Happiness Loves Company

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

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

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

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

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

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.