, simply click the envelope button below to email them a link to this page!

Surprised Stoke-age!

Posted: December 3rd, 2008, 5:56pm CET

Stoked on a surprise session yesterday! Cape Hatteras is such a rad place... All of the forecasts were calling for 5-10 all day long, but we got a surprise mid-day 20-25 two hour burst of wind! Good stuff, straight West, so Stuart and I sailed the Slick down in Buxton. My good ol' VT sailing buddy Don showed up on his kite for a little while, too. Our differing geographic home bases were readily apparent: Stuart and I were wearing 6 and 4 mil suits, respectively, with hoods, boots, and mittens, while Don was ripping around wearing nothing but trunks...

2nd topic of stokage: We just got the December issue of the New England Windsurfing Journal in the mail! I wrote a piece about a speed sailing session from about a month ago, and both Keith and I got some great Lane DuPont photos published! Stoked! Here's an excerpt from the article:

Out into the gnar we went! Visions of reeling, mast-high lefts led me down to Isabel's, where, not surprisingly, I met up with a handful of other windseekers searching for the perfect setup. Running over the dunes, our eyes met with...

Wanna know what happens next? Get a subscription (or order a copy through the shop)!

Speaking of the shop, we've got some killer deals kicking right now! Over the next few weeks, I'll be highlighting some specials, blog based insane deals, for a limited time only!! Starting with:

DaKine handwear! We've got a limited stock of Full Finger Gloves, Half Finger Gloves, Cold Water Gloves, and Cold Water Mittens. If you email me an order within the next two days (by Friday, December 5th, at 1 PM), I'll give you 40% off the regular price of $27-$30!! Please note the model, size (xs, s, m, l, xl), shipping address, and a daytime phone number that I can reach you at to finallize billing. Please do not email credit card info (for your own protection)!! My email address can be found in the "Welcome" section of the blog, top right.

DaKine Full Finger Sailing Gloves (Reg $30, SALE $18)

DaKine Half Finger Sailing Gloves (Reg $27, SALE $16.20)

DaKine Cold Water Gloves (Reg $30, SALE $18)

DaKine Cold Water Mitts (Reg $30, SALE $18)

These are great stocking stuffers for the sailors in your family!! Act now, as this is a limited time frame sale on a limited stock of handwear! If you would like to subtly hint to someone that this is a gift you would like to receive, simply click the little envelope button below to email them this blog post! Happy Shopping!!

The End of November Wrap-Up!

Posted: December 2nd, 2008, 2:46pm CET

Where to begin? Chronologically, I suppose...

Happy Thanksgiving! Has your buzz worn off yet? Mine hasn't! Anne and I drove up to NY, cannonball run style, to hang out with my family. My parents hosted 26 family members this year, slightly down from an all time high of 32. Our house isn't huge, but it's a heck of a lot bigger than my Grandparent's old apartment in the Bronx... Still, every bed, couch, and even some carpeted floors were occupied as sleeping space for the night, once we all wound down. It was great to see everyone!

A few of us decided to take a nature walk on Friday, to burn off some of those extra calories. I really enjoyed getting out into the woods for some exercise, in the cool, crisp NE air. Living the endless summer is really fun, but I definitely miss the mountains on occasion.

I dare you to jump!

Looks like the stream erodes the banks during floods, the tree trunks collapse in, and then over time bend and regrow vertically.

Most of the underlying rock formations were slate. Slate is basically moderately compressed clay beds. Clay has a flat hexagonal molecular structure, and when it gets lightly compressed, all of the particles become aligned and form sheets of rock. It's pretty easy to make thin, rectangular pieces out of a bed of slate, which is why it's historically been used as a roofing material.

The Crew, L-R me, Anne, Dad, Jim, Pauline

Steep Stream Banks

Waterfall through the trees

There was ice building up at the base of the waterfalls

We raided the closets to make sure everyone was appropriately geared up. Jim's 20 year old boots didn't handle their release from captivity too well...

On the epically long drive back to NC, Anne and I stopped at a highway rest area. This guy was walking his horse in the dog walking area.

Make sure you scoop the poop, dude!

We returned to Hatteras to find sun, wind, and temps in the 60s! Very nice welcome home gift! Stuart and I sailed Ego Beach for awhile, juiced up on 4.2s. The waves were really disorganized on the outer bar, and sometimes about head high and barreling in the shorebreak section. It was a sketchy session, with insanely shifty and gusty winds. The only truly ride-able wave sections were breaking in thigh deep water 20 feet from the beach... I came away unscathed, but Stuart snapped his mast in half and tore his sail : ( Some other guys did some road surfing, ended up at Ramp 34 for awhile, with a 50% success rate at getting out. Then they headed down towards the point, and apparently scored some fun chest high waves.

After getting worked pretty hard a few times, I joined everyone else at the Hole. Billy D, Dave C, Keith, Jeffro, Jim K, Dotty, Petra, and a few others were out there, tearing it up. Petra went windsurfing for the first time in 4 months, now that her hands are all healed up!! She looked to me like she hadn't missed a day, she was killing it out there!

Keith, holding it all together in a gust!

Petra, back on it!

Jim K, heading out.

On to the November Wrap-Up:

13 windsurfing sessions (5.7 x1, 5.0 x8, 4.2 x4)
7 surf sessions
2 skatesailing sessions
6 rest days (4 of which were missed-its!!)
2 sessions in a 3/2 wetsuit, 14 sessions in a 4/3, 4 sessions in a 6/5/4

So, when it was windy, it cranked (almost every sesh was 5.0 or smaller)!! And when it wasn't windy, there were great waves to surf! There were a few really cold days, but most were a reasonable temp (I tend to overdress, a lot of my 4/3 days would have been fine in the 3/2).

The water's still warm (enough) and the wind is cranking, so come on down and join us for some fun! We've got just a little bit of stock left in the shop, too, and everything's on a killer sale, so if you need anything, now is the time to buy!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Posted: November 25th, 2008, 1:57pm CET

Happy Birthday, Dad! I hope you have a great day today. Can't wait to see you guys over Thanksgiving dinner!

I can't let you get away unscathed, Dad, so I'm going to show everyone a short video of you and Mom tearing up the dance floor last spring. Looks like you've still got it!

While that's loading up, let me tell y'all about how good the surf has been the last few days! We've had pretty glassy conditions out there, and two straight days of perfect longboard waves. Think Malibu, but going left. Super fun (Thanks for the call, Dan)! This morning, everything switched around and intensified a bit, so we took out the shortboards and caught some really long, fun rights. The lefts were still working, too, but they were a lot shorter and steeper. Drew and I just finished up a drift session, we went from the Motels down to about D's Spot, and caught countless waves. What a way to start the day!

Saving a Sailboat. Take 2.

Posted: November 24th, 2008, 10:20pm CET

So, pulling the beached 50' sailboat back into the water didn't work. It survived the last batch of NW wind and solid NE swell, but got pushed another 20 feet up towards the dunes. The steering mechanisms are now completely shot, so now the plan is to tow it off the beach on dry land. Apparently, the owner can't afford the process, so he had to sign ownership of the boat over to the towing company. Kind of a bummer, but hey, it's a lesson learned. They don't call it the Graveyard of the Atlantic for nothing... I'd say he got off pretty easy, as he's still living...

They brought out the big rigs

And Mr Fixit showed up to help!

They created an I-Beam frame

Luckily the beach is wide and flat right now!

It's still on the beach, but down towards Ramp 38 now. I guess they have to step the masts and get it "road ready" before they tow it down the highway. Hopefully they can get her seaworthy again, and maybe she'll have better luck the next time around!

Chilly Wave Sailing...

Posted: November 22nd, 2008, 5:22pm CET

A bit of a chill has set over Hatteras Island the last few days! Not to worry though, it looks like mid 60s again by Monday afternoon... A little cold snap has never kept me from having fun, though, so it's been a heck of a few days!! Thursday was decision day, the question being between windsurfing perfect 5.7 slick conditions, or surfing super clean head high groundswell... Considering how much windsurfing we've been doing, the surf conditions won the battle for my limited amount of free time... Man, it felt good to paddle around for a bit! There's nothing quite like laying into a bottom turn in silky smooth water! Sorry, no pictures, but it was very pretty out there!

The wind kicked back in, NW all day Friday and this morning. I broke out the thick suit and DaKine mittens again to fend off the chill. Oh, and the portable hot tub, too : ) The puddles were frozen this morning, and the thermometers were reading 33 Fahrenheit... Perfect windsurfing weather! Anne came out to Ramp 34 with me, mostly I think to make sure I didn't kill myself... She's the voice of reason balancing out my inner windsurfing demon : )

It ended up being a killer session (but short, about 30 minutes before the wind backed off). The waves were perfect, peeling left at waist to shoulder high, and super easy to read. If we had conditions like this during Wavefest, but 30 degrees warmer, everyone would have gone pro by the end of the festival! Every pass offered up a great ramp on the way out, and a 3 to 4 bottom turn wave on the way in. I got in one of my best port tack forwards yet, virtually planed out of the thing with a totally dry landing! The very next run out, a perfect backloop ramp popped up in front of me, and I took it for all it was worth! Before I left the house this morning, I was looking at Jonas Cebalos' page. He just posted up a huge backloop sequence, where he apexes, and then floats down and at the very last second completes the rotation and noses in. Lately, I've been trying to rotate at the apex, and usually over-rotate on the way down, so this morning I tried to change it up a bit, Jonas Style! What a difference! I nosed in and landed standing, but couldn't hold onto the boom with my cold hands! Stoked on the progress!

Anyway, Anne snapped off a few pictures before her fingers got too cold to hold the camera! Thanks for keeping an eye on me!!

She thought my pre-game get up was humourous, mainly the socks...

Powered up right off the beach

Long shoulder high waves... FUN!

Well, if you've read this far, you deserve to know that we're jumpstarting the Black Friday Thanksgiving Sale at Sailworld! Killer prices are available on anything left in the shop, starting today! Availability is very limited, so if you're looking for anything, give us a call or swing on by! Actually, the Thanksgiving week forecast looks incredible right now, with 20+ knot winds every day starting Monday, and ending... well, never... So jump in the car and come on down!! : )

Slick, slick, slickety slick!!

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 8:08pm CET

**Update** Please answer the new poll, in the right hand column. Thanks, hope to see you!!

Oh, I'm stoked right now! We've had a ton of wind over the last few days! I took a rest day on Monday, but could have surfed some really fun waist to chest high, super clean waves. Then the NW wind hit on Tuesday... Stuart and I have been hitting up the Buxton Slick, every free moment! And I'll tell you what, the confidence is building fast!! Stuart's starting to sail out of clean Spock 540s, and I nailed my first Grubby yesterday!! It's amazing what consistent, clean conditions do for your progression!

The other thing I'm amped up about is getting to wear my thick wetsuit! Man I love that thing! It's a 6/5/4 Billabong surf suit with a built in hood. Even though the temps were in the 40s yesterday, and 35 this morning, the suit felt a bit like overkill... but it's sooo comfortable... It feels like a giant, supportive but stretchy Ace bandage wrapped around my whole body. It's probably what gave me the confidence to hit the Grubby!!

Shot some more video... Enjoy!!

Oh yeah: Wind wise, it's been cranking! Sailed 5.0 yesterday AM, then lit up 4.2 in the evening! And more 5.0 this morning, but it's been slowly fading all day here. Tomorrow looks like another perfect slick day, more westerly and a bit warmer, and then it's supposed to light up again this weekend!!! Unbelievable this Fall!! You've got to get here, if you're thinking about calling it quits for the season!! Actually, this morning was by far the coldest it gets here, all winter long, so if you sailed today, you can make it all year here!

Anyway, this picture was taken after derigging my 4.2 last night. Gotta love it!

Beached Boats and Blustery Breeze

Posted: November 16th, 2008, 8:10pm CET

***Update*** I just uploaded the Buxton Slick video, it's at the bottom of this post...

****Update #2**** The Island Free Press has posted an informative news item about the beached sailboat, here. Apparently, this isn't the first time this boat has been in trouble...

Big news in Avon this weekend! Some fella from up North ran his 50 foot sailboat aground across the street from the Food Lion. Rumor is, he went below deck and mistakenly fell asleep while underway... Doh! No one got hurt, and his boat seems kinda OK, so everyone's just laughing about the whole thing. He's pretty lucky that the swell isn't very big right now, and that he missed the Pier (by about a half a mile). Word is, they're going to try to pull him out tomorrow morning at high tide. I wish them luck, because if they fail, there's another big blow forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday.... Drew has some great pics from last night's rescue mission here.

Nino's delivered a Pizza to him!

High and Dry!

Might as well clean the hull while she's dry docked...?!?!

It's been a super windy weekend! It cranked out of the South all day yesterday, with temps in the 70s and occasional showers. I snagged a dawn and sunset session, both of which were kinda lame performances on my part. I was up way too late Friday night, so my energy level was terrible for the dawn sesh. I still had a great time, and nailed a few loops and spocks and stuff, but was definitely dragging out there. Then, at work, Drew brought in a bunch of leftover brownies, and then Anne showed up with a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts that she bought for a fundraiser... So all I ate all day was sweets, and then I tried for the sunset sesh... Needless to say, I had ZERO energy... I'm usually pretty careful about what I eat, but man, yesterday was just terrible...

From what I hear, Ego Beach lit up pretty well in the afternoon, about chest high on the newly formed outer bar. Hope fully that sandbar stays put for a few swells, because it looks pretty well shaped. This was the scene when I showed up:

Whole lotta standing around going on

So yeah, the wind died off, and the tide got too high. Luckily, the sound is right across the street! There were quite a few people out there, who had come down for the weekend forecast. They definitely scored a sweet day!

This morning was cranking NW and a bit chillier. Anne, Stuart and I sailed down in the Buxton Slicks. Anne tried out her new 3.7 World Sail Surge, and claims "It's GREAT!" Stuart was on fire this morning, nailing spocks on BOTH tacks now!! Solid performance! And I, well, yeah... I wasn't really feeling it this morning... Oh well, it was still super fun! I took the camera out there again and shot some video. Enjoy!!

The forecast for this coming week looks INSANE, AGAIN! This Fall has just been incredible! If you're not here, GET here, 'cuz it's gonna be good!

The Mega-Update

Posted: November 14th, 2008, 4:25pm CET

Sorry to keep y'all hanging...

Here goes:

Veteran's Day: Obviously: Thanks to anyone who has ever selflessly served this country!! After thanking our "Silent Heroes," you all must thank Anne and me for sacrificing to the wind gods. We spent the day on Ocracoke being tourists. We brought beach chairs, bicycles, books, and booze. We did not bring windsurfing gear... So of course, the sunny part of the forecast came true, but the windless part did not...

Riding bikes around the village

They have trees in Ocracoke!!

But they don't make such a big deal about the Lighthouse...

Congratulations! You are 88.5 miles away from anything!

The fishing boats were out in force

The beach is firm enough to ride a beach cruiser!

Even though we missed a solidly good 5.5 day, we definitely had some fun. It was good to get off hectic Hatteras Island for a day, get a change of pace, yada yada yada... Looking at my logs, that was my first, true, full day off from the shop since September 7th! That's over two months straight! How's that for being a dedicated employee? In any case, I can think of no way better to spend the day than hanging out with my lady.

Wednesday was a bit lighter for wind, but still sailable. I got stuck in the shop, catching up on everything from the day before... And with the super short days this time of year, the sun was pretty much gone by the time I got out of work. Not to worry, though, with the full moon and some parking lot lights, Drew and I snagged a sweet skate sesh. What a great option for these lighter wind or shorter day sessions! Drew learned how to sail clew first, and dialed in his duck jibes and heli-tacks, while I worked out some kinks in the spocks and grubbys.

Speedy gonzales, aka Drew

Full Moon, helping us out in the visibility department

And yesterday, Thursday, was just plain old wicked!! It was pretty stormy all day, with gusty SE winds and rain squalls pushing through. By early afternoon, we couldn't take it anymore and headed to the Cove. Stuart, Keith, Chad, Rick, Mike Burns and his NY crew, and Lane, Jay, and a few others hit it up, despite the inclement "coastal" weather. It was perfect 5.0 with chest to overhead set waves, slightly onshore conditions. It was pretty much impossible to not go huge on the jumps. Almost landed a few back loops... but not quite there yet... I just can't stick the darned landings...

Thursday, November 13th, Frisco Pier Meter (courtesy iWindsurf.com)

There was one squall that blew through, that actually had me a bit nervous for a minute. The wind went from 22-27 mph (perfect 5.0), to 27 gusting to 40 mph almost instantly, with basically no warning... Tailwalking, barely under control, I got completely worked by one of the outside bombs. Man, I've never held on to my boom so tightly! No way was I letting go of my kit, way outside, in such a strong squall with building seas (The buoy jumped from 7 feet to 13 feet over the course of a few hours)! Once I surfaced, the gusts were so intense, I could only clear my sail during the lulls, try to waterstart, and basically get immediately ragdolled... Eventually, I scored a lull long enough to get my feet in the straps and the harness on, and then I was finally able to make it back to shore, tailwalking and avoiding waves the whole way in... I was stoked to touch dry land, that's for sure!

After the squall, Stuart and Keith relaunched.

And the sun appeared as the wind crapped out!

Overall, it was a killer session in the Cove! Stuart and I were commenting that this Fall has seen quite a few sailable days out in the Cove/Hook area... Pretty unusual, but we're certainly not going to complain about that!

And a final piece of visual entertainment for ya:

I finally got around to editing some footage that Ace took out at the Reef, from about a month ago... There's some slightly bouncy helmet cam footage in there, but I think it came out pretty well overall! Enjoy!

Ego Beach and the OBX Marathon!

Posted: November 9th, 2008, 7:45pm CET

Ego Beach served up the first starboard tack wavesailing we've seen in months on Saturday afternoon! Temps in the 70s, sunshine, and SW winds in the 20s made for an awesome afternoon! The waves were pretty weak, but every now and then something with a little punch and size would roll in. It sure wasn't epic, but I'm sure not complaining! There were lots of people out on the water, and smiles all around.

Olaf on a nice one!

Roland checking out the scene

This morning (Sunday), Anne woke me up ULTRA early to bring her up the beach, so that she could run the OBX 1/2 Marathon!! It was the perfect day, cloudless and about 60 degrees, with just a touch of breeze to keep it cool. There were about 2700 contestants for the 1/2 marathon, and another 1200 full marathon runners! Quite a turnout, if you ask me! Anne had a great race, finishing 13.1 miles in 2:05:35, placing 93rd out of 314 in her age/gender bracket, and 424th out of 1748 females!

The race ended down near the Manteo Waterfront

The road to the finish, before the crowds showed up

Final Stretch!!

She made it!!

The crowd at the Finish Line

Anne, still standing!

It was a great event to see, and the party was just getting started when we left at 10 am! Other Hatteras Island runners included Grace Souter (1:50:45, 29/314!!!), Kristi Davidson (2:01:23, 48/171), and I'm sure many others that I missed! Nice job, everyone! Go ahead and take tomorrow off, then start training for the St Patty's Day Marathon on Tuesday : ) All of the results can be viewed here, for anyone interested.

Sunset Surf Sessions

Posted: November 8th, 2008, 6:07pm CET

Following the two days of insane-o winds, the surf has been absolutely firing. Thursday's winds were still moderately strong out of the West, in the 10-20 mph range. That's straight offshore on the East facing beaches, so it was grooming and holding up those wave faces really well. I'm sure some people went sailing and kiting, but man, it's been so long since we've had good waves... so I ditched the windsurfing gear to go surf. No pictures from Thursday, because no-one wanted to miss a single minute out there...

Last night (Friday) we went back out there, and the swell had dropped substantially but it was still really fun. I met up with Drew, Kevin, Anne, and NJ Josh for the sunset sesh. I took my little waterproof cam out into the lineup and came up with some pretty cool shots! Enjoy!

There were a few local boys cruising around

Anne on a nice, clean right

Drew gets the shot of the day!

Josh caught a bunch of great waves on his Starboard 9'8" SUP, but this is the only pic that came out... Sorry, man! Trust me, he was ripping!

Anne

There's still some swell in the water, and the wind is ramping up SW right now. Sunny skies and temps about 70 Fahrenheit, to boot! So yeah, if you wanna buy anything, better call or swing by the shop soon, because I might not stick around too much longer...

Happy Birthday, Jim!

Posted: November 6th, 2008, 5:46pm CET

First and foremost:

Happy Birthday to my brother, Jim! Here we are, hanging out last April in the Caribbean:

That's Jim on the left. As you can see, he got hooked up with the "handsome" genes. Jerk.

His birthday was actually yesterday, and I had meant to post this last night, but I fell asleep at about 8:30. Too much intense windsurfing knocked me flat on my back, and it was lights out before most 1st graders hit the sack!

Speaking of intense windsurfing, yesterday lined up for another super fun 4.2 day at the Hole. I've been rigging that sail on a 400, and it always felt pretty good but a bit twitchy. Yesterday, I grabbed the top half of Anne's 370 when she wasn't looking and used that with my 400 bottom. What a difference!! Man that sail felt great! The shorter, softer top allowed the leach to open just a little bit easier, while the stiffer bottom section kept a little more shape in the main panels. Good stuff! Try it out the next time your sail feels pitchy, or if the wind is super gusty. You just might like it!

Anyway, me, Stuart, Keith, Jim K, Billy D, and a few others hit up some solid bump and jump conditions, straight west winds, gusty and fun. The chop was just about perfect for big jumps. Stuart and I had a little loopfest out there, chucking forwards left and right, on virtually every tack. We even got off a few back and push loop attempts when the right piece of chop popped up in front of us! Super fun to be chucking yourself around out there! I saw Keith throw a few perfect forwards, too, and Jim K bail out of a MONSTER air! I love seeing people go huge, it gets me amped up to push it even more! No photos, due to the overcast, spitting rain conditions. Definitely "coastal" weather.

So yeah, I was exhausted, and I fell asleep at 8:30 and shirked all brotherly birthday blog responsibilities. Sorry, Bro! But late is better than never, right?!

Tropical Depression?

Posted: November 5th, 2008, 5:06pm CET

My oh my, it feels mighty tropical out there today... The roads are flooded, and it's super windy out of the North, veering NW (look out for some big soundside flooding when that happens!). Rainfall yesterday was just under 3", and it poured all night, I'm sure just about doubling the totals. I'm hoping the rain clears out this afternoon for some open eyed sailing!

**update** We received another 5.88" of rain on Wednesday!

Here are a few pictures from my commute this morning. I probably could have walked faster...

RT 12 is not only flooded, it's whitecapping...

Uh-huh : )

Suddenly, the fake dolphin and dock to nowhere seem to make sense

Speed Sailing at Kite Point!

Posted: November 4th, 2008, 11:52pm CET

Crrrrrrankin'! There's a big ol' coastal low sitting just a bit south of us. It sent us intensely gusty East-ish winds and tropical like rain squalls all day long. Both the Frisco Pier and Oregon Inlet iWindsurf meters registered gusts up to 60 mph, but the majority of the day saw 30 to 45ish mph winds. When I pulled in to the Hole this morning, the wind literally whipped 2 of my masts right out of the back of my truck and sent them careening down the beach. Luckily, no one was standing out there! Crankin'!

All day long, we've been about 100 yards away from clear skies

The recconaissance mission this morning left me empty handed. All of the South facing beaches looked sailable, but kind of pointless. There was a visible 2 foot windchop rolling across all the wave faces (which were probably a bit overhead in the sets). The fun factor just wasn't there... I did hear a report from Rick, who sailed near the Billy Mitchell Airstrip. I think he said he was on a 3.2 (?), and was getting bounced all over the place, but it sounds like every now and then a nice shoulder high wave lined up for a down the line ride.

**Update** A visiting sailor said he watched about 5 guys sail the Cove in the afternoon, powered up on 3.5 and down, in about logo high sets, and peeling down the line rides! Suhweet!!

So instead of chasing it all day, most of us just sailed at the Hole (the only soundside launch with any water left). It was blowing straight offshore, just howling across the highway and over the super flat water. Keith cruised down to Kite Point and came back with reports of a perfect slick, angled about 15 degrees off the wind and deep water 8 inches from shore! Time to go speed sailing!! Unfortunately, I don't have access to any (small enough) speed gear at the moment, so I rigged up my trusty 4.2 world sail surge and 85 liter RRD FSW, with an 8.25" wave fin. According to my GPS, I got up to a max 35.4 mph. Not too bad for a wave kit! And I wasn't afraid to chuck a few loops off the chop at the end of the run, either. Try that on a speed needle! Ha!

It looks like the next few days are going to be unbelievable!! Probably a sharp veer to the NW sometime tonight or tomorrow morning, so keep an eye out for soundside flooding, and don't leave those rigged sails lying around!! The swell is going to be out of hand, too, so we'll have to see what we get....

See ya out there!

Lighthouse Video, and the October Wrap-Up!

Posted: November 2nd, 2008, 6:17pm CET

Alright, we finally had a little break in the action over the last day or two. I took advantage of the time off and put together a video of the Lighthouse session from a week ago (see the bottom half of this post for a recap). Thanks for filming, Ace! Enjoy, everyone!!

Even though the waves are basically flat and the wind hasn't puffed over 8 mph in 2 days, I think everyone's glad to have a bit of a break... I know I was just about worn out after the last 2 weeks of insanity... It's good to get a break! Which leads me into the October Wrap-Up:

18 sessions windsurfing (5.7 x5, 5.0 x11, 4.2 x2)
10 sessions surfing (3 SUP, the rest prone)
9 sessions in a 4/3 wetsuit, 12 in a 3/2, 7 in a shorty, 0 in trunks...
10 rest days.... 7 of which I could have sailed or surfed, but got scammed by a hectic work schedule and short days :(

So October pretty much ruled for satiating the 'ol surfing and sailing habits. It did, however, get cold quickly when we basically went from end of summer temps to full on winter for the last few days of Westerlies... Luckily it warmed up again, and is sunny and 68 Fahrenheit at the moment! Can't wait to sneak out for a sunset SUP after work!

Looks like plenty of action on the way this week, with some forecasts calling for multiple days of 30+ mph winds again!! See ya out there!

Hitting Up The Slick (video)

Posted: October 30th, 2008, 3:31pm CET

Phew, sorry for the lack of updates, but Hatteras has been firing, and between work and sailing and surfing, I just haven't had the time or energy... So here's the update:

Following the crazy day in the Cove, the wind went light north, with a remaining South swell, lining up an unbelievable day of surf on the south side. Dan and I ended up catching a sunset session in the Cove, as the swell was fading out. Caught one ok right, and a great left, and called it a day. This is what the lineup looked like:

Warbly and weird, but a whole lot of fun!

Monday offered up some great surf on the East facing beaches when the wind all but disappeared. Glassy and fun! It was still mostly a South swell, lining up long, slow rights, and fast, heavy lefts. Stuart, Anne and I caught a great sunset session.

And the last two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, have just been cranking Westerly! It's the first big West event of the Fall, and to be honest, it feels a bit like winter out there. I put on my boots and mitts for the first time this year to fend off the chill. Stuart and I have been charging the Buxton Slick every free moment we get! Dawn and Dusk sessions, 5.0, for two days straight. Man, it's so much fun sailing back there! The water is just SO flat, it's perfect for cranking high speed jibes and working on those freestyle moves. I brought the camera with me Wednesday morning, and this is what we came up with:

Stuart is a nut! I mean, who jumps an island on windsurfing gear? Gimme a break! In all fairness, there was water there. It was all of 4 centimeters deep. When we went back last night, it was completely dry with the lower water levels...

Mike B, we're kidnapping you and your crew and taking you to the slick if it blows West while you're here.

Anyway, it's still windy!! Looks like a recovery day tomorrow and Saturday, but all of next week is lining up with another batch of insane NE wind! Gotta love it! And YOU have gotta get here! COME JOIN US!!!

Cove Video!

Posted: October 27th, 2008, 5:05am CET

Alright, here's a quick video from The Cove, taken on Saturday 10/25/2008, by Ace. Winds were in the 20 to 35 mph range, and seas in the chest to logo high range! Gooood stuff! This was my initial reaction to the sesh.

Enjoy!

There's more to come, too, with footage from the Lighthouse and the Reef currently being processed, and more action happening every day!! Non stop fun, here on Hatteras Island! Come join us!

Floating on a High...

Posted: October 25th, 2008, 5:05pm CEST

Uugh! I'm so amped up right now... It's ridiculous!! Just got out of the water at the Cove. Stuart, Ace and I nabbed a morning session down there, lit up on 5.0. The waves were starting to roll in at least logo high, if not mast high down in the section we were sailing... Tough to tell when you're on them, all you know is that it's big... *update*- just checked the buoy: it's been reading between 12 and 17 feet since 6 this morning... so yeah, it's pretty big out there : ) **Update**- Here's the video of the day!

Home Base for the Cove session

The Cove is such a cool place. I got completely worked on this one bomb, and all I was thinking underwater was to conserve energy for the inevitable long swim to my gear. As I was coming up to the surface, however, my hand brushed up against the mast tip and made an easy grab... Everything's in one piece, waterstart and go! Unbelievable to get worked so hard, and have your gear in perfect waterstart position right next to you when you surface.... All I can think is that maybe I went for the same ride that my gear did, when usually you get spit out the back while your gear gets dragged 50 yards before it gets released from the mayhem...

The Cove is also a great place to work on those backloops. Every single run out saw a perfectly pitching head high (+) wall to chuck yourself off of... So many insane jumps this morning... Uuugh... Loving it down here!!

Staurt, Bill, Jay and I also snagged a great sunset session at the Lighthouse on Thursday evening. Side on, litsky 5.0 conditions kicked up mostly chest high swell with the occasional logoish high set rolling through. The session mostly provided backside hits, and some big jumps... Very fun out there! I think a lot of people got out there earlier, too, so there were smiles all around! Ace took a bunch of video footage, after his epic 7 hour kite session. I'm surprised he could even hold up the camera!

Bill takes to the air, Lighthouse, 10/23

It'll take a while to sort through all the video, so be sure to check back in to watch the action after I get it all edited!

Never ending wind, spectacular sunsets, and a rant or two...

Posted: October 23rd, 2008, 5:50pm CEST

Hatteras has been CRANKIN' lately! This is what Fall is all about!! All of my customers are limping around with various overuse injuries and raw hands. Some people took Sunday off, because it was TOO windy... Other than that, we've been on the water EVERY day!! Awesome!

I snagged two sessions yesterday! The morning sesh was at Ramp 34, just north of Avon. The waves were super fun, a bit overhead in the biggest sets and really crumbly. Most lined up for 2 or 3 good turns. The wind was a bit light, but I got lucky and lined up one good puff on the way out, with an incoming set, and launched into a pretty solid backloop attempt. I completely botched the landing (overrotated and the sail ripped out of my hands), but it still felt great to get some hang time. Other sailors out included my bud Ace, Stuart, and eventually Charlie and a whole brigade of kiters and windsurfers right when I had to leave for work... I'm sure they all caught it great!

Then Ace and I grabbed a sunset session after I closed up the shop for the day. We sailed the sound, just North of Avon. The sunset was *spectacular*. The sailing was *spectacular*. I can't complain about anything, ever, it seems... Oh wait, it was a bit chilly, so I had on a 4/3 with a hood... but no boots or gloves yet... so I guess I still can't complain : )

Oh, I was on 5.0/85 liter RRD combo, and Ace was litsky on his 9m kite.

Here's the progression of the sunset, in all it's glory (all pics by Anne):

That was about an hours worth of timeline, probably, from top to bottom... And no photoshopping, I promise!

Yup, Cape Hatteras has been alive, in all of its normal Fall time glory. Check out this video of a surf contest held the other day up in Rodanthe (thanks for the link, Keith). It was between VA and NC. VA won in points total, but NC surfer Jesse Hines snagged the wave of the day with a heaving double barrel. What's worth more? A bunch of pretty OK rides? Or, the single best ride of the day? I'm sure Jesse will agree, quality outweighs quantity : )

Also, check out this Island Free Press slideshow of carnage from our last batch of NE wind (thanks for the link, Drew, and thanks for the slideshow, Donny!). The aerial photos really show how fragile this place is, especially North of Rodanthe. I really can't believe the long bridge option isn't at the forefront. How long will we keep rebuilding Pea Island and S-Turns? Especially with rising sea levels? Gimme a break. The north end of Buxton isn't in any better of a position, either... I vote for the long bridge, with access ramps to Pea Island parking areas and limited 4WD access. Leave it to the birds and surfers, not the bulldozers and endless "rejuvenation" projects...

Alright, sorry for the rants... More wind in the forecast, basically never ending!! See ya out there!! Oh, I think ABK Boardsports still has a few slots available for their upcoming weekend clinic... Sign up and enjoy the wind!! Time to learn those loops!

Lit up soundside action!

Posted: October 20th, 2008, 10:49pm CEST

Canadian Hole, 4.0 Madness (Anne Pic)

Crazy couple of days! Sunday brought massive amounts of N/NNW winds to the Island. Most people sailed 3.5-4.0 over the course of the entire day! Good stuff!

Ace Lays Into a Jibe (Anne Pic)

Ace, Stuart and I took a Reef Run early in the AM, before work. It was super fun out there, with waves in the waist to chest high range, lining up some huge starboard jumps. We shot a bit of helmet cam footage, some of which came out pretty sweet. It'll take a little while before I get a chance to edit it, but it'll be worth the wait.

"Promised Land" (or... body of water)(Anne Pic)

We were also lucky enough to nab a sunset session at the Canadian Hole, still super lit up on 3.5 to 4.0s. We had a mini Loop Fest out there, chucking 'em left and right! There were quite a few people out, and it was great to share the water with some ripping sailors. All of the attached pictures were from this session, and here is a short video clip to give you a feel for the action! (Thanks, Anne!)

There's more video to come, and what looks to be an action packed week, so check back for more reports!

The Ace-man shoots a video!

Posted: October 19th, 2008, 8:25am CEST

The wind is back!! As I write this, the house is shaking in 40+ mph gusts... Dawn can't come soon enough : )

It's been a great few days out here in Hatteras! The wind started to fill in Friday afternoon, so I took a short after work sesh up at Island Creek. There was basically only about 20 minutes of daylight left, but with all the houses rented out the lights were burning bright and I sailed well past sunset. 5.7, 85 liter RRD. Perfect freestyle conditions!

My buddy Ace showed up Saturday morning, all the way from Vermont. Anne, Ace and I took a dawn session just north of Avon. 5.0, pretty gusty, and a lot of fun! Ace took a few minutes of video when we were first getting warmed up, and added some colorful commentary for your viewing pleasure....

Consider yourself warned: this video contains explicit language!! It is not family friendly!

(Uploading... I'll embed the video later...please check back...)

Andy Brandt Makes an Appearance!

Posted: October 16th, 2008, 12:59pm CEST

Andy Brandt, of ABK Boardsports, gave an in-shop clinic at Sailworld Hatteras last night! We had a killer turnout, with more people than I could easily count (I've only got 20 fingers and toes). One major source of attendees was BABA, a huge windsurfing organization based in Baltimore. I think everyone got some great advice from Andy, and some great beer from Sailworld, so there wasn't a frowning face in the house!

If you haven't windsurfed with Andy, check out some videos of him here.

If you are interested in taking a clinic with ABK Boardsports, check out their schedule here.

Other than that, we've had some great surfing conditions the last few days, with light offshore breeze and waist to chest high, very fun waves. If I head back out this afternoon, I'll try to snap a few pictures off.

Keep an eye on the forecast!! This weekend is looking pretty darned good!!!!! See ya out there!

Comp's complete, and some cool videos to check out!!

Posted: October 14th, 2008, 5:00am CEST

***UPDATE: The Polls are up and running, at obxbeachlife.blogspot.com. Check out the slideshows here, and cast your vote for the Wave Sailing Champion!!

Many apologies for the lack of posting!! I assure you, all is well on the Hatteras Front...

We just finished up a windy weekend, with a few days of decent NE wind. I snuck out of work Sunday afternoon, attended a wedding (Congrats to Alice and Art!!!)(had a few Coronas and some cake), and then shot straight down to the Ferry Docks, where we were holding the Hatteras Wave Fest competition. I was a bit late, and everyone was getting off the water just as I showed up. The tide was definitely getting a bit high, and the wind a bit fluky, but I was able to sneak out past the shorebreak and catch a few waves, so all's good.

Dale came out and snapped off about a million pics of the action, and I guess we're going to leave the competition judging in your hands! Keep an eye on Bill's Site, as I think he's compiling slideshows of each of the attending contestants, and then y'all can vote on who you think should win, based on the pictures! If you vote for me, I'll split my winnings of the cash purse with you. I promise : ) Hmm, kind of like tax cuts?

In the meantime, check out these two short videos I came across. The production levels are getting WAY stepped up. Pretty cool stuff, if you ask me or the Peconic Puffin. Enjoy! By the way, if you click the rectangular button to the left of the "HQ" it'll play full screen....

Y_m_106mo
Uploaded by victim-image-production

Vincent_trailer
Uploaded by victim-image-production

Spocks and Lip Smacks

Posted: October 8th, 2008, 5:07am CEST

Ahh killer day on the water! The forecast was for strong NE in the morning, fading as the day progressed. So I woke up early and snagged a moderately powered freestyle session at the Hole, with a bunch of visiting sailors. Smiles all around out there! Good stuff! My personal choice of skipping breakfast bit me in the butt as my energy level quickly faded, but it was still a great session, and I was (eventually) able to get back into the freestyle groove after taking a few nasty spills.

Halfway through my work day, I started to hear the shop's ceiling creak. That's a sure sign of wind well over the 20 knot mark. Moments later, Keith called from the Lighthouse, reporting solid 5.0 conditions and a chest high wave. I, uhhhh, well, I didn't stay at work. Turns out we had a good crew of kids out there, with Keith leading the charge, and Stuart, Bill, Jim K, and myself chasing his tail. Eventually Jay Crawford joined us on his kite, too (BTW, nice cover shot Jay/Lane!!)

My buddy Dan, who had been kiting all morning, gathered enough leftover energy to lift up his camera and snap off a few pictures. Thanks for the shots, Dan!!

Keith generating some serious speed

Keith dropping in

It was tough to keep speed up in the impact zone, due to a pretty strong littoral current and a side/side-on wind direction. Every now and then, though, a nice one would wall up for you and you'd be able to get a turn or two.

I'm heading up

There's a nice section about 50 yards south of the Jetty

Keith up top!

So I'm stoked for a killer day on the water, that supplied multiple venues, disciplines, and challenges. This weekend is the scheduled re-run of the Hatteras Wave Challenge. I'm definitely glad that I got some time in the straps to tune up for the event. Watch out, friends, cause I'm comin ta git cha!

Upcoming Hatteras Fall Fun!!

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 7:50pm CEST

Not too much action to report from the last few days, except for the constant barrage of rental customers breaking down the doors for the Starboard Serenitys and demo SUPs... We should start highest bidder auctions, instead of the first-come, first-served policy...

Anyway, we've got a few little tidbits of excitement coming up, first and foremost being wind this afternoon and the next few days! Be sure to check back for reports! Otherwise, I'd like to announce a totally FREE informal In-Shop Clinic hosted by Sailworld Hatteras and ABK Boardsports, featuring Andy Brandt and a few of his right hand men, on Wednesday, October 15th at 7 PM!! Be here, or count it as a "missed-it." Your choice, but I know which column I'd like to reside in!

Actually, ABK Boardsports' travelling crew of well trained windsurfing instructors will be here in Cape Hatteras for the next 2 weeks! They'll be providing 2 seperate multi-day clinics, one from 10/13th - 10/17th, and the next from 10/24th - 10/26th. As much as I like selling gear, in all honesty, most of those people would be better off investing in a clinic with ABK to help cure their windsurfing woes.....

But don't take my word for it! Here's what Anne had to say about the May 2008 weekend she spent with ABK:

May 11, 2008
Huge thanks to Andy Brant, Matt Case, and Tom for an awesome weekend of sailing on Cape Hatteras! For anyone who has not yet taken an ABK clinic, stop being content making one out of every 30-300 attempts of whatever you’re trying to do (water start through back loop). Save yourself a few years and let these guys show you how to do the move right in one weekend! Like most windsurfers, I have spent the past year or two getting tips here and there as my friends sail by me. That’s nice and all but the typical advice of “go like this…” or “just go into it faster” usually lead to me improving my stellar dismount technique, making a bigger splash, or having a longer swim to my stuff that flew away mid jibe.

The guys at ABK are not only amazing sailors; they actually know how to teach! First, they will literally break down any move step by step without ever saying “just move a bit like this” or “move your foot more that way.” I actually think they’re not even aloud to use the words “this, that, or there” and a few other nondescript terms. Then, they stand waist deep in the water for several hours (now that’s commitment to teaching) while you sail by them trying whatever move you’re working on. They help with the fine tweaking and keep you stoked with a hoot or holler when you finally nail a move.

I went into the clinic wanting to learn how to jibe. In addition to the jibe, I also picked up lots of other skills I didn’t even realize I was lacking. I learned how to stay up wind while going fast (very important when you are trying a jibe on every tack), get up onto a plane earlier when you are just a bit underpowered, how to sail clew first, and how to appreciate light wind sailing. Yes Andy, I now admit that light wind sailing is really important to learning new skills! One of the coolest things was that everyone at the clinic was super psyched to be out on the water all day and learning new things. While I was working on pretty basic stuff, there were other people learning duck jibes, sailing fin first, helitacks, and other freestyle moves (something to look forward to next year). There was even a never-ever guy who was literally in the foot straps, harness, and fully planning a 140liter board on day two! Rad! Can’t wait to see you on Cape Hatteras in the fall!

Thanks again! Anne

So, there you have it! You can read other testimonials here. And, once you reallize what an incredible few days a clinic provides, you can sign up here. See ya there!!!! (I wish, I will undoubtedly be stuck in the shop discussing fin screw length and universal joint durometer)........

Again- that's

10/13th - 10/17th
10/24th - 10/26th
10/15th FREE In-Shop Clinic

Wave schlog!! and the September Wrap-Up

Posted: October 2nd, 2008, 6:52pm CEST

Well, the wind did fill in last night! It was enough to comfortably schlog my 5.7 and 85 liter RRD out at Ego Beach. Keith was out there, too, on a 5.0 and bigger board combo. That same swell was still there, hitting the outer bar and ending up at over head-high faces. There was a substantial difference in the wave power, though. The side/side on winds, although pretty light, pushed up a good amount of cross chop. That secondary wind chop sucked a lot of the power out of those heaving barrels that I had encountered earlier in the day, when it was lightly blowing straight offshore. And I'll tell you the truth, I wasn't complaining about it being a little weaker!!

Anyway, I was lucky enough to snag two good waves before a thunderstorm pushed across the sound and scared me out of the water. Two is a heck of a lot better than none, so I'm not complaining!

This is a sequence of Keith. It's a bit fuzzy because the outer bar is, well, out there. My little point and shoot camera can only do so much, you know? But hey, it's better than nothing, so, enjoy!

Here's the September Wrap-Up, by the numbers:

17 sessions windsurfing (5.7 x4, 5.0 x9, 4.2 x4)
15 sessions surfing (only 1 on a SUP)
18 in trunks, 12 in a shorty, 2 in a 3/2
7 rest/travel days
2 huge windsurfing "missed its"!!

So, September was basically insane for watersports!! We had killer surf, pretty much for the whole month, and a whole lot of wind to boot! Gotta love the beginning of Fall down here, with unreal conditions and warm temperatures...

See ya in October?

3.6 feet at 13 seconds...

Posted: October 1st, 2008, 8:02pm CEST

...measured on the Diamond Shoals Buoy looks like this:

This big closeout in front of the Avon Pier illustrates what makes Hatteras so rad for ocean lovers. A small 3.6 foot wave can turn into a well overhead heaving barrel, due to the proximity of deep ocean water and shallow concrete-like sandbars.

Light offshore breeze combined with this small but powerful swell this morning, creating unreal surf conditions. It was sizable, and very fast. I was super picky in my wave selection, after getting severely thrashed on the first wave I tried to take off on. I haven't been pushed around like that in a pretty long time... Good Stuff!!

We've got some wind forecasted this afternoon, and it looks like it's trying to fill in. There's some serious wavesailing potential, however, there are a few slight issues to contend with:

1) The swell is mostly breaking as lefts ripping south down the beach (think: Pipeline orientation).
2) The wind is coming from the south, which is side to side offshore and sets up starboard tack wavesailing (think: Ho'okipa orientation).
3) Now, mentally combine a big fat Ho'okipa bottom turn right into a heaving left-hand Pipeline wave.... If you time it right, you might be able to get one big hit. If you don't time it right, you get completely thrashed!!

Maybe I'll do some recconnaisance to try to find a random right hander breaking on some rogue sandbar somewhere... Something tells me I'm not gonna find it, though...

Finally, some clean, windless surf!!

Posted: September 29th, 2008, 9:01pm CEST

Well, the wind finally died. The final count was 16 sessions in 12 straight days! What a solid batch of NE wind! The last session took place in the Cove, as the wind backed off and started to veer more East. It was super light out there. I had to throw my gear over the shore break and swim out past the inside section. A sketchy uphaul feet from the impact zone got me moving and out past the break. Once out there it was pretty easy to position myself for the sets. Stuart was the only other guy to make it out. We both caught a few waves and called it a day as the tide filled in.

All that wind left us with one heck of a swell! It finally started to clean up after two days of light wind. Drew, Kevin, George and I surfed down in Frisco Saturday evening. There were some macking sets rolling through, doubling up and exploding on the bar. It was tricky, to say the least, and my confidence wasn't very high after a seemingly endless 20 minute paddle out. But the sunset was awesome, the water was glassy, and the waves were firing so it was a great session.

All photos by Anne:

Old Lighthouse Beach Overwash

The 20 minute, 30 yard paddle out...

Perfect Sunset

And last night, Sunday, we all went and surfed up north in Rodanthe with the light SW wind being offshore up there. It was one heck of a session, with these huge sneaker sets rolling through. One set in particular, we were all grouped up, saw it on the horizon and started scratching for the outside. The first one wasn't excessively huge, so we all made it under just fine. The next one, though, was just this huge macker! The lip started to fire off just to the left of me, and as I duck dove, the whole thing just exploded on my heel. I was far enough under to get pulled through to the outside just fine, though. Drew, on the other hand, had the lip land basically square on his back. He lost hold of his board while getting thrashed around under water, and there was so much tension that it ripped his leash right off his ankle! I've never seen that happen before... To say the least, his eyes were HUGE when he finally surfaced! All's well that ends well, though...

Feeling Worked!

Posted: September 25th, 2008, 2:02pm CEST

15 windsurfing sessions in 11 straight days has me just about worn out!! We've seen everything from 5.7m wave schlogs to holding on for dear life on a 4.2m at the Hole. Cloudless sunshine, to dumping rain with lightning and thunder. We've seen clear roads turn to rivers of saltwater and sand gushing across the Route 12 lifeline. At the moment, we're stranded by overwash at Pea Island, and high winds have shut the ferries down. The only way off the island is to windsurf across the Pamlico Sound to Stumpy Point : )

Here's a few pictures from the other day, down on the South side. George took a few minutes out of the action to snap 'em off! Thanks, George! For more complete, day by day reports of the Hatteras Wave Fest action, check out George's blog, live2sail.

I'm driving down the line

Under the lip

Stuart smacking one

and sneaking out past a meaty one!

Ken on a nice one!

Gouge!

Stuart lining up on a nice one!

More action to come, I'm sure! There's more wind in the forecast (although it's not the most trustworthy direction). If we can get to the Cove, and if the East wind materializes, we'll have unreal conditions to run the Wave Fest contest!! But that's a lot of "ifs"........

Hatteras Wave Fest Perfection!

Posted: September 22nd, 2008, 3:04pm CEST

The whole idea of the Hatteras Wave Fest is to get newbies out into the Atlantic Ocean, pushing their windsurfing limits. The last few days have provided perfect conditions for these guys and gals. We've been sailing down on the south side, in moderate side-offshore winds, and clean, crumbly, long wrap around swell. The better waves have been about shoulder or head high, and peeling left down the beach, providing two or three good sections for a few turns. They've been really crumbly off the top, making for a good confidence boosting experience.

Long, Crumbly Lines (Anne Photo)

Wave Fest participants Anne, Bill, George, Keith, and Ken have been taking advantage of the prime conditions the last few days. We've all been sailing our butts off, so I don't have too many pictures to share. Anne snapped off a few photos yesterday morning. Enjoy!

Some of them linked up all the way in to the shorebreak. Don't forget to kick out!

George has a great report, with more pics and some video here.

I'm also happy to report that the Wave Fest Clinic, hosted by Sailworld Cape Hatteras went very well on Saturday night. We had a decent turnout, with over 20 attendees. I'm very grateful to Bill, Keith, and Donny for all their input during the clinic! You guys made my life a lot easier! And everyone was stoked for the swag from our sponsors: Dakine, Maui Sails, Quatro, and Go-Pro! Gooood stuff!!

Looking ahead, our forecast is OFF THE CHARTS!! It'll either be insanely epic conditions, or completely un-sailable. Take your pick, based on your own sense of rational thought... I will say that if you want to be here, you better come now, because the road will probably get washed out in a few days!! Good thing I don't have to go anywhere : )

Solid Northerlies are Barraging the Beach!!!

Posted: September 19th, 2008, 7:44pm CEST

Wave Fest is HERE!!! And we are scoring some awesome conditions! Today is the 4th day in a row of solid Northerlies. 5.0 every day, maybe 4.2 for this evening's session!

The wind direction makes a huge difference around here. The first three days of the blow were basically due North, which is side/side off on the East facing beaches, and straight offshore on the South beaches. With no tropical swell affecting us at the moment, the ocean remained relatively flat. Which is great for the beginner wave sailors that Wave Fest was designed for!

The East Point Scene (photo Anne)

We all sailed at East Point on Thursday afternoon. It was solid 4.5 to 5.0 conditions, with about a waist high windswell to contend with. For as much wind as there was, this was about as easy as it gets around here! Perfect for the Newbies! There was a bit of current to contend with, but nothing terrible. Keith did a great job making sure everyone knew what to look out for, and we all worked together to get everyone in the water ripping. It was a great session that produced a lot of very happy windsurfers!! Good confidence booster for everyone.

George put up a bunch of great pictures of this session here!!

Keith gives a few pointers to Dale and Ken

Straight from 1st Grade to the Beach!! Anne gets ready to rig up!

The East Point session was Anne's first real ocean sailing experience, which is the whole point of Wave Fest. She did great out there, sailed with confidence, and got completely worked by the one big set of the whole day! But she came up smiling, didn't break anything, and made it back to the beach in one piece! Nice job!! Other Wave Fest sailors included Keith, Bill, George, Ken, Dale, Donny, Martine, Dave, and me. You can learn who all these people are here.

Today, on the other hand, has switched just touch more NE. Suddenly, the East beaches are huge and out of control, which means that it's time for the South side! Aww yeah! NE is about off-side-offshore down at Isabel's. The waves were wrapping around from the East beaches, with a very defined swell, about chest to head high on the good ones. Very fun swell size! It was classic Isabel's, with virtually no wind on the inside, a bit of current to contend with, and the reward being 3, 4, 5 bottom turn reeling left handers. Frisco George, Live2Sail George, and Ken K met me down there and rigged up for a fairly challenging session. I'm happy to report that everyone made it out (eventually) and back in to the beach in one piece and without breaking anything, which is just about all you can ask for in those conditions! Great stuff, and smiles all around, again!!

Regular Hatteras visitor John Reid came out to the beach this morning and shot off a few pictures of me sailing Isabel's. Thanks so much John!!

It wasn't all peaches and cream...

But sometimes it was : )

Fun fun fun!

Throwing some spray, only a little bit out of control!!

Right now, most everyone headed down to Ocracoke for the afternoon to catch the mellower wave rides the North end provides. I'm sure they're having the time of their lives, in what could be considered some halfway epic conditions!! Suuhweeet!

There's still time to sign up for Wave Fest, if you've been procrastinating. The forecast looks unreal, with 20 to 30+ mph NE winds forecasted for the next 7 days!!! Unreal!! The clinic is tomorrow night (Saturday), 7PM, at Sailworld Hatteras. Come on down and join us!!

Finally...

Posted: September 16th, 2008, 10:01pm CEST

The wind has returned! Apparently, the whole East Coast was hit with a few days worth of breeze. Nice, it's finally starting to feel a bit like Fall!

I got out for a dawn session Monday morning. Perfect freestyle conditions, on a lightly powered 5.7 and 108 liter board. Those are very fun, mellow conditions to throw your rig around in. The crashes aren't too nasty (usually), as opposed to trying stuff when it's blowing 4.2... That was lucky for me, too, because I was feeling RUSTY! It's been awhile!!

Anyway, I propped a video camera up on my tailgate and hit "record." This is what I came up with:

Enjoy!

As I wait for this video to upload, I'm noticing that the wind meters are boosting! Solid Northerlies are starting to blow, gusting up to about 30.... We're forecasted to have a very windy week, so come on down!! If you can't make it, then tune in for the reports in a few days!

Alright, this thing is taking forever to upload... so here are some pictures that I took last night, down at the Canadian Hole:

Pier Walk, and the August Wrap-Up

Posted: September 13th, 2008, 10:14pm CEST

Anne and I spent some time on the Avon Pier last night. There were lots of fishermen out there, pulling in bluefish and spanish mackerel. I was pretty mesmerized by the (almost) full moon rising, and the little swell lines coming across the ocean. It was a great place to catch the sunset and chill out for an hour. I took a few pictures, so enjoy!

Full(ish) Moon

Yes, I can levitate.

For my Patriotic Readers

Flashlight Wars

Looks like I haven't done a August Wrap-Up yet. So here it is, by the numbers:

5 windsurfing sessions (5.7 x4, 5.0 x1)
32 surf sessions!! (2 SUP, the rest prone)
4 rest days
0 days in a wetsuit!

So, August sucked for wind (but it always does, so that's no surprise). More importantly, we had waves! And LOTS of them!!! Gooood stuff!! Now that September's rolling by, I'm really looking forward to Fall. The water stays warm, the waves only get better, and we should start seeing some fronts pushing through any day now, signaling the return of the wind!!

I wonder if I'll remember how to windsurf by the time WaveFest rolls around?

Out of the Army, and In to the Atlantic!!

Posted: September 12th, 2008, 11:16pm CEST

There hasn't been too much going on the last few days. We've had a fun little longboard wave to play with, and virtually no wind to speak of, so it's been pretty glassy and clean. My buddy Alex just got out of the Army, so he decided to come down to the beach and hang out for a few days. He's just getting into surfing, so the conditions suited him just fine!

Alex and Anne, waiting for a set

Alex has this funny hybrid board that he got "because it was the right price." It looks like a rockered out mini longboard, with a thruster fin set up. It's really wide, but very thin. Odd duck. Looks like it'd be fun on a bigger wave than we had... So I put him on the Kalama 11'6" SUP. It took him about 5 minutes to get the thing dialed in. By the end of the sesh, he was connecting rides all the way to the inside shorebreak section! Sweet!

Alex Getting his "Sea Legs"

And d riving down the line, 5 minutes later!

We had the beach all to ourselves, until this big group of people on horses came trotting on by. I thought it was interesting to see the two modes of transportation side by side. I'm pretty darned sure the environmental footprint of a truck is bigger than that of a horse. But my truck didn't leave any huge piles of steaming crap on the beach, like the horses did!

Centuries old vs one month old transportation!

In other news, the Hatteras WaveFest 2008 starts in just about a week, with a clinic being held at Sailworld Cape Hatteras. We've got tons of swag to give away, and a brand new sail to raffle off at the clinic (not to mention the invaluable techniques and advice you'll learn)! So sign up, and swing on by the shop!!

Speaking of the shop, it's getting on towards closeout time of the year!! If you're coming down to Hatteras this fall, and have any specific items on your wish list, give us a call {(252)995-5441} to make sure we've got what you're looking for. We can get virtually anything under the sun, as long as you give us enough lead time (at least 2 weeks is preferable). See ya soon, I'll have your new stick waiting for you when you arrive!! : )

Ra-chesta, Noo Yawuk

Posted: September 9th, 2008, 10:39pm CEST

This has been the summer of committed weekends for me. I've been off-island for more weekend trips this summer than in the last 8 years combined. Not that I'm complaining, because every one of those events has been well worth the effort of getting there. Including this last weekend, which I spent in Rochester, NY for my friend Chad's wedding. He's also known as "Chaeyud" in the local dialect.

This ain't Hatteras! The View from our 25th story hotel room! My ears popped on exiting the elevator...

It was an all out affair, so I did some self grooming, and put on a tuxedo for the first time in almost a decade! We had a blast, dining, dancing, and generally partying it up for a few days with some buddies from the good ol' days! It was a really fun weekend!

All Cleaned Up, and ready to rock and roll!

While driving home, Anne and I noticed these huge ugly wind mills on a hill top. I can't believe how much they disrupted the otherwise pristine view. Doesn't whoever put them up know that there's probably at least a few weeks worth of coal underneath that mountain? If they were to cut that hill top wide open and pull out all the natural resources, the local kids would end up with a sweet swimming hole to cliff jump into.

Sometimes sarcasm is hard to infer in print form, so I'll just go ahead and tell ya: The last paragraph was meant to be sarcastic. I actually enjoy seeing wind farms. I think they're a relatively clean, low impact energy source. Concerning the manipulation of the landscape "argument", well, I think they're majestic looking. I'd much rather see a wind farm than a huge steam cloud pouring out of a monstrous nuclear reactor, or smoke puffing out of a coal or wood powered energy plant. Seriously, smoke and steam are visible from dozens of miles away, even over the horizon from the original source. Wind farms, on the other hand, well, you pretty much have to squint to see a windmill from more than 2 miles away, even on a clear day...

Anyway, Pete DeKay nailed it perfectly with his Summer 2008 Windsport editorial. The first sentence reads: "Don't you love it when your best friend schedules his wedding for "Big Saturday," the windiest day of the summer?" I'm sure you've all seen the local Hatteras coverage of Tropical Storm Hanna, but if you haven't, check out Bill and George's reports. Looks like I missed a pretty sweet Cove day, some high wind Canadian Hole blasting, and a meaty Lifeguard Beach session... So, if you were here and caught it, I'm currently accepting Thank You notes for being the official Tropical Storm Hanna Hatteras Wind Sacrifice...

Hanna, Days 3 and 4

Posted: September 3rd, 2008, 7:40pm CEST

Long, clean lines! (Anne pic)

Surf, surf, and more surf! Nothing huge the last few days, but a whole lot of fun. Light north winds created offshore and clean wave conditions across the South side of Hatteras Island all day Tuesday! I was lucky enough to snag two solid sessions, one at dawn and another at dusk. I used my 5'8" fish in the morning. Drew called in a report of longboard conditions for the evening sesh, so I grabbed a 10'2" from the shop. Funny to be on such different boards, all in the same day! Funny thing is, they both work great in similar conditions...

That 10'2" drives pretty well (Anne pic)

What a way to end the day!

Unfortunately, Drew got injured out there. He took a 25 pound SUP to the groin. Yikes!! The impact was about 3" to the left of being DEVASTATING... So it's good and bad at the same time. He chilled on the beach and shot some pics and video while the rest of us enjoyed the evening. Here's a short clip of one of my waves from last night:

This morning, Wednesday, the wind switched to a very light west. That's side shore on the south side, and straight offshore on the East beaches. Stuart called and said the Buxton beaches were looking a little weak, so we decided to hit the south beaches up for a dawn sesh. It was a little choppy, but there were some great waves rolling in, setting up for some really long rides. Good stuff!!

Stuart setting up for a long left!

We also surfed in Buxton, super clean, but a bit warbly. We've got a bunch of video and more pictures to sort through, so check back in a few days for the meat and potatoes of the story!

I Love Hurricane Hanna

Posted: September 2nd, 2008, 5:03am CEST

...at least for now. We'll see how I feel about her in a few days when she makes landfall... In the meantime, she's been pumping us some really fun waves! The South side has been lit up with overhead sets for the last 2 days. I got some great surfing in yesterday, including one of the longest lefts of my life! This thing just kept opening up for me, section after section after section... This, however, is what most of 'em looked like:

Unknown on a sectiony one

This morning (Monday), the wind picked up just enough to do a schlog session. I caught up with Stuart just as he set out at the Lighthouse. It was chock full of lumpy bombs that were basically breaking right up onto the beach. Gnarly, especially for how light the wind was. But he made it out (eventually), and caught one good wave. Here's the sequence in it's entirety:

Shorebreak? Nah, whatever...

Looked a little like death on a stick to me, so Keith, Martine and I started a South Side reconnaissance mission. We ended up down on Ocracoke, after seeing reeling left hand barrels and NO wind at Isabels. Somehow, we lucked out and jumped right on the ferry, with no wait whatsoever (which is pretty much the only reason we went. A long line is a major deterrent for me).

I'm always amazed at how playful the Ocracoke wave is, no matter how big it gets. Today, the sets were a bit overhead, and standing up way outside, with a tiny bit of fizzle off the top all the way in to the inside section, where they would detonate. Super fun, and lined up for 5, 6, 7 bottom turns on the good ones! Very fun schlog sesh!

Keith lining one up

Long Lines (Keith pic)

No Wind (Keith Pic)

Bill showed up just as the wind really lightened up, he took a few passes, and then we all went surfing for the rest of the afternoon. Killer day down in Ocracoke! I'm exhausted right now, with more surf on the horizon, pretty much indefinitely at this point! Awww yeah! See ya out there!!

Word...

Posted: August 29th, 2008, 6:54pm CEST

or, words, as it may be. We just got the September 2008 issue of the New England Windsurfing Journal in the mail. Peter decided to publish a slightly "heavier than usual" column that I wrote last fall, while sleepless, as Tropical Storm Noel approached. Now that I see it in print, I like the way it came out. And I'm sure, many of you will be empathetic to my emotions displayed within the article.

And congrats to Bill Bell, who snagged the cover shot! He's setting up on a sweet looking wave at the Lighthouse! Nice! Wanna know what I'm talking about?? SUBSCRIBE! A measly $20 gets you 2 (two) years worth of home delivery, and helps support the stoke!! Scroll down to the end of this page for subscription information!

Holy Smokes!!!!! Fed Ex just showed up with a package. It contains a UNBELIEVABLE Scrapbook, put together by Janice Markopoulos! The content surrounds the Hatteras Loopfest, from earlier this year. Unreal!! This thing is SO COOL!

THANK YOU SO MUCH, Janice!!! Check out some of her other work here, dear readers!

Man, sweet. I'm going surfing!! Happy Friday!

Disappearance By Theft; Then, Some Appearances

Posted: August 27th, 2008, 5:19pm CEST

Hmmm. Someone stole my dirty boardshorts while they were drying on the porch. LAME. They were cool shorts, too. Billabong made them out of recycled textiles and plastic bottles. They call the fabric "Eco Supreme Suede." Pretty cool stuff. So, in a sense, someone is re-using my recycled boardshorts. But I wasn't quite done with them yet. So, if you see someone wearing these, with blue highlights, in a size 33, please feel free to reduce their self esteem by stripping them of their un-rightfully obtained shorts, and pop 'em one right in the kisser. Not that I condone violence.

This was the second to last session that I wore those awesome shorts:

We've caught SO MANY fun waves over the last few days... My arms are about to fall off from paddling too much. Hopefully the wind will kick in and I'll be able hang off a boom for a little while to stretch out!

On another, better note, the Winter 2008 Edition of Windsurfing Magazine just showed up! I'm stoked for the coverage of Loopfest (pages 29 and 44), including a pic of me chucking one:) Nice picture choice, Josh! I also came across a sweet photo of my friend Taurin on page 39. But something looked weird about it, like it had been edited. So I dug through my files, and found the original picture:

Not sure why they made it look like he was in Colchester, VT, when he was actually jumping over the Earth?

Finally, don't miss all the videos covering Loopfest, which Bill has posted here!

Gorgeous Morning Surf, and Boujmaa's Blowin' Up!

Posted: August 25th, 2008, 4:42pm CEST

Fun swell the last few days! Last night it was blowing very light onshore, which was bowling them up pretty nicely. They had a bit of size too, if you were patient and waited for the sets. Most of 'em looked just like this: (thanks for the pic, Anne)

Bowly and Sectiony, but a whole lot of fun!

The ocean was magnificent this morning! The breeze was non-existent, so it was super glassy out there. The water's very clear right now, with a hint of a greenish hue. There were a bunch of little bait fish swimming around, full schools of them jumping out of the water in close succession, probably running from something bigger looking for breakfast! Lots of cannonball jellyfish bobbing around, too. But the cake winners this morning were the massive thunderheads bubbling up a few miles offshore. The rising sun was directly behind them, illuminating the swirling anvil shaped tops. Kevin and I watched in amazement as a funnel appeared at the base, slowly pulling straight down towards the water. It went through a few phases, sometimes appearing to have multiple layers wrapping around a core cylinder. Eventually, we could see the ocean water swirling and pulling up towards the funnel that was reaching down. As the two ends met, I watched as a DNA style double helix started to twirl up towards the cloud. That's when I tried to determine exactly what direction this system was moving... Phew, out to sea! All the while, there was no hint whatsoever of breeze where we were, just a mile or two away.

Once the sun popped over the thunderheads, I watched as the Lighthouse was illuminated first, then the Motels, and finally, the waves. Duck diving under the sets, the sections of broken whitewater were bursting with bright turbulence, a stark contrast to the undisturbed dark green water underneath. Gorgeous morning.

I'll try to get some pics this afternoon if we head back out there, should be a killer few days of swell and light winds!

In the meantime, check out this video of Boujmaa, which I came across on windsurfjournal. This guy, quite simply, rips!! I especially like the weird aerial grubby he throws about 42 seconds in (not to mention the huge backloops, stalled forwards, and pushloop to forwards...) Anybody wanna go to Morocco?!

Caribbean Crap Wind!!

Posted: August 22nd, 2008, 11:05pm CEST

Finally got some sailing in today! It really reminded me of the Caribbean out there. Crystal clear blue water, warm (well, hot), and some sucker wind. Just enough breeze to lure you out there, but not enough to really get you moving. Super up and down, just like the Caribbean! There were even those weird yellowish-orange weed clumps floating around. But who cares when there's a bit of swell and some nice poofy clouds in an otherwise blue sky? Very pretty out there today. The only thing missing were the rum shacks right on the beach!

Tough schlog out, if you mis-time it.... Stuart, facing a few walls of white water

Stuart and I grabbed a morning session down at Isabel's, which lasted about 5 minutes for me. Schlogged out, pivot jibed onto the first wave I saw, got one good backside lip smack, and then proceeded to pearl on re-entry, go over the falls, and break my mast in half... Luckily, it was a nice clean break so the sail came away unscathed. I think that if there had been just a touch more wind, I would have been fine, but as it was, I had nothing to work with. Usually, in that scenario, I just tuck my chin and sheet in as hard as I can so as to rotate halfway through a "forward." That gets the mast to line up at least parallel with the wave. Today, however, with no juice at all, sheeting in just sent me straight forward and jammed the mast straight into the sandbar.... Doh! Heard it snap underwater, too... That's a pretty unique sound, and you always know *exactly* what it is. That didn't deter me, though. I had my surfboard, so I grabbed a few waves while Stuart kept on sailing.

Nice Long Faces. Stuart heads down the line.

I decided to head back down this afternoon, and ended up schlogging for a few hours. Frisco George and a visiting sailor named Toko (I think??) were also out there, nabbing a few waves and enjoying the day. The afternoon session was WAY better than my morning sesh. Both the wind and wave directions were oscillating a little bit, so it kept it interesting. Some sections lined up for big backside smacks, others for some down the line action, and if you were lucky, some would line up for a few hits in both directions! Good, solid, summer-time fun!! Gotta love it!

The swell is supposed to build a bit over the next few days! Not sure about wind, but you never know around here... See ya out there!

Summer Swell

Posted: August 20th, 2008, 8:44pm CEST

Nothing epic to report from the last few days... But we have had a fun little background swell. Only waist high (at best), but I'll take it for August. The water is crystal clear and refreshing, to cool off on these hot August days. We've been keeping it fun, too, trading off boards, and hootin' and hollerin' each other into 2 foot mushburgers. Anne took this pic the other day, it's pretty much looked like this for about a week now (+/- a foot or two).

Even though the surf hasn't been all that great, I've been using it as an excuse to get back into paddling shape. My buddy Will got me into sprint paddling, basically giving it everything you've got, anytime you paddle anywhere. Man you feel like a kook paddling out at 110% on a knee high mushy day, then turning and burning like your life depended on it for every little bump you see! Aah, who am I kidding, I pretty much feel like a kook every time I surf anyway...

"Fay" May Be On Her Way!

Posted: August 16th, 2008, 4:41pm CEST

Hooo I am feeling worked this morning! Snuck in 5 killer surf sessions over the last two days. Lots of really long lefts were hitting the bars, some of them lining up for well over 30 or 40 yard rides! Good size, too, big enough to give you a bit of face to work with, but not so big that it was hard to get out or anything. I'm kind of bummed that we didn't take any pictures, but my camera is on the fritz right now. I'll add it to the list of things to do, I guess... There's still a bit of swell lingering, but a moderate North wind is bumping it up right now. It's a great day for a SUP sail session, that's for sure!

Image snagged from wunderground.com

Time to get back in shape, kids. Hurricane season is here! Tropical Storm Fay has the potential to effect our area by the middle of next week, depending on the track it takes. I just checked over my gear, and everything is looking good. Then I jumped on the scale, and I'm a good 7 pounds over where I was last spring... and it sure isn't muscle weight : ) I'm going to have to knock that down, fast, if I expect to make it out on any big days this fall... Time to get focused on the yoga, maybe take a few jogs with Anne to get the heart rate up a bit. Gotta set up the heavy bag, too. Maybe I'll lay off the pretzels and beer and grab some carrots and milk instead... Nah, that's taking it too far!

See ya out there, if you're ready for it!

Sailin' and Surfin' Again!

Posted: August 14th, 2008, 4:06pm CEST

Highs and Lows the last few days... Sometimes I leave the island, in order to remind myself how amazing this lifestyle is. I spent a day up in Elizabeth City, dealing with some vehicle issues. Tell you what, Toyota is one large company that still has some values. They bought back my 8 year old Tacoma, for 1.5 x (!) the Blue Book Value, because the frame was rusting out. Apparently there was a composition error, or maybe the sealant they used was incorrect, so they've extended the frame rust warranties on '95 - '00 Tacomas to 15 years. Talk about standing behind your product, eh? So, I used that check as a whopping down payment on a brand new truck. Su-wheet!

The dealership that I dealt with was a whole 'nuther story, but I don't feel like flaming online, and I'd rather forget about the whole experience, and I doubt many of you will ever buy a car in Elizabeth City, NC... so don't worry about it! I will, however, say that I am very glad that I live and work in such a relaxed, honest environment. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like if I had to go work with those guys every day. I don't think I'd be able to sleep at night...

Anyway, back on topic, I drove my nice new truck down to Isabel's last night to catch the breeze that Bill talked about here. Of course, by the time I got down there, it had pretty much died on the ocean side, and there wasn't much in the way of waves anyway. So, I rigged up the 5.0 and put in on the sound side. This was the first time I ever sailed down there, in all these years of sailing the ocean right across the street... It was shallow, but no problem with a freestyle fin. There was a wind line a ways out, so I walked/schlogged the kit out. Got to the line, the sail filled with power, and I was off! Lit up, in the straps for the first time in 10 days! I threw a celebratory spock within 5 seconds of planing up, planed out of it, and tossed a 540 5 seconds later!! Man it felt so good to be juiced up and sailing well! Got in about 20 minutes before the sun got low and I decided to call it quits. Did really well on the percentages last night: 5 out of 5 on the 540s, 4 out of 6 on the spocks! That water is butter flat down there, really perfect for the sliding moves! Gotta love it!

All that wind left us a little swell this morning. Kevin, Dan, Stuart and I grabbed some chunky chest high waves during our pre-work wake up surf session. Felt a bit like fall out there, with a little chill to the air, and warm water to keep you comfortable in trunks. Good stuff, it felt great to get out there and catch some waves after how flat it's been!

With Fall quickly approaching, I can't wait for more! Please, let's be done with the doldrums!!

Where is your wrath, Mother Nature?!

Posted: August 9th, 2008, 4:28pm CEST

Well, there's no ignoring it anymore. The summer doldrums are here. I haven't sailed powered up 5.7 or smaller in *gasp* 7 days. Although I did miss a solid morning of mid 20s on Wednesday... Now that I look at the meters, yesterday would've been a great day to sail a 7.5 or go kiting. And there's been a tiny little wave to play with, but it's been pretty weak and small, nothing too exciting.

But the fact remains, nobody here has really gotten thrown around by an aggressive mother nature in quite awhile.

I count myself lucky, because I'm easily amused by sailing the Starboard Serenity, or paddling around a SUP, or coordinating light wind freestyle on the Gemini with a friend. And I've already talked about some other cross training opportunities we have available to us. (I've really gotta get that skate sailing kit out again).

There is one job I do not envy here on the island, in down times like these. Being a bartender at the Froggy Dog, when there are no waves, and a lot of hungry surfers in town, is downright dangerous. I hope, for their sake, that the female/male ratio is at least 3:2. Otherwise, there's going to be some very drunk, aggro people in that bar! Referee or bartender? Sometimes it's tough to tell the difference! Good luck, Buck, and Tom, may the force be with you.

Have you been getting it good lately in your neck of the woods? Let us know in the comments, so that we can live vicariously through you!

Finding Your Inner Zen

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 2:13am CEST

Lately, we've been surfing very close to the shop (I'm not tellin' you exactly where, though). After closing up for the night, we've just been walking across the street with our boards, which is terribly convenient. I'm not going to lie to you though, Stand Up Paddleboards are big, and kinda heavy. My preferred method of carry is to balance the board on my head, stabilizing with one hand, and carrying the paddle and leash with the other hand. It's pretty tiring over long distances, but I consider it part of the exercise. In my opinion, their fun factor more than makes up for the mild hassle of transporting them. Until tonight...

I think we just had a record breaking mosquito hatching event. I'm talking about clouds of the things, all hungry for their first meal. They only really hang out near the drainage ditches by the road, and sometimes in the grasses covering the dunes. So if you make a run for it, it's not that bad, and once you get to the beach, you're fine. Not the end of the world, especially when one has two hands available to swat with.

Unfortunately, while carrying a 10 foot long 25 pound board on your head and a 7 foot long paddle and a 12 foot long leash, one does not have two hands available for mosquito swatting. Nor is running easy. Nope, you pretty much have to tip toe your way along the hot blacktop, carefully stabilizing the board against cross breezes and using the paddle like a high wire circus performer to help remain balanced. And the mosquitoes? You must grin and bear them. And it is torturous. You must separate the body from the mind. You must ignore the pain. You must find your inner zen.

Anne just counted 22 welts on my neck and back. That does not include the bites on my face, chest, stomach, arms, hands, legs, ankles, behind my knees, arches of my feet, ... well, you get the idea... So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a bath in calamine lotion.

Swell Coming? Pretty Please?

Posted: August 5th, 2008, 5:12pm CEST

Hmmmmm... Who will be the 20,000 visitor? I'll send a free Sailworld Hatteras T-Shirt to the lucky person, if I can figure out who the heck you are from the stat counter!

Now that I think about it, I've been at this thing for about 6 months now... Whatchay'all think? What do you like best about visiting the site? I put up a poll concerning various topics I've covered in the past, and I'd love your feedback!

In other news- invest 99 is taking a perfect track to send us some waves later this week... Could be fun, and it'll be a welcome change, 'cause it's about as flat as it gets right now! (image snagged from wunderground.com)

Fully Stoked!!

Posted: August 3rd, 2008, 7:30pm CEST

There is just so much to be amped about right now! Great forecast, more magazine coverage, another Hatteras Windsurfing Event in the workings... Loving it!

First, Bill just announced the Hatteras Wave Fest 2008!! We're blocking off the last 2 weeks of September for some nasty wavesailing action, right in the heart of Hurricane Season! It's loosely modeled around the format of the Loop Fest from earlier this year, with a informal wavesailing clinic, a few weeks of time to get newbies out there, and a shorter window of time for a contest. I'm very excited to get some new people out into the ocean, boost their confidence and take their sailing to the next level!! I really enjoyed the success of the Loop Fest, it's great to see people bust through their own mental and physical limits and up the level a bit! I'm sure the Wave Fest will have a similar outcome!! Sign up here, if you want to challenge yourself, and consequently reap a whole new level of personal satisfaction and excitement from windsurfing!

Last night we sailed the summer SW, yet again... It was a quick session, before a crazy storm front pushed through. This is what the front looked like, with an occasional burst of lightning. When it got directly overhead, as we were frantically derigging, Anne looked up and noticed an obvious swirling motion in one little section, like it was trying to spin off and pull down into a funnel. It didn't, but it was sketchy!!

The temperature dropped at least ten degrees in 30 seconds. Check out the iWindsurf wind meter from up in Waves: (note the hard shift to NW with the velocity spike)

We also just received the latest issues of Windsport Magazine and the New England Windsurf Journal at the shop. I wrote a Ride Guide of the Canadian Hole for Windsport. I like how it came out, with a great aerial photo by Donny Bowers. It definitely shows the sparse, isolated, fragility of the island. And the NEWJ has about 4 pages totally devoted to the LoopFest, with a lot of great pictures and a few stories written by Bill, George, and Janice! Great stuff, be sure to check them out!!

Looks like a few more great days of SW are lining up this week! If you're in town, you're stoked! If you're not, then pack the cars and start driving (it's still cheaper than flying)!

Summer SW, July Wrap-Up

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 8:12pm CEST

Summer out here on Hatteras Island is tough to beat. The water's warm, the air's hot, and the wind blows pretty darned often, especially compared to the rest of the East Coast. We just got 3 days in a row of great SW wind, with some evening thunderstorms mixed in to keep it lively! Anne and I sailed with Stuart and a few visiting sailors out behind Island Creek. The water stays pretty ridiculously flat back there, great for working on jibes, throwing freestyle moves, and the occasional spin loop when you get all lit up. I took my camera out there and shot some video, it's a bit bumpy, but still fun to watch! The sailors include a great group from New Jersey (imagine that?), Eric, Pete, and Betsy; some very excited kids from Montreal and Ohio; and local rippers Stuart and Anne. Enjoy!

On to the July Wrap-Up:

8 days windsurfing (5.7 x3, 5.0 x5)
8 days surfing
3 SUP downwinders
15 rest days!!!! due to (fun) family obligations, travel, stitches, etc etc etc......
Lots of Missed-Its.....

The Kinesiology of Cross Training

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 6:45pm CEST

While Hatteras is arguably one of the windiest places around, we do have our dry spells... I'm the kind of person who can't really lay dormant for much more than, well, about 12 minutes before I start to go stir crazy. So, if the wind dies, and the ocean is flat, I cross train. Stand up paddling has come to the forefront lately, as has bicycling. Yoga, in varying levels, has been a part of my routine for years now. Can't forget about skate sailing! And finally, I've been on a bit of a tennis kick, too. I don't play as much as I'd like, but there are a few things that I really enjoy about tennis:

Jim K once said: "There's something satisfying about the act of hitting a ball really really hard." I agree with him.
It improves your hand/eye coordination, and improves your ability to react quickly.
A lot of the body movements are very similar to surfing. Just check the pictures below for evidence:

Maria Sharapova Forehand Hit

Alana Blanchard Frontside Lip Smack

Ummmm... what was I just talking about?

Road Trip Budgeting

Posted: July 26th, 2008, 3:20am CEST

Here's the basic scenario: I'm in Avon, NC at 6 PM. I need to be in Albany, NY at 8 AM the next morning. I've done this drive a hundred times, it takes 12 hours with light traffic, and costs ~$26 in tolls (going North, coming South is $4 more). So, I figure I'm good to go- I've got 2 hours to spare on the timeline. My wallet is a bit light, but that's what ATM and credit cards are for.
The start of the drive is great, heading up through Pea Island and over the Bonner Bridge. Anytime I make it over that bridge, I breathe a sigh of relief... (read why here). No problem going through Nag's Head, and I decide to stop and hit up a drive thru ATM for toll cash. Business as usual. Until no money comes out, and the machine flashes a message saying "card retained." 2 seconds later, the welcome screen comes back on, like nothing ever happened.
"but..."
Bank's closed for the evening. A quick check of my wallet reveals substantially less cash than is necessary to make it to Albany. Ahhhh- my credit card has a cash advance program! then a sinking feeling as I remember conscientiously not memorizing the pin number, and ripping up the associated papers due to the 24.998756 percent interest on such transactions...
Due to my limited time budget, I start driving again, rationalizing a course of action while underway. A lot of the toll roads are easy to circumnavigate, but I'm not familiar with the other roads, and how much time it'll add to my trip. I test the waters on 158 in Currituck, ducking off the highway right before the toll booths. It takes what I assume to be about 7 extra minutes to take the business route for a few miles before hopping onto 64 in Norfolk. Not bad, and I saved $2! I'm well on my way!
Anne's got my back, I call her for computer support, and she advises me of alternate routes, and the time and dough involved. None of them pass the requirements. Then she alerts me to the fact that the Bay Bridge Tunnel accepts credit cards for toll payment! Again, I test out the theory, and find that it's true, but that it took an extra 15 minutes... At this point I've got about an hour and a half of my original 2 spare hours left. And there are an awful lot of toll booths left in front of me!
So I plod on, theorizing different solutions. About 1 am, while talking to Ace, and reluctantly handing over one of my last dollars to a Toll Booth Attendant, Ace says "Oh, dude! Buy an EZ Pass!"
Ding ding ding ding ding! Ace, you're the MAN!
Filling out the paperwork and getting the EZ Pass activated by the sleepy and uninterested toll booth office guy -30 Minutes. 1 hour of spare time left.
One time activation fee -$25, on the credit card.
Blowing by the next toll booth without stopping and opening my empty wallet -Priceless!

"Forbidden Fruit" The Tropical Storm Cristobal Story

Posted: July 22nd, 2008, 4:24pm CEST

Today, Guest Blogger Keith writes about his experience sailing Tropical Storm Cristobal! Enjoy!

"Forbidden Fruit" By Keith M.

The first Tropical system of 2008 to directly affect Hatteras Island was on Sunday July 20th. "Cristobal" was just under hurricane strength and just to the south west sending in south east wind at 20 to 30 and surprisingly few rain bands with the sky changing from dark clouds to spotty sunshine from one moment to the next. With the storm in this position every wave sailor around here knows what this means (and even a few kiteboarders:-)) The best organized, peeling, longest wave on the east coast that rivals some of the best breaks in the world. The only problem we have is that it only happens a few times a year if we are lucky. So you could imagine my frustration knowing that access to "the cove" of any kind, walking or driving has been shut down by the Audubon and the DOW. The nearest point to which you can drive a car is a spot we call "the old lifeguard beach" which is the parking lot at the end of the road just as you pass the closed ramp 44 (which takes you to the point if it was open) I've sailed around the point through the shoals before, this certainly is an option to get to the beautiful wave that the cove has to offer, but today...The forecast had me fooled.. they were calling for 3 to 5 inches of rain, thunderstorms and gust to 60 possible later in the day.. not exactly what I'd like to be sailing around in once I get out there.

So there I was looking at the sky, called Andy for the radar report... you could see easily head high long peeling waves in the cove over 1.5 miles away by standing on the dune. My main concern was lightning, some of the bands coming in were pretty dark and sketchy looking. Its much easier to do something stupid when you've got a buddy to do it with.. so Caleb came down and we rigged 4.7's. Launching from Lifeguard Beach, there was a surprising amount of south still in the wind which made the trip to the point full of tacks.. slow going at first.. lots of current on the inside and you had to deal with sloppy head high waves on the way out while under powered.. but with each tack the wind seemed to crank to the east a little more and the next thing I knew I was shooting around the point. The trick here is to come in high and hot and bare off and come right into the point itself where the water is about 16" deep to avoid massive chaotic crashing waves on the shoals and incredible rip currents. I planed through it without incident.. Caleb came in a little too close and caught his fin, got chucked, and restarted.. perfectly acceptable technique when "rounding the horn".

Minutes upon entering the realm of the cove I knew we were in for a treat. I was looking straight down a head high wave peeling for 200 yards, perfectly formed and not a ripple of water on its face. By this time the wind was coming from the perfect direction for wave sailing. One bottom turn after another, I was a kid in a candy store.. lightning? What lightning? This was unreal. With each top turn I grew more confident... you forget how gentle the cove wave is. The sets were clear and easy to pick out... mast high on the outside sets of 4 or 5.. just grab the best looking one.. no need to worry about getting caught on the inside because you are about to ride the longest wave of your life. On one wave I sailed out of the harness so long my arms and legs started to turn to rubber.. there was more wave to go.. but I just kicked out to get into the harness again for a break! Caleb was scoring some nice rides as well. The scale out there is soo huge.. I wish I had a way to dump the images out of my brain for everyone to see. We sailed for about an hour.. heck the sun even came out and started to burn my head!.. The sure way to guarantee that the sun will come out is to NOT put sun screen on. I couldn't believe it, the water was incredibly clear and bluish green.

As low tide approached the current on the inside bar started to increase and at the same time the wind started to slack off a little.. both Caleb and I ended up down in the cove quite a ways from riding a few long waves to the very end.. way too tempting to keep going... and now we couldn't get across the bar... so time for a break.. we waded in waist deep water working our way back up to the point. We had our fun.. and the wind didn't act like it was coming back so we decided to bail. Now that the wind was a little more east, it made getting back fairly easy..not much tacking..just got to round the point and it was a straight shot.. Caleb made it around without incident.. I however got to go on one last ride... this time I got chucked over the bars just on the north side of the point.. and within seconds... I mean seconds.. I was in the rip current of my life.. easily jogging speed and my sail felt like lead, no way could I get it out of the water and thats not the bad part.. the current was and did pull me through 5 or 6 barreling sand sucking head high waves that were breaking into 2 feet of water.. I thought I was done for sure. The wave was actually sand colored since it was sucking up so much sand! What a sight as I got dragged through this ride from hell in quick succession, doing what I could to protect my gear. Through 5 waves in seconds I was losing my breath, gear still intact which I couldn't believe.. through no action of my own I was spit out into a safe zone with no breaking waves, got to catch my breath and water start and get the heck out of there! Due to my disappearance Caleb was already hitting on my wife in the parking lot when I returned. (they don't call him the snake for nothing) claiming I didn't make it. Whew.. was it worth it? would I do it again? I think you know the answer to that:-)

Cristobal Delivers The Goods...

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 4:29pm CEST

...and Judge Boyle, the National Audubon Society, and Defenders of Wildlife takes them away!

Here's the scenario: TS Cristobal, approaching from the southwest, brings us overhead waves, and variable, but generally cranking SE winds, and lots of scattered thunderstorms and rain squalls. Basically, an ideal wind and wave setup for the Cove, which doesn't really work anywhere else on the island. Vehicle support, in my opinion, was crucial to provide the tiniest bit of shelter from the quick little lightning storms sliding through.

Most of you are probably familiar with the beach access regulations imposed by the aforementioned groups. Basically, they've forced oversized beach closures through the court systems to protect a few endangered species who nest on our beaches. I have no problem giving wildlife some space, but as it stands right now, they get a lot of space... In fact, the little fledglings at The Point get a kilometer radius of beach all to themselves. That's 1000 meters in all directions, which effectively closes off all human access to The Point and Cove. For comparison's sake, here in NC, sex offenders can live 1000 feet (less than 1/3 the distance) away from schools and daycare centers... Does that make any sense? I understand that the birds are skittish and all, but come on!

So I sat this epic day out, not willing to risk a lightning storm without some form of shelter close at hand. I then got skunked on my Isabel's attempt later in the evening when the wind crapped out. Keith and Caleb did end up sailing to the Cove from the Old Lifeguard Beach, dodging rain squalls and shooting the shoals to score 200 yard long lefts, reportedly about logo high in the sets! Those guys are Bad Ass! (and possibly a little wind starved and reckless to risk their lives for a sesh)

If only my brain...

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 8:26pm CEST

...had a video recorder, you could all be basking in the same happy glow that I am at the moment! Picture, if you can, a cloudless sky, crystal clear blue water, and an overhead swell hitting the outside bars... Ahhhh.... It feels so good to get back in the water!!

Drew, Kevin and I have been trading off shifts at the shop(s) today. If I head out for another surf, I'll bring my camera and try to snap off a few shots for y'all! I hope you have a great afternoon!

More fun waves from TS Bertha!

Posted: July 16th, 2008, 11:39pm CEST

Bertha has left us a fun little swell to play with the last few days! There's been a bit of wind, too, a few days of moderate South, and a day or two of slightly more juicy NE. The last four days would have been just perfect SUP sailing... Just 2 more days till my stitches come out, and I'll be back out there! I bet the lighthouse was pretty fun today, but there would have been an awful lot of dodging and weaving around surfers and swimmers...

I grabbed a few pictures of Drew SUPing Monday afternoon. There was a killer sunset, along with an almost full moon. Very cool evening light. I bet Drew had a better view from the water than I had from the beach! Anyway, check out the pics and this short video I shot!

Purrrty

Find the surfer!

Again, find the surfer!

Purrrtier

Purrrtiest!!

Carina just put up a bunch of great surf shots from over the weekend! Check them out here!

The tropics are coming alive right now! I'm getting pretty excited to get some waves and wind. I feel like everyone here has been pushing themselves lately. It'll be really fun to see what happens when we get some real conditions! I think we'll see some gnarly wave riding and jumping this season, everyone's been super amped to go huge! I wonder how much gear we'll destroy in the process?!

The PWA Pozo event just finished up, as well. They saw some huge winds (as usual) with Pro Men on 3.0-3.5 meter sails! These guys (and gals) are throwing insane moves, planing out of double forwards, huge tweaked push loops, etc. And the big news, of course, is Ricardo Campello's Triple Forward Loop attempt! Holy $###! Check out some great video of the action on windsurfjournal's WJTV page. Day 10's super session is ridiculous!! (and it's got a few different vantage points of Ricardo's insanity)... Well worth the download time!

Never be without a SUP. Never.

Posted: July 15th, 2008, 12:37am CEST

**Update, 7/16/08: Yikes! I just re-read this post and realized what a Negative Nancy I sound like! Please note- Not having the perfect board for the conditions is absolutely not what kept me out of the water! In my opinion, surfing chopped up blown out waves is still way more fun than sitting on the beach complaining... I've got three more days on "dry dock" until I get some stitches out, and then I'll be good to go, regardless of whether I have the right stick or not!

Original post as follows:

Aaagh... I sold my SUP a few weeks ago and haven't gotten a replacement yet. Stupid stupid stupid... Last night would have been the raddest SUP sailing session of the year, hands down. Dead side shore winds at 8-20, and an overhead long period swell courtesy Tropical Storm Bertha provided a few fun rides for Anne, Drew, and Kevin on their surfboards. They definitely had a good time, but the tool of choice, if the whole world of toys were available, would have been a SUP and a 5.0. Check out Drew's perspective of the evening here!

Anne negotiates the shorebreak

Kevin drops in as Drew gets closed out!

Drew takes a left

Every aspect of this picture is cool, except for the fact that no single part of it is in focus...

Kev dropping in to a nice peak

Yup, I should've kept my SUP...

News Tidbits

Posted: July 11th, 2008, 5:32pm CEST

#1: Mo' 5.0! Seems like it's windy everyday. Wednesday evening was my 100th windsurfing session of 2008! Frisco George and I sailed the Hole towards sunset. It was really gusty, and pretty weedy, but still a lot of fun. I put together a very short, admittedly odd movie from a few very brief and unimpressive video clips Anne took. Ahem... let me clarify, before I get in trouble- the action is the unimpressive part, not the amazing videography!! To make the movie longer than 8 seconds, I seamlessly joined it with another short clip I made from a sunset SUP tour a few weeks ago. Stuart and I braved the waters, right about feeding time. Don't get frightened!

#2: The Island Free Press has posted a nice online article that covers the Hatteras Loopfest 2008!! If you don't feel like reading, it is still worth scrolling down to the bottom of the page to check out lots of great pictures in the slideshow!
#3: There's a small but fun swell hitting the beaches today, a direct result of Hurricane Bertha! Anne and I are the undisputed sacrificial surfers, so everyone can thank us for leaving the island just as the swell started to hit.
#4: Wear your sunscreen, fellow sun worshippers! One of the reasons I'm off island right now is to get a few suspicious bumps chopped off, before they cause any real problems... beyond ruining my career as a model...
#5: The other reason we've left Hatteras is to join in some family fun, celebrating my cousin Jeanne's wedding! Yeeeeehaw! See y'all tomorrow!
#6: While I'm gone, feel free to call the shop and bug Drew or Kevin for any of your windsurfing needs. Make sure to relentlessly quiz them on things like fin screw thread and length!

4th of July, May and June Wrap-ups

Posted: July 8th, 2008, 9:48pm CEST

The Fourth of July was classic in 2008! Great SW wind, and a million people made for a really fun day. Anne and I nabbed a lit up 5.0 session at the Hole, dodging and weaving between splashing kids and attempted kayakers in the 25 knot winds. After a quick 45 minute sesh, we ran back to the shop, where we had a great evening of live music, barbecuing, and some beers. The Avon fireworks display gets shot off right across the street at the Pier, so we had a great place to hang out and watch the show. Somehow, a few of the bombs didn't launch, and they blew a big hole in the Pier and caught it on fire! Whoops! Carina's got a video of the carnage here!

Some of the Party Attendees

It's been pretty windy for the last few days, but I must be feeling sick or something, because I haven't felt like sailing... Instead, Anne, Drew and I have been doing these long downwinders on the stand up boards. I have to admit, they've been really fun. The waves haven't been that great, and the wind was pretty lame too, gusting from 10 to 20 some odd mph, so just being out in the ocean on SUPs has seemed like the best way to take advantage of the marginal conditions. It's pretty fun catching little nuggets of open ocean swell, getting some exercise, and its just plain old rejuvenating to be on the water. Can't complain about that!

Here's Anne, last night at the Hole. She and I took turns on my 5.7, and got a great view of the sunset!

Just realized that I forgot to do a May and a June end of month wrap-up... So here are the raw stats:

May:

15 Sessions Windsurfing (5.7 and up x3, 5.0 x6, 4.2 x6, 85 liter board x12, bigger x3)
only 2 Surf sessions ?!?!
14 in a 3/2
3 in trunks

June:

11 sessions windsurfing (5.7 x6, 5.0 x5, 85 liters x7, bigger x4)
again, only 2 surf sessions ?!?!
Every session was in trunks

Bear in mind, I broke my hand on May 16th, and was out of the water until June 15th... So the 1st half of May was insanely windy! And the same could be concluded pertaining to the last half of June!! I know I missed a few 4.2 days, lots of 5.0 days, and two really fun looking swells while I was all casted up... So it's been an awesome few months down here on Cape Hatteras! Come on down and join us for some more!

Non-Stop Fun!!

Posted: July 4th, 2008, 5:43pm CEST

It never freaking ends in Cape Hatteras! I'm so tired. I really just need to take a day off from the water, but fun conditions won't stop taunting me... By the way- I've heard a lot of complaining by my Northeast windsurfing brethren about a lack of wind. Get your butts down here! As we speak, another Bermuda high is parking itself out there, so we're due to score massive amounts of SW wind, every afternoon for the next 6 days!! Moving on...

Find the Surfer!

The last few days have provided moderate SW winds every evening, and small but fun waves just about every morning. So, Dawn surf sessions in the light offshore breeze, and evening windsurf or kite sessions to round out your day! Gotta love the multi sport days!

Drew Dropping In

Anne, about to tuck into an Insta-Barrel!

The view from out back

Anne and I took out the Starboard Gemini the other night and blasted around Canadian Hole, dodging little kids swimming in the shorebreak. We felt like celebrities as the sun lowered and the colors came out in the sky. Flashes were popping off left and right from countless people hanging on the beach, grabbing a nice sunset picture for their family vacation photo albums.

Last night, the wind came up, but we decided to switch it up a bit. Instead of windsurfing, we did our first Stand Up Paddleboard downwinder! I'll tell you what, it was Really fun! We had the whole sound to ourselves, except for all the birds and fish trying to get one last snack before nightfall.

Cruising by the million dollar mansions

We paddled the length of Avon, from Kinnakeet Shores to the little neighborhood back behind the DQ (the Colony). The sun was gone by the time we made it to the canals, so we had to pick our way around the maze to find a good place to land. We ended up finding a brand new dock on an undeveloped lot, about 75 yards from where we live! Perfect! I love living on a small island!

The Graveyard

Anne, trying to find her way home

On our way past a couple watching the sunset from their dock, they asked us what the heck we were doing. I replied that I was taking my girlfriend out for a "poor man's sunset cruise." Anne noted that she was most certainly not just along for the ride, as the term cruise usually implies. And yes, she does have the calluses to prove my inadequecy at providing a catered and cushy evening experience!

One last thing: We got the latest edition of the New England Windsurfing Journal yesterday! Seems like many of the East Coast bloggers ditched the screen and keyboard for some good old fashioned paper and ink! George scored the cover shot and a great article inside about sailing Assateague, Michael reported on the Long Island Unofficial East Coast Windsurfing Festival, and I wrote a story about sailing in the Cove right here on Hatteras Island! And, I was happy to read an update from Dana Miller, a sailing buddy of mine who's been on the West coast for way too long!! Starting to really miss ya out here, man! Maybe the lure of Hurricane Swell will reel you back in to the Hatteras lifestyle?

Bermuda High Day 3 (aka The Hatteras LoopOff), Day 4, and Day 5!!!

Posted: July 1st, 2008, 8:17pm CEST

I don't know where to start........ It's been just perfect here on Hatteras Island. The Bermuda High parked itself for 5 days straight of 20+ warm SW wind. This is pure Hatteras Summer, as good as it gets. We've had a nice little swell the whole time, too, averaging waist to a bit overhead in the best sets.

A whole lot of this, for 5 days straight! (Photo: Janice Markoupolis)

The LoopOff was super fun! It took place Saturday afternoon at Ego Beach. The sandbar set up was far from ideal, with only an inside shorebreak bar, but there were enough bumps outside to toss a few good loops! Lots of people showed up at the beach to sail, kite, watch, cheer, etc... Great energy for an afternoon of fun! Many thanks go out to all the people involved- organizers, sponsors, participants, onlookers, photographers, videographers, and judges! You all made this event a great success!! We're still going through close to 1000 pictures (literally), so it'll be a while before much gets posted up...

In the meantime, dear readers, please visit the Loopfest Sponsors page, and "Support the Folks Who Support the Stoke!!!"

The Scene: Ken K goes for one, minus the board! (Photo: Janice Markoupolis)

The Scene: Action and Photographers everywhere! (Photo: Anne Kennedy)

After Event Party, from L to R: Me (Most Loops), Donny (Master's), Keith (The King), Bill (Best Crash), and Jeff (Best Loop) (Photo: Janice Markoupolis)

In the meantime, Lane put together a short video of some of the action, which you can watch here!! Also, be sure to check out Bill's coverage HERE! And finally, to see one million awesome pictures of the action, check out George's blog HERE!

Sunday provided much the same....

Unknown on a nice long line!

Jay jibes into a sweet one!

Monday provided much the same... but a bit gustier. After a quick Ego session, I joined Anne, Drew, and Mark at the Hole. Anne was killing it, carving through some of her best lit up step jibes I've ever seen, and Drew finally put it all together and got LIT UP, reaching supersonic speeds with a moderate semblance of control! Nice!!

Mark, "Insta-Jibe" (Photo: Stuart)

Drew (outgoing) at Mach 5 (Photo: Stuart)

The sky was really cool last night, with lightning flashing inside that huge cloud bank every few minutes.

Bermuda High, Day 2!

Posted: June 28th, 2008, 7:47pm CEST

Not much to say, except my body is exhausted and my hands hurt. The wind was a bit more variable yesterday, on and off planing on my 5.0. The waves were still there, waist to head high sets. I ended up schlogging for well over an hour (out of a 3 hour session), because the waves were just too much fun to stop! Just enough power to stay upwind and get into position to catch any wave I wanted! Love those conditions!

This is what I ate for dinner last night. All of it. Go ahead and do the math, if you want to be very, very frightened.

I stole the next picture from George's blog, I believe his wife Janice took it! There's a ton of great pictures on his site, check it out!

Peely waves, light sail power

When I first checked the conditions, there were a few kites up, including (but not limited to) Lane Dupont and Jay Crawford. Lane told me this was his first ever side-off kiting experience. Looked pretty comfortable and confident to me! Lane's always sitting on the beach taking pictures of everyone else, so it's about time I snapped a few shots of him!! Check out this sequence:

Lane throwin' some spray!

And popping an aerial!!

Today is the LoopOff, and we've got some killer conditions! The SW is already cranking, and I just got the report that the waves have bumped up a notch in size! Awwwwwww yeah!

Classic June Wavesailing!

Posted: June 27th, 2008, 9:58pm CEST

We finally had some classic June conditions set in! Cranking SW winds, a fun waist to head high swell, warm air, and warm water all combined to create super fun conditions at Ego Beach last night. Should be just like this or better for the next four days!! If you can sneak down here, this weekend is the time to do it!

Drew came out to the beach and took a bunch of great pictures! Here's a sneak peak of some of the offerings! (Thanks Drew!!!)

Bill heading up!

I'm getting some practice for the Loopoff!

Keith makes a hit!

Throwing chunks!

Swell's starting to hit!

Posted: June 26th, 2008, 6:30pm CEST

Finally, after what seems like years, we've got a little bit of swell starting to hit our beaches! In reality, it's only been about a week of truly flat conditions... But everyone knows what that'll do to your psyche... And a wise man once told me: "7 days without surf makes one weak."

It started to build last night, so Anne, Drew, Kevin and I grabbed a sunset sesh. The waves were bumped up and gutless, but it was still plenty of fun!

Drew setting some rail

Who needs a TV when this is your playground?!

Sunset surf is super fun, but can be really distracting. The view while dropping in will often make you forget why you were out there to begin with...

Mermaid?

This morning's dawn(ish) surf was substantially better than last night's! The swell is definitely on the rise. Some SW wind was already on it, bumping it up a bit, but it was still plenty of fun!

Drew on a wall

Kevin hiding from the sun

The wind is starting to boost into the sailable range, and the swell's going to stick around for a few days here, so we should have some killer conditions for the Loopoff! Woooooha!

Patience pays off!

Posted: June 22nd, 2008, 8:14pm CEST

Our normal SW afternoon winds have been less than reliable lately. I think the wildfire across the sound is messing with our "thermal" component, hindering the vertical mixing that usually ushers in evening SW breeze. I've been hesitant to give up hope, though, and last night it payed off!

Waiting for the breeze to pick up

George, Anne and I caught a short but sweet sunset session at the Hole, literally 5 minutes after everyone else called it a day and went home. Lit up 5.7, albeit gusty, conditions as storm clouds rolled across the sound. Beautiful sunset light, and butter flat water made for some fun cruising and freestyling. George had a helmet cam on and shot this video, which I lifted from his blog:

George also snapped a bunch of photos before and after joining us on the water! Thanks for the shots!

Sliding through

Anne at Mach 3

I like this shot

Windsurfing- you've just gotta love it!

Posted: June 20th, 2008, 2:41pm CEST

The excitement level is very high right now here on Hatteras! We had lots of "firsts" the other day, including George's well documented first loops, and Anne's not so well documented first windsurfing foray into the ocean! My sincerest congratulations go out to both of them for pushing their limits, and living to tell about it!! Nice job guys!

You can't fake those smiles!

As fun as it is to push yourself, I find it just as enjoyable to push others. Then, to witness their accomplishments and see their joy is simply "icing on the cake (sorry, it's too early to think of anything original)!" George and Anne's enthusiasm have been addictive, and it passes on to everyone around them.

Of course, now that they've gotten a taste of "the next step" in their windsurfing careers, they've both become insatiable, drooling at the slightest hint of wind and waves. It's amazing how addictive this sport is, and that the feeling never goes away, especially if you're constantly trying to improve! I mean, George has been sailing for 20(+) years, and he's never been more excited to hit the water! You've got to admit, that's pretty incredible.

Another picture from the other day

But hey, as Mac once said (I think), "Yes, it's addictive, but it's a lot cheaper and a whole heck of a lot healthier than a drug habit!"

There's more wind in the forecast, just in time for the LoopOff!! Awwww yeah!

Right back into it!

Posted: June 17th, 2008, 6:51pm CEST

Got back on the water again last night, this time powered up 5.7 conditions! After staring at my new stick ('08 RRD FSW 85) for a month, I finally got to try it out (along with a new boom, lines, harness, fin, etc etc etc- all of my stuff showed up 2 days after I broke my hand...)! I'm really psyched with the new volume flow on the board, it seems a bit more freestyle biased than my previous one, but I'm sure it'll still carve up a wave face just fine. Can't wait for some waves to try it out!

My original plan was to ease myself back into it. That plan lasted about 1/2 a tack, or 45 seconds, before I just had to throw a vulcan... Ended up sailing for about 3 hours straight, right through the sunset, nailed a bunch of 540s, one handed spocks, and got off one decent loop (and a few terrible ones). There were a bunch of other sailors out, including some Loopfest participants. I witnessed some serious wrecks, but everyone came up smiling, looking for more! More power to the guys who tried, because the conditions were just about as marginal as it gets for looping.

It's too much fun not to do it! (Photo stolen from live2sail.blogspot.com, I think Stuart took it?)

Check out George's blog, live2sail, for a bunch of pictures and videos of the afternoon's action!

Serenity at Sunset

Posted: June 16th, 2008, 7:26pm CEST

Ahhhhh last night I finally got back in the water and went windsurfing. I'd been dry for a very long 30 days. And I'll tell you what- it's never felt better to get wet again!

Cruising on the Serenity (pic: Anne)

The experience was not epic, but it was most certainly perfect. The meters were reading 8-13 out of the SW, the water and air were warm, and the sunset was amazing. Anne and I sailed the Starboard Serenity demos we have at the shop, with a 5.2 and 5.7 respectively. Left the harnesses on the beach, and went for a cruise. Those boards are amazing! We sailed upwind to Kite Point in 2 tacks, and then cruised back down to the Hole. The glide and speed one experiences is nothing short of extraordinary in such light winds on the Serenity. Great experience, and perfect for easing my body back into windsports after a month long hiatus!

But don't take my word for it: Here's a direct quote, taken from a note left on the shop door on 6/8/08:

Andy- Thanks. Had a good time on Formula gear until Kristen showed up with a Serenity and kicked my ass. -Ted

Happy Father's Day!

Posted: June 15th, 2008, 11:56pm CEST

Happy Sailing, Dad!

Just want to say a quick "Happy Father's Day" to my dad! Thanks for keeping me off the couch and outside playing in the woods and water as a kid! I think that my affinity for water almost certainly stems from those weekends on Lake George... Hope you're up there sailing right now!

Chillin' on the Beach in Jamaica!

Loopfest Gets Serious(ly fun)

Posted: June 15th, 2008, 5:09am CEST

**Update 6/16/08- New Pics added!

Initial side note: I'm cast free! I'm almost totally healed up, but my hand's a little sore from lack of use. The bone feels pretty solid, but I think I'm going to give it a few more days before really charging. In any case, I can't wait to get back in the water!

About to wash my hand for the first time in weeks!

Moving on, to Loopfest:

Tonight, I gave an informal forward loop clinic, hosted by Sailworld Cape Hatteras. It was easy to see the intensity in everyone's eyes as I explained some of the intricacies of surviving your first loop! We've got a great crew of people interested in chucking them, from 16 years old to 46 years young in attendance this evening. There's a possibility of a dawn session tomorrow morning, down at Isabel's, and everyone is super amped up to take their sailing to the next level!

Clinic Attendees

George and his New Dakine T3 Harness!! (Photo: Janice Markoupolis)

As an added bonus to the free clinic, Bill and I gave out a bunch of swag tonight! Dakine, Quatro, and Avon Sail House hooked up the Loopfest participants with a bunch of T-shirts and rashguards, and we also gave out a Dakine T3 Harness to lucky winner George! And GoPro sent us a bunch of Helmet Hero waterproof video cameras and helmet mounts to help catch the action! We've still got quite a few rad prizes left for the registered Loopfest participants, including a Dakine Impact Harness, Simmer wave sail, and a KA wave sail, along with a bunch of other swag! So if you didn't get anything tonight, don't worry, because there's more to come!

Awwwww yeah!

24 Hours 'Til Freedom!

Posted: June 12th, 2008, 5:17pm CEST

At this time tomorrow, Friday the 13th, I will be cast-less, and free!! With any luck, I'll remain cast free, although that's up to the doctor. I'm expecting to at least have a splint or taped up fingers, but that's no big deal. The best part will be my first dunk into the ocean. I've been salt water free for 4 weeks straight, and I think the chemistry of my skin is changing. All of my calluses are falling off...

I can't wait until this is me!

The last few days have seen more fun sized surf, and a few afternoons of decent SW winds. I've seen lots of sails and kites out on the water, but the transition to summer is very evident right now. Lots of people on the beaches, more traffic on the road, and lots of beginner windsurf and surf lessons booking up at the shop.

I'm starting to get pretty pumped up for Loopfest! I'm holding a free clinic on Saturday, at the shop, for anyone interested in getting over that hurdle of chucking one! Swing on by and get yourself amped up!

Torture, I tell you!

Posted: June 7th, 2008, 11:47pm CEST

Sitting on the beach, taking pictures, is fun. Up to a certain point. With just 6 days until freedom, I'm about to explode. Or implode. Fun sized, ultra clean surf over the last few days has not made it any easier... Add to that equation record high air temperatures, and crystal clear, refreshing 70 degree water (that I can't get into). It's torture, I tell you. Enjoy the pics, and if you'd like to read more of the story, check out Drew's blog!

Coverage! and Summer (Wind) Is Here!

Posted: June 5th, 2008, 4:25pm CEST

We just received the latest issue of Windsport Magazine here at the Shop, the Early Summer 2008 edition. While flipping through the pages, I was stoked to see a few pictures and articles from right here on the Hatteras homefront! I came across Stuart's article first, on page 34, which is very inspirational, and includes a sweet photo of him in front of a big meaty overhead Hatteras lip! Lane Dupont took the shot over this winter on an epic day down at Isabelle's. The pic doesn't show that Stuart's actually bombing down that face on an 11 foot Stand Up Paddleboard! Yowzers! Then, on page 59, I came across another picture by Lane, of that same day down at Isabelle's, but the subject this time is me! Sweet! Is it worth mentioning that Robby Naish is also highlighted in the same article? I think so! :) And finally, on page 100, Windsport ran a short shop story that I wrote, and published another picture, this time including our shop dog Banana! Now, that took the stoke level up to rad new heights!

Ask for this magazine at your local newsstand!

Beautiful summer weather seems to be setting in down here! We're in a great little run of SW wind right now. Yesterday it was gusting up to just about 30, and this morning it's already cranking again! The wetsuits are stashed, probably until October, as the water is in the 70s and the air has been in the mid eighties.

I've been out of the water for almost three weeks now... and I'm starting to go a little stir crazy! I'm 11 pounds heavier than I was pre-injury... and my cast is really starting to get stinky! The good news is that the cast has been scheduled to be removed in just one more week. So, on Friday the 13th, I'm voluntarily allowing another human being to take a circular saw to my arm... and if he wears a hockey mask into the room...

Anne dropping in

Those lucky enough not to be on the injured list have been having plenty of fun- there's been a bit of surf, and as I mentioned before, the SW has been cranking for a few days now. We're less than a week into loopfest, and we've already had 3 very suitable days of 5.5 or smaller conditions and fun size bump and jump ocean waves... perfect, really! I've never really understood why everyone only comes here in April. Come on back in the summer, ditch the wetsuits, and score some of the most consistent wind in the East!

Keith (airborne) and Dan enjoying Ramp 34

Shorepound, and Loopfest Day 1!

Posted: June 1st, 2008, 3:22am CEST

Good action the last few days! It's been tearing me up inside to be sitting on the beach watching, but taking photos has acted as a great distraction/new challenge! Friday evening we had some light winds and small shore break waves, so Anne, Drew, Miranda, Sam, and Kevin dropped into some waves while Deb, Colin, Banana, and I hung out on the beach. The pics say it all, except one thing: This was Kevin's 3rd day ever on a paddleboard, and he was killing it! Its one of those things where you want to be happy for him, but you wanna smack him too for picking it up so darned easily!!

Kevin, looking like he's been at it for years!

The Commute

Standoff

Drew on the Bonga 10'2"

Miranda, walking on water!

Sam dropping in

Colin, the cutest darned kid ever

Drew, walking on water

Kevin, dropping in with style

Drew on a nice wall

Symmetry!

Local Boy

Drew and his Cheering Squad

Moving on, to Loopfest, Day One!!!

Saturday afternoon marked the official start of Hatteras Loopfest 2008! SW winds were cranking down here in Avon, with sunny skies and 85 degree air temps! I got super amped up watching Bill, Charles, Jim K, Jim M, and Keith destroying Ego beach. The waves were averaging waist high, and the ramps were just about perfect for chucking starboard loops! Keith and Bill were on fire, but unfortunately none of the other attending registered participants were up to the challenge today... I took a bunch of pictures, but messed up the camera settings on a lot of them... so only a few came out. Sorry if I missed ya! Enjoy the pics!

Keith Chucking One!

Bill Makes a Hit!

Keith gets some air, but stays upright...

Keith throws some spray as Charles looks on

Bill Bottom Turns

Keith gets stylie

One of these guys is not like the other! But which one is cooler?

SUPs, Sunshine, and Southwest Winds

Posted: May 28th, 2008, 9:51pm CEST

Well there's a little bit of action to report from over the last few days! Let's start with Monday, Memorial Day:

Really light winds and sunny skies combined for a beautiful, light action day at the beach. Anne and Miranda snagged a few SUPs from the shop and did a short Atlantic coast tour. They were very smart and went upwind first, claiming about an hours worth of exercise, before turning around and making it back to their starting point in about 3 minutes! Hannah grabbed a few pictures of the ladies (Thanks, Hannah!):

Launching (yes, that is the ocean)

Anne caught the only wave of the whole entire day!

Tuesday was Anne's birthday! Decent SW winds were blowing all afternoon, but by the time the 2 of us got off work, things had settled down significantly. We decided to take a walk over at Ego beach to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine and get a wee bit of exercise. Dale was coming in off his 5.6 as we arrived, and said it was an awesome afternoon of soundside blasting!

Dale comes in, after one last reach

Yes, Banana does like her Bandana!

After sunset, a bunch of us gathered at the Avon Cafe, a new restaurant in the old Hodad's location. The food and service were great, and I would definitely recommend it to any visitors looking for a relaxed atmosphere and high quality meal! My fish tacos were second to none, with an interesting mix of seafood, and some sort of cole slaw unlike any I've ever had, to liven up the flavors. They showed us a great time and a lot of hospitality to help us celebrate Anne's birthday. Happy B-Day sweetheart!

Sounds like Bill, Olaf, and Graham Ezzy had a great session up at Salvo yesterday, too! Bill detailed the experience of sailing alongside a pro here! Wish I could've been there, at least to snag a picture or two, but the timing didn't quite work out with my shop hours... Oh well!

Weekend Update!

Posted: May 25th, 2008, 4:45pm CEST

Sorry about the lack of posting lately! The wind has been relatively light the last few days, and the ocean pretty darned flat... The last few weeks of epic wind and macking swell seem like a year ago at this point!

As close to a "Shaka" as I can get!

Stuart and I are still all bandaged up. I've got about three weeks left, and Stuart's got about 5 weeks of forced rest time... In the meantime, we're having lots of fun off the water hanging out with friends.

Stuart gets all the attention with his "twisted ankle"

Drew and Kevin, wondering where all the ladies went

Now that I'm broken, Anne has given up on me and moved on to a more complete, manly man. He's got a tattoo, so I'm pretty much out of the picture forever...

Everything looks better when you're upside down

I was away for a few days last week, hanging out with my family. We were celebrating the life of my Uncle, who you can read about here. While I was gone, I missed this session at the point! Looked like a fun time! When I got back, I saw the newest Windsurfing Magazine. Flip directly to page 20 to see some coverage of yours truly, and page 22 for an editorial written by Stuart! Stoked on the coverage!!

May, 2008 Issue

I also found a big pile of new gear at the shop patiently waiting to be unpacked and oogled.

Ooooh... Stuff!

Of course, now that I'm laid up, all of my personal stash of new gear finally arrived... A whole lot of schwag from DaKine, a new carbon boom from Chinook, and a brand new stick from RRD! And all I can do is look at it... and dream... and wait...

My New Stick, T3 Harness and Mono Lines!

So that means that my "old" board is now up for sale! Its a 2006 RRD FSW 85, in good condition. This is what it looks like in action:

She can fly! (pic: Drew)

And this is what it looks like locked up inside and sad that it's been replaced:

"Somebody love me... please... I'm so lonely... and dry..."

If you think you can give this board a good home, and you have $600 of expendable cash, call the shop!

We also received some rad new sails from Hot Sails Maui. The Superfreak is just about the coolest looking sail out there, and you can totally customize them if you want! And we also got a few Fires, which are bomber, control oriented wave sails. Very cool looking as well!

The Super Freak

Hot Sails Fire

We've got more stuff showing up everyday, so if you need anything, swing on by or give us a call! Looks like more wind on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week so I'm sure I'll have some action to show you guys!

Casted and Flabbergasted

Posted: May 19th, 2008, 10:45pm CEST

So the hand is all casted, splinted, and aligned. No surgery neccesary, all I have to do is take it easy for the next few weeks. The doc thinks I can have it removed by the Loop Off, so watch out kids!! You ain't gonna get off that easy for the competition! : ) And thanks to everyone for the kind words and encouragement!

Turns out I'm not the only one all busted up right now! Stuart broke his ankle landing a big jump in some nasty chop down at Isabel's on Sunday... He's been to the ER, but hasn't seen a specialist yet, so no news as to how long his recovery will be. Good luck, man!! Keep us informed!

Moving on to the second topic:

Aaargh! Please stop being idiots regarding the beach closures! Vandalism of the signs proves nothing and hurts everyone. Another Press Release was sent out yesterday from the NPS:

Second Act of Vandalism of Shorebird Closure Fencing

A second vandalism incident to a signed resource protection area was discovered by Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff on Friday, May 16 th , 2008. Park staff found over 1,500 feet of fence protecting an American Oystercatcher nest had been damaged. This closure area is located on the ocean side of Hatteras Island, about .8 of a mile north of Buxton in a pedestrian use only zone. The park ranger called to investigate the vandalism found that 20 fence posts had been broken, five signs pulled out of the sand, and three carsonite closure signs are missing. The ranger documented one set of bare footprints going from post to post on the beach and then into the dune area. The footprints entered the closure area; however, the nest appeared undisturbed. Over 1,300 feet of fencing was damaged on the west side of the dune and about 274 feet combined on the north and south sides on the open beach.

A recent Consent Decree related to shorebird and sea turtle protection at Cape Hatteras National Seashore requires the National Park Service to automatically expand the closure area by 50 meters if a confirmed deliberate act disturbs or harasses wildlife or vandalizes fencing, nests, or plants. Park staff documented the site and expanded the closure 50 meters (164 feet) to the south as ordered in the Consent Decree. This closure expansion is located in a pedestrian only area and will not affect ORV users.

Destruction of government property and entering a resource closure are federal criminal violations, each subject to up to a $5,000. fine and up to six months imprisonment.

For more information, call 252-473-2111 ext. 148.

-NPS-

Incalculable Loss, Epic Action, and Busted Bones

Posted: May 18th, 2008, 4:57pm CEST

Don't feel much like writing today. Leukemia has taken one of the most positive, happy, and loving human beings I've ever met, my Uncle John Bachman. I miss him dearly. Aunt Sue, Claire, Kevin and the rest of my family: I love you, guys! See you in a few days.

Keeping up with the daily routine will help me get through in the meantime, so here goes:

Here's what happened at the end of last week:

Big swell, light winds Wednesday and Thursday. See more, much better pictures here. And here. And here.

Racing the section

Cranking southwest wind hit on Friday. I sailed Ego Beach with a bunch of other windsurfers and kiters. I felt on fire for the first hour, sailing out of big stalled forwards and carving some good turns on the head high wave faces.

When the perfect back loop ramp popped up right in front of me, I went for it, went big, stayed solid, and came down with the sole intention of sticking it and sailing away! Something went wrong on landing, I was too balled up and on top of my rig, and on impact, all the force of the landing transferred through the board, into the mast, into the boom, and into my back hand. I then transferred all that power through my hand squarely into my jaw... Long story short, I almost knocked myself out by punching myself in the face. I broke my ring finger metatarsal in half, in the classic "Boxer's Break." My jaw is ok, two days later. Anne has been kind enough to feed me soups and soft foods like rice and beans to limit the chew factor. And lots of chocolate chip cookies, the perfect soul food for a physically hurt, grieving psyche!! Thanks, sweetheart!

My last bottom turn for a while

Broke!

So, I'm out for a bit. I find out Monday if I'll need surgery or if the doc will just set it and forget it. Regardless, it'll be quite a few weeks before I'm back in the water. Time to revert to some other meditation, coping, and healing tactics, like yoga, and the simple art of breathing.

In the meantime, I will not coop myself up and sulk. When I return from some much needed quality time with my ever-optimistic family, I plan on continuing the Hatteras action documentation. At least everyone else will have a dedicated, one handed videographer for a little while!

Outer Bar Isabel's

Posted: May 14th, 2008, 4:37am CEST

*5/15 Update: Bill posted some more pictures here!
**5/15 Update #2: Aaron posted a bunch of pictures from last week's honking SW winds here!

Insanity today! Keith and I caught an amazing session at Isabel's. Pretty classic conditions- no wind on the inside, raging current, and barreling inside bars made it very challenging to get off the beach. It took both of us multiple tries to make it out, with the inevitable 200+ yard walk back up the beach for every failed attempt. Once we made it out, however, we encountered sheer waveriding bliss! (All pics by Anne. Thanks!)

Sneaking out during a set

The outer bar was on fire with a long period wrap around swell. Head high waves were lightly rolling over the sandbar, jacking up but not really pitching. Logo high waves were crumbling off the top. And the mast high macking sets were absolutely detonating on the bar, full on whitewater explosions. The wind was very offshore, and fairly light 4.5 so most of the faces were reasonably clean and easy to pick a line on without too much fear of bouncing out.

Long lines crumbling off the top

I didn't take too many waves all the way to the inside, for fear of not being able to get back out. So, instead, I spent about two hours cherry picking the big ones way outside. Keith and I shared a lot of waves today, since the big sets weren't all that frequent. I've never really been on a wave that had an open enough face to bottom turn around someone else, make the top turn, then look down in the trough to see Keith bottom turning 10 feet below me... awesome experience!

Running for the shoulder!

I got lucky enough, again today, to huck a MONSTER back loop attempt. This one was big enough that I bailed out 3/4 of the way through. Didn't even try to make the landing. Chucked the rig and fell out of the sky... Good stuff... Good stuff... And my last wave was just about as ridiculous as it gets for Hatteras standards. Mast high, hit the lip just as the bottom dropped out... basically free fell 15 feet... took it all the way to the beach and called it a day!

I guess a few guys hit up Ocracoke today, too. I'm sure they scored some ridiculous conditions down there! If I get any pictures, I'll post em up.

Stay tuned, the swell is still building!!! Tomorrow's looking like some light wind, a totally out of control surf session is on the menu. And Thursday looks like an either/or day, with building SW winds throughout the day and lingering swell! Sweeeeet!

Holy Windy, Batman!

Posted: May 12th, 2008, 6:17pm CEST

*5/13 Update- New pictures from yesterday's huge winds!

Avon Beach at Dawn, 5/12/08

Backloop at the Hole (Anne Pic)

Some Texture on the Water! (Dan pic)

Fully sheeted out, fully planing jibe! (Dan pic)

Smokin' water! (Dan pic)

Keith's "Lake Front" Home during the flooding! (Keith pic)

Thanks for sending the pictures, guys! Yesterday was pretty epic if you were able to charge it. The pictures taken at the Hole were my second 4.2 session of the day, and I had zero adrenalin and energy left after my morning Isabel's experience. Basically just survival sailing, in the average 35 gusts to 45 mph. Bill's got a short video of the Jockey's Ridge 3.7 action here. While we were sailing yesterday morning, Zach, Chad, Dan, and a few others surfed the overhead barrels in Buxton. Everyone claimed some time in the stand up straight barrels! Good stuff!

*Back to the original post:

Geeez it is cranking right now! What an awesome couple of days! Last night (Sunday), Keith, Olaf and I sailed the Cove, lit up 4.2 conditions, with about a waist to shoulder high super peely wave! It was a bit of an adventure, as we couldn't drive all the way out to the point... So we sailed there! The Point itself is open right now, you just can't access it from land, so we sailed around the enclosures and got into the Cove via ocean-going vessels (our sailboards)! I've been out there a lot in the past, but it's never had such a lonely, isolated feeling to it. Not a single person on the beach, no trucks, no nothing. Just the three of us catching whatever waves we wanted... Cool experience, but with mixed feelings...

This morning was about as wicked a windsurfing experience as I've ever had. West winds at 25-35 kicked up a pretty sizable swell down at Isabel's. The 1/8 off shore wind direction left clean barreling faces in the waist to head+ size on the inside bar, long enough for 2 or 3 smooth turns before they closed out. The outside bar was a totally different story. Crumbly logo to mast high walls of water were detonating 200 yards offshore. So lit on my 4.2, there were a few times where I should've destroyed every bit and piece of my rig, but somehow got lucky and came out unscathed. My second run out, I chucked the biggest backloop attempt I've ever thrown, and I had no choice but to huck it. Imagine if you will, being super lit on a 4.2, and watching a wall of mast high water start to pitch 20 yards in front of you... The only choice I had was to point it slightly downwind at the last little bit of wave not throwing over yet, but already vertical and feathering at the lip. By the point I left the wave, I was already at least 10 or 15 feet in the air (relative to the trough), full speed ahead in 4.2 conditions... Hoooooooooooo watching the bottom drop out from underneath me.... wow. Of course, I botched the landing, but it was quite an experience... Certainly way bigger than the one Drew and Billy caught on film from a few weeks ago. Wow.

Anyway, we're looking at insane amounts of wind and swell over the next few days. I'll try to line up some photos, but being stuck in the shop all day, my sailing sessions aren't really overlapping with everyone else's... Mostly solo dawn and dusk sessions these days...

Aye yae yae...

Posted: May 12th, 2008, 5:43pm CEST

Here are the court mandated rules, people: deliberate acts of vandalism to closure areas or wildlife harassment result in mandatory expansion of affected closure areas... 50 meters expansion the first time, another 100 meters the second time, and 500 meters more for every additional incident!

I'm not too sure about the constitutionality of these rules (punishing everyone for one anonymous act of vandalism). Any lawyers out there know anything about that? Regardless, those are the rules right now, so that's what we're dealing with.

Anyway, here's a press release sent out by the Park Service:

Vandalism of Resource Protection Closure Signs Results in Expansion of Buffer

Vandalism of symbolic fencing marking a shorebird closure in the South Beach area of Cape Hatteras National Seashore was discovered early Saturday morning. Approximately 1.7 miles east of Ramp 49, a park ranger patrolling the area discovered and documented twelve posts with “Area Closed” signs broken off at the sand line and several carsonite closure markers pulled out at the shoreline. During the investigation, two sets of footprints were found along the edge of the fence line that extended from the dunes to the waters edge. No footprints or tire tracks were observed entering the closed area which was established to protect a least tern colony; no birds appeared to have been disturbed during the act of vandalism. As prescribed in the court ordered Consent Decree, this closure violation resulted in a mandatory expansion of the closure area by 50 meters to the west.

The recent court approved Consent Decree related to shorebird and sea turtle protection at the Seashore requires the National Park Service to automatically expand the closure area by 50 meters if a confirmed deliberate act disturbs or harasses wildlife or vandalizes fencing, nests, or plants. Park staff documented the site and expanded the closure as ordered in the Consent Decree.

Superintendent Mike Murray reiterated the need for all parties to meet the Consent Decree requirements. "I urge everyone to consider that future acts of intentional vandalism to resource protection areas will result in greater expansion of the buffers. These expansions are not discretionary under the Consent Decree," stated Murray.

For more information about closures at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and visitor opportunities, visit the park’s webpage at www.nps.gov/caha .

-NPS-

Happy Mother's Day, and A Radness Update!

Posted: May 11th, 2008, 2:18pm CEST

First and Foremost:

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there, most importantly to my Mom, the best Mom around! Love you! Here she is with me and my Dad during a Hatteras visit about a year ago:

Next, the radness update:

Hatteras has been FIRING (surprise surprise)... Friday's SW winds were pretty much ridiculous, gusting up into the 40s at times, but mostly hovering around 25-30 mph. I scored a Three Session Day:

1) Dawn(ish) at Old Road. 5.0, litski, with waist to chest high "waves." There was so much cross chop from the wind, combined with high tide, that it was way more of a bump and jump session than a wave sailing session. Stuart and I sailed for about an hour before the "Sky of Death" migrated close enough to scare the snot out of us. Turns out there was a tornado warning, and Anne's first grade class was crouched in the fetal position in the school hallway while Stuart and I were chucking loops in the ocean......

2) Afternoon (after storm) at Old Road. 4.2, stupidly over powered at times, cleaner waves due to the lower tide, but still more of a jump fest than a wave riding day. Lots of big stalled forwards, a few back loop attempts, and a few major splat downs made for a pretty darned fun session. Stuart and Olaf also joined in the fun, and Catapulting Aaron was spotted on the beach with a camera (maybe he'll post some pics up soon?)! I hear Ego beach was also pretty fun, maybe a cleaner wave there?

*5/15 Update: Aaron posted some pictures from this session here!

3) Evening at Island Creek. Back to the 5.0, flat water freestyle sesh as the wind slowly faded with the sun. Stuart, Brian, Aaron and I got silly for Scott MacDonald who out snapping pictures for Windsurfing Mag. Hopefully he got a few cool shots off before the wind totally disappeared!

So three solid sessions, with some huge jumps and some flat water freestyle made for an awesome day on the water! Oh yeah, I even opened the shop for about 6 hours over the course of the day, so we did some biz, too! (Don't worry Brett, I'm not a total slacker when the wind blows)

I was looking forward to a recovery day Saturday, but no luck! Like clockwork, right at closing time, the wind kicked in again, but this time out of the NE. It felt like Fall, with warm water and chilly air temps. You know you're getting spoiled when 64 degrees feels chilly! Anne and I joined the crowd at the Hole for a quick sunset session, lit up 5.0. I got a bunch of flat water loop practice, and nailed quite a few spocks and 540s, but only on starboard... Yet another session goes by without committing to some port side freestyle....

Our forecast is off the hook right now! Strong SE today, then a major West to Northwest blow Monday and Tuesday! No rest for the weary! The big question is where to go for today's SE... The usual "Go To" spot for a SE wind is the Cove, but unfortunately it's no longer easily accessible due to the beach closures. I guess some side-on wavesailing at Ego or Isabel's will have to do? Either that or some butter flat water at the hole!

Freeeeestylin'!

Posted: May 9th, 2008, 3:55am CEST

It's defintely starting to feel like summer down here! We've had two days straight of perfect SW winds, warm air, and the water's warming up, too! Lots of people have been sailing in trunks in the sound, and I bet the ocean isn't too far behind!

I've spent the last two afternoons freestyling back behind island creek. There are lots of sailors in town, including a HUGE group from BABA, a bunch of Torontoians, Josh Sampiero from Windsurfing Mag, Catapulting Aaron, and many many more! It's been really fun sailing with some new people, and everyone's been super happy out on the water. Both days have been perfect freestyle weather, with comfortable 5.7 conditions. I'm feeling super dialed in on my starboard Vulcans, Spocks, and 540s, but I can't seem to pull the trigger on port... it's getting kind of personally frustrating... Luckily, Stuart's been pushing me, as he's been landing vulcans on both tacks recently! Good man! Nothing like a young whippersnapper hot on your heels to keep you motivated!

Looks like a crazy wind event is in store for tomorrow, so I'm off to bed to rest up. Stay tuned for a report, hopefully chock full of pictures of everyone sailing giant waves on 4.2s! My fingers are crossed for some waves, it's been just about as flat as it gets for the last few days here...

Classic May Conditions, ABK Party!!!, April Wrap Up

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 6:05am CEST

We have had some serious fun here over the last few days! Last week ended with a string of solid SW days, mid 20s every afternoon! And warm temperatures to boot! Classic May conditions! I snagged a bunch of great sessions, all sound side since the ocean was flat. Good freestylin', and a slalom sesh to boot! (But I couldn't come anywhere close to keeping up with Billy D! Man that guy is fast!) Sunday night, I had the pleasure of sailing with Tom and Andy Brandt, of ABK Boardsports fame! Somehow, everything was going well, and I was able to show off my new moves and not feel like a total kook out there! (But Andy B still humbled me)!

Monday blew north in the afternoon, but I missed it... because I was prepping the shop for the Clinic/Party with Andy Brandt and Matthew Case (the 2008 sidekick)! Turnout was a bit lower than in years past, in part attributable to the evening wind and the early weekday (Monday versus Wednesday), but we still had a great time and the attendees nabbed some seriously personal instruction! Topics ranged from clew first jibe exits to fin first sailing to a heated discussion of the slalom versus freestyle fun factor! Good Stuff! Major thanks to Andy and Matthew for their time and expertise!

Informal Clinic/Happy Hour (L-R: Andy B, Instructee, Eavesdropper, Tom, Josh Sampiero)

Lost In Hatteras meets Catapulting Aaron meets OBX Beach Life!

Things got a little rowdy after the bulk of people left... Break dancing, among other things, seemed to be the entertainment of choice! Enjoy the short video clip!

Tuesday the wind finally died, so Anne, Drew, Miranda, Stuart and I surfed the shorebreak, dead high tide, with an onshore breeze after work. Those in the know about surfing conditions can attest to the usual effect of those conditions on the waves: Crapified! But, every now and then a fun one would line up and we all caught a few decent rides, so there were smiles all around!

And the April Wrap Up:
16 sessions windsurfing (5.7 x6, 5.0 x8, 4.2 x2)
11 Surfing (5 SUP, 6 shortboard)
Just 1 Skate Sail Sesh
9 days in a 6/5/4 suit
14 days in a 3/2 suit
2 in trunks!
1 major "missed it" day

And I was off Hatteras for 6 days when I went to Jamaica! I know I missed at least 2 or 3 good days then. This place has just been FIRING! Non stop action, just the way I like it!

Looks like more surf in the AM, then the SW wind will probably kick in for the next few days! Should be a great end to the week!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly!

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 4:21pm CEST

Good things first: ABK Boardsports is in town for a 3 day weekend clinic, and they're scoring great weather! Sunny, warm, and perfect SW wind in the upper teens, low 20s for all the clinic goers to improve their skills! I'm sure they're having a great time out there!

Join Us Here on Monday Night!!

For those of you who didn't get a spot in the sold out 3 day clinic, Sailworld Hatteras and ABK are sponsoring a free evening clinic Monday night, May 5th, 7 pm at Sailworld Hatteras! Andy Brandt and Matthew Case will be doing an informal question and answer session, generally regarding the windsurf technique of your choice. You can ask them how to uphaul, or how to double spock 540, and they'll give you an easy to understand, step by step, entertaining answer! Sailworld will be supplying free snacks and drink for your euphoric caloric gain after a long day on the water! Come on by and hang out!

Brett rocking the lightwind freestyle!

Also, we snagged a lightwind sunset cruise last night at the Hole. Brett was lit up on a 7.0 and 130 liter freeride board, then swapped with Anne and I cruising the SUP and 5.0 combo, practicing helitacks, etc. Great sunset, fun, warm vibes on the water!

Bad things second: While walking Banana this morning, we came across this smoldering bonfire on the beach.

The cell phone pic doesn't do the scene justice. There was trash everywhere. There were a handful of charred empty beer cans and a wine bottle mixed in with the ashes. I can only hope that whoever left this mess will come back and clean it up when it cools off. If not, I guess I'll have to, or maybe some other third party will. I'm assuming the SUV parked right there by the pit is owned by a fire attendee. Thanks for not driving home drunk! But I have to ask: Why not just throw your empties in the back of the truck? I don't know for sure, but I'm assuming that tossing aluminum cans in a fire releases a number of toxins into the air. Not to mention that your cans will NOT melt and disappear, if that was your goal. I don't care how hot your fire is, it just isn't going to happen... Hopefully your girlfriend wasn't downwind when you tossed that can in the fire, because she'll probably get lung cancer in a few years.

Now for the Ugly: The concrete walls on the superstore are going up, further emphasizing the dwarfage of the shops next door. Pleeease don't be shrouded in bright 24 hour lights and ugly paint jobs......

I can't end it on a down note, so lets talk forecast! Right now, the SW is already ramping up, and there's barely a cloud in the sky! Looks the same for the next few days, and good wind all the way through Monday! Sweeeet! See ya out there!

Perfect Hatteras!

Posted: April 30th, 2008, 5:40pm CEST

The last few days have just been plane old wicked, regardless of what game you play! Monday saw a building swell, and some pretty up and down SW wind. By the time I got off work, the buoy was reading something ridiculous like 9 feet at 14 seconds (don't quote me on that, but the waves were macking)! I walked over the dunes at Ego beach to find a bunch of people and rigs on the beach, and only one guy out. The wind looked Super light, so I hemmed and hawed over what to do. Moderate wind freestyle in the sound, or light wind schlog in mast high Ego beach?

The lure of huge, clean wave faces won out, so I rigged my 5.7 on a 85 liter RRD. This is usually a very schloggable combo for me, but the water was so aerated that I was sunk up to my calves while trying to punch over head high walls of white water! Not the best combo... Somehow, I got super lucky with a few puffs of breeze at VERY crucial moments. Not enough wind to plane, but enough to pop over some major piles of water and squeak out past a looming set on the horizon.

Once out, I realized how lucky I got. The sets were rolling by, at least mast high, if not bigger. I felt pretty small bobbing around out there all by myself, not even a soul on the beach. I decided to catch just one wave, the biggest wave I could find, and ride it all the way to the beach. After testing the waters on a few medium sized waves and kicking out really early to make it back outside, I finally saw The Wave.

This thing was a wall, at least a hundred yards long and mast high out in deep water. The main peak was about 30 yards downwind of me, so it was easy to pump into it and I new it was going to be a loooong ride! 8 (+) bottom turns and 45 seconds later I was kicking out right before it dumped up onto the beach. Unreal. Soooo smoooooth, and the most wide open wave face I've ever been on. So much room to build speed, pick a line, drive the rail through a bottom turn. No sail power, just apparent wind. Wow.

Stuart walked over the dune just as I finished walking back up the beach. This was the best 200 yard walk of shame I've ever taken. I will never forget this wave (probably). We both tried to get back out again, but got denied no more than 20 yards from the beach.

To finish the evening, we joined the rest of the crew over at the Hole, including Anne, Brett, Jim M and a few other visiting sailors. The 5.7 was perfect for about 30 minutes, and I pulled the nastiest spock 540 I've ever thrown! Before long, the wind picked up to solid 5.0, and it turned into a loopfest. Stuart chucked a sweet port loop right in my face, so I had to follow suit! Usually I only throw 'em on starboard on flat water, so it was good to have some motivation! Thanks for pushing me, Stu!

And man, the next morning, Tuesday morning, the waves were just FIRING! The wind went west, and was very sailable, probably 5.0 again, but the waves were just too perfect to pass up! Drew and I surfed down in Buxton, the sets were a bit overhead, and just reeling down the beach! I got trounced a few times, and had a really tough paddle out, but the experience was well worth it. We also saw a few guys just tearing it up a few hundred yards up the beach. I'm talking full on stand up barrels, then getting spat out, and chucking a bit of air or thwacking the lip vertically. Nasty, nasty surfing. Very rad, and humbling at the same time!

On the drive back to Avon, Drew and I noticed that everyone was out having a great time! There were kites in the air, windsurfers ripping around the sound, fishermen with lines in the water, and of course the surfers we had just seen. We saw people biking, and even practicing Tai Chi on the beach. The whole island seemed alive with people enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Good Stuff!

We planned to surf again last night, but within the five minutes it took run into the house and grab a wetsuit, the wind switched around 180 degrees and immediately ruined the surf. It's amazing how much of a difference wind direction makes. So, I decided to go skate sailing for a few minutes, and stay dry for the evening. Drew showed up halfway through the sesh, and he had a go on the skateboard as well. He did great for his first time out, but next time I'll make him wear a helmet! Check out the video!

More Visuals for Your Viewing Enjoyment!

Posted: April 28th, 2008, 6:33pm CEST

My lack of recent posting has created a backlog of media! So, without further ado, here it is! This is in addition to the video I posted last night, here! My Brother's wedding photographer's, Bobbi and Mike, posted some pictures of the wedding on their blog, here! Check 'em out, even if you don't care about my bro's wedding, because the pictures are just plain old beautiful from an artistic standpoint!

The first video was shot by Ace, and edited by Drew. Stuart, Drew, and I were SUPing down in the Cove in a pretty stiff offshore breeze and waist to shoulder high waves. His music choice is "El Mar" by The Beautiful Girls. Gooood stuff!

The next video I shot a few weeks ago on a chilly sunset sesh north of Avon. It was one of those days where I just couldn't land anything, but the video came out alright anyway after lots of editing! Enjoy!!

Surfy Surfy and SUP Helmet Cam!!

Posted: April 28th, 2008, 6:09am CEST

First, my apologies for the lack of recent posting! I assure you, it's not due to a lack of action! I've been super busy at the shop, and a bunch of friends from out of town were visiting last week! So, blogging took a back seat to surfing, sailing, hanging with friends, and :( working... This is the group of friends, who gathered in Hatteras from New England and as far away as Washington State! They're all awesome sailors, and not afraid to hit the ocean for some surfy surfy when the wind doesn't blow! Fun loving kids, that's for sure!

The Crew in the Cove (photo: Brett)

Cove SUP Action (photo: Brett)

To summarize the action, last week we encountered some gloomy weather, but there was some wind mixed in between the rain storms. A few customers claimed they sailed 6 days out of 7, and our rental Serenitys, SUPs, and surf boards got some serious use! I missed most of the wind events, but surfed EVERY freaking day last week in some great waves! 2 SUP sessions in the Cove, 1 shortboard sesh down in Frisco, a North Avon SUP sesh, and a Lighthouse shortboard sesh this morning! We also snagged a fun windsurf sesh at the Hole Saturday evening.

Rowdy Bunch of Kooks!!

I had a really good time hanging out with my college sailing buddies. I didn't get much sleep at all, but that's what they make coffee for, right?

I tried out the helmet cam while SUPing north of Avon. It was tough to frame the action, but I think a lot of it turned out pretty well! Check it out:

I've got a bunch more video to sort through, and it looks like tomorrow is going to honk SW with a head high swell, so check back for some more action soon! Yeee haw!!

Jamaican Wedding!

Posted: April 23rd, 2008, 11:24pm CEST

People often ask where we Hatteras-ites go on vacation. Most of us never go anywhere else to sail, but we do sometimes leave the island. Last week, I crossed the bridge for the second time in 2008, to head to Jamaica for a family vacation, to celebrate my brother Jim's wedding! It was a very fun, relaxing, rum soaked experience!

The Family, all dressed up!

My Bro married a wonderful lady, and his best friend, named Pauline. They had a simple, but romantic beach wedding, short but sweet with their own tear jerking vows. But maybe it was just the sunscreen in my eyes making them water... It was a small gathering of immediate family, so I met Pauline's Mom, Dad, Brother, Aunt, Cousins, and step-parents for the first time! They were all super nice, rowdy Texas types!

The Bride, with Parental Escorts

We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, so I wouldn't go so far as to say that we got a real Jamaican experience, but it was the most worry free, easy vacation I've ever taken. The first day felt strange, since we weren't whipping out our wallets every time we wanted a plate full of food or glass full of rum. By the time we left, however, we got so used to it that we almost walked out on a check at the first normal, public restaurant we had been to in 5 days! Whoops!

Jim and Pauline, Married!

We got a lot of sailing in down there! Most of the time, the wind conditions and intoxication levels were more conducive to Hobie Cat sailing than windsurfing! However, I did go windsurfing in Jamaica! The resort had some poly HiFly boards and dacron sails, so Anne and I cruised the bay one afternoon, rocking some light wind freestyle in clear blue water and sunny skies. Once I got back to the beach the resort's windsurf instructor barraged me with questions about a type of windsurfing he had obviously never seen! So after he was off the clock, I taught him how to waterstart and heli tack. He promised to have a windsurfing trophy to show me by the next time I came to Jamaica!

Greetings From Negril!

Posted: April 19th, 2008, 1:30am CEST

Yes, all is good!

Within 2 minutes of entering the airport, I had Bob Marley stuck in my head! 2 minutes later, I had red stripe in my belly!

It's been an incredible 2 days!

Sweeeeeeet!

Always Bring Everything!

Posted: April 15th, 2008, 8:48pm CEST

I know I sound like a broken record, but this place is so freakin' windy! Sunday evening, Drew and I broke rule number one of Hatteras living. We didn't "bring everything" with us when we went to the beach... The flags were hanging limply when we closed up the shop, so we grabbed a few SUPs to catch the lingering chest high swell. By the time I got my big toe in the water, there was a noticeable ripple on the water. By the time I paddled out, saw a set, and turned around to catch a wave, the side offshore wind was sending whitecaps, spray, and knee high chop my way... It turned into full on 5.0 wind in about 5 minutes. These are not the best conditions for paddling around on a 10' log. Had we brought everything, I would have quickly rigged up and sailed, but that wasn't an option, nor was going home to grab sailing gear with only an hour of daylight left. So... we SUPed. It was a learning experience. I'll probably never try it again. If I let my windward rail bobble up even an inch, the board got ripped off the water and sent me flying. I had to CONSTANTLY paddle to keep from drifting out to sea. I only caught two waves. It was very challenging. It was VERY fun.

Dropping in with a gale force head wind (Stuart pic)

Keep that nose down!

And then Monday it blew all afternoon, yet again, out of the North! After work I rigged up my 5.0 and took a freestyle sesh north of Avon. I tried out the helmet cam again, but in all the chop and high wind, it turned out pretty shaky and hard to watch... Maybe I'll sift through the files and grab some highlights, but most of the footage was pretty worthless at first glance.

And right now, guess what? It's STILL windy! the Avon Pier meter is reading gusts up to 47 mph. The building is creaking and groaning. Stuart and I sailed the lighthouse this morning, it was super fun! Way lit up 5.0, powered to the gills on the outside. The waves were just reeling left, but the angles were lined up better than usual so it was easy to get 4 or 5 bottom turns on the same wave! Every time I kicked out, I would look up and realize that I was 150 yards down the beach, again! Super fun, with some huge jumps on the outside, but I was so lit I was mostly trying to keep it on the water and in control...

And the forecast? You guessed it, windy! For the next two or three days straight!

But guess what? I don't care! As of Wednesday afternoon, I'll be sipping rum drinks on the beach in Jamaica! Anne and I are packing up the car to drive to Raleigh tonight for our early am flight tomorrow morning. Once in Jamaica, my only job will be to provide "Best Man" support to my brother Jim, who is marrying a wonderful woman named Pauline! Wooooooo Hoooooo! I can't wait to hang out with my family and help send my brother into the next phase of his life story!

Chances are, computers will be the last thing on my mind, so be sure to check all the other local's blogs for Hatteras updates in my absence! Looks like they'll have some epic sailing to report!

Seeeeee ya next Tuesday!!!!!!

Wicked Ego Beach Action!

Posted: April 13th, 2008, 5:38am CEST

Wooooo it got windy today! 70 degrees, sunny, and SW winds! Ego Beach was lined up pretty well, chest to head high with an occasional logo high bomb. I showed up for the post work session, and it was only Stuart, Thomas and I on the water. There were a bunch of trucks and spectators on the beach, so I'm sure a lot of people got on it earlier!

What a fun session! If the waves had been any bigger, I think I would've used the phrase "survival sailing" but as it was, it was pretty do-able, and I wasn't too afraid to huck it big or go for a lip! I ended up being lit out of my mind on my 4.2, which doesn't happen too often. Stuart sailed a 3.7, and he said it was just about perfect. Some of the gusts were borderline violent, as they warped and wrapped around the wave faces, switching 20 degrees nearly instantly! I took a few monster sets on the head, but came out unscathed, so all is well.

Drew came out and took a bunch of pictures, he's got a great Stuart shot on his blog! And it looks like Billy has got a slideshow up on his blog, with lots of action from all day long! Check it out! Anne and Banana were also hanging on the beach, and she took a bunch of pictures with a little point and shoot. Thanks, guys, for getting sandblasted all in the name of a sweet pic!

Thomas lining up a hit

I tried a wave face 360 for the first time ever! (It didn't end so well)

Stuart, laying down a solid arc!

Going up...

...and coming back down!

Gemeni Action!

Posted: April 12th, 2008, 10:45pm CEST

Had an awesome few days! Drew and I surfed down in Frisco again the other night, in conditions pretty much identical to the last post. Super fun chest high waves! And last night, the breeze filled in, so Anne, Drew and I packed up the truck and drove down to the hole for a sunset session. Anne and I sailed the Gemeni, Starboard's tandem, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to try out a helmet cam. So here you go, a first person view of the sunset sesh on the biggest board ever made!

Right now, it's cranking SW and 70 degrees! Headed to Ego beach to get a sunset sesh, check for a report later!

What a stretch of wind!

Posted: April 10th, 2008, 7:53pm CEST

It's STILL windy on day 5... We've had a string of four solid days of North wind. Cold, cloudy, rainy, and honking wind! Just the way I like it! Well, another 30 degrees on the thermometer would be fine with me, but I don't mind the cold. Nor do all the customers coming through the door! They've all got torn up hands and smiles on their faces! I love that windsurfers can find joy in such nasty weather, where most sane people are curled up on the couch drinking beer and watching TV!

I desperately needed a day off from hanging on the booms, so, *gasp* I didn't go windsurfing yesterday, even though it blew solid 5.7 all day long. Instead, Drew and I took a surf session on the South side, in strong, but straight offshore winds. The faces were nice and clean, and the lines were long if you picked the right one! Here are a few shots I snapped off, but the sun was basically gone so there wasn't much light. Still, you can get a feel for the chest high lefts ripping off the pier! Enjoy!

Felix on the peak!

The View Down the Line

Nice Lines!

Drew waits for a set

There's still a bit of breeze out there today, and it looks like tomorrow's going to switch South and warm up a bit! Should be a great couple of days coming up!

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, Bill's just officially announced OBX Loop Fest 2008! If you're on the verge of committing to some huckage, come on down in June and join the fun! Nothing like lots of other people throwing themselves around to up the energy level and get yourself to do something stupid! And once you do, you'll never look back! Oh yeah, there are lots of prizes to be given out to contenders, so maybe a new waveboard or sail will help you overcome your fears! Note: the contest is not for accomplished huckers, it's for people who just want to chuck their first attempts. Of course, if you've spun around before, you're welcome to join the fun, but the idea is to boost the overall number of loopers out there in the windsurf world! So come join us, and learn to nail one of the easiest moves there is!

Reef Run!

Posted: April 9th, 2008, 4:09am CEST

Life has lots of ups and downs. Luckily for me, they usually end up balancing out positive. For you, however, well.... So let's write a checklist:

Pro: Today was wiiiiiindy
Con: It stayed North, and never went NE, so the south side chest high waves had dead off shore wind all day (not so hot for windsurfing)
Pro: Due North winds are fun out at the reef in the middle of the sound!
Con: The reef is about 5 miles offshore, and nobody has a telephoto lens that big.
Pro: I built a helmet cam with my new waterproof camera, to catch the action!
Con: I forgot that I needed a hood when I tried on the helmet, and there was NO way I could even buckle the chin strap with the hood on...
Pro: I went sailing anyway, without the camera...

So I got some great sailing in, but you get zero pictures to look at! Good for me, not for you...

Stuart (fresh back from a European Vacation), Olaf, and I sailed out to the reef after work today to hit up some soundside "wave" action! I don't go out there nearly enough! That place is so much fun to sail! Today's waves were occasionally stomach high, but mostly knee to waist. That's a bit smaller than I thought it would be, but it's still plenty of ramp for massive jumps when you're lit up on a 4.2!

I'm glad all three of us are pretty competent sailors with good gear- it's a bit sketchy heading that far offshore so close to dark in chilly temps. Didn't help that it was overcast, a bit foggy, and not the best visibility! The island was definitely out of site when we were way outside playing in the swell. There's a few landmarks out there, but not many... If you ever venture out there, make sure you have buddies, and that all your stuff is in good shape! Overdress, too, just in case!

Lots of action out there. I wish I had the helmet cam set up so you could see what I saw! Stuart was sailing like he never left, and Olaf was sending buckets of spray skyward as he slashed the tops off the waves. The waves were lining up great for full roundhouse bottom turn/cutback combos, where you basically end up sailing clew first/switch stance 200 degrees from your original point of sail to crack the lip! Backside airs were also basically at your fingertips, just point it and go! Super fun. Lots of good loops, too, and some major thwack downs to keep me in check.

One of the best parts of sailing out to the reef is coming back home. The natural flow of things usually puts you a good chunk upwind of your original starting point, so the tack home is generally 10-20 degrees off the wind, lit up, through the flats out in the middle of the sound! F A S T. Next time I'm bringing my GPS, and my (modified) helmet cam!

Looks like a day off for wind tomorrow, but there's a ton of swell in the water, so I'll probably have a surf report tomorrow night! See ya out there!

NE Extravaganza!

Posted: April 8th, 2008, 3:40am CEST

We're in the middle of a three day NE wind extravaganza! Sunday night, Anne, Drew and I sailed the Hole towards sunset with a bunch of other people out. A little chilly with all the cloud cover, but the wind was honking! Anne was killing it, sailing through jibes and waterstarting with ease. Drew also got a few waterstarts, and sailed at mach 10 a few times on a 180 liter freeride/4.2 wavesail combo, sans harness! Scary, scary, scary, but lots of fun to watch!! Personally, I nailed a well powered spock 540 in chop, and then fell about 80 times trying to do it again...

Today after work, I drove down to Isabelle's and snagged an hour of off off side off wavesailing before the sun went down. It was way more fun than it looked from the beach, so I'm really glad I decided to suit up in the 50 degree, overcast, spitting rain... Most of the waves were waist high, but there were a few head high nuggets rolling through. All the waves had one thing in common: multiple turns! It seemed like every wave was lined up for three, four, five, even six bottom turns! So much fun, even when it's only waist high! A lot of them were barely fizzling off the top, so it was also super easy to chuck aerials off the lip, but with the offshore wind, most of them sent me out the back. Still, ridiculous amounts of fun!

Tomorrow's forecast to go more NE, and building seas up to 4 meters (13 feet for all you imperials out there)!! If it happens, you probably won't find me in the shop for too long! Shop early, or not at all when it's blowing 30!

See y'all out there!

South Point SUP Test!

Posted: April 6th, 2008, 5:09am CEST

The Drewski and I made the most of a pretty bleak evening by testing out a few new SUPs! We paddled out at ramp 34, into the fog and drizzling rain, to see just how well the South Point Kalama 11'6" and Bonga Perkins 10' SUPs paddled. Drew took the Kalama, I tried out the Bonga. Conditions were far from appropriate for testing, but we had fun and learned a few things anyway. All pics by Anne (thanks for hanging out in the rain!!)

The Sticks:

There were some solid nuggets out there!

My 2 cents on the Bonga:

This board Rips! It's amazing how much a 10' board can feel like a 6'2" pin tail potato chip! Lay this thing on rail and it cranks right around! The step deck keeps the rails thin (and trust-able), but forces your feet into a pretty narrow stance. The slightly choppy conditions were challenging at first, but within 20 minutes I had the board dialed in. I wouldn't recommend this board to beginners, but anyone with a year or two under their belt, looking for a solid ripper stick will love this thing. Anyone under 140 lbs would probably be fine on it, as well, even as a beginner board.

Dropping in!

Paddle battle! (I won) :)

Drew's 2 cents on the Kalama:

Well, he's not here, so I'll make an impression for him! Drew's only had a few SUP sessions in the past, but he hopped on this thing and took right off! Looking solid from the start, he caught a good handful of waves, even claiming the ride of the day. The board looked stable, controllable, easy to handle, easy to catch waves on. But don't get me wrong, I also saw a chunk or two of spray flying off the lip! Accessible performance is the name of the game with the Kalama model! Looks like a great all around board, I can't wait to hop on it next time!

Drew Rocks a Soul Arch!

Drew keeps it low and solid!

We've got both of these boards in demo, so if you want to try either of them out, swing on by the shop and pick 'em up!

Fun couple of days!

Posted: April 5th, 2008, 4:20pm CEST

It's been a great few days here on Hatteras! I scored a fun (but slightly frustrating) Isabel's sesh on Wednesday evening. The chilly NNE winds were completely blocked on the inside, making for a tough schlog out, and some interesting moments of zero sail power with a head high set looming... Still, the four good waves I caught were well worth the struggle! This was the sunset over Hatteras village on the sound side:

Thursday was a huge "Missed It" for me! I was too lazy to get out of bed for the dawn sesh, which was easily 5.0 wind. And then later that afternoon, I could have had a great SUP sesh down in the cove, but I have yet to repair my busted board, so I was kit-less. Pretty bummed about not taking part in the action, but I needed a rest day anyway, and we had plenty of fun hanging on the beach with a bunch of friends. Here's a short vid of the beach antics, but be forewarned, there is absolutely no watersports action in this movie!!

Friday made up for "missed it Thursday" by providing a great surf sesh in the AM, and fun SW wind in the evening! Zach, 2 Chads, Drew and I surfed some really fun head high (+) sets in the light WSW wind early on. It was foggy, and there was a ton of water moving around. Really tough paddle out, especially since I haven't surfed in weeks! But it's great to start the day with a pre-work surf session! Gotta love the salt water shower!

Zach (I think) on a foggy morning bomb!

By closing time, the wind filled in to solid 5.0 down at the Hole. Drew, Anne and I squeezed in to my truck with a ton of gear, and caught a great sunset session! Anne hasn't sailed in months, but she jumped right on to a 4.2 and went ripping across the sound, and even nailed a few dry jibes! And Drew successfully beachstarted a few times in the super gusty winds! Caleb was packing up from an Ego Beach session when we rolled in, he had a pretty big smile on his face, so it must've been fun! What a great way to spend a Friday evening!

Anne rips in while Drew lines up a beachstart

Post Session Glow!

Check out this huge building going up right by the Village Grocery and Ugly Mugs coffee shop. Hopefully, there won't be any bright neon lights accompanying it. I REALLY dislike the appearance of box stores, especially in such a small town. Chances are it'll be stocked with cheap lead covered crap made in China. But maybe I'm wrong.

An Apology, and a Soundside Sesh

Posted: April 2nd, 2008, 5:55pm CEST

Well, I thought the picture that I posted yesterday was pretty obviously manipulated, but apparently I April Fooled at least a few of ya! The comments are pretty priceless, and are well worth checking out! Although anonymous #2 has obviously got some internal issues to work out, (s)he does bring up a good point. I love sailing with other people. However, notifying the whole crew of good conditions is a daunting task, especially when time is limited and you just want to hit the water. I think the forum is a great way to spread up to date information, especially since a few of us can post directly from our cell phones. I do my best to update the forum anytime someone calls me with a report, and I'm near a computer. If we all put forth a tiny bit of effort to keep it updated, then all is well and info is readily available. I would suggest that if you are available to go sailing, and want to know where everyone is, just check the forum. So, anon #2, I apologize for not calling you about my imaginary session. And maybe the next time we meet, you can apologize to me for judging me so harshly... Although, the bellyache I got from laughing so hard was worth whatever bad juju you sent my way!

On to yesterday's beautiful, warm, SW sunset sesh! A handful of us convened at the Hole to sail the brutally gusty, shifty winds. Personally, I went through 3 combinations of board and sail in an hour, before I just settled on being overpowered on my 5.0 and small board! Got some fun freestyling in, and bonked my head pretty well to end the evening. Anne snapped off a few pics of the action! Thanks, Anne!
Unknown blazes a path

Jim M gets tricky

Traffic Jam

It's a good thing I stretch a lot...

Keith lays it on rail

It's cranking NE right now, I'll probably post a Lighthouse report later this evening! Maybe I'll even call some people to let 'em know where I'm at...

Mast High Cove Session!!!! and the March Wrap-Up

Posted: April 1st, 2008, 6:04pm CEST

All the calls from the Cove reported a building swell, but no wind Monday afternoon. I had an hour of daylight left after work, so I decided to run down there and see if it was sailable. Everyone had since packed it in, giving up on the afternoon, so I had the place all to myself when I pulled up, except a few friendly fishermen. My eyes couldn't believe what I saw!! Unreal mast high perfect waves were wrapping around the point and peeling for hundreds of yards into the cove! It must have built after everyone left, I couldn't believe no-one was there!

It was a tough schlog out, and I only caught one wave. One of the fishermen snapped off a picture and was nice enough to email it to me (thanks, Chuck!!):

Insane! Y'all definitely missed it! How could you leave waves like that?!!?

So, on to the March Wrap-Up! Last month was insanely windy here on Hatteras! Here are the raw stats:

19 sessions windsurfing
6 sessions surfing (2 SUP, 4 shortboard)
7 rest days (travelling or sick... at least 4 of those days were sailable on a 5.0 or smaller)
2 sessions on a 7.5
3 on my 5.7
12 on my 5.0!!
2 on my 4.2
11 sessions in a 6/5/4 suit
14 in a 3/2

Windy!! And warming up, too! This spring has been amazing! Come on out and join us!

Fine "Coastal" Weather

Posted: March 31st, 2008, 5:13am CEST

Caught a fun freestyle sesh at the hole this afternoon! It was the kind of day I refer to as "Fine Coastal Weather." As in, super windy, overcast, cold, and drizzling rain... Others might call it good hypothermia weather... All the water got blown out of the sound in the strong NE wind, leaving a little pool of butter flat water to play around in. Nailed 5 spocks in a row, but the gustiness got the best of me and started spanking me down after a half hour or so. Still, a super fun solo sesh that left me happy for making the most of an otherwise dreary day! Sounds like Bill suited up and challenged the bleakness, as well, down at Isabelle's. Nice job, man!

Anne came by with Banana and snapped a few pictures off! Thanks, Anne!

That sandbar is usually a foot or two deep!

Pop and slide in the butter flat water!

Mid spock!

Clean Jibes are easy as pie without chop bouncing you around!

It has just been insanely windy here on Hatteras! Today was the 5th day in a row that I sailed my 5.0, lit up! And to top it off, our forecast is off the charts! There's just no end in sight to this relentless wind!

Windsurfing » Lost In Hatteras

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Lost In Hatteras (230 unread)

Posted: November 18th, 2009, 3:16am CET

Posted: November 16th, 2009, 6:33am CET

Posted: November 12th, 2009, 2:21am CET

Posted: November 10th, 2009, 3:12am CET

Posted: November 8th, 2009, 12:56am CET

Posted: November 4th, 2009, 12:54am CET

Posted: October 30th, 2009, 3:52pm CET

Posted: October 28th, 2009, 2:32am CET

Posted: October 24th, 2009, 4:56pm CEST

Posted: October 23rd, 2009, 5:37am CEST

Posted: October 16th, 2009, 6:07pm CEST

Posted: October 14th, 2009, 6:11pm CEST

Posted: October 11th, 2009, 2:02am CEST

Posted: October 9th, 2009, 4:20am CEST

Posted: October 3rd, 2009, 3:21pm CEST

Posted: September 30th, 2009, 7:39am CEST

Posted: September 27th, 2009, 5:26am CEST

Posted: September 23rd, 2009, 6:53pm CEST

Posted: September 20th, 2009, 10:08pm CEST

Posted: September 16th, 2009, 9:23pm CEST

Posted: September 12th, 2009, 8:41pm CEST

Posted: September 10th, 2009, 4:59pm CEST

Posted: September 8th, 2009, 9:07pm CEST

Posted: September 5th, 2009, 3:31pm CEST

Posted: September 3rd, 2009, 2:07pm CEST

Posted: September 2nd, 2009, 5:09pm CEST

Posted: August 31st, 2009, 4:08am CEST

Posted: August 29th, 2009, 3:12pm CEST

Posted: August 27th, 2009, 7:14pm CEST

Posted: August 26th, 2009, 6:04pm CEST

Posted: August 24th, 2009, 2:06pm CEST

Posted: August 23rd, 2009, 7:17pm CEST

Posted: August 22nd, 2009, 4:31pm CEST

Posted: August 21st, 2009, 4:31am CEST

Posted: August 19th, 2009, 1:48am CEST

Posted: August 18th, 2009, 5:08am CEST

Posted: August 11th, 2009, 5:19pm CEST

Posted: August 9th, 2009, 9:10pm CEST

Posted: August 2nd, 2009, 10:53pm CEST

Posted: July 31st, 2009, 10:48pm CEST

Posted: July 30th, 2009, 5:29pm CEST

Posted: July 28th, 2009, 7:29pm CEST

Posted: July 23rd, 2009, 6:22pm CEST

Posted: July 19th, 2009, 6:13am CEST

Posted: July 14th, 2009, 9:36pm CEST

Posted: July 12th, 2009, 12:06am CEST

Posted: July 10th, 2009, 5:36am CEST

Posted: July 6th, 2009, 5:58am CEST

Posted: July 2nd, 2009, 8:42pm CEST

Posted: June 27th, 2009, 11:50pm CEST

Posted: June 26th, 2009, 3:05pm CEST

Posted: June 22nd, 2009, 2:25am CEST

Posted: June 18th, 2009, 5:35pm CEST

Posted: June 14th, 2009, 1:20pm CEST

Posted: June 8th, 2009, 5:38pm CEST

Posted: June 2nd, 2009, 2:27pm CEST

Posted: May 31st, 2009, 9:18pm CEST

Posted: May 29th, 2009, 4:10pm CEST

Posted: May 26th, 2009, 4:07pm CEST

Posted: May 22nd, 2009, 7:05pm CEST

Posted: May 19th, 2009, 9:40pm CEST

Posted: May 17th, 2009, 6:09pm CEST

Posted: May 13th, 2009, 2:11pm CEST

Posted: May 10th, 2009, 9:07pm CEST

Posted: May 8th, 2009, 11:27pm CEST

Posted: May 7th, 2009, 3:17am CEST

Posted: May 5th, 2009, 3:31pm CEST

Posted: May 4th, 2009, 2:48pm CEST

Posted: April 29th, 2009, 3:32am CEST

Posted: April 24th, 2009, 4:58am CEST

Posted: April 22nd, 2009, 12:15pm CEST

Posted: April 19th, 2009, 2:13pm CEST

Posted: April 17th, 2009, 6:38pm CEST