In the Soup

Kitsurfing this weekend wasn't fun. It was a neccessity. Work had filled my head with alphabet soup, little bits of letters, words, and thoughts swirling around my subconscious in a cyclone of worry. I could feel it sloshing in my head when I rolled over in my sleep. I had to get that junk outta there. Scarborough Beach- It's early morning, 40 degrees, raining, mist, there's nobody else at the beach, there's wind. I'm happy. I can feel my head getting lighter with every double over rotated back crash. I'm literaly knocking the stuffing right out of my head. Feels great. A jogger runs by dressed in bright yellow foul weather gear. He stops to watch my approach like I'm some curious sea creature emerging from the mist. I do a particularly awkward double spin and crash, landing flat on my back with a slap. This is what I need. I drift on my back for a minute. My head is blissfully empty. Nothing in there but the beautiful white noise of waves rolling and crashing, the sound rising and falling, punctuated by a seagull's sharp call. I'm spindrift, a fleck of ocean foam, a drop of salt spray thrown off the crest of a wave. I send the kite and waterstart with a pop. I'm gonna stick the landing on my next jump. This is the cure for alphabet soup. Scarborough Beach, Kitesurfed, ENE, 12-21, 14M Rally/ Mako King & Mako 150, Solo.

Near Disaster at The Cut

Brad and I were in a bad situation and we knew it. We were at The Cut, famous for chewing puny little humans up and spitting them out like inconsequential bits of flotsam. Kites pumped, we were looking forward to a great session, completely unaware of how this would end. I was about to launch when I suddenly felt that something wasn't quite right. I looked out at the water and my heart stopped. I couldn't believe what I saw. No wind. How could this be?! It had been windy 2 minutes ago! It was a trap. It must be. And we had walked into it like baby seals into the gaping maw of a Great White. I didn't see any way to get out of this alive. Brad was fearless though. He suggested we pack the whole mess up and drive over to Buzzards Bay on the strength of a tiny blue line on the wind forecast graph. That tiny blue line turned out to be our lifeline. Buzzards Bay had wind! We were saved. At least I was. Brad had some bad luck matching the right kite to the right wind at the right time. It was a trap within a trap. But for me, my life had been renewed. This is what makes one appreciate every remaining minute of this gift of life. To come face to face with one's own mortality, with nothingness, the big skunk, and to overcome. Kitesurfed, N, 7-21, 14M Rally/Flx136, with Brad.

Relief on a Hot Winter's Day

I'm glad I went to the Cape today. Temp was in the low 70's in boston, way too hot. It was a much more reasonable 50 in Chatham with an onshore breeze. I came home to tales of sweaty yard work, heat stroke during track practice, and laments of Spring being over before it had begun. I took off my jacket and smiled. Kiting in Winter isn't as crazy as everyone says. On hot Winter days like this, you gotta go to the beach just to get cooled off. Harding's, Kitesurfed, WSW, 10-21, 12M Varial/FLX 136, with Frank, Sam, Chriz, Chris, Flo, Others. Pic- Chriz starting his engine.

Shake your Booty

Walter with whitewater I got up the nerve to try a double back roll today. Big mistake. I got disoriented in the air, crashed so hard my left booty came off. It was silly. My kite was down, board was belly up, and my booty was floating away. I told myself that I would never to do that again. An hour later I tried again. This time, to my utter amazement, it worked. It felt like total luck to rotate twice around and pull out at just the right moment to keep my booty on. What a feeling! I had mastered a new move. There's nothing like facing your fear, losing some clothing, and sticking a new move to make you feel alive. Now I feel half dead. Probably from all the crashes I did on double back roll attempts after my lucky one. Harding's Beach, Kitesurfed, SW, 18-33, 10M Rally/FLX 138, with Walter.

Kiting In the smoke

Crazy gusty but fun scene at Pleasure Bay. From the water you could see the big gusts blowing across the launch area, picking up sand. It looked like a cloud of dense fog or smoke. I usually said, "Oh my," politely to myself, and turned around before I went into the white out. Kirk, on the other hand, was kiting into the sand clouds, hitting massive kiteloop megajumps for the cheers and jeers of the big Summer crowd in the bleachers. Pleasure Bay, Kitesurfed, SW, 20-50, 6M RPM/ Flx 136, with Frank, Jean, Brad, Kyle, Kirk, Spatsy, many others. Air temp 68F. Picture- It's not the camera angle. Kirk really was going high enough to look down on other kites. Picture by Spatsy.

The Balance Bar of life

Brad in the Mist Brad and I were dejected and demoralized. Horseneck Beach had light wind, small waves, dense fog all morning. The meters said it was windy almost elsewhere else. Frank called to say that the crew was having a great time on mid size kites at W Dennis, and where were we? We were stuck in no mans land. We decided to wait it out. We waited all morning in the mist and drizzle. Did some skunky down wind runs. Had lunch. Waited some more. I was losing faith in the natural balance of the universe and I was writing Horseneck off of my list of kite spots. I was depressed. Then around 2:00 our kites started to flutter on the beach a very tiny little bit. We were skeptical. But we launched. We had wind! The fog cleared, waves were better now, wind started to crank, sun even peeked out. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Sometimes, out of the rain, fog, and flat waves of life, wind happens. I had my balanced universe back. Horseneck, Kitesurfed, S, SSW, 5-28, Octane 13M/ Mako king & Mako 150, with Brad.

Great White Weekend

Winter was canceled this year so I wasn't sure that our annual family ski weekend would have skiing. But old man Winter made a surprise appearance on Friday night, 8" new snow on the mountain, giving us a great, white, Wintery weekend! We were told it was the best ski weekend of the year! Also great catching up with family, good eats, and hot hot-tubbing. It was an alternative reality to our surreal non-Winter in Boston. Lotsa fun! Sunday River, Skiied, Barb, Ben, Al, Mom on shrimp prep. Picture- Ben levitates

Kite Prescription

Presidents Day- I took the day off from work, hoping to get rid of a lingering cold. Rest and relaxation, lots of vitamin C, chicken soup, and kiting! Just what the doctor ordered. Another beautiful day, another big Winter crowd. Lots of people seem to be figuring out the Winter gear. There was even one numbskull griping about being hot and sweaty on a windy 40F day. Wait, that was me. Picture- Colleen looks like a superhero or a serial killer. Mayflower, Kitesurfed, N, NNW, 12-26, 10M Rally/ Flx 136, With Flo, Brad, Jean, Frank, Andrey, Colleen, Jay, Chris, Johnny D, Others, Air Temp 40F.

Crysuit

This is difficult for me to talk about. I have had a recent personal loss in my life. My drysuit passed away. Well, actually, it was cut up so the zippers could be removed and transplanted into a new suit. It was a nightmare living without it for the last 1 1/2 months while they made the new suit. I tried changing all the toilet seats in my house as therapy, didn't work. I decided that kiting is boring, didn't work. Friends with extra drysuits to loan helped ease the depresssion. Thanks guys! My new/old drysuit arrived on Thursday. I was the happiest guy in the universe today! And there were lots of happy people where I was cause it was a sweet Spring day in February- kited 2 locations, 2 nice sessions, lots of sunshine, lots of friends. It's good to talk about these things. I feel better now. First Encounter, Kitesurfed, WNW, 10-20, 10M Rally/Flx 136. Hardings, Kitesurfed, WSW, 13-25, 10M Rally/Flx 136. With Frank, Andrey, Colleen, Brad, Jean, Johnny D, Sam, Dennerson, Mike, Stoke, Bugsy 1, Bugsy 2, others. Air Temp 50F.

Highs and Lows in P-Bay

Pee Bay Teaser wind- Shifty, gusty. I had to walk it back twice, climbing up the rock wall, over the chain link fence, and walking back on the pedestrian path. Watch out for that fence! It'll shred your suit if you look at it wrong. Low- WSW is no fun here. High- When it went SW and picked up, I got in the zone in the slick. Awright! This is what I came here for! Then the wind stranded us again. Thanks for the loan of your old suit Walter. The last time (I hope). Jean, thanks for your assistance on my first walk of shame. Pleasure Bay, Kitesurfed, SW, WSW, 12-28, 13M Octane/Flx136, with Walter, Jean, Kristoff, Jermy, Mike, others.

Living on Borrowed Time

So it's come to this. I've been slumming around. Going from 1 borrowed drysuit to another. I feel so cheap and tawdry. But I'm happy! Frank, please thank Jamie for letting me use his drysuit without his knowledge. And tell him not to worry. I didn't fart it in much at all. Not any more than usual at least. Really. I'm not going to have any kiting friends by the time I get my suit back. Chapin, kitesurfed, NNW,N, 5-20, 13M Octane/Mako150, with Frank, Andre, Colleen, Igor. Picture- The Chapin tree stump says, Go Pats!

Saved by Seal Team #6.

My drysuit is still being fixed. I'm taking it fine. Sunday- I'm going to sleep all day. I'm not brooding.There is no reason to open my eyes. Or get out of bed. I get a text from Walter at 8:00, wakes me up. We're going kiting and he's bringing 2 drysuits. Buddy! Life is good again! Horseneck was perfect, drysuit was perfect, wind was perfect, sun was etc. I guess I'm in a good mood. It even feels great to have sore quads walking up the stairs again. Absence from kiting either kills you or makes the love stronger. Horseneck, kitesurfed, 15-27, SW, 10M Rally/Mako150, with Walter. Also thanks to Paul for another offer of a drysuit to borrow! Kiters saving kiters.

Rethinking Kiting

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

Man it was a scorcher today! 55 degrees in the shade. I thought the 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

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 really 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.