A Horse with no Waves

Who said Horseneck is good in SE? Somebody said Horseneck is good in SE. Not so good today. Sure, the wind is there, but no waves. This spot is all about the waves.The waves are AWOL. So I go exploring. I start at the state beach, go upwind to Gooseberry Island, get as far as the trailer park before Gooseberry blocks the wind too much. I downwind it, riding the imaginary waves all the way to the other end of Horseneck, and cross the channel to the beaches on the other side. I've always wanted to check these beaches out! Lots of rocks. Some really big rocks. It's picturesque. I stop to take a picture then do a few runs among the rocks. In the fading golden sunset light, I can't see below the surface at all. Is this smart? I go slow. I work my way back upwind to the state beach, and bring it in as twilight pulls it's thin veiled curtain across the sky. It was good. Horseneck is good in SE. Didn't somebody say that? It's just not good for waves. Horseneck, Kitesurfed, SSE, 17-25, 10M Rally/Mako150, Solo.

Don't Mess with the BBB, (or with Brad)

I get some Buzzards Bay boosting. The BBB. With Brad. It's better than Boston Baked Beans. But now I have B's on my brain. No one should read this. I mean it. It's embarrassing. Just look at the pictures. Brad does the BBB Buzzards Bay, Kitesurfed, SSW, 15-21, 14M Rally/ Mako150, with Brad.

Bright Lights, Big City

Boston- We aren't going to get many more days like this in 2013, hot, humid, windy! There's a big collection of kites and riders at P Bay. Josh and I are taking turns on the 14M kite, really powered up, as the sun goes down. We aren't going to let a little inconvenience like nightfall ruin our fun. Kiting  in near darkness can be beautiful, a hazy half moon hanging in the sky, City lights casting shimmering trails on the water's black mirror surface. Glowing jellyfish weave dots of greenish light in my boards wake. So nice. We go until some lightening in the distance rudely interrupts the reverie. Josh's first time- at P Bay, kiting in such tight crowds, kiting so powered up on the 14M, kiting in dimness. It takes him awhile to get comfortable with the P Bay dance, but he gets it. Then he doesn't want to stop. Sounds familiar. Pleasure Bay, Kitesurfed, SSW, S, 18-28, 14M Rally/Flx 138, with Josh and lotsa friends. Top Pic- P Bay scene. Bottom Pic- Josh in twilight.

Wellfleet- Unwind Me

It's one of those weeks that winds you up, tighter and tighter, like a tether ball twisting on a pole. What do you do to unwind? I drive to Wellfleet, throw some kiting gear and my lunch in the dinghy and motor out to the tip of Great Island, where there's nothing but sand, seagulls, and seals. No tether ball poles. I explore. I kite. I get lost in the moment. Here's what I find. 1- Breakwater. This spot looks like fun at low tide but is disappearing quickly just 2 hours past low. Wind is light SW. I take a few runs then scramble to derig before it all goes under. 2- Nice slick on W wind, where the plover fence ends, probably has some shallows on any tide if wind is straight W. But wind is light NW. Riding in offshore wind in these conditions isn't smart. I take some runs. 3- I walk upwind nearly 1 mile, do a downwinder on oceanside back to boat, still light NW wind, deep water, pretty choppy. Might have some tidal pools at dead low. Lots of curious seals. 4- A little slick at mid tide, nothing fantastic, very strong N wind now, I need a smaller kite. There's a lot of chop in the harbor, bouncing me around in my tiny boat, as I motor back to the truck. 5- Boat is packed up. I drive to end of Griffin's Island road, park where it says Permit Parking Only. I'm told it's O.K. off season. I walk over high bluffs and dunes, kite with 8M kite. Very gusty from the bluffs upwind in straight N wind, mostly deep water and chop 2 hours before low. Overall impression of Wellfleet- Lots of seals. Kiting is probably most fun on- SW and low to mid tide, W any tide, NW low tide. Need boat. High dunes and bluffs on all of Great Island to #3 on map limits kiting in spots such as The Gut. Very quiet and deserted out on the sandbars. I didn't see any other kiters anywhere. A good adventure.

It was a Dark and Stormy Night

Walters boat in Stage Harbor 2 days kiting on the Monomoy flats, 1 night sleeping on Walter's 42' cottage on the water. Me, Josh, Paige, and Walter. I love it! The adventure, the beauty, the salt crust in my hair. This is not a relaxing-on-a-sailboat kind of 2 days. We dinghy out from the Barn Hill boat launch, 15 minutes to the sailboat, 2 trips to move our gear and 3 people. Then we dinghy out to the flats for kiting. My tiny dinghy becomes our trusted steed. More like a miniature pony. Walter's handsome steed of a sailboat is highly civilized. Very roomy, clean, and comfy, hot showers even. I can't whack my head on anything if I try. It's a good night for sleeping on a sailboat, stormy, windy. My favorite moment- I'm in my sleeping bag listening to the beat of lines against the mast. The boat rocks gently. Faint evening light outlines the open hatches and portholes. A fresh breeze blows in. Water gurgles and whispers around the hull. The only thing missing is a little snoring. Ah, there it is! I sleep like a burnt out light bulb, right through an incredible thunderstorm apparently.  Mayhem and Madness Great time. Thanks for sharing your Madness Walter! Learners Report Josh- gets solid on both carving and pivoting into and out of toeside, can ride toeside both directions but better in his favored direction. He says he feels all twisted up like a pretzel riding toeside. Welcome to the club. Paige- finally gets perfect learning conditions. Yay! She does great. She's flying the kite 1 handed, bodydragging downwind, starting to drag to each side. I've never seen anyone go from totally crashing the kite 1 session to flying it easily 1 handed the next. Her water skiing upbringing is starting to shine through. It was fun to see Brad teaching Kristen out on the flats too. Also fun to see lots of other friends kiting by out there. Click on pics for full size.