On the Fifth Day of Hatteras

This is the day with a terrible forecast- cool, rainy, no wind, sad. It's the best day yet! Mostly sunny, windy, happy. Everyone is learning stuff. That's the best feeling. Jane gets up and riding for the first time after a year of bodydragging and kite flying. Yuly gets his first back rolls. I make progress with what I'm working on- back rolls with a board grab to a crash. Such a great day! Tired muscles. Frisco Turnout, Kitesurfed, NE, 10-20, Flx 138/Rally14, with Frank, Paul, Denn, Yuly, Alex, Jane, others. Picture- Dark Slide Denny

On the Fourth Day of Hatteras

No wind. We cook. We eat. We cook. We eat. Talk a little. Cook. Eat. We better get wind soon. Resting and eating all day is exhausting work.

On the Third Day of Hatteras

Our crew is kiting at Frisco Point. I decide to downwind it from Kite Point, 6 miles, even though the wind is fickle and light, always the foolish optimist. I barley have enough wind to get off the beach. I make it all the way except the last 100 feet. The wind just shuts off. I can see Frank leaving the beach with his gear as I land my kite. Wait for me! I rush and make it to the parking lot as the crew is loading up, just in time to get a ride back. I shoulda told them in advance that I was doing this. I can't believe how lucky I am with timing. 6 miles of kiting and if I had started a few minutes later I would have been stranded. A smart person would learn something from this. Hatt, Kitesurfed, NE, 7-17, Solo downwinder.

On the Second Day of Hatteras

5 boards for kiting, 2 for SUP, 1 board for surfing, and a bike, in a pear tree.   Frisco Turnout, Kitesurfed, NE, 10-20, 14M Rally/Flx 138 & surfboard, with Frank, Denn, Paul, Others.

On the First Day of Hatteras-

I don't make it to Hatteras. We have a convoy of 3 vehicles, filled with kites and kiters, heading south to The Outer Banks. I don't make it. I break ranks in Maryland. Head straight to the water. Assateague National Park! I kite in super light winds, a beautiful spot, then bike, dinner on the beach, camp in the truck. So nice!!! Ahhh, I'm on vacation. Assateague Island, Kitesurfed, E, 5-12, 17M Fat Lady/Surfboard, Solo Boardwalk to Twilight

Promise Not to Tell?

Plum Island/ Newburyport Harbor- I find a hidden slick. Nice surprise. I can kite an arms length away from the marsh bank. Who knew this was here? Must be a secret. Don't tell anyone. Beautiful setting sun session on my 10M kite. Slick works in- WNW wind, mid tide, Might work on other tides, not sure. Any hazards? You bet. Lots of em. And the water is murky on the outgoing tide so you can't see squat. 1 mile distance from launch to slick. Speaking of outgoing tide- Don't let yourself get in a position where you could be sucked out of the harbor in the event of a broken line. Not a beginner friendly spot. Remember- This is a secret spot. So don't kite here. And if you do, don't mess with the dock pilings. They were here first. They'll eat you and your board in a heartbeat. Plum Island, Kitesurfed, WNW, 15-25, 10M Rally/ Flx 138, Solo.

Making the Cut

The new cut. Twice! And the old cut. Brad and I start at Monomoy Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, kite upwind in the bay, go out through the new cut, kite downwind oceanside to the old cut, walk across South Beach, kite back to the visitor center. Then we do it again riding surfboards. What a day! These cuts have received many accolades, (by me), for being among the most secluded and beautiful locations in the entire Cape Cod. It's like a different world out here. It's a world of great natural beauty and sharks. Today we only saw the beauty. That's why I'm here writing this now. I appreciate the beauty more than the sharks. Sorry sharks. Go eat somebody else's surfboard. Kitesurfed, SSE, 18-30, 10 Rally/ Mako 150, and strapless surfboard, with Brad.

Camera Crazy or Just Crazy?

Slap me. I've been getting carried away with photography lately. Upgrading my lenses, taking photo classes, calculating mathematical angles to the sun at various times of day with adjustment for seasonal tilt. It's silly. I don't know why I'm doing this. It's distracting me from the really important stuff in life, like kiting. I never thought anything would distract me from kiting. Except perhaps death, or paralysis. Maybe just death. But don't worry. I know it'll pass. I'll wake up one day and be completely cured. I'll come to my senses. What little I have. In the meantime, try to face the camera when you do your inverted triple backroll handlepass kite loop. Just relax and smile. Like This! P Bay, Kitesurfed, SSW, S, 15-35, Rally 14 & North 10 (Thanks Kristof!), Flx138, With Kristof, Kirk, Johnny H, Alex, Mike, Dunoyer, Skyrocket, Others.

May the Best Crash Win

I get wet, have some crashes, have fun. Kristoff and Walter have a bake off for the best crash of the day award. I thought that I was a good crasher but my crashes are child's play compared to these guys. Kristoff's crashes show exemplary technical skill Walter has explosive form Walter wins the prize! He makes crashing look easy. Next time we have a Crash Off we're getting prize money, bleachers, and porta potties. Walter- I hope your neck is O.K. Hatch Beach, Kitesurfed, WNW, 18-32, 8RPM/Flx138, with Walter, Kristoff, Jeff, Peter, Frank, Andrey, Colleen, Chriz, Chris L, Kitermike, Flo, others.

Had This Been a Real Emergency

Ah, at last! A nice windy kiting session with no problems. No lost boards, leaky drysuits, gear break downs, Harbor Master rescues, Coast Guard helicopters, Navy Seal teams. No swimming. But it doesn't seem right. I feel like I'm missing something. So I go for a self inflicted swim, after my session. My plan is to float around in my drysuit, in winter water, to see how bad the hypothermia gets. I notice, after a 1/2 hour of swimming and floating, that it takes me about 1 minute to recall today's date, and my name. It usually takes me a little longer than that so I think I'm doing O.K. My hands, however, think differently. They make me get out of the water. They're getting hypothermic, in spite of 5mm lobster claws. They're all tingly and angry. The rest of me is pretty happy. This experiment is a big confidence booster for me! How long do I think I could have lasted if it had been a real emergency? Based on this experiment? I have no idea. My hands are still a little pissed about the whole thing. I have a nice 2 hour hot shower when I get home, and I'm writing this with a down vest and winter jacket on. I think everyone should test their drysuits like this. I feel great! Chapin, Kitesurfed, N, 12-26, 14M Rally/ Flx 138 & Plywood 134, With Frank, Sam, Chris, Kristof, Barak, Ed, Alex, others. Air temp 39 F. Water temp 39 F.

Don't Read This

Alright, I don't want to write about this kiting stuff anymore. I want to keep my stupidity to myself. Go get someone else to laugh at! P Bay, WSW. The wind quality is terrible. I know, I know. P Bay, SW, good. P Bay, WSW, bad. But here I am. It's just before sunset. I catch an edge popping to toeside, drop my board. I'm in close, in shallow water, but the wind picks now to go crazy. My depower rope pops out of the cleat and gets jammed. I'm pulled into deep water and I notice, as I drag to the rock wall, that my 1 year old drysuit is leaking on the inside of my left knee. Why do people do this crazy sport?! I look back at the beach and see clouds of sand blowing across the water. I hit my quick release and walk back along the wall, dragging my kite in the water. I can just barely see my board blowing toward the middle of the bay in the fading twilight. I estimate it's heading straight for the far opening to the harbor. Tide is ripping out. It's too dark to chase it down. I'm in a bad mood when I get home. Everyone gives me wide clearance. P Bay, Saturday, Sunrise. I find my board about 20' from the opening to Boston Harbor. I'm feeling better. When I get home, I find and fix the leak in my drysuit. Life is good. Now I just need some wind so I can get a real session in! Go ahead and laugh at me if you want. You're going to anyway. Pleasure Bay, Kitesurfed, WSW, 10-42, 10M Rally/Flx 138, Solo.

Out of the Hobbit Hole

Why kite? It's an absurd sport. I've been troubled by this nagging thought lately. Kiting adventures are such a bother. Something is always happening. It would be cozy to settle into my hobbit hole on the weekends and not have to think anything about anything. Like a normal curmudgeon. Just imagine the pleasure of watching I-Love-Lucy reruns from the comfort and safety of an overstuffed couch. Who needs more than that?! I certainly don't. Relaxing and being sensible is what life is all about. Why would anyone in their right mind want to do this? It's a mystery. Kitesurfed, Plymouth/ Nelson St, NE, 11-18, 17M Fat Lady/ Flx 138, Solo. Thanks to Walter & Jeff for sticking around to take photos!

Winter for a Weekend

This is my one weekend this year to embrace the snow and cold. I'm on a mountain instead of a beach. Seems strange. Good snow again this year. Lotsa fun as always! Skiing works well as a social sport. Ski lifts lend themselves to conversation. It's a nice way to get caught up with everyone. Ben is going to get has first car in a few days. He's thrilled! I don't understand how this happened. He was running around in diapers just a few days ago. Sunday River Weekend, Skied, with Ben, Josh, Al, Lee, Mom. Picture- Ben growing up right before my eyes.

On the Rocks, With a Twist

Looking N, towards the point Grey day. I'm kiting out on the point with Alex and Brad, playing on the smooth, overhead ramps. Wind is N, straight sideshore, making for clean set waves with almost no chop. Beautiful waves! It also makes for a nasty landing on the rock wall at Deer Island if something goes wrong on the outside. I glance at it occasionally, far off in the distance, lurking like a bad dream. The waves are big enough to warrant a little caution for me. Light rain is starting to turn into snow. I do a low back roll and my lines remain slightly twisted. I think to myself that's how this session is! Slightly twisted. That thought is a cue for Brad's kite to go down. His DD is broken. He releases everything and swims in to the point. He's safe. I try to rescue his strapless surfboard, and also get to his kite which is drifting away, without much luck, or skill. Then Alex's kite goes down.  A bridle line broke. He doesn't reach the point before being pulled downwind. What the!? For awhile we're all over the place. Brad and I are chasing gear that is scattered down the beach. Alex has wrapped up his lines and is swimming in on his kite. I lose my board near the beach and don't bother dragging for it because I'm rushing to reach Brad's kite before it gets munched in the shorebreak. We look like the 3 stooges. Can it get any worse? Looking SE, Deer Island and the rock wall Leo has a house right on the beach. He sees Alex's kite from his house but he doesn't see Alex. He calls the Coast Guard. "No, no, Alex is on his kite!" we tell him.  He calls off the Coast Guard. What next?! Leo and I kite out to help Alex. Leo tries to bring Alex's kite in but it flips and blows out of his hands, towards the rocks. He brings in Alex's board and I pull Alex away from the wall. He was probably going to miss it anyway but I want to be sure. His kite lands in a tiny cove in the rock wall undamaged. Everyone's fine! A heavy wet snow is coming down as we walk back to our vehicles. The waves out on the point look tiny from this distance. We're philosophical about the day. Brad is pissed that his DD will cost $150 to replace. Alex says that he needed the self rescue practice. "It's a cold day for that", I say! Cold and slightly twisted. Sounds like a drink. One that only a Winter kiter would enjoy. And even then, only in moderation. Yirrell Beach, Kitesurfed, N, 12-18, 17-30, 14M Rally & 10M Rally/ Mako150, With Alex, Brad, Temp 36F, Waves 7'?, mid tide. Click on pics for full size

Late Bird Gets the Worm

This session is a nice surprise. Yee Haw! Squeezed in between Ben's track meet and a drizzly Winter sunset. Brad and I are both thrilled that the wind comes up just in time and Mayflower provides a much nicer playground than expected. Temp is a balmy 36F! The parking lot at Mayflower is chained so we park on the road.  There is a little erosion to the dunes from Winter storm Nemo, not too bad. We start late, so we kite late. I can't see much by the time we get off the water. I've been wondering if I could open up the larks head knots and detach my lines by feel. I've only undone those knots a few thousand times since I started kiting. It's a little slow in the dark but doable. From now on I'm going to close my eyes when I pack up my gear. If I get good at doing it by feel, I can kite all night! Mayflower, Kitesurfed, N, 10-22, 14M Rally/Mako150/Caution 6' Surfboard, With Brad.