WATERLOGGED by scooper

Rethinking Kiting

2012-01-22T11:18:00.012-05:00

I've decided to give up kiting. It's just the same old thing, over and over again. It's getting boring.

Lately I've been getting a deeper satisfaction from doing work around my house on weekends. I had a great time replastering and painting my kitchen ceiling even though it took 8 coats of burn-your-throat Kilz to cover the rusty stains from the upstairs bathroom leak.

For whatever reason, my passion for kiting, the excitement, is gone, zip, nada. It has nothing to do with my drysuit being out for repairs, (again!!), or lakes not being frozen enough for snow kiting. And I'm not harboring any feelings of jealousy towards all my ex-kiter friends getting the windy winter sessions whithout me.

I've simply discovered that it's more fullfilling shopping for new toilet seats and regrouting the bathtub. You guys with good drysuits, out on the water, smiling and pretending to be having fun, you don't know what you're missing.

P.S. Don't believe anything I say on this blog.

A Sweltering Winters Day

2012-01-07T21:59:00.013-05:00

Man it was a scorcher today! 55 degrees in the shade. I thought the fierce sun was going to peel the paint right off my truck.

Another kiter called me a wimp for using a drysuit during a heat wave. I got even with him tho. I stripped down to my bottom layer of long underwear and was walking around barefoot in the parking lot when I was rolling up my kite, letting the sweat burn off. There was a certain locker room aura around my body, almost visible, extending out several hundred miles. The parking lot cleared out quickly after that.

Skimboard- I was on my skimmy again today, in ankle deep tidal pools. It's a little dangerous if you fall hard so I was being cautious, going slow. Someone blasted by me on a twin tip, heading out to deep water.

later I switched and found that if I keep the twin tip completley on edge it goes just as shallow as the skim board. The fins aren't even an issue when the board is that far on it's edge. But of course the minute you flatten the board out, the fins hit and you end up sitting on your ass in a bathtub.

First Encounter- Very solid wind today. Nice flat water session at low tide. It seemed like the wind had to blow across land to be good- Duxbury, Chapin, FE.

Kitesurfed, First Encounter, SSW, 12-20, 13M Octane/skimmy & Flx136, with Jermy, others.

Waving Craving

2012-01-02T18:32:00.014-05:00

Skyrocket being skyrocket

I've had a craving for waves lately. I guess it's cause my last few session have been at Chapin/Mayflower, in little teaser waves. Chapin waves don't really fill you up. An hour after the session you're hungry again. I've been wanting something big enough to sink my teeth into.

Horseneck satisfied! Ahhh, feels good. I just like being out there in head high waves. The curling lips, noise of the waves crashing, the foam, the hills to slide down, walls of water to go over, walls of water to go under, whitewater washing over my head, icewater cleaning out my sinuses. It's exciting! It's probably a genetic defect.

Horseneck, Kitesurfed, W, WSW, 10-25, 10M Rally/Mako 150, with Frank, Brad, Jean, Johnny D, Brian, Stoke, Skyrock, Tim, Others.

Lucky strikes

2011-12-29T23:05:00.004-05:00

Any day at Chapin is a lucky day

Sometimes I'm struck by how lucky I am. Lucky- to have my health, family, friends, and a drysuit with a pee zip. These are the things that make my life rich.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, W, WSW, 10-25, 10M/Skimmy, 17M/Mako150, with Dillon.

That's why they call it Boosting

2011-12-26T21:33:00.010-05:00

Ben said, "Dad you never get sick!" He and Barbara just got over sharing a cold which I, luckily, didn't get. "It's the kitesurfing," I replied. "Every time I jump it boosts my imune system. That's why kiters call jumping boosting." Ben shrugged. He didn't say anything. It must be tiring living with a kitesurfer dad.

Chapin gave me a boost today. I messed around in the waves on the sand bar then went into the marsh at high tide with Jean and a few others. I got a kick out of watching Jermy and Kristoff jumping onto a little dune on the sand spit and sliding back into the water. That should boost the immune system. Or break your legs.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NNW, NW, 17-39, 10M Rally/Flx136, with Jean, Kristoff, Jermy, Mike, Frank, Jamie, Andrey, Colleen, Joe, Brad, Brian, others.

Wishing You a Kiting Kristmas

2011-12-24T18:51:00.013-05:00

The beach was crowded at Mayflower

Kitesurfing to celebrate the day before Xmas is an ancient ritual going back thousands of years. I kited today to keep the tradition alive for the heritage of future generations. I was just doing my duty.

New Old Skimmy- This home made piece of scrap actually works! I can't believe it. I tried this board when I first made it. It seemed all wrong, didn't go upwind, didn't go thru lulls, didn't waterstart, didn't jump. But that was a year and a half ago so I decided to pull it out again to see if it has changed. Has it! The board has really improved. I skimmmed up the Chapin pond until the water got down to the depth of my big toe. It still can't jump but it did everything else well. Good board. If I ignore it for a few more years, maybe it'll learn strapless back rolls.

2 sessions- Mayflower morning, Chapin afternoon.

Mayflower, Kitesurfed, NE, 10-25, Mako150 & King/10m Rally, solo.
Chapin, Kitesurfed, NE, 10-25, Flx136 & Skimboard/10m Rally, Mike.

Winterizing my Brain

2011-12-18T22:34:00.029-05:00

Sunday 6:00 AM. I'm not looking forward to this kiting session as much as usual. It has something to do with it being dark, cloudy, snowy, air temp near freezing. It's the first day of the season with real Winter weather. The sane part of my brain questions getting into the ocean in these conditions. Luckily, that part of my brain is small and shriveled.

My big surprise of the day? I'm really warm, even when the temp drops to 29 and the mouthpiece of my camelback gets crunchy with ice. I don't care. I'm in the zone. I can feel the sane part of my brain shrivel and atrophy to almost nothing. Now I'm ready for Winter.

New Old Drysuit- I just got my O.S. Systems drysuit back from the shop. They repaired 3 small seam leaks, several pinholes, new wrist seals, new socks. I know, I know, it's only 1 year old. Don't forget, 1 human year equals 15 drysuit years. So that makes my drysuit a teenager. I've go to expect some erratic behavior. Some mood swings. But no more leaks for now please.

New Mitts- 6MM Henderson/Hyperflex Oven Surf Mitts. This is the best cold temp handwear I've found. Even my dead lobster hands were only slightly numb in these. And I could still hold onto the bar a little.

Mayflower, Kitesurfed, N, 10-29, Gusty, 13M Octane & 10M Rally/ Mako150, with Paul, Igor, Brian, Junior, Chriz. Air Temp 32 to 29.

Paul took some video footage with my camera. Thanks Paul! I've just gotta figure out how to edit it.

Deer Son

2011-12-10T21:09:00.005-05:00

My son is a deer, a buck. He is standing in a room with other deer, young bucks mostly. They are waiting for their chance to prove themselves. They look bold, proud, excited. Some are nervous. They stamp they're hooves and throw their new antlers around. My son, I used to be able to cradle him in one arm, stands tall, strong. This is where he wants to be.

It's noisy. The deer are shouting, cheering. My son is called forward by the referee. The Ref blows a whistle and my son charges, head lowered, clashing antlers with his opponent. My body tenses as I watch. They fall, rise back up, fall again. The match looks fierce, brutal, yet no one is hurt. It's a symbolic test of strength.

Then it's over. My son's first match. I'm relieved that he's O.K. He seems relaxed now, happy. This is all new to him, and to me. The primal arena of High School wrestling. It's a brave new world.

Ben's First Varsity Match

Wrestling is a tough sport but Ben seems inexplicably drawn to it! I wish I had his passion for a challenge. Oh wait...

Smorgasboard of Gear

2011-12-04T20:02:00.024-05:00

Paul's 21 Meter blimp, a really really nice blimp!

Smorgasboard of Gear- It's a warm, sunny day, for Dec. Wind is up and down, off and on, here and there. We have a good crew of salty characters plying the beach. It's perfect for passing some gear around. I loan some stuff out, borrow someone else's. We laugh at the crashes that ensue due to footstraps being too loose, gear unfamiliar, etc. Put a bunch of kiters on the beach and they quickly turn into one big happy dysfunctional family.

Paul's Speed3 21M Silver Arrow- Sooo fun!!! Wind was 10-14. I was super powered up on this when my 17M Zephyr was struggling to go upwind. I loved the jumps and back rolls on this big boy, (but the line twists from backrolls aren't so good). It's so lofty! I almost needed to pull the depower strap. Cool feeling. Still a scary kite though.

RealWind 85 Liter windsurfing board- Not as much fun as I expected as a kiters light wind weapon- not very turny and responsive compared to a kite surfboard, not as floaty in the lulls as it looks. Frank pointed out that the tail width is narrow. I like my 6' Caution surfboard better for kiting.

Frank's Door64- goes upwind slightly better than my Mako King but such a different ride, rides on it's edge more, doesn't break loose in transitions, hard to get it to release from the water for jumps and back rolls. Upwind machine.

Picture- Kristoff kites with helium balloons for extra style points. It looks like he's spawning.

W Dennis, Kitesurfed, 9-19, SSE, 17M Zephyr/Mako King, also RealWind 85, Door64, Flysurfer Speed3 21M Silver Arrow, with Igor, Frank, Sandie, Kristoff, Matt, John, Paul, others.

Little Frank, Big Jamie

2011-11-27T20:30:00.011-05:00

The wind didn't fill in until just before sunset so I squeezed every last drop of fun out of a brief dusk session. Packed my kite up in my headlights.

Picture- Big Jamie about to squish Little Frank because Little Frank can kite in 10MPH. Frank was O.K. I talked Jamie down.

W Dennis Beach, Kitesurfed, S, 11-19, 17M Zephyr/Mako King, with Little Frank, Big Jamie.

Deep Hole

2011-11-20T22:15:00.021-05:00

Deep Hole launch at low tide

I was a teenager the first time I went to Deep Hole. My older brother, Greg, was giving me surfing tips. "How do you avoid the rocks that are just under the surface?" I wanted to know. My brother impatiently replied, "they're easier to see when you're standing up on the board and riding down the wave at them". That didn't really answer my question.

I rediscovered Deep Hole for windsurfing when I was in my 40's, trying to recapture some of that teenage bravado that I never really had. I had my best wavesailing days here.

Now I'm in my 50's. I fart a lot and have hair growing out of my ears. It takes bravado to look in the mirror. But I forget all that when I'm on the water. And wave spots like Deep Hole require more focus and commitment, which makes forgetting easier.

So I've been waiting for my kitesurfing to catch up to my windsurfing. I wanted to kite here when I was experienced enough to avoid endangering rescue personnel. I'm there, mostly.

How was it? The launch is meaner looking for a kite than a windsurfer, but it's fine as long as there is someone there to assist, still sketchy at dead high tide. The kiting was fun! Easy waves today, didn't hit any rocks, farted some and still had hair growing out of my ears but it completely didn't matter. I loved it.

Deep Hole, Kitesurfed, WSW, 17-30, 10M Rally/Mako 150, with Mitch, Steve, Chris E, Sergey, others.

Small waves, big crashes

2011-11-13T22:21:00.011-05:00

Johnny D Horsing it up

Horseneck- Waves weren't big enough to be scary. It didn't keep me from getting knocked around though. I can't figure out how to do a fast enough bottom turn to shoot up the wave vertically, hit the lip just as it's breaking, but I am figuring out how to go over the falls and have some really fun crashes.

My Rally 10M feels so good on the waves. I can make all the stupid wave mistakes possible and that kite will just sit up in the air, lines completely slack, patiently waiting for me to smarten up and fly right. I think it will give me the confidence I need to get in some real trouble when the waves are big. I'm looking forward to it.

Horseneck, Kitesurfed, SSW, 15-25, Rally10/Mako150, With Walter, Jean, Johnny D, Tim, Paul, Others.

Another day, another downwinder

2011-11-11T23:03:00.005-05:00

Prepping for adventure

This was a partial rerun of last weekends downwinder but in reverse, with a deeper tide, and a bigger crew. Same beautiful coast. Same fun.

We didn't get the tidal pools and speed trenches of last time cause the tide was high to mid. It was more about wave riding and bashing with an ever changing line up of different wave angles, shapes, and sizes. I bashed some waves. Some waves bashed me. I'll call it even.

Brain made the sacrifice of volunteering his car for the return run from Paine's Creek. We stuffed 5 dripping guys and all of our kite gear in his SUV, boards sticking out of windows and sun roof, elbows and knees digging into ribs. It's all fun and laughs until somebody farts. Sorry Brain. I hope the marsh smell dissipates someday. Another great adventure! 6 miles. 2 1/2 hours.

Downwinder, Mayflower to Paine's Creek, WNW, W, 17-37, 10M Rally/Mako150, with Brad, Brian, Walter, Jean.

Eco Tourists

2011-11-05T22:28:00.016-04:00

Beautiful Skaket Beach

Brad, Gabe and I roll the dice that the wind will last long enough for us to do a downwinda from Skaket Beach to Chapin Beach, 10ish miles. It does, just barely.

We are excited tourists, gawking at the sights we see along the way. Flocks of birds ascend like a cloud as we kite through miles of waist deep water. Waves are breaking 1 1/2 miles out on the edge of the flats. We thread the interlocking maze of tidal pools on the inside, finding slicks, speed trenches, and endless sand bars to face plant on.

Brad has to be home early. He kites with us for awhile then strikes out ahead. Gabe and I explore the seascape, taking our time, alternating between waves and flats, whooping it up like we'd hit the lottery.

About 2/3 of the way in, the wind goes light, making us kinda nervous. No more whooping. We book straight past Cold Storage Beach and Corporation Beach, making a beeline for our destination. I can see the Chapin kites in the air from miles away like a beacon guiding us home. We have to sine our kites to stay afloat.

It's a relief to pull into Chapin, 3 1/2 hours after we started. We are happy tourists. We had our adventure and nobody got stranded, nobody got hurt. The only sacrifice made was my cellphone which was in a waterproof case that wasn't waterproof.

Also, my memory got short circuited. I forgot about the AMC windsurfing potluck that Barbara an I were planning on attending, got home too late. Damn! This downwinder took me to a foriegn country. It took me too long to come back.

Bottom Photo- Brad warming up for our journey.

Downwinder, Skaket to Chapin, Kitesurfed, NNE, 8-24, 13M Octane/ Mako 150, with Gabe, Brad.

Happiness Loves Company

2011-10-29T23:00:00.017-04:00

Nice Nor'Easter! It started out with sun and clouds, enough wind for my 10M, ended with driving rain, howling wind. I was happy.

I was dressed for 31F, temp was 41F. I was toasty.

Boat pulled above the Astronomical high tide mark

Just when I was thinking that the only thing missing was a little company, I looked up and saw another kite appear out of nowhere. What the!!? Where did you come from? Is this some ghostly apparition fashioned out of salt spray and fairy dust? Nope, it was Brad, kiting down from Peggoty Beach, about 1 mile slightly upwind.

Two local dudes came out after that for an abundance of company. I was happy, toasty, and at a kiting convention. We were hooting it up. Happiness loves company.

Still low tide, lots of room for self launch

Astronomical High Tide- The entire salt marsh was covered and kitable. There was still enough pebbly beach left for self launch/land now that the Plover fence is gone for Winter.

Sand Spit, Kitesurfed, E, ENE, 14-31, 10M Rally/Mako150, with Brad, John, Eric.

Stalking the Yellow Bellied Back Roll

2011-10-22T23:15:00.012-04:00

I bagged my first back roll in Dec of last year when Paul stuck a video camera in my face, which made my conscious mind switch off.

I had some massive crashes the next time I tried and I decided to wait until the water warmed up in the Spring, then Summer, then late Summer.

Fear had crept in like a fog. The longer I waited the more fog. In my mind, the back roll took on the image of a wild animal. A large predator, like a T-Rex. I was yellow bellied.

It took the Martha's Vineyard trip, in September, to snap me out of my fog. 30 lunatic kiters were throwing their biggest crashes right in front of the bleachers. Nobody was killed.

I was inspired. I sought out the beast. I did battle. I crashed. I regrouped. I crashed again.

Then I did it. Just like that. So easy. Of course I could do it. This isn't a T-Rex. It's a Teddy Bear.

Now I'm a back roll fool, throwing attempts on almost every run. I love the feeling! Everyone avoids me on the water because of my big crashes. Friends cheer and shout from the beach when I achieve a particularly spectacular crash. It's very gratifying.

I can barely move after a back roll session but my brain shouts, "I did it"! I conquered fear. I slayed the Yellow Bellied Back Roll. My tired muscles whisper that the back roll is still winning.

Backrolled, W Dennis, WSW, 10-20, 13M Octane/Mako 150, With Dillon, Frank, Andre, Colleen, Carmin, Others.

Carving through silver

2011-10-16T17:44:00.018-04:00

Four of us pumped up our kites around the same time at Pee-Bay. This exerted a strange gravitational pull on the wind. It shifted it from nice SW to dirty rotten WSW. Four of us deflated our kites around the same time.

"Looks good" Frank says about the wind when we arrive at Hardings. It looks a little intimidating- strong wind, water is gun metal grey with white foam, chop rolling in, some shorebreak. "Looks good", I say.

Hardings

It takes me awhile to get comfortable out there. The chop is fun to play with once I loosen up. I imagine I'm carving up a real wave. My new 10M is maxed out by the end. It's my first time using it. Sand is blowing down the beach when I land my kite.

Frank and I agree that we both should have been on 7M kites, at least by the end. No one uses the word fear. This is guy talk. We talk about intensity. I feel a sense of accomplishment. "Great session!", I say as Frank is saying goodbye. "Yeah, great session!", Frank says.

Kitesurfed, Hardings, WSW, W, 21-36, 10M Rally/Mako 150, with Frank, Others.

Frank, carving through silver

Sand Spit

2011-10-10T19:55:00.010-04:00

Sand Spit

I boated out to the Sand Spit in Scituate for a Summer kinda session. Wind, warmth, and sunnyiness were just like Sat at TD8.

I love this spot! It could have something to do, maybe, with needing a boat to get here. Like the harder you have to work to relax and have fun, the better the relaxing and having fun. Or maybe not.

How much work? I set up the inflatable, load kite gear, boat out, unload gear, realize I forgot my pump, jump up and down and curse like a 52 year old, reload gear, boat in, boat out, pump up.

I did get a little time to kite though, so I was happy. Really happy. After all that work I had better be.

Sand Spit, Kitesurfed, NW, 8-16, 17M Zephyr/ Mako King, Solo.

TD8

2011-10-08T22:15:00.009-04:00

TD8 scene, Picture taken by Kristof

Summertime made a guest appearence at Phil's/Cabrinha/Masskiting's ThrowDown8 kite bash. It brought near record breaking sunshine, kiters without wetsuits, families with little kiters running around being cute, diaper bags left in the parking lot. It also brought Summer doldrum winds.

No matter. W Dennis had the biggest crowd of hopeful kiters ever seen pumping up kites in marginal conditions. The people with the biggest kites had the biggest smiles, but everyone seemed to be in don't-worry-be-happy mode. I had a pretty big smile.

A lot of gear never got on the water. I should have shared my 17M kite more and spread the love around but luckily this didn't occur to me until after the wind had died.

Then there was the pahhty, swag raffle, and unbelievable dinner at How-U-Doin's camp- oysters on the half shell, melt in your mouth marinated swordfish loins fresh off KiterMike's boat. Gourmet dining for 30. I just wish I could have stayed overnight to have some left over swordfish for breakfast.

Marginal wind, good friends, good laughs, great eats, good times!

West Dennis, Kitesurfed, WSW, SW, 8-15, 17M Zephyre/ Mako King & Frankenstein surfboard, with Masskiting & others.

Kites, Horses, and Pterodactyls

2011-10-02T22:06:00.032-04:00

Brad, Tom and I went to Crane's Beach, asked if we could launch our kites. They said no, it's against the rules to launch anything.

So we went to Pavillion Beach, in Plum Island Sound, where there's nobody to say nothing bout nothing.

Picture- Pavilion Beach looking towards the tip of Plum Island. Click on pic to see large.

Pavillion Beach- This area is on the wild side- big tidal flow, moored boats, mud, gravel, rocks, razor clams, voodoo chop, waves, slicks. All the ingredients of a good adventure.

It was gusty in close but cleaned up as we kited out of the sound into the ocean. We kited to the tip of Plum Island and over to a nice sand bar outside of Cranes Beach. We were satisfying our novelty seeking needs.

Tom's footstrap came apart so he landed on Crane's to fix it. I landed to make sure he was O.K. More kiters were there,("rules, what rules?"). I noticed some nice mounds of fresh horse manure waiting to fertilize any unsuspecting kites.

Tom started to relaunch but was met with disapproval from 2 horses with riders nearby. It was like someone had shot a gun in a wild west movie spooking the beasts. The riders struggled to turn them around and maintain control. Tom lowered the kite and shouted out an apology but who knew? Horses think kites are pterodactyls coming to eat them.

We eventually made our way back to Pavillion. We heard later that the kiters that had launched from Cranes were told to leave. Horses and kites mix like fireworks and fire, and the fireworks were there first.

Overall it was a good session. Horses and Pterodactles aren't what I had expected but you can't choose your adventure. Your adventure chooses you.

Pavillion Beach, Kitesurfed, NNE, 15-28 plus, 13M Octane/Mako 150, with Tom, Brad, Dillon, Joe, Paul, Skipper.

Bugsy brings wind

2011-09-24T21:11:00.019-04:00

The wind came in late. Most of us arrived early. We had a good crew of dreamers waiting around, hoping to pull some magic out of a bad forecast.

No wind, a good time to tune the gear

The wind gave us teasers all day, keeping us interested. Bugsy, the dog, kept us entertained on the beach during the lulls. Jay pulled out his home made rum and spice beef jerky and we didn't care if there was wind or not, it was that good. Bugsy thought so too. He didn't waste time chewing it.

When a stronger wind blessed us with it's company in the late afternoon we were all sooo excited. You'd think 14-18 was the pinnacle of kitesurfing. It did feel good though. I didn't wasting time chewing. I got right down to back roll practise.

By the end of the day, we were a happy crew. All it took was a little sun, fog, clouds, more fog, and a dog eating rum and spice beef jerky to bring in the wind.

West Dennis Beach, Kitesurfed, SSW, SW, 6-18, 17M Zephyr/ Mad Cow & 6' Surfboard & Flex 138, with Fred, Frank, Andre, Colleen, Paul, Bugsy, Tom, others.

Senseless Kiting

2011-09-18T22:41:00.013-04:00

Adam makes it look windy at Coast Guard Beach

Gregor and I planned a fantastic 15 mile downwinder from Head of the Meadow to Coast Guard Beach based on the solid NE wind forecast. Stupid us. We got E wind. That makes it an upwinder to start, then a sidewinder. And the wind was light and flukey. But the two of us were too stubborn and lacking in any sense whatsoever to give up on our trip just because the wind was wrong. Why let 1 little detail ruin such great plans? We dropped off the vehicles. We pumped our kites. We struggled to get off the beach in the shorebreak and then didn't have the power to go upwind. We kited, going nowhere. We struggled. We walked. We tried again. We cursed...

At 1:00 we gave up and drove over to Mayflower, where the wind was strong, steady, and NE. There was a big crowd and everyone was happy. We were happy too, now that we were acting like we had some tiny shred of sense in our heads.

Head of the Meadow, and Mayflower Beach, Kitesurfed, 10-25, E, ENE, NE, 13M Octane/Mako 150 & 6' surfboard, with Gregor, others.

Frankenstein Board

2011-09-10T22:11:00.010-04:00

I did a mad scientist experiment with an old windsurfing board. I lopped off its rear end, glassed up the wound and called it a kiteboard, no straps, no fins. Yeah, I knew the lack of fins might be a problem but I wanted to give it a try. No way. It was about as stable as riding a surfboard backwards, and upside down. Alright now I've got to paste some fins on and try it again.

After my test pilot runs on Frankenstein board I had a very respectable light wind session on my surfboard. Not enough wind for jumps, but I still had fun working on tacks and jibes.

Mayflower, Kitesurfed, NE, ENE, 8-20, 17M Zephyr/ 6' Surfboard, Mostly Solo.

Hello Martha's Vinyard

2011-09-05T23:36:00.042-04:00

Unloading a few toys at Katama Bay

I knew something was wrong. We had 30 people going to Martha's Vineyard for 3 days of kiting and camping and the forecast was for nearly perfect weather- blue skies, warm temps, windy... For 3 days in a row. It was like reverse Murphy's law. Whatever can go right will, and at the best possible time.

So, of course, I'm waiting for something bad to happen to mess it up.

Saturday is great! Great weather, secluded barrier beach, kiting inside in flats, outside in waves, or in the tidal inlet. Everyone is completely psyched to be here, pulling off their best crashes right next to the beach in the offshore winds. Nice dinner and bull session around the campfire apres kite.

Incoming! Johnny D covers his head to avoid getting a haircut

Sunday is great! Repeat of Sat. This is making me nervous. I do some pain free backroll practise in the shallows. Upwinder in the bay, walk over to the oceanside for a downwinder to the inlet, upwinder in the bay back to where I started, good company, so fun.

We counted 19 people on and in the truck for the 4 x 4 ride out to the launch.

Monday starts great! Then the wind gets flukey. Ahh, now I feel better. I could stop worrying about a natural disaster striking us. Although flukey wind is pretty bad, at least it's a disaster I'm familiar with. We all get some water time to stretch our tired muscles.

Note: Click on pics to see full size.

I like the way Dunoyer summed up the trip, "those sweeping views of sand, sea and birds will stick with me for at least another year..." I hope so.

Thanks to Eric F for bravely leading 30 crazed kiters to a salty canvas waiting to be painted with kite tracks and rooster tails.

Martha's Vineyard- Katama Bay, kitesurfed 3 days, 8-28, SW, SSW, 13M Octane/Mako 150 & 6' Surfboard, with Masskiting, others.

Hello Irene

2011-08-28T21:10:00.039-04:00

Antoine & Irene in Boston Harbah

I was watching live hurricane coverage. The commentator was railing against thrill seekers who go out in the hurricane and get themselves in trouble when they should be staying at home and watching live hurricane coverage. I didn't want to be one of those pesky thrill seekers.

Reports were coming in that all beaches were closed, north shore, Cape Cod, R.I.

We decided to try P Bay. On my way there I had to stop to clear fallen branches blocking the road. A waiting motorist thanked me as he drove through. I imagined that his wife was going into labor and that my being there allowed him to race her to the hopspital just in time. See, I thought, this is why I'm out. Not to windsurf. To do good.

16 to 60 in less than 60 seconds- We had 7 or 8 hardy do-gooders windsurfing in the bay. The bay was ours, no lifeguards to kick us out. Winds were mostly 30-50, getting increasingly crazy and gusty near the end, which was 12:30 when the environ police arrived. They kicked us out.

Jay in the bay

On most runs the wind would fluctuate wildly. You could see the gusts, the patches of white water rolling across the bay with mist and pelting rain, but the lulls were just as tiring. I was bouncing around in those conditions like a puppet in the hands of a drunk puppeteer. Overpowered, underpowered, overpowered, just right go for my jibe, overpowered, underpowered, rest. Still it was good fun! My best windsurfing session in the last year or so, numbskull that I am.

Oops, I saw this branch fall across the walkway

Antoine was the only one crazy enough to do a few runs in Boston Harbor

Back at home we had some trees down in the neighborhood. Leaves and twigs were scattered everywhere. There was a brown out/power outage for most of the day which snuffed out my computer. I think I was safer on the water.

More pics of Antoine in Boston Harbor.

Pleasure Bay, Windsurfed, ESE, SE, 16-60, 3.5M Sail/RealWind85, with Igor, Sean, Dean, Antoine, Scott, Bill, others.

Happy in the Gusts

2011-08-21T22:46:00.006-04:00

My last 3 or 4 windsurfing sessions have been kinda frustrating- underpowered, overpowered, chop but not enough for decent jumps, rocks where I don't want them to be, sun that sets when I want it to stay light. I used to think I knew something about finding good sailing conditions and rigging the right gear. Now I'm not getting any love. It must be a conspiracy to sell me more gear.

Picture- Everyone was having fun at Ned's. Everyone had bigger sails and boards than me. I was very happy in the gusts.

Ned's Point, Windsurfed, SSW, 13-23, 6.2/ Acid94, with others..

Staycation # 9

2011-08-19T22:04:00.024-04:00

Ben tubes with style

Tubing on the Deerfield River, Charlemont- This was a lot more fun than expected, carefree, funny, enough whitewater to be exciting at times. I actually enjoyed this more than the zipping, go figure.

Our 2 day mini-vacation to Western Mass was really nice. These family adventures are the best! It's funny to think back about the stresses of traveling with our kids when they were younger, fighting over car space, who gets which color sippy cup. Now it seems almost too easy and pleasant.

Sometimes I have a hard time connecting the present to the past. Are we really the same family? Same life? Or were those busy days of young children just some blurry, frustrating, messy, happy dream?

Staycation # 8

2011-08-18T20:47:00.014-04:00

Ben Zips

Zip It Up- Barb, Ben and I zip lined at Zoar Outdoor in Charlemont, MA. This was more fun than a barrel of monkeys, but not as much fun as kitesurfing. Doing it with my loved ones tipped the scale towards the zipping, though, and anyway I love to try novel outdoor activites.

Zipping wasn't as scary or thrilling as I expected. It was pleasent, scenic. The canopy of trees almost felt like a floor that we could step out onto. We had sturdy harnesses and lines hooked in the whole time so we could lean way out over the platforms without fear of consequences.

Seeing a bear cub walking around below one of the zips added some additional novelty and excitement. I wanted to see the bear cub harnessed in and zipping with us but the zip leaders said that was out of the question.

We stayed at the Hawk Mountain Lodge at Zoar.

Staycation # 7

2011-08-17T20:38:00.005-04:00

Barb and I took on the Charles River with Kayak and SUP. Pretty day, glassy water, not much adreneline needed.

Staycation # 6

2011-08-16T22:07:00.011-04:00

Diminshing winds, too small kite, not the best session.

I stopped at the Eastham Windmill on my way out. It was built in 1680. It's almost as old as me.

First Encounter, Kitesurfed, NW, 10-19, 13M Octane/ Mako 150 & Mako King, Solo.

Staycation # 5

2011-08-15T16:46:00.011-04:00

Wind and waves grew nicely. I went from being barely able to keep a kite up, to fully depowered and flying down the waves trying to slow down to do a bottom turn.

It's such a good feeling when you're struggling just to get riding and then the wind fills in and suddenly you're dancing through the waves.

Nahant, Kitesurfed, SSE, 7-27, 17M Zephyr/Mako King and Mako 150, with Walter.

Staycation # 4

2011-08-14T22:23:00.003-04:00

Sandie and I had the W Dennis shallows to ourselves. I couldn't believe it. Maybe everyone thought 10-16 wasn't enough wind to get excited about. It was a fun session for us though.

West Dennis, Kitesurfed, SSE, 10-16, 17M Zephyr/Door64 and Flex136, with Sandie.

Staycation # 3

2011-08-13T23:21:00.004-04:00

Sailed out from Apponagansett Bay to Cuttyhunk on Walter's 44' boat, anchored, went for a swim, scraped some barnacles off the prop and some skin off our knuckles, took Sergey for a fast dinghy ride around the island.

A perfect day for it. Enough wind to cruise but not enough to keep thinking about those other sports that I'm not at all obsessive about. We got back to port around sunset and had a grilled dinner on the boat with the full moon shimmering off the glassy black water. Walter, Carl, Carl's 10 year old Sergey, with Dana joining us for dinner.

Staycation # 2

2011-08-12T21:20:00.005-04:00

Slept in the back of my truck overnight in a parking lot in Falmouth, pretty comfy! Some say this is crazy and stupid, acting like a teenager. I say it's good harmless fun and saves $ on campground fees. You decide.

Rode the Shining Sea Bike Path end to end. 20 miles is a perfect length for taking it easy, getting lunch in Woods Hole, exploring some side streets, seeing Nobska light. It's a very nice path, good amenities. The Woods Hole end has the nicest views.

Then I drove back towards Boston, stopped to paddle out to The Sand Spit at the mouth of the North River in Scituate. I immediately bonded with this stunning tidal seascape. Who knew that Scituate was so beautiful! The spit is a 1/2 mile of sand bars and pools that become exposed at low tide, flanked by ocean waves, 3 river outlets, cliffs, miles of tidal marsh and meandering channels. At high tide the waves wash right across the sand bar into the rivers.

Don't think for a minute that I have a 1 track mind but I've gotta come back here to kite in NE! Probably the best way is to boat out from the Driftway boat ramp. And better offseason than in because it draws a big boating and kayaking crowd.

I felt totaly relaxed and happy after 2 days of following my heart and going where the wind and sun took me. For a salt-brain like me, exploring the New England coast is just as good as any exotic travel adventure... I think. Almost as good. At least I can take all my toys.

Staycation # 1

2011-08-11T21:50:00.006-04:00

I windsurfed at Wood Neck, (after lifeguard hours), chatting with the local crew, trying to fit in, talking like I'd never heard of kiting. But I was underpowered and I could see kites in the air at Chappy.

So I went to Chappy, kited until sunset, chatting with the local crew, trying to fit in, talking like I had never heard of windsurfing.

Wood Neck, Windsurfed, SW, 15-20, 6.2M/ RW85, with others.
Chappy, Kitesurfed, SW, 10-15, 13M Octane/ Mako 150, with Paul, others.

It was nice to kite with Paul. He stayed in the diminshing winds, put up his Flysurfer 21M, and kept me company into the sunset.

Boat, Kite, Rain

2011-08-08T07:06:00.019-04:00

We boated out from Barn Hill Rd boat ramp, thru Stage Harbor, to Monomoy Island, picked a good looking sand bar and dropped gear, claiming the deserted miles of sand bars and flats as our personal real estate to explore. Then the tide came in and swallowed it all up.

Grey scudding clouds, drizzle, downpours, mist, strong gusty wind, 1 jet boat, 4 kites, 4 smiles.

It was a good adventure! A little wild. A little crazy. The best use of a rainy day that I can think of. I'd say the only use of a rainy day that I can think of but some have accused me of having a 1 track mind.

Peter's trail of bread crumbs

Monomoy, Kitesurfed, SSE, 20-35, Flex 136/9M Octane, with Paul, Holly, Peter.

Gear Lackey

2011-07-30T22:53:00.013-04:00

Sandy Neck Light

I loaded and unloaded my gear so many times today it made me dizzy.

Unload- Barnstable, no wind, out of the West. I take SUP board to the water.
Load- Wind shifts NW, picks up. I bring board back to truck, drive to Chapin.
Unload- Carry kite stuff to water, pump my 17M, run my lines, wind dies.
Load- Kite gear & board go back to the truck, I drive back to Barnstable.
Unload- SUP walked down to water, looks like wind is picking up.
SUP- I paddle out to Sandy Neck, ignoring the fact the wind has increased.
Load- After 2 hours paddeling I pack up SUP and go back to Chapin.
Unload- I pump up my 17 again and carry everything out across the sand bar.
Kite- I finaly get a session in! Just enough wind for my kite/surfboard combo.
Load- I walk it back across sand bar, say goodbye to a gorgeous summer day.

Lunch out at the tip of Sandy Neck

Amount of time spent loading/ unloading? Aproximatley 40 hours. How foolish did I feel? Very foolish. Was it worth it? Yup.

Desperate in Barnstable

2011-07-24T23:31:00.008-04:00

Just a short desperate session in light, off and on winds. At least I got to try a new spot. It was a good choice for dead low tide because the walk to the water wasn't far (cycle was 2' above mean low tide though). It was a bad choice for dead low tide because the tide rushing in, combined with the NE wind blowing in, made it hard to stay upwind in the light air. Still, it satisfied my novelty seeking gene.

Picture- Barnstable Harbor with Sandy Neck Lighthouse in background.

Barnstable Harbor, kitesurfed, NE, 5-18, 17M Zephyr/6' surfboard, Solo.

Sailboating

2011-07-23T21:40:00.003-04:00

Barbara at the helm

Barb and I got out on Chuck and Marie's 36' sailboat. It was perfect for a steamy light wind day. That boat makes 5 to 10 MPH seem like a stiff breeze. When it got up to 15 MPH we almost had the rail buried! It was 98 F. and muggy in the city but dryer and much cooler offshore, beautiful day of sailing.

Biking, Kiting, and Windsurfing, oh my

2011-07-17T23:59:00.016-04:00

I love adventures! Lately I've been planning coastal downwinders that combine exploration with kiting, windsurfing, biking, sailing, SUP, or anything else that moves. As if doing a great sport like kiting or windsurfing by itself isn't enough.

Maybe I have a little of that novelty-seeking gene that gets mentioned every time a politician does something stupid, which is all the time. I think I'm channeling it into less destructive behavior tho. Like kitesurfing with Great White sharks. Same excitement as illicit sex, (I'm guessing), less risk. I think Dominique S-K should learn to kite. If all politicians kited there would be no sex scandals, but more crossed lines.

Biking- 12 miles, took 1 hour on mountain bike going slow, with stiff head wind, (no complaints). Harding's to W Dennis.

Kiting- It's so relaxing going downwind, no worries... My legs started to cramp before we even left for the downwinder, something to do with riding 12 miles on a bike first. Wind was gusting to 30 when we started, maxing out my 13M kite. Near Forrest Beach my footstrap came loose and was flapping in the wind. I couldn't do any more jumps until I found someone on a beach with a screwdriver, minor problem. The kiting was a blast. Loved the adventure! 12 miles took 4 hours 'cause we were savoring it. Downwinder, W Dennis to Harding's, WSW, 15-30, 13M Octane/Mako150, with Gregor.

Windsurfing- I went out around sunset for a brief overpowered session. My plan was to prolong the fun and avoid Cape traffic. I thought I could leave late to get home early. Didn't work. The bridge was backed up to exit 3 at 9:45.

A couple of cars in the parking lot turned their lights on during my last few runs, helped me see where the beach was for my inside gybe.

Nice to be back on a windsurfer but tiring. And I was going way too fast. There's no depower strap! Windsurfed- W Dennis, WSW, 19-30, 5.2/Realwind 85, solo.

Wind Forecasting- where there's smoke, there's mirrors

2011-07-09T22:16:00.010-04:00

Nearly perfect Barnstable Harbor

Waiting for wind, took a walk along Barnstable Harbor. I found the Long Pasture section of the harbor to be particularly secluded and beautiful. All it needed to be perfect, was wind. That turned out to be a commodity found only in Boston, which I had left at the crack of dawn to drive here, in search of wind. I finally drove back home, got some gusty kiting at Dog, where it was supposed to be glassy. Wind forecasting is all smoke and mirrors.

Dog Beach, Kitesurfed, NNW, NW, 8-29, 13M Octane/ Mako 150, with Andre, Colleen, Frank, Brad, Flo, Sam, Paul, Skipper, Others.

Chatham- Upwinder, Downwinder, Bike

2011-07-03T21:40:00.009-04:00

What a great day for exploring around Monomoy Island! The wind died for lunch, then came back stronger than before. I can't believe how lucky I was to not get stranded anywhere, or chased off the water by thunderstorms. I'm probably going to have to pay for that later somehow.

Parking lot party, waiting for wind in AM

Here's How- In the morning, Skipper and I do an upwinder from Harding's along the bay side of Monomoy Island, about 3 or 4 miles out I'd guess, to the place where the little outer bar connects to the Island. How-U-Doing-Chris joins us for a while then peels off.

It's mostly waist to ankle deep crystal clear water with sand bars and tiny beach grass islands here and there, as beautiful as it gets. Skipper has some excitement when he sees a 3' shark jump out of the water near him. We decide it's not a shark cause sharks don't jump, only kiters and windsurfers do.

Picture- Skipper and Chris on a tiny offshore sandbar with miles of shallow water.

There are 2 boatloads of kiters taking lessons on the flats at our furthest point of travel. They're probably pissed that we're making their many miles of solitude and shallow water so congested with traffic.

The wind drops suddenly, which gives us a new appreciation of how far out we are. We can barely see the tiny kites flying back at Harding's. It would be a very long walk and swim back! What took 2 hours of upwind edging coming out takes about 15 minutes going back for Skipper, a little longer for me. It's lunch time, 2:00.
Upwinder- S, SSW, 12-22, 12M Varial/6' Surfboard, with Skipper, 3 miles out.

Downwinder to The Cut- I've wanted to do this downwinder for years! Route- I go downwind along the bay side of Monomoy, then find a path and cross over to the ocean at one of the last sandy spots I can see before the end.

Obsessive Detail Map

The ocean side of Monomoy Island is the best run of the day, silky smooth water, a little swell here and there, and solid wind! It's too bad that I am so cautious about the conditions.

Conditions- I had planned for the incoming tide in the mouth of The Cut but, because the wind had dropped mid day, I ended up coming over late. The tide is ripping out hard.

The wind is mostly sideshore where I first cross Monomoy, offshore once I round the elbow.

I very much want to take some runs across the cut in the smooth water but I'm thinking about being by myself, with a rip tide, offshore wind, and this is the spot where most of the Great Whites have been spotted and tagged in the last few years. I picture a worst case scenario here that starts with the wind dieing suddenly and ends with a not-so-great White Shark putting holes in my kite. It's hard to patch holes made by a Great White.

End of the line at The Cut, looking back towards the elbow.

So I wimp out, do little S turns and stay close to shore. Besides it's getting late, dark clouds are moving in, and I still have to bike back to the truck. Wimp, wimp, wimp.
Downwinder- SSW, 15-25, 12M Varial/ Mako 150, Solo, 2 Miles.

Bike- I just relax and take it easy biking back to the truck, enjoying scenic Chatham in it's Summer glory. It's a perfect way to cap off my day. I'm sure I didn't deserve such a great day but I'll take it!

My trusty bike at the lighthouse, Monomoy Island in background

Puffer Cheeks

2011-06-28T21:11:00.014-04:00

Afterwork session at Yirrell- I didn't have enough time to explore the 5 sisters but I had a lotta fun trying out some board grab jumps at Yirrell. After a few wobbly, kinda successful grabs I realized that I was holding my breath and puffing out my cheeks during the jump. I guess it helps my concentratation to imitate a blowfish. I decided I had better stop before my face got permanently stuck like that.

My chicken loop rope broke at the end of the session, had to swim it in. I was still smiling tho.

Yirrell Beach, Kitesurfed, 12-22, ESE, SE, 13M Octane/ Mako 150, with Brad, Johhny D, Others.

Boston by Bike, Kite, and Paddle

2011-06-19T22:27:00.012-04:00

The view from middle sister, looking towards Yirrell Beach and Deer Island

Kite- Dog Beach morning, NNW was very gusty, maybe 5-25 MPH, kites were falling out of the sky at times, still fun to kite, watch Fred hit his double back roll, hang out with Paul, Colleen, Andre, Ben, Flo, others. The wind died in the afternoon but I wasn't ready to call it quits.

Bike- O.K. this is complicated. I suggest skipping it and looking at the pic instead... I left my board at Revere, parked my truck at Yirell, biked back to my board at Revere, locked my bike, paddled to Yirell, drove back to get my bike. The bike ride was 3 miles, took 30 minutes but I hugged the coast, dead ends, stairs and all.

Paddle- This was fun. I love to explore the coast! It took 1 3/4 hours but I was meandering and took a long break on one of the 5 sisters breakwaters. The only bad rocks I saw (for kiting/windsurfing) were off the point where the Seal Harbor hi-rises sit. The area around the sisters was the most interesting. There were lots of gravel bars and tidal ponds, mid tide, also a tiny shoal outside of the 2nd sister where the flat waves would rise up out of nowhere and peak in about 3' of water. Now I want to explore the sisters by kite!

Horsing Around

2011-06-17T22:11:00.001-04:00

I had to climb this chair

Afterwork- I got 2 short sessions at Horseneck in between longer sessions of waiting for the wind to return. No complaints though. For a weekday evening, any water time is good time.

Horseneck, Kitesurfed, S, 10-22, 13M Octane/ 6'Surfboard & Mako 150, with Cap'n Bill, Surfer Seth

Click on picture to see large.

Track Star in the Family

2011-06-11T22:44:00.024-04:00

Pursuing Excellence

Track Star-
Not Me, Ben. He went undefeated for his entire 8th grade season, and finished up with 3 more first place wins at the All City Meet, (long jump, 800m, 4 x 100m relay). Way to go Ben!

Cold Track Star-
Today he went to a post season statewide championship and hit a little head wind. He only took 4th place finishes in the 2 events he entered, and it rained like skunks the whole day. He was philosphical about it. He said he didn't mind coming in 4th as much as he minded spending the whole day shivering and squishing around in wet socks. That boy deserves a hot shower and some pasta.

Warm at Winthrop-
Did I kite? Yeah, after the soaking and chilling at Ben's track meet I climbed into my Winter drysuit, got good and toasty, hit the water from 6:30-8:30 in Boston. The waves on the point were tiny. I heard that they were good earlier in the afternoon. Or maybe that's what the other guys always say when they're packing up, "Dude, you shoulda been here a couple a hours ago. It was fantastic!" It's always fantastic just before you arrive.

Winthrop, Yirrell Beach, Kitesurfed, NE, 12-21, 13M Octane/ Mako 150, Solo.

Wake Up and Smell the Wind

2011-06-04T22:09:00.021-04:00

Chapin Morning

I got to the beach at 7:15 because the forecast was for light, fading wind. The wind blew all day. I left the beach at 5:15. It killed me to leave when it was still windy but I had been on the water for about 6 to 7 hours. It was either waste some wind, or waste myself.

Glorious Chapin- The early morning, low tide session was as beautiful as it gets, water was deep turqiouse, silver sunbeams reflecting off the rippled surface. I worked my way as far to the left as I could go, towards the point of Sandy Neck, and played in the maze of sandbars and small waves. After a couple of hours I threaded the channels back to Chapin to meet Frank. He made the 1/2 mile trek across the main bar to join me. We had the miles of sandbars and coastline to ourselves until the rest of the world woke up and smelled the wind.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NE, ENE, 8-26, 13M Octane/ 6' Strapless Surfboard, Mako 134, & Mako King, with Frank, Robert, Gregor, Johnny D, others.

A Good Head of Foam

2011-05-30T14:08:00.026-04:00

Waq Bay- It was fun to be back at this spot where I cut my kiting teeth 2 years ago. I remember how impressed I was watching somebody practicing single runs here because she could come back to the spot where she started. I thought I would never be able to do that.

Waquiot Bay, Kitesurfed, SW 12-22, 13M Octane/Mako 150 & 6' strapless surfboard, Robert.

Picture- Apres kite, I like a good head of foam on my bay.

Mixed Salad at Nahant

2011-05-29T22:25:00.012-04:00

Cutting the Rug at Nahant- John Coelho

Nahant had small, smooth, beautiful waves and good wind. The beach was a mixed salad of windsurfers, kitesurfers, surfers, SUP, and kids making sand castles but everyone had smiles on their faces. I was planning on windsurfing with some of the ol' crowd but one guy came in with a 7.5 sail, big board, massive fin, and said that my 6.2 and wave board weren't going to be good for anything, so I kited.

Offshore Wind- Pretty good wind quality in SSW. It was just a tiny bit offshore, felt pretty safe. Then it went SW. That felt much more offshore. On some runs I was traveling almost parallel to the beach. It made me nervous so I just did short runs and tried not to think.

Nahant, Kitesurfed, SSW, SW, 10-20, 13M Octane/ Mako King, with Paul, Skipper, others.

Craziest Wind I've Ever Seen

2011-05-28T23:44:00.002-04:00

I was at Pleasure Bay, wind was too light to kite, so I went for a unicycle ride around the bay. About halfway around I felt a wind shift. Suddenly a cool NE wind was blowing straight in my face. I looked forward, at the flag on Castle Island, NE wind. I looked back at the flag at the kite launch, S Wind. The flags were pointing towards each other! @*!?? Wasn't this breaking the laws of physics? Sailboats in the harbor were going in all different directions at once. I expected to see an alien spaceship descend from the sky.

Picture- The graph is not very impressive. I was wondering if it could show 2 wind directions at the same time.

Riding a Delaminated Mako Kiteboard

2011-05-27T16:56:00.007-04:00

Stress testing the repairs

I got to ride the resurrected Mako, love it! No board carves a turn like this. The board is so smooth. I don't think it's going to be my favorite board for light wind but for waves and forgiving landings on jumps it's got to be about the best there is, at least until it falls apart again.

Pleasure Bay, Kitesurfed, SSW, 10-20, 13M Octane/ Mako 150, with Jean, Rod, Sam, Skyrocket, Johnny D, Others.

Repairing a Delaminated Mako Kite Board

2011-05-21T15:21:00.001-04:00

Scoopers Home for Wayward and Delaminated Boards- I took Jean's broken foam core Mako into the shop to give it some TLC and to save it from the trash can. I know this old board has some stories to tell. I'm hoping it will whisper them to me the next time I take it out in some wind. Here's how I tried to bring it back to health- Click on pics to see large.

Prep- I cut the ragged edge of the old foam to make a clean edge, and removed a few small pieces of foam that were left around the fin holes. I sanded the fur left from the foam on the top and bottom sheet but it was coming off slowly so I mostly left it.

Making Parts, Edging- I glued up Versatex PVC board to make a blank for the new edgeing. Traced the shape from the board and cut it out, sanded it by eye to get the taper on the edgeing.

Foam- I used Last-A-Foam, from Fiberglass Supply, to make a new foam core section. I traced the PVC edge onto the Foam, cut it out, sanded the foam to the thickness and concave by eye. Used a knife to cut out the hole for the old fin hole reinforcement block, (which looked like solid thickened epoxy).

Glue Up- I glued the whole mess together, old top and bottom sheet, new foam, new PVC edging, old fin hole block, with lots of West epoxy. It was more floppy than I expected so I put small clamping blocks on the place where new edge meets old edge to get rid of sag there while it dried.

Fiberglass Reinforcment- I have low confidence in the strength of the repair. After all, the original construction wasn't strong enough and the repaired board will always be less strong than the original. So I sanded the bottom, put 1 layer of cloth over the bottom of the board, 3 coats of epoxy. I tried to wrap the cloth around the edges but it didn't work, should have used thinner cloth. You can see the texture of the cloth if you click on the picture to see large.

The Result? It looks almost as good as new, feels a little heavier. I know it will work but not sure for how long. One session? Stay tuned.

Surfing and the well rounded individual

2011-05-14T23:19:00.017-04:00

Surfers in the mist

It's a soft grey morning at Nahant, no wind. The early morning horizon is lined with mist. I've been surfing and now I'm laying on my board at the edge of the backwash, resting and catching my breath. I'm thinking how great surfing is. Before coming in I kept saying to myself, one more ride, for about 5 rides. See, I can enjoy something other than kitesurfing and windsurfing. I'm a well rounded individual.

It's nice that I have time to lay here and rest. I close my eyes. It feels good to relax my tired arms, legs, and shoulders. I try to let go of my thoughts and focus on the beach sounds- waves, seagulls, gurgling water... Blowing sand?

I turn my head and open 1 eye slightly to look at the flag over the bathroom. Nope, still no wind. Surfing is great. I go back out for 1 more ride.

Nahant, Surfed, Acid94, others.

How to do a Board Grab Back Roll in No Wind

2011-05-07T23:52:00.022-04:00

Most of the kiters I know, and have ever met, are at The Outer Banks this week kiting. Someone had to stay behind to protect the women and children. But I couldn't think about that this morning. The wind was up. I had some kiting to do.

West Dennis, Kitesurfed, 10-20, SSW, 13M Octane/ Strapless Surfboard & Flx 136, Mad Cow, with Andrey, Colleen, Gregor, George, Matt, Rod, Romain, Others.

Picture- Romain, from Quebec, sticks a board grab back roll when nobody else has enough wind to waterstart. Notice- no white caps.
Kite- 12M Bandit4, expert rider, light body weight.

Sleepless at Chapin

2011-05-01T20:06:00.009-04:00

I slept in this morning, got up at 5:30 instead of 5:00. The half hour made a big difference. It meant I was driving straight into the sunrise. Man, it's hard to relax and drive with that ball of fire burning into your skull. I was tempted to close my eyes but even I know you can't do that while driving. I might miss my exit and end up at the Outer Banks. Hmm, maybe that's the excuse I've been looking for.

Strapless- This was my first really fun strapless surfboard session. Kiting just gets better and better.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NE 8-18?, 13M Octane/ Strapless Surfboard, with Pedro, Flo, others.

Sleepless at First Encounter

2011-04-30T16:52:00.012-04:00

Some would say that it takes a special kind of lunatic to get up at 5:00 in the AM to go kiting when the forecast is for light winds dropping to nothing, but my bones said it was going to be windy and my bones never lie. Besides it can be fun rolling out of bed, driving to the beach, waking up and wondering how you got there.

My bones didn't have much to say during the drive though. There wasn't a breath of wind stirring the tree tops. I thought, what happened to my pillow? And how come I seem to be driving my truck somewhere?

Imagine my surprise when I woke up at the beach and discovered that there was some wind. Awright! I was too tired to kite but it was great looking at the nice whitecaps as I drifted back off to sleep in my truck.

First Encounter, Kitesurfed, 10-20, N, 17M Zephyr/6' Caution Surfboard strapless, Solo.

Kite Zombie

2011-04-23T22:21:00.040-04:00

I'm a kite zombie. I started kiting around 8:00 AM. I was kiting hard, working on all the stuff I'm working on, pushing myself. After a couple of hours my legs started to cramp up and my arms felt spongy. I thought maybe I should stop.

The wind kept picking up. The waves were getting fun. Some kiters came and went. I thought O.K. now it's time to stop.

The wind built to 30 MPH. I was still on my 13M kite. A new crew of afternoon kiters came out. I decided to stop.

Brad and I kited to the end of the beach, hunting for the best waves. The wind started to drop off. I had to work the kite to stay upwind.

Finaly the wind died. Good thing. It would have been stupid to keep kiting.

Now I'm a zombie. I'm really, really relaxed and I don't walk like normal. I float. That's how I know I'm a zombie. Zombies float. For now being a zombie is fun but I hope to return to normal by next weekend, so I can do it again.

Revere, Kitesurfed, 10-30, SE, ESE, 13M Octane/ 6' Surfboard & Flx 136, with Igor, Brad, Flo, Peter, Paul, Dave, Scott, others. 5 hour session.

Picture- I was surprised that the beloved Revere bathrooms were closed on such a nice day.

Kiting the Horse

2011-04-18T18:17:00.026-04:00

I had a nice kite session at Horseneck Beach with Jean and Peter L to celebrate Marathon Monday. I've windsurfed at a variety of spots up and down this beach, never kited here. This is a beach that can get big, surfable waves. It can also chew you up and spit you out like a watermelon seed. I came thru mostly unchewed. That was a nice surprise.

Beautiful Day for a Horsey Ride

Now I know I can kite the Horse, at least on a moderate wave day!

Horseneck, Kitesurfed, 20-30, SW, 12M Varial & 9M Octane/ Flx 136, with Jean, Peter L.

A Tiny Little Bit Obsessive

2011-04-16T22:58:00.007-04:00

Kiting makes me feel like this! Alex at Revere.

I've been a tiny little bit obsessive about kiting lately. I think about kiting when I get up in the AM. I think about it when I'm drifting off to sleep at night. I think about it for most of the time in between. I'm just a poor kite slob. A bozo on the bus. To be pitied, not scorned.

Just kidding! I don't really think about kiting all the time. I'm not that obsessive. I think about windsurfing too.

Rev- Was great today. This is what makes me obsessive, nice sessions! I saw a few rocks at dead low, (astronomical low tide). Who knew there were rocks out there? I decided to ignore them and see if they would go away.

Revere Beach, Kitesurfed, ESE, 20-31, 9m Octane/ Mako King, Flx 136, with Igor, Frank, Jamie, Andrey, Colleen, Flo, Kate, Wo-Jo, Kevin, Bennie, Johnny D, Jeremy, Rod, Scott, Alex, Sergey (nice loops), Others.

Signs of Spring

2011-04-09T20:03:00.013-04:00

Peter gets pumped

Spring is here! These are the telltale signs- Iwindsurf meteorologists have awoken from their long Winter sleep. Clusters of scantily clad beachgoers are sprouting on Revere Beach. Best of all, the Revere bathrooms have flung wide their doors so all can enjoy their vernal splendor. No need to pee on the sly. Ah, I love Spring!!

Welcome Back- And I love Revere thermals. This is the first one since the Fall. It's so good to be back. I took the straps off my surfboard for a strapless session. It was fun for about 1/2 hour, but tiring, switched to a bunch of other boards for a taste test. They were all fun!

Revere Beach, Kitesurfed, 10-22, ESE, SE, SSE, 17M Zephyre/ 6' surfboard & Mako King & Flx 136 & Surf 152, with Frank, Andre, Sam, Peter, Benny, Skipper, Others.

Kiting with Poop Discs

2011-04-02T19:51:00.028-04:00

There was a good crew of kiters on the water when I went into the marsh to kite in the slicks. When I came out there was no one left. Kites, boards, everyone, was gone. I thought that my lack of shower and shave in the AM might have scared everyone off, or that there had been a nuclear disaster nearby, or an earthquake and tsunami. Igor came down to land my kite. Thanks Igor! He told me that everyone had left for stronger wind on the south side of the Cape. I should have known. It's all about the wind.
What a day- I was on the water for 5 to 6 hours- in the ocean, in the tidal pond, in the back marsh, on the surfboard getting some jibes, getting improved jumps on the Underground Flex. It was way too much fun!

Chapin Beach, kitesurfed, W, WSW, SW, 15-28, 10-18, 15-28, 13M Octane/Flex 136 & 6' surfboard & Surf 148, with Igor, Patrick, Greg, Colleen, Kevin, Matt, Others.

Picture- I saw this poop disc/mini frisbee washed up on Chapin Beach from a sewage plant leak in N.H. I thought these evil discs had scared everyone away.

Snap, Crackle, Pop

2011-03-26T20:48:00.011-04:00

One sound you never want to hear when kiting is a pop. It always means something bad. Either you snapped a line to your kite or you broke a body part. In this case it was my depower rope. I knew right away what it was because the pop was accompanied by the amusing sight of my depower system flapping in the wind up above my head instead of being attached to my bar where it should have been. Kite handling characteristics change when you're flying off the safety line! Not for the better. But I made it back without breaking any body parts and thanked the kite deities that this misadventure had happened at the end of a good day of kiting, not at the beginning. Maybe I'm not on their deserves-a-kick-in-the-butt list after all.

Mayflower, Kitesurfed, NW, 10-25, 12M Varial/Flx 136, with Igor, Frank, Sam, Colleen, Andre, Brad, Kevin, Gregor, Robert, Amine, others.

A Vacation from Earthquakes and Tsunamis

2011-03-19T18:27:00.004-04:00

Yee-Haw! I had 2 days in a row of joyous punishment for my body. I feel so mellow and happy. Don't talk to me about earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear melt downs, political uprisings, or teenagers that won't put the rubber bands on their braces. Real life will just ruin my good mood.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, N, NE, 10-24, 13M Octane/Surf 148 & Litewave 179, with Frank, Jamie, Sam, Andre, Colleen, Ed, Others.

Picture- watch out for the kite eating tree.

Back in the Windsurfing Saddle

2011-03-18T21:23:00.007-04:00

I only come to the beach for the sunsets

It's safe to go windsurfing again! Mitten season is done. Glacier Glove season is here. I can grip a boom with Glacier Gloves. Sorry, Greg M, I know you use Glacier Gloves all Winter long. My hands are wimps.

Duxbury- was beautiful, warm, sunny, and as gusty as a bean eating contest. It was so tropical I didn't even need Glacier Gloves. I needed more water though. It was the lowest tide I've ever seen there. The bay was mostly dry. It was only deep enough in narrow channels that I was crossing in about 1 second. So... I was trying to read the gusts and lulls, jumping in and out of the harness and footstraps, waiting for my fin to slam the edges of the sandbars in the muddy water, and thinking how great it was to be back windsurfing. This is a sign of true love. I'll probably kite tomorrow.

Duxbury Bay, Windsurfed, WNW, 10-40, 4.2/Acid94, Solo.

Up, Down, and Strapless

2011-03-13T22:23:00.015-04:00

Flo lets his trainer kite out for some fresh air

It was one of those days. Up and down wind combined with low tide making for lots of rigging and walking, not much kiting. Nobody can accuse me of not trying. I used 3 kites, 4 boards, but was mostly behind the wind curve, as always. Still... it was a beautiful day to be playing on the beach, and I got my first strapless waterstarts during some brief moments of almost enough wind. Note- strapless doesn't refer to jockstraps or bra straps. It refers to footstraps, as far as I know.

First Encounter, Kitesurfed, W, NW, 6-26 MPH, with Flo, Kate, Frank, Jim.

Naked Cape Cod

2011-03-05T22:23:00.005-05:00

Here comes the Spring. It's been a long, cold, windy Winter. Here comes the Spring, lil darlin, it seems like years since it's been here. Here comes the Spring. Please make it windy.

Cape Cod- is naked! Its Winter blanket of snow has been ravished by the approaching Spring. It's great to see bare earth again and have no silly snow/ice banks to climb over to get to the water. W Dennis was packed with kiters and windsurfers anxious to shake the Winter cobwebs out of their brains and ride some wind.

West Dennis, Kitesurfed, 12-33, SSE, 9M Octane/Litewave179 & Surf 148, with Igor, Frank, Sam, Colleen, Andrey, Brad, Phillip, Flo, Amine, Peter, Sandie, Others.

Picture- Colleen, ski goggles & mask make a fashion statement.

Dancing with Skiis

2011-02-27T21:39:00.005-05:00

I traded in my dancing-with-kites for dancing-with-skis this weekend. Not that I'm very graceful at either. It's all about getting in the zone, tuning out the noise, and focusing on the big world that is outside the confining walls of my head. This is what makes my brain happy. The hot tub was pretty good too.

Thanks to Al for the house, hospitality, and for not taking us down Aftershock.

Sunday River, Skiied, with Barbara, Ben, Al, Brian, Mom on reading chair.

Picture- Barbara dancing with the elements.

Rockin Wind

2011-02-19T21:49:00.008-05:00

Yeah it was windy! The Chapin parking lot turned into a sand blaster, sand flowing over and around the dunes, rocking my truck. The best method of walking down the path to the beach was backwards, baby steps. Flo put up a 5.5 M kite, with someone hanging onto his harness for extra weight, for about 30 seconds. The meter read 53 MPH.

Colleen is a human wind gauge

When the wind died down to the 20 - 40 range we launched in the grassy marsh behind the beach. The extra high tide had covered the normally dry grass with knee to waist deep water for a few miles. Flo and I kited all the way over to the access road, behind Mayflower Beach, then eventually out to the ocean side for some waves, great fun! Another big Winter crowd, about 12 kiters.

My Bularoo was leaking air and inverted during a jump at the end. It's always something.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NW, 20-42, 7M Bularoo/ Litewave 179, with Flo, Frank, Brad, Jermy, Johnny, Chris, others.

To Pee or not to Pee

2011-02-12T21:41:00.007-05:00

I used to avoid drinking water when I had my drysuit on. Now I have a relief zipper. I can hydrate all I want. I'm so happy. I can pee all over the place, like a dog. Don't stand too close.

Kiters don't like to tie their own shoelaces

Sparkling W Dennis had about 15 slap happy kiters on the water today! It looked like a crowded Summer day, except for all the drysuits.

W. Dennis, Kitesurfed, SSW, 10-15, Rally 14M/Litewave 179, then SSW, 14-23, Varial12M/Surf 148, with Igor, Frank, Sam, Andrey, Colleeen, Peter, Kristof, Rod, Johnny, Jeremy, Chris, Others, Air Temp 41 F.

A Few Kinks

2011-02-06T20:53:00.013-05:00

I felt like I was all thumbs and toes this morning. I ripped a strap out of my board on my first waterstart. Better then that, I tried 4 boards, 2 kites, 2 beaches, but couldn't find the right gear at the right time. And none of my footstraps adjust big enough for my new size 12, 7MM booties so I could only jam my toes in the straps. On one fall my bootie toes were jammed in the straps so tight that I came out of both booties, they stayed on the board. It was pretty funny actually. I would have had a good laugh but all the fits and starts had put a kink in my brain. I think it's going to stay there until next weekend when I'll have another chance to get on the water and work it out. In the mean time all of my boards are going down to the workshop for footstrap work.

Mayflower, Chapin, Kitesurfed, 4 boards, 2 kites, with Jean, Peter, Igor, Kristoff, Johnny, Jeremy, Alex & Franz from NY.

Picture- Jean preparing for take off.

Wave Sailor's Wet Dream.

2011-01-30T23:10:00.001-05:00

I got a not-so-secret link to this video from the deep south- Matunuck, R.I. It's irrefutable proof that the waves are actually better in R.I. than in Maui. The color of the water is more interesting in New England too, none of that boring turquoise stuff. The middle section of the video features some nice wipe outs, almost looks like my wavesailing.

An Ocean State of Mind from Silent Ink. Productions on Vimeo.

Thanks to Steve F for sharing.

Kiting today- Yeah, I got out kiting today but it was embarassingly light winds. I couldn't jump. I couldn't even stay upwind. Sometimes I get a glimpse of how crazy I am about getting my water time. It's better to not think about it.

Mayflower, Kitesurfed, WSW, 8-13 MPH, 17M Zephyr/Litewave179, Solo.

Good Scary Fun

2011-01-23T22:13:00.017-05:00

Lake Q comes thru

I didn't have high hopes for this weekend. By noon on Sunday, I was feeling grumbly and stupid, but the wind picked up just in time for a local snow kiting session. It turned out to be my best snow kiting yet! That brought me back to balance.

Lake Q- Was much better than I expected! The snow was wind-packed powder but still soft enough to carve. The wind was gusty but not crazy gusty. There was plenty of room. Even with the excellent conditions it was a little scary knowing that if I fell I was landing on a thin layer of snow over hard ice, with a powered kite attached to me. So I took it slow and safe, watching Flo fly past me like I was anchored to the earth, and avoided any and all crashes. It was good scary fun, but not quite as good as water kiting or windsurfing.

Cold Snap- Today was supposed to be the coldest day so far this year but it was 25 F and sunny in the afternoon, pretty warm for skiing. The normal high temp for this day in Boston is 36 F. The record high temp was 68 F in 1906.

Lake Quannapowitt, Snow Kited, NW, NNW, 4-21, 12M Royal/ Skiis, with Flo, Tom, Dan, Others.

Beautiful Puddle

2011-01-16T20:33:00.008-05:00

At play in Chapin's beautiful puddle, Flo, Author

The Chapin puddle called. 5 kiters answered. How could we not? This innocent little puddle is mercurial, bewitching, irresistible, and will give you an ice cream headache if you look at it wrong. But she's always a lady to me, (the Billy Joel song from a kiters perspective).

Chapin, Kitesurfed, W, 10-25, 12M Varial/Surf 148 & Litewave 179, with Igor, Flo, Kristoff, Peter.

Thanks for the puddle pic Igor!

Heated Sex

2011-01-09T18:33:00.011-05:00

Oops, I meant heated sox. It's a different type of turn on. Although it's still kind of sexy. If you're into that sort of thing.

This was a Wintry day at Chapin, fresh snow on the beach, temp in the low to mid 30's, sunny but with wind chill, perfect for experimenting with electrical warmth. All the other guys were wondering why I had wires running into my socks when I was putting on my drysuit but they were all complaining about cold feet later. Unfortunately, I was too.

My feet stayed dry enough to avoid electrocution problems, but the heating elements didn't get warm enough. After about 2 hours, I noticed that my toes were cold. After 3 hours, when I quit, they were very cold but still not completely numb. When I took the socks off I could feel a tiny bit of warmth in the toe area of the socks so I knew that they were working. They just didn't have enough juice. I plan to use a car battery next time.

This looks like the access road to a ski area

Nature's Slider- The stars lined up just right for this one! The sand spit at the entrance to Bass Hole was covered with snow, the tide was high, wind was strong, wind direction just right. The spit became a perfect slider, care of mother nature. Guys were coming at it from the inside and jumping just before impact, sliding across the snow for about 10 feet, landing back in the water, still on the inside, carving a line across the snow with their fin. I couldn't believe it when I saw it! Of course I wanted to give it a try. I hit it twice but didn't have full confidence in the timing of my jump. So I came in slow, hit it low, slid for a few feet and splashed back into the slushy water, kind of wimpy but still a thrill! The ocean provides an ever changing playground for grown ups to act like kids.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NW, 16-29, 10M Bularoo/ Surf 148, with Kristof, Chris, Chris, Jermy, Paul, Ken, Flo, others.

Getting Old, Feeling Young

2010-12-29T20:29:00.011-05:00

I turned 51 today. Yay! Nothing makes you feel old and over the hill like a birthday. So I went kiting. I had a nice long session, did some wobbly back rolls, did some big crashes, had a great time. Now I feel young.

All I want for my birthday- is back rolls. I've been trying to work up the courage to attempt a back roll for months. Paul got me over my fear with 1 simple action. He set up a video camera on a sand bar and pointed it at me while I was kiting. Video cameras make kiters do crazy things. I turned off my brain and went for a back roll. It worked! It felt strange and disorienting, trying to locate my body in space while spinning around. How are you supposed to know where your kite is?! But it was a definite mood booster to land one, no matter how roughly, and kite away in one piece! On my 3rd attempt I inadvertently looped my kite upon landing. It untwisted my lines, which was nice, but any unplanned kiteloop is scary. So I decided to stop while I was alive. This whole day was a birthday gift.

First Encounter, Kitesurfed, NW, 13-26, 12M Varial/Surf 148, with Paul, Brad, others.

Top Picture- This is what my back loops felt like.

Thanks for sharing the video Paul! The goofy guy in the blue drysuit is me, (I'm using my old suit until I get bigger booties to fit my new suit).

Happy Fool

2010-12-26T22:30:00.010-05:00

I thought about turning around on my drive to the beach today. I drove thru a few snow squalls, with snail-like traffic and low visibility, and I began to wonder if Plymouth would be a white out of blowing snow, fog and mist. Was I a fool to even drive there?

I was also thinking about what Barbara said as I left the house. She was uncharacteristically worried about me going out on the water. It had something to do with me kiting in a blizzard and a major Winter storm. she said, "If you don't come back, I'll be really pissed!" I knew I didn't want that.

So it was especially sweet to get to the launch and find such nice conditions. It looked a little stormy but was as easy as it gets- moderate wind, shallow water, good visibility, wide beach for self launch/land, light snow. I hit the water with abandon, the happy fool that I am.

Nelson St/ Kitesurfed, NE, 18-30, 12M Varial/ Surfboard & Surf 148, Solo, Temp 35F.

New Drysuit

2010-12-24T23:36:00.010-05:00

Something funny happened when I peeled off my new drysuit after its first session. I was dry! No pouring water, sloshy undergarments, nothing but a little dampness around the edges. I was besides myself with happiness. One of the scourges of Winter watersports is the moment of panic when you have to strip off all of your soaked layers and rush to get dry before the near freezing wind fossilizes your bare wet skin. It was a wondeful surprise to be dry and warm, no towel needed. A new drysuit is a powerful thing. I don't expect it to stay that dry forever though.

OS Systems Drysuit- What I love, besides it being dry,
-the relief zipper,
-the neoprene neck seal,
-the attached socks, (jury is still out on this one),
-breathability, (semi effective).

It looks a lot better on the non-person pictured here than it does on me but I don't really care about such trivial things as looks. I can feel good while looking stupid. I do it all the time.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NNW, 15-28, 10M Bularoo/Surf 148, with Igor, Brad, Russ.

All I want for Xmas

2010-12-15T23:21:00.013-05:00

All I want for Xmas- is time on the water. Precious, elusive, time. It's the most valuable gift money can buy. Sun shining off the water, wind in my face, dancing with the with the waves time. It slips thru our fingers like water for a thirsty man time. A new drysuit would be nice too.

Hull ya doing? Frank and I had a nice light wind session in Hull. I could have used my 17 with my small wave board but I was too optimistic. I put up my 12, realized it was too small, pulled out the Mad Cow to save the session. The beach was empty. We had plenty of room out there!

Nantasket Beach, Kitesurfed, NNE, 10-18, Varial 12M/MadCow, With Frank, Air Temp 37F.

Picture- Frank has Nantasket all to himself before I went out to make it crowded.

TOP SECRET- The Mitch Report

2010-12-12T22:05:00.008-05:00

Breaking News- Wiki leaks just released The Mitch Report. It's full of extremely sensitive, previously undisclosed reports, pictures, and data on windsurfing, surfing, kiting, and SUP in and around Pt. Judith R.I.
Pres. Obama is furious. "Now everyone will know about the great waves at Deep Hole," he said. "Is nothing sacred?" Guess not.

For a link to the top secret report click here. A link can also be found in sidebar to the left.

Picture- from Mitch's Weekly Report 12/3/10, Nate at Deep Hole.

Revere Mist- I got a brief session in today in rain, mist and fading light. My foggy glasses kept me from seeing anything but I was glad to be out there for a quickie.

Revere, Kitesurfed, ESE, 20-30, 10M Bularoo/ Surf 148, with Waller, Skyrocket, others.

Bootie & Glove Review

2010-12-07T16:50:00.052-05:00

Wetsuit Booties-red=favorite

Okespor 2mm- Average quality spring/fall bootie.

Pro Limit 2mm- Average quality spring/fall bootie.

Billabong SG 7mm- My favorite Winter bootie. Split toe, fleece lined, comfortable. Keeps my toes warm down to 32 temp. No toe jamming problems. This is the warmest bootie I've found. Lasts several seasons. Winter.

O'Neill Round Toe 7mm- Good boot. Keeps my toes warm down to 32 temp if I duct tape the top of the boot to my drysuit so no water infiltrates. My toes can get jammed painfully into the front of these, guess it's not a perfect fit. Lasts 1 season. Spring, Fall, Winter.

Neopsort Hi Top 7mm zipper entry- This is the best zipper entry bootie I've found so far. It has a velcro tab to keep zipper zipped. Mediocre quality zipper though.

O'Neill FX-5 Firewall 5mm zipper entry- I would like this boot for a zip bootie, good quality zipper, but it has no velcro tab to keep the zipper from unzipping during the session, too frustrating.

Good Wetsuit Gloves-

2mm Palmless Mitts- I cut the palm out of standard 2mm Neil Pryde Mitts. I can put my hand out completely or pull it in. Excellent grip of course, but only good for taking the wind chill off, late Spring, early Fall.

Glacier Glove 2mm standard- Very flexible, somewhat soft, great grip, external wrist seal, lasts 1 season. Spring & Fall.

Glacier Glove 2mm Fleece Lined- Very flexible, somewhat soft, great grip, external wrist seal, lasts 1 season. Can't really see fleece lining. It may be a fraction thicker & warmer than the standard version. Spring & Fall.

Level Six 2mm Neoprene Mitt- Very flexible, good grip, nose wipe panel, no seal or wrist strap. These mitts are surprisingly warm for how thin they are. These are the only neoprene mitt I've found to come in size XXL. I think the roomy size makes the mitt less restrictive. It also leaves enough room for Hotsnapz hand warmers for the really cold days (30 to 35 F.) (but the Hotsnapz are problematic). Lasts 1 season. Spring, Fall, Winter.

Body Glove, 3mm Claw- Very flexible, somewhat soft, o.k. grip, lasts 2 seasons. I can pull my forefinger and thumb into the mitt part to warm them up.

O'neill 3mm- Very flexible, soft, great grip, nice internal wrist seal, lasts 1 season.

O'neill 5mm- Very flexible, soft, great grip, nice internal wrist seal, lasts 1 season.

Henderson Hyperflex 6mm Oven Mitt-- A little hard to get on and off but they work great! Much warmer than 2MM mitts and I can still hold onto the bar. This is the first really thick mitten I've found that works well. I only had slight numbness in 29 F and I could warm up my hand by pulling my thumb in while kiting. Better solution than 2mm with Hotsnapz. Winter.

O.K. to Bad Wetsuit Gloves-

Dakine Cold Water Mitt- Nylon palm has little grip and little warmth. I found these gloves useless.

Excel, Infiniti 3mm- Flexible, not as soft, not very grippy but usable. Will probably last 2 seasons.

Body Glove, Vapor Lock, 3mm- Somewhat restrictive, not very soft for 3mm, not very grippy but usable, barely.

Rip Curl, F-Bomb 5MM- Very thick, rigid, too restrictive. Not usable.

O'Neill, 5mm Mitt- Very restrictive, inflexible, too rigid. Barely usable.

Excel, Infiniti 7mm Mitt- Thick and restrictive but more flexible than O'Neill 5mm mitt, not very grippy but usable.

Who Needs Wind?

2010-12-04T20:20:00.013-05:00

First Encounter's maze of sand bars and streams lit up by the sunset

The wind started light, then got really light. I kept trading up for bigger gear. It was a shock to my system when I switched from my smallest, most maneuverable board, (surf 148x40), to my biggest, (Mad Cow 180x60). It felt like I needed a rudder to turn that big aircraft carrier but it seemed like magic how it floated me through the lulls.

Ozone Zephyr 17M LEI vs Flysurfer Speed2 15M Foil- 8-12 MPH seems to be the bottom end of the Zephyr. I really had to work it to generate power, not always successfully. I got a lot of practise relaunching. Deep water relaunch in 8-12 is a no go. I think My 15M Flysurfer has more grunt and easier relaunch (unless I collapse it). When I pull the front lines on my Flysurfer, I can hot launch it in almost no wind. The Zephyr turns faster. And did I say that the Zephyr doesn't collapse like a foil kite can? It doesn't collapse.

Happy Day- It was a surprisingly satisfying day, not sure why. Maybe it was the long sessions, good crew, beautiful beach, exercise, sunshine. Who needs wind?

First Encounter, Kitesurfed, WNW, 11-21, 8-12, 12M Royal/Surf 148, 12M Royal/ Mad Cow, 17M Zephyr/ Mad Cow, with Frank, Sammy, Andre, Colleen, Gregor, others.

Poor Judge of Character

2010-11-28T19:41:00.015-05:00

I seemed to be a poor judge judge of wind today. I went to 2 different spots, put up 2 different sets of gear, but couldn't get it right. The wind looked good but I shlogged both times. I thought that I was losing my grip on reality such as it is. I finally gave up and went for a stand up paddle thru Center Street Marsh and Bass Hole.

I checked the meter when I got home. It showed that each time, just about when I got my kite up, the wind dropped by 10 MPH. It's Mama Nature's favorite joke.

Mayflower & Chapin, Kitersurfed, Skunky, with Frank, Jamie.

Bass Hole & Center St. Marsh, SUP.

Picture- Jamie slow dancing with his kite.

Bring it all

2010-11-20T21:18:00.001-05:00

I bring it all- windsurfing gear, kiting gear, landboard, extension ladder

I wanted to go to Horseneck with Jean to get a good pounding in the waves but I was supposed to meet someone at First Encounter to look at a kite. The friend with the kite never showed. I found out later that he went to Horseneck.

Well I had a nice session at FE anyway! I was getting sand blasted in the parking lot when I first got there. I did a few runs on a windsurfer, 3.5 sail on 85 liters, but the wind dropped as soon as I got on the water so I switched to a kite and launched at Hatch where there was more beach and less pavement. High tide had some jumpable chop and when the tide let out there were some nice slicks in between the sand bars. It's a fun spot but a long drive.

First Encounter, Kitesurfed, WSW, 15-30, 10M Bularoo/Surf 148, with Kristoff, Des, others.

Does Your Mind Wander During Sex?

2010-11-13T20:08:00.005-05:00

Not if you're doing it right. Same thing with kiting, (and windsurfing, surfing, skiing, unicycling, playing soccer...). All of these activities demand your full attention.

A new study says-
-Our minds wander about 50% of the time.
-People are happier when their minds aren't wandering.
-The only activity in which no mind wandering occured for the subjects was sex.

I'll bet none of the subjects in the study were kitesurfers. If your mind wanders when you're kiting your screwed. Same as sex. Although with sex you're screwed either way. Is your mind wandering right now? Go have sex, (or kitesurf, windsurf, surf, ski, unicycle, play soccer).

Light Winds- I had a nice light wind session with Igor but I ripped a strap out of my Mad Cow on a bad landing. It's always something.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NNE, 4-12, then 8-18, 15M Flysurfer/Mad Cow, with Igor, Andre, Colleen, Jeff, others.

Wave Lesson # 1

2010-11-07T20:31:00.015-05:00

Never drop your kite in the waves- I edged a little too hard in the waves and my board slipped out. I went up and my kite went down. This is what the waves were waiting for. They ate my lines. I felt my bar go slack and watched in disbelief as my kite drifted away across the wind blown whitewater, in slow motion. "What did I do to deserve this?!" I thought.

Hungry Waves at Mayflower

Jason kited to it, like superman flying to the rescue, grabbed it just before it hit the dunes and houses. His girlfriend ran down the beach and held it until I was spit out onto the beach by the mushy waves. Flo was there too, swimming out to help me. It's nice to kite with friends! Some I hadn't even met until now.

2 bridle lines had snapped and 2 flying line were dangling from the kite where they had snapped. The lines remaining on my bar were a wild frizzy mess. I was pretty pissed that I couldn't go back out.

Flo's smallest kite was a 9M. He was grounded too. So we hit Plymouth on the way home for a flat water session on bigger kites, lighter wind. We got to kite into a fantastic sunset! The smooth water felt good. I had fed the waves enough for one day.

Mayflower, Kitesurfed, N, NNE, 20-35, 7M kite/Surf 148, with Flo, Frank, Jamie, Phil, Junior, Jason, others.
Plymouth-Nelson St, Kitesurfed, N, 10-25, 12M Varial Kite/Surf 148, with Flo, Air Temp 45 F.

Update- My kite did hit the dunes. Over 40 holes were patched by Rodrigo.

Sailboat and Sailboard Cruise around the islands

2010-10-30T22:48:00.008-04:00

Chris's Baby on a glassy day

Chris wanted some company for sailing in his sailboat and I wanted some company for windsurfing on my windsurfer so we hatched a plan to cruise around Boston Harbor together, each in our respective crafts. The adventure turned out to be a lot of fun, at least for me.

Chris had to stay in the channels and deep water so I followed his boat with my windsurfer, like a fly flitting around a mothership. There were lots of wind shadows and strong funneling gusts between the islands but I loved actually going some place for once. My favorite spot was between Long, Spectacle, and Thompson's Islands, just upwind of the Bridge to Long Island. There was a funneling area with nice peaky chop.

After about 4 hours of weaving around the islands I derigged in his dinghy, passed my gear up to him and climbed aboard for some civilised sailing.

My launch, Snake Island, Boston skyline.

Challenges- I wasn't so good about staying really close to Chris's boat. This made him nervous about losing sight of me or of having to rescue me if I broke down someplace that was rocky or shallow. He kept his main sail down and just flew his jib so he could concentrate more on watching me and could pick me up anytime. I only fell once but it happened when I was at a distance and he lost sight of me for a few minutes. It made him realize that he would feel pretty stupid calling the Coast Guard for help looking for my gear, or my body, blowing out to sea. If we do it again we should probably do it in an E wind.

Gear that really helped- Camelback, tow line to help with derigging process, cell phone to call from an island (I did). The dinghy was necessary for derigging while under sail.

Route-I launched near Winthrop Town Pier, Chris from Winthrop Yacht Club, we met near Snake Island, headed past Deer Island to Long Island, then between Spectacle and Thompsons, around Spectacle and back to Long Island, then back to Winthrop.

Boston Harbor & Islands, Windsurfed, SW, WSW, 12-32, 5.7/ Acid94, with Chris.

I'm Still a Beginner Kiter

2010-10-23T20:37:00.009-04:00

My board belly up, waiting impatiently for it's neglectful owner.

Still a beginner- Yeah, today was a reminder. I lost my board pretty far out in the waves between Chapin and Mayflower at dead high tide. Then I tried to self land to climb up on the rock wall and look for it, hit the edge of the evil dune grass with my kite.

But I had Beginners luck. My board washed up, scratch free, a little while later on the sand between the breakwaters. I was so happy to find it! I even got back out for another 3 hours of kiting, yay! That soothed my bruised ego, except for when my kite went soft and started to collapse from the slow leak I had just created.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, W, WNW, 20-35, 15-25, 10 & 12M kites/ Surf 148, with Gerry, Flo, Brad, Peter, Jay, Rebecca, others.

A Dangerous Sport

2010-10-16T16:19:00.016-04:00

I had no idea that this sport could be so dangerous! Sometimes you don't find out until it's too late. I'm lucky. I'll live to kite another day.

What am I talking about? Bathrooms. Last weekend the Chapin porta-pot was open for business as usual. This weekend it was gone. So I used the dunes. I've done it before, no problem. But this time there were trucks parked down at that end of the parking lot at 7:15 AM, and footprints leading into the dunes right past my bathroom tree. I hid myself in the bush better than usual and made it out without incident.

A little while later I noticed some hunters leaving, in camouflage garb, like wannabe soldiers. There was 1 truck left. A little while later I heard 3 loud gunshots very close to the parking lot, like just over the little dune where my bathroom tree is. I had been dressed in brown, tan and green when I was back there, deer colors? I looked around to make sure no kiteboarders had gone missing. I checked myself for bullet holes.

I'm glad to be alive. Hunters scare me. They shoot themselves. They shoot others. How can any town in their right mind allow hunting right next to the Chapin parking lot?! Kiteboarding is more dangerous than I thought.

Honkin' Wind- I was on my smallest board and my smallest kite, fully depowered most of the time, and I was close to being maxed out. The gusts/ lulls had about a 20 MPH spread, which made it a little intimidating at first. The waves at Mayflower were fun. Nice 4 hour session.

Nice Tide- The tide chart showed 2 ft less tide than usual, both on the high and low ends. That 2 ft of extra water at low tide meant enough water for kiting in the pond still 1 hour before dead low. It's usually getting dry 2 hours before dead low.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NW, 23-42, 7M kite/ Surf 148, with Robert, others.

TD-7

2010-10-09T20:37:00.018-04:00

Throw Down #7- Phil's kiting event was blessed with great wind! It was also blessed with an astronomical high tide. For about an hour the shore break was washing right up to the dunes. Parked kites were getting pulled into the water and launching and landing was not for the faint of heart. With the big crowd it made for some excitement. But it was all part of the fun and before and after dead high tide was kiting perfection!

First Gybe- After kiting for 1 year and 3 months I got the courage to try my first gybe. That's where you carve the board thru a turn like a windsurfer and then switch your feet like a windsurfer. Most beginner kiters (that's me) ride twin tips, unlike a windsurfer, a reversible plank that never needs gybing. I'm trying to get used to riding a surfboard. Surfboards need gybing. So Gregor (I think) told me the secret. Switch your feet before you gybe. It works! I was whooping it up. I did a bunch of gybes, some even without crashing. Progress that you can measure is something that is hard to find in life, easier to find in windsurfing & kiting.

Chapin Beach, Kitesurfed, NW 17-29, 13-23, 12M Kite/ Slingshot Surf 148 & Caution Surfboard, with Frank, Jamie, Paul, Skipper, Netto, Ben, Matt, Flo, Amine, Phil, Johnny D, Gregor, Kristof, Chris, Others.

Invasion of the Paragliders

2010-10-02T19:00:00.010-04:00

Like a bird- As the wind was dropping off at Chapin today a flock of paragliders set up, launched, and flew off over the horizon. All of us stranded kiters, left on the beach without wind, watched with envy. We were thinking that paragliding is just like kiting except that you have a fan to make your own wind. It's perfect for when we get skunked! Oh yeah, and you're up in the air a few thousand feet... I might have to think about it some more.

Going up please

Up on my toes- Awright! My toeside riding seemed to click today. That doesn't mean it was pretty, or effortless, but I could do it as much as I wanted and mostly not lose too much ground to leeward. The only thing I was doing differently was keeping my power strap set for a little more power than I might normally ride with. It was a killer on my legs though.

Chapin, Kitesurfed, NW, 18-28, 13-22, 12M Varial Kite/ 6' surfboard, 132 Ply Board, Sligshot Surf 148, with Sammy, Andre, Colleen, Skipper, Paul, Gerry S, Others.

The Best Way to Blow a Jump

2010-09-25T22:44:00.008-04:00

What a great session at Hardings! This was one of those days when the kite and board felt perfect for the conditions. I didn't want to stop.

I landed my first jump to toeside! It was a complete mistake. I messed up a jump. The board spun around in the air and I thought that I was going to eat it but I landed on my toeside, fully powered up, and kited on, as smooth as butter. I quickly looked around to see if any of my friends had seen it. Of course not.

Hardings Beach, Kitesurfed, WSW, 20-30, 18-23, 10M kite/Surf 148, with Jean, Frank, Jamie, Andre, Colleen, Ron, others.

Sunrise, Sunset

2010-09-18T23:00:00.015-04:00

Sunrise- Only a mad cow could love a morning like this. I got a quick sunrise session in at Mayflower and made it back for a fantastic breakfast with the AMC crew at the Lighthouse Inn. I knew the wind was light but I was surprised to check the meter later and find it was a steady 6-12 when I was out. This is a new low for me.

Sunset- This is the 30th anniversary trip and celebration for the AMC windsurfing group. After dinner, Jan ran a fun slide show from some of the first AMC trips, Lake Tarlton & Pt Judith, circa 1986. Those were the trips where Barbara and I met. It's hard to believe that we were ever that young and that the equipment was ever that primitive- floppy triangle sails with no battens, tie on booms that were longer than a bus, boards that were so big they required a group of people to lift off the roof rack and carry to the water. But the pics of Barbara and me in our youth really pulled my heartstrings. Those were the good ol' days!

Windy wishes to all who have been involved with the AMC group over the years and special thanks to leaders and shakers! Petra, we will miss you up here.

Mayflower, Kitesurfed, NE, 6-12, 15 M Flysurfer/Mad Cow, Solo.

Picture- Ben and Barbara dress up our cottage at the Lighthouse Inn.

Imaginary White Caps

2010-09-12T20:25:00.013-04:00

I see white caps when nobody else can. It's a special talent that I have, like x-ray vision.

Frank's Slingshot- There really were white caps when I borrowed Frank's new Slingshot Octane 13 and his Door64. They were tiny but they were there. I loooved this set up for light winds! The kite felt so stable and predictable, beautiful! The board floats forever thru the lulls but I did notice that it was tiring in the chop, a lot back foot pressure needed since it has no rocker, (like my ply boards), and I got some face spray from water off my front foot. I think this was the low end of this rig. It was getting hard to fly it thru the 10MPH lulls.

Mad Cow- The wind got too light for anyone in their right mind to launch, so I did. There were occasional mini white caps. I saw them so they were there. I got a short session in before I dropped my Flysurfer in a lull and made a mess. Again this seemed like the low end of my rig/board combo. The Mad Cow was so floaty I could have no power in the kite and still be standing. I had no face spray problems and I could put weight on both of my feet. I'm starting to like this crazy board.

Picture- Look at all those white caps!

Revere, Kitesurfed, ENE, 10-17, Slingshot Octane 13M/ Door 64, then ENE, 8-15, 15M Flysurfer/Mad Cow with Frank, Paul, Flo, Colleen, Others.

Windsurfing & Kiting with Baby Elephants

2010-09-04T22:40:00.016-04:00

It was as windy and gusty as snot today! The bumps in the deep water were as big as baby elephants. I started on my smallest kite gear but I was feeling a little freaked out by the gusts so I eventually switched to my smallest windsurfing gear. After a lot of fine tuning of my ancient 3.5 sail I finally got comfortable out there. Then I couldn't stop. I went until the light ran out, a good day of punishment for my aching body.

Kiting on Light, unknown kiter

Kiteboard rescue- While I was windsurfing, I located and towed back a lost kiteboard for a fellow kitemeister. I found that towing with a long rope didn't work because the kiteboard would submarine and stop me like I had hit the emergency brake. A short tow rope worked best. The boards owner had drifted far downwind, past the windsurfing area. He was extemely appreciative to get his baby back! To the tune of a couple of cold beers. This was just my puny effort to try to improve relations between the diverging cults of windsurfing and kitesurfing.

Kitesurfed, WSW, 22-38, 7M kite/Surf 138, With Frank, Flo, Sam, Andrey, Colleen, Paul, others.

Windsurfed, WSW, 22-38, 3.5 sail/RW 85, With Sandie, others.

The gusts you can see are better than the ones you can't

2010-09-02T23:31:00.009-04:00

Everyone was complaining about the wind being gusty at W Dennis today. I learned to kite at Waq Bay. I expect it to be gusty. If it's rock steady I get nervous, like maybe Mother Nature is trying to trick me. I was loving it out there today!

W Dennis, Kitesurfed, WSW, 15-25, 12 M Kite/ Slingshot Surf & 132 Ply board, Johnny M, Others.

Picture- The walk to kite point is shorter now that Plover season is done.

Surf Replay

2010-09-01T21:18:00.003-04:00

No wind again, surfed again. The waves were a little smaller today. I wasn't getting the adreneline rush. Still, it was the best place to be during a Boston boiler heat wave.

Nahant, Surfed, Acid94, others.

No Wind, No Cry

2010-08-31T19:45:00.006-04:00

Not a surf wimp- unknown surfer

I'm back to vacation mode! No wind today but I wasn't completely despondent. I kept reminding myself that the forecast is calling for 5 days in a row of wind later this week.

I got out surfing at Nahant on glassy set waves. Mostly the waves were small but I got an adrenaline rush on each ride and the biggest ones were still a little intimidating to drop into. I'm a surfing wimp.

Nahant, Surfed, Acid 94, Others.

Windy Boston

2010-08-26T23:12:00.009-04:00

This makes 5 days in a row of windsurfing and or kiting! Who would have thought that Boston in the Summer could be a destination vacation hot spot for wind-water sports? All it takes is a lot of luck. And today there wasn't even any torrential rain.

I located and brought back a lost board that was floating around for a fellow kitehead. I got the idea that I could do this from an article in International Kitesurf Magazine (ikitesurfmag.com) about how to carry a board while kiting. It made me feel good, like maybe I'm not a rank beginner anymore. Maybe I'm a seasoned beginner.

Dog Beach, Kitesurfed, WSW 16-25, 12 M kite/ 132 Ply Board, then 13-20, 15M Flysufer Kite/152 Ply Board, with Andre, Colleen, Paul, Tom, Others.

Swiss Cheese Wind

2010-08-25T16:13:00.015-04:00

Nothing Stops Crazy Paul

I was launching my kite at Revere this morning when the wind switched from NNE (straight sideshore) to N to NNW (side offshore). The hi-rises turned it into swiss cheese. I drove down to the other end of the beach, where it was still sideshore (barely), and launched again but couldn't keep the kite in the air with those big cheesy holes. So I windsurfed.

When I was leaving Paul was launching and also struggling with the scrappy wind. I don't know if he ever made it out but channel 7 news was waiting to film it. The camera man said this kite thingy sport was pretty unique and they'd run any footage during the afternoon news.

Revere- At high tide the sandbar waves mostly disappear and the inside waves turn into soupy shorebreak full of dense seaweed. The shorebreak could be timed and avoided but the waves here are best on low to mid tide.

Rain- An inch an hour. I couldn't see much thru my glasses but it was O.K.

Revere Beach, Windsurfed, N 0-14, NNW 1-26, 5.7/ RW85, Solo.

Revere has waves!

2010-08-24T23:28:00.006-04:00

Unknown Windsurfer at Revere

Mostly little forgiving waves but lots of fun! I windsurfed briefly then kitesurfed to get more power out of less wind. Even with the kite I had to to do a long slow downwinder to stay above the water. I walked back the whole length of the beach but I didn't care. I had a big smile on my face. Playing in the waves with kite gear is such a kick!

Revere Beach, Windsurfed (5.7/Acid 94) & Kitesurfed (12M kite/Surf 148), NNE 4-19, with Larry.