Patron Saints of Kiting

Windsurfing and kiting seem to bring out the best in some people. And some people's best puts the rest of us to shame. I'm not talking about being the best showman on the beach here. I'm talking about being friendly and helpful to others in need. I'm thinking of 2 people in particular. You know who you are. One of whom saved my butt again today by bodydragging about 1/4 mile out to my lost board and bringing it back in. Then he let me take a turn on his 9M because the reason I lost my board in the first place was that there was too much wind for my 12M to stay down here near the earth's surface. Saint #2- Then there's the friend that got me kiting to begin with by telling me I didn't need a lot of $ to get started and proved it by pointing out an unbelievable deal on a used kite. She has also been known to save my butt multiple times when kiting together. Both of these enthusiasts have given me endless tips and encouragement. Don't try to deny these charges. How do these people get this way? Is there something in their genes that is triggered by watersports? Or are these generous qualities always present in these individuals? Nature or nurture? Will all windsurfers and kiters eventually become like them if we do it long enough? I vote for them to be presidents of the world. The world would simply be a happier place. Imagine a world where everyone helps out everyone, (and no beach access problems). Waquiot Bay, Kited, S, 15-25, 12M & 9M/ 152 ply board, Frank, Andre, others. Windsurfed, S 18-33, 4.2/ RW85, Sandie, others.

Picture- Frank coming in for a landing.

Why they call it The Cut

2 Kiters playing in the bathtub at The Cut, no sharks in there Because of the Great White sharks. fortunately, it seemed like they were eating their seal dinners somewhere else today. I didn't see too many fins anyway (none). I counted my toes before the session and after, and the number was the same. So I think I didn't lose any. The Cut, Windsurfed, 15-25, S, 5.2/RW 85 & Acid94, with Gerry, Scott, Leif, Simon from Quebec, Des beach visit, others.

Autumn in New England

Autumn in New England brings pastel painted leaves, halloween pumpkins, apple pie, and nor'easters. These are all beautiful things. Everyone was getting closed out at Naragansett Naragansett Notes- NNE was only slightly side off at the S end of the beach but it was enough to keep the wind very light in the waves. The swell was about shoulder high but apparently the previous day's surf had washed out the sand bars making for closeout waves (this happens a lot here, so they say). Poor wind quality, poor wave quality, not what we had hoped for. It was still fun to sail with Gerry and Jeff and to try something new... After we packed up, it was too windy to go straight home. I made a detour to P Bay. Naragansett Beach, Windsurfed, NNE, 10-25, 5.7/Carve123, Jeff B, Gerry S. Pleasure Bay/ Boston Harbor- The wind wasn't big enough to have fun in the bay so I did a few runs then carried my rig across the causeway, near the pavillion and tidal outlet, and gave the harbor a try. I felt some satisfaction that I negotiated the rocky climb on the causeway without slipping and cracking my skull or board. The wind was a little better in the harbor but still not enough to plane consistantly. I was getting out close to Thompson Island, a little upwind of it. The towering cargo ships and cruise ships were going in and out, blocking my wind. Very rude! I scampered back across the causeway and made the last few runs in P Bay as the sun was setting. Pleasure Bay & Boston Harbor, Windsurfed, NNE, 10-25, 5.7/Carve123, Dave, Martin.

Plywood Kiteboard Experiment # 2

I got 1 run on my new board on Saturday. It felt like it was spinning out a little but I wasn't sure. Stormchaser, 132 x 41 I had fun with the spray gun again but if the board doesn't work then it's just nicely painted junk. 1/2" rocker, a lot of flex, maybe too much This one was even cheaper than the first. The pads cost $5 for set, fins were $40 for set, screws, paint, epoxy didn't add up to much, straps were from a defunct windsurfing board, wood was 2 pieces of 1/4" birch scrap from making cabs in the shop.

First Encounter

First Encounter Beach- They say that this beach was named for the pilgrim's first encounter with kiteboarders. That's what they say! There were plenty of kites here today but not enough to feel crowded. Good Company- It was great to kite with Des and Luke. Thanks Des for showing me the spot and rescuing my board, twice! Lucky timing- I switched to windsurfing just before the wind cranked up. There was a wind jump from 20 to 35 in a couple of minutes. I'm glad that I wasn't out kiting with 12 meters then. High tide, strong wind, windsurfer = nice floaty jumps. Beach notes- Mid tide; the launch is flat water, kiting over sandbars, very user friendly. Low tide; the same but can have a 1 mile walk to water. High tide; (2 hours before and after), beach gets small, water gets choppy and deeper, if the wind is really strong it gets very jumpable chop, fun for windsurfing. First Encounter, Kitesurfed, 10-20, NW, Mid Tide, 12M Kite, 152 & 132 Ply Boards, Des, Luke, Lisa, Dave, others. First Encounter, Windsurfed, 20-35, NW, high Tide, 4.2/RW85, Solo.

Skunks at Scarborough

Same old story. It was howling when I arrived at Scarborough Beach, it died while I was rigging. at least I was skunked in R.I. for a change. After not windsurfing, I visited my mother in Conn. She had her hip replaced 1 week go and is doing great. Go Mom! Picture- Scarborough had the waves, no wind.

Surfing Fool

I wanted to stay local because I didn't have much time to sail. Besides the local forecast for wind looked good for a change. Fooled again. Nantasket surf scene I crashed the surf scene at Nantasket. There were the usual stifled laughs and inquiries about my kooky looking board, footstraps and all. I said that it was a tow-in surboard that I bought from some guy named Laird Hamilton in Maui. Nobody seemed very impressed. Nantasket, Surfed, Carve123, with others. After surfing and waiting for wind at Nantasket I hit Duxbury, pond side, for some wind that looked good on the meter, felt good in the parking lot, but was mostly a tease on the water. If I had more time I would have put up bigger equipment to get me thru the near-constant lulls. I had to get home and cleaned up for a Porcupine Tree concert with Josh and crew of teenagers. Duxbury, Windsurfed, SE 12-27, 5.2/RW85, solo.

2 Winds

Peter K Levitating at Corporation A windsurfing wind and a kiting wind. I sailed in waves, strong wind at Corp in the AM then kited in the mellow flats at Chapin during mid/low tide in the afternoon. It was a soul satisfying day!!! Almost a kitemare? So when I was walking my kite upwind, in knee deep water, another kiter, Dave, kited too close and crossed my kite. We both released to our safety lines, walked it in and untangled everything, no big deal in this case (light winds, shallow water, no kite spirals) but it definitely worried me. He was a newbie too, and very apologetic. I've been wondering, since I started kiting, what would happen if 2 kites crossed. Now I know. It's not pretty. In strong winds, or at the wrong location I'll bet it could be a lot more serious. Igor- It was great to see you! Your a human weather sock. When you start showing up at Chapin again it means the windy season is coming! Bring it on. Sagamore Bridge Repaving- The traffic was good leaving the Cape, until exit 2. Then it just stopped dead. It took 45 minutes to go the last few miles. I rummaged thru my lunch left overs, made some phone calls, and clipped my toenails while I was bumper to bumper. How often can you clip your toenails while you're driving on the highway?! The repaving is supposed to continue around the clock for the Fall and Spring. Corporation, Windsurfed, NW 13-30, 4.2, 5.2/ RW85, with Scott, Jerry E, Jerry C (Field Pub, Cambridge), Jamie, Jeff, others. Chapin, kitsurfed, NNW, N, 7-17, 12 M Kite, 152 Ply board, with Frank, Sandie, Igor, Dave, others.

AMC, Petra Kanz, and the Lighthouse Inn

The forecast for this weekend's AMC trip was bad. The trip was good. The clinic went well despite mostly rainy, mostly non-planing conditions, thanks to Petra's enthusiasm. This is the most important lesson from a windsurfing instructor- we're windsurfers. We make the most of what we get. Ben had a spontaneous urge to back flip It was a fun group. There were some new faces, some old faces, and some very old faces, (even older than mine), but most faces looked pretty happy. I think everyone had a good time. West Dennis in E wind- On the rainy Friday evening, I got down early enough to have almost 2 hours of windsurfing, practicing my very weak port tack jumps, in strong E winds before dark. The wind seemed almost dead side shore but there was a very noticable wind shadow near the beach, and the meter read low by about 5 MPH. West Dennis, Windsurfed, 15-28, E, 5.7/ RW 85, solo Who kites during a windsurfing clinic? Traitors. On Saturday mid day, I did a downwinder from the Lighthouse Inn to chair 9, using Petra's board. Petra gave me a ride back to the Inn. It helps when the windsurfing instructor is also a kitesurfing instructor. West Dennis, Kitesurfed, 12-17, ESE, 12 M kite, Petra's board, Peter Barbara gets on a plane in light winds with the help of a 10 HP motor Wakeboarding with only a 10 horsepower motor- Barbara & Ben came down on Saturday evening. On Sunday Ben trainer kited. The wind was pretty light. It was a good time to pull out a motor. Ben and I got planing on the Real Wind 85 liter board behind the boat. The trick for getting up was to do it when the boat was moving pretty slowly. Once up and cruising, it was stable enough to cross the wake side to side and play around. We got Petra up on the RW 85 board. This inspired Ben to get up on the kiteboard, with a little starting help from Petra. I tried to get up on the kiteboard but the boat didn't have the juice to pull me onto a plane. Petra got up. Barbara took some turns blasting the boat out to the rock island and driving for my wakeboard attempts. It was another classic, rainy, make-the-best, AMC West Dennis weekend trip.

Total Body Muscle Cramp

I windsurfed in the morning until my arms cramped up, then kited in the afternoon until my legs cramped up. It was perfection in muscle cramps. I didn't neglect any small part of my body. Chapin was a huge kiting/windsurfing party on the beach! This is only half. Windsurfing- I made the long walk out to the water to start but I was just 1 person in the parade of windsurfers and kiters crossing the sand bar. The windsurfing felt so nice, with the side shore wind and Chapin's small wind waves. I practiced going down the line a little and even tried a couple loop attempts. Kiting- From 2 hours after high tide to 4 hours after, Chapin was a giant bathtub, perfect for baby kiters! There was nothing around except shallow, flat water, and sand bars, very safe and easy. I was up and riding, and completed 1 slide turn without crashing or sinking! The new fins fixed the slipping out problem I was having with my cheapo ply board. This day was about as good as it gets! Windsurfed, NE, 15-23, Acid 94/5.7, with Chris, Sergey. Kited, ENE, 8-18, 12 kite/152 ply board, with Frank, Jamie & Robin, Sandie, Sammy.

I got Summer parking at Chapin! no wind

Skunk- Got Skunked at Chapin. Parking- While I was waiting for wind I asked the attendant about Summer parking. Here's the lowdown- Mayflower Beach opens at 7:45 and fills up by around 9:00 on a hot Summer weekend day. Then the overflow parking can fill up Chapin by 9:30 or 10:00. Today there was still parking at 10:00 when I left Chapin, probably because the temp was about 70. Bottle- I stopped at Kalmus to send this bottle & message on its way. It was found at Kalmus on 4/4/09 by Olivier. I added a new note to the original and I've been waiting for a NE wind to set it free at the scene of the discovery.

Busted by Tropical Depression Danny, then not

Extra Tropical Depression Danny- Closed down many local beaches but otherwise was unremarkable. Here's a partial list of closings- Nahant, Revere, Nantasket, Horseneck, The Cut. Nauset Light Beach- I ended up with Jerry, Barry and a merry crew of kiters at Nauset Light Beach. I watched them having fun in the waves while they watched me schlogging on my windsurfer. It was supposed to be windy on the outer Cape! They were right about the torrential rain though. Waves were about shoulder high but I never got out that far. The wind was pretty onshore, not ideal direction. West Dennis- On the way home I drove thru a sudden burst of wind. The trees along the highway were doubled over backwards and the truck was bouncing around like some massive hand was slapping it. IWindsurf said it was blowing up to 53 at Kalmus. This was what I came for! I made a beeline for the nearest beach and got about an hour powered up at West Dennis, flat water. It was good to be powered but I really missed those waves at Nauset. Nauset Light Beach, Windsurfed, ESE, E, 10-20, 5.7/ Acid94, Jerry, Barry, others. West Dennis Beach, Windsurfed, S, 16-28, 5.2/ RW85, Chris E, others.

Busted by Hurricane Bill

The launch at Strong Island Landing, every place else was closed Hurricane Bill was supposed to come close enough to the Cape to shut down most of the ocean beaches but not close enough to give us the really big wind. But the forecasters weren't sure. It is a hurricane after all. I figured the potential was there for some wind if it veered or slowed a little. So I had to try to get some of what we got. It was an early morning session in gusty conditions, planing about half the time. That half felt great! Not what I had hoped for but it was really nice to have a sail in my hands again. Chatham- Strong Island Landing, Windsurfed, NNW, 10-22, Acid94/6.2, Solo

Kiting- How to get Hypothermia on a Hot Summer Day

Don't wear a wetsuit, because it's a hot steamy day (85 temp?) in the middle of Summer and your kiting in a bay, then float in the water endlessly, (dead high tide), trying to waterstart in light winds. I didn't get hypothermia but my teeth were chattering for an eternity after I finally flew the kite and made it back to the bank of seaweed shore. I covered myself in seaweed, like a blanket. By the time I had warmed up the wind had died and that was pretty much my session. Paul drove us out there in his boat because neither of us have an ORV pass. That's a really nice way to get our own secluded launch spot. Thanks Paul! It was fun, in spite of my struggles! Just being out on the water and doing something active makes me happy. I know I'm not normal. Duxbury Bay, Kitesurfed, SSE, 10-15, 12 M kite, 152 ply board, with Paul.

Kiting- I Don't Know Nothing

Waq Bay isn't just for kids, unknown kiter I love this sport! It's just what I had hoped for. Kiting makes a 10-15 MPH day seem intense, challenging, and completely exhausting, at least for this newbie. Signs of progress- I got my longest rides yet! I'm no longer trying to stay in the shallows. I'm bustin' out. On a few rides I even came back close to where I started. I think it was more luck than skill because my stance is still mostly a mess but I'll take what I can get. The feeling of intimidation that I got from my first 4 or 5 sessions is pretty much gone. What I need to fix- The mini wooden fins on my board aren't grippy enough. The board was sliding out a lot compared to Frank's Spleen Door 64. There are plenty of guys on the web who say you don't need fins at all. They must be on steroids. What worries me a little- People say that the most dangerous animal on the planet is a beginner kiteboarder who has learned just enough to think that he/she knows what they are doing. I want to avoid that trap. I keep telling myself, "I don't know nothing." Waquiot Bay, Kiteboarded, S, 8-18, 12M kite/ 152 ply board, Door 64, Frank, Sandie, Megan, others.