WaterTurtle

Fun Paddle

2012-01-29T20:45:00.002-05:00

Paddled with my daughter today - 50 degrees and sunny, then windsurfed later when the wind picked up.

Of Epic Proportions - The 2012 Cold Stroke Classic

2012-01-22T15:57:00.038-05:00

Or I could have titled this post "Victory at Sea", "Total Carnage", or "I Couldn't Move This Morning".

The 2012 Cold Stroke Classic was truly epic indeed. Toughest SUP race I've ever done. The Tahoe Nalu race 2 years ago was very tough with 15-20mph cross winds and cross 3-4' chop. But this weekend's race at Wrightsville Beach produced winds 25-35mph and the course was longer. I'm just thankful it was warm...the air temps were in the 60s.

Random thoughts about the event...

The growth of the sport. I think there were approximately 100 or so racers registered in last year's Cold Stroke Classic (and it was a sunny day in the 50s). This year...

...I heard between 125-140 racers registered...many of them on the day before the race when they saw the temperatures were going to be in the 60s and possibly reaching the low 70s. I don't think they looked at the wind forecast. My wife and daughter were considering racing earlier in the week but I talked them out of it when I saw the wind forecast. From looking at the results, it appears about 88 racers total started the race and 25% of them did not finish. Some Elite division racers stopped after the 1st lap.

Everyone should be proud to have just gotten out there. Starting the race took a lot of courage. Finishing the race just took sheer determination. For some folks, this was their first race. They won't get another one this tough again. You know the old saying - what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. There were many smiles at the post race awards party...everyone was so stoked to have competed in such a tough race.

We all wondered why the racer's meeting and race start was being delayed. Jeoffrey from Coastal Urge later told us he did that so he could get more safety boats to the course. Great move since there was carnage and DNFs everywhere. I saw safety boats everywhere on the course. Jeoffrey took the safety first approach and it turned out to be a great move on his part. A big thanks to the local Coast Guard, Sea Tow, and other safety boat volunteers.

These events are so hard to put together and Jeoffrey and his Coastal Urge staff did a great job despite the extreme conditions. If I'm not mistaken, I think Jeoffrey put on the first SUP race in NC (if not one of the first) which got the local SUP stoke and racing scene kicked off and it has been growing so strong since then.

Jeoffrey made the decision to reverse the course direction, which was a good decision because it made for an epic downwind leg.

There were moments of pure joy and pure frustration on the course. The joy was the awesome downwind leg. The first lap's downwind leg was crowded just after the start so most of us were just trying to dodge one another. But the 2nd lap's downwind leg was just plain awesome - connecting the swells and surfing the whole way. I was flying on that 2nd lap's downwind leg and having a blast.

The frustration was the huge tactical error I made that probably cost me a podium position (I came in 4th in the Men's Elite 12'6" division). I underestimated the cross winds towards the end of the first lap and got caught way low on the course away from the flatter water, got caught in major cross chop, went into the drink, almost got separated from my board when the wind flipped it over, and it took me a long time to recover from that and get back upwind. I didn't make that mistake twice and had a much better 2nd lap but still couldn't make up the gap between me and the 3rd place finisher. Even though I train on a lake and not in these intracoastal tidal conditions, I know better. I'm going to have nightmares about that one for a long time.

I went in the drink twice (actually 4 times - twice together in each occurrence). The aforementioned above and I also went in close to the finish line...got taken out by big cross chop again. The first time I fell in was a shock to the system but after that I barely felt the 55+ degree water temps. I was only wearing some running pants, board shorts, 5 mil booties, cap, and one layer capilene/polyester long sleeve shirt. I was just worried about cramping up. My arm and calf started to cramp when I fell the last time close to the finish.

Tons of people paddling on their knees....some did it for most of the race. Normally a big no no in SUP races. Jeoffrey announced at the racer's meeting there would be a 5 stroke limit on your knees, then you had to get back on your feet, otherwise you could be disqualified. I think for the recreational division and the conditions we had, you pretty much have to throw that rule out and I think they did because there were tons of people paddling on their knees just to finish. For the Elite division, you have to maintain that rule. I was careful to use that rule when I went in the water...I hopped back on my knees, took a few quick strokes to right myself or get going, then stood again...both times falling in again. But did the same thing the 2nd time and got going again on my feet. There were times when I was going backwards.

I also went backwards on the 1st lap going under the drawbridge at Harbor Island. It was like a big wind tunnel underneath it and when I came around the corner to go under the bridge, the wind gusted and actually pushed me backwards. Crazy.

The guy in the red speedo - hilarious (see below).

Many stories of rescues...the safety boats were busy...and there were stories of rescues by other paddlers. Rob stopped to help someone separated from his board. He held the guy's board for him so he could swim to it. Great sportsmanship. I came across a couple of racers that had fallen but they were able to get to their board. I'd ask if they were ok and they gave me the thumbs up. I heard other folks weren't so lucky. I heard stories of people falling in and their boards flipping across the water very far away from them. Yard sale.

From Distressed Mullet:

The Men's Elite 14' winner, Dan Gavere, had his paddle handle break off just 90 seconds into the race. Luckily, he had a glove on one hand (because of injured thumb) so he could still grab the top of the paddle with the gloved hand. When he switched sides, he would choke up on the paddle. He still smoked the field and had a great board for the conditions - the Starboard 14' Coast Runner.

Heather Baus, from Puerto Rico, smoked a lot of guys (including me) and won the Women's Elite division.

They held single elimination sprint races after the main races but because so many people were worn out, only 6 of us participated. I lost in my first round single elimination to Matt McDonald from Florida (he won the Men's Elite 12'6" division). This was a fun race that included a buoy turn and it sounds like Jeoffrey really wants to make it a bigger part of future events.

Here are the results.

One of the local Charlotte TV stations did a report...and here's the local Wrightsville Beach Lumina News report.

The Lake Norman Crew - Waterturtle, Rob, Dawn, Matt, Nick, and Mike (missing - Kate)

The beach

The kiddos send me off before the race

John (Distressed Mullet), Waterturtle, and Jason (SideArm Surf & Skate) just before the start.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Heading into the first downwind run after the start - Dodging the Carnage!

The Red Speedo Guy

Doh!

Nick - 16 yrs old and finished the race in the rec division - Way to go Nick! Another Lake Norman area teenager, Kate, also competed...big congrats to her for getting out there.

Rob (left) and Dawn (right) close in on the finish

Rob raced on my old SOS 10'10" Big Blue all around surf board - extremely tough to do in this conditions. They should add a surfboard/all around board division - not everyone has a race board.

Trying to take a high line to the finish

...and in doing so, took a dunking

fighting the cross chop

...and happy to be across the finish line.

Matt charging to the finish

Congratulations to the top 3 Men's Elite 12'6" division winners - from left: Reid Nelson (2nd), Matt McDonald (1st), Jeremy Whitted (3rd)

The Scenic Route part 2: Big Sur

2012-01-20T10:57:00.002-05:00

Big Sur from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

From my recent drive in the Big Sur, CA area.

The Scenic Route part 1: The Big Island - Hawaii

2012-01-15T19:40:00.000-05:00

After all the action on Maui, I went the quieter scenic route on Hawaii:

The Big Island - Hawaii from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

Waterturtle's Maui Windsurfing Video

2012-01-08T13:45:00.001-05:00

Here it is....video from my Maui trip. You can tell I need a good solid tripod...sorry for the handheld shakiness. The GoPro footage is of Matt Pritchard and myself. Matt of course is the GoPro helmetcam pilot...so big thanks to him for the footage. Taking an advanced lesson with Matt is fun but having him record it on the GoPro is a huge bonus. Seeing yourself on video makes it real and showed me my form isn't nearly as good as I felt out there. This will help me continue to work on my jumping and bottom turns. Welcome to my kookiness...

Maui Windsurfing from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

A Look Back and Wishing You A Happy New Year

2011-12-29T20:39:00.008-05:00

A 7 minute look back at 2011, including a sneak peek at some Maui/Hawaii footage (will post more Maui/Hawaii video in the near future)...

...and wishing you a Happy New Year!

WaterTurtle's Year In Review - 2011 from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T21:44:00.002-05:00

What You Don't See In The Hookipa Videos

2011-12-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

I like to watch videos of Hookipa windsurfing as much as the next guy, but it would always bug me that not one video would ever show what happens when a pro isn't riding a wave. If you haven't actually been to Hookipa but heard about the rocks, current, and light wind on the inside, perhaps you wondered how a windsurfer actually navigates his or her way out at this world famous spot. Maybe its just me, but I always wondered this.

Its no different with the weekend golfer when they take in a PGA event or someone who played high school football taking in a NFL game. As an amateur windsurfer, being at Hookipa on Maui and taking in the action is the same. And when we watch the Sportscenter highlights of PGA or NFL or watching windsurfing videos, we don't see everything else that happens in between the highlights.

Leave it to Waterturtle to capture the fringe of the fringe just for you. This video from my recent trip to Maui shows Bernd Roediger (1st 1:20 minutes) and Graham Ezzy (the next 3 minutes) getting out at Hookipa. This was on Monday, November 28th. Note the extremely light wind on the inside, the current pushing them downwind around the rocks, and their patience and skill in getting out to catch some tasty waves. I know...this isn't nearly as good as carving bottom turns, snappy cutbacks, and massive airs, but you might just learn something. Enjoy!

Injuries and Windsurfing Addiction

2011-12-21T22:25:00.003-05:00

Yep, Graham Ezzy pretty much explains it right here. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Big Sur

2011-12-17T21:54:00.010-05:00

After Maui and Hawaii, it was off to California for work but I still had one more free day when I arrived and no plans. I've been to the Bay area many times, have seen many of the sights, and have done many things in and around that area, but I had still never driven south on Hwy 1 past Carmel nor seen the Big Sur area. When I arrived on the red eye that Sunday morning, it was a clear and sunny day. Perfect for a drive down Hwy 1 and some hiking along the coastal trails...and it was stunning...

The Big Island

2011-12-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

After Maui, it was on to the Big Island where the work part of the trip started. Don't worry, we had plenty of fun too and I left the work part out of this post...

Hawaii – The Big Island is simply put, a beautiful island. From the black lava beaches to the lush green hills with waterfalls, this place is stunning. I only wish we had more time to see more of the island. Other plans prevented us from seeing more than the Kona area west and Hiwa area northwest side of the island.

Flying into Honolulu, before connecting to Kona - note Diamond Head on the right.

The black lava landscape around Kona

The Stand Up World Surf Tour was in Hilo but we just didn’t have time to get over there to watch it. I did manage to go stand up paddle surfing for a couple of hours near Kona and found a fun wave off to the side of a crowded prone surf lineup. Interestingly, on the way to the beach, I got the cutthroat sign from a SUP hater walking on the side of the road when he saw the SUP board on top of my rental car. But it was all aloha when I hit the water and stayed clear of the prone surfers and their peak wave. I shared a side peak with a couple of other prone surfers who were also staying clear of the crowded lineup...and we had no problem sharing waves. I even told them to take whatever wave they wanted and I'd stay clear. Everyone was happy. Sorry...no pics of that session.

A big highlight was renting a convertible for a few hours and driving north to the “end of the road” past Hiwa and hiking down a rocky path to a black sand beach. As soon as we rounded the corner to where the road ended, it was one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen. We ended that adventure with the return drive at sunset down a winding mountain road from over 4,000 ft elevation. The elevation and temperature change was incredible.

See Kris resting on that log?

We also went offroading upcountry in an old 6 wheel drive Pinzgauer to a waterfall hike and swam around one of the waterfalls.

Other highlights included seeing Chris Isaak in concert. That guy still has it and sounded great.

Snorkeling

The Green Turtle and his buddies made a lot of appearances.

After Hawaii, it was on to California for more work, but I had an open day before work started and I didn't have any plans. What to do? Stay tuned...

Hello Maui, Goodbye Maui

2011-12-02T20:50:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Maui! The view from my "upcountry" room...

I’m on a two week work/fun trip. This adventure was initiated by a work thing on the Big Island Hawaii. So naturally I had to work in a few days to Maui beforehand for some fun. Then it’s a few days on the Big Island/Kailua-Kona for work/fun. Then after Kona, I’m off to California for a few more days of work, then back home. I haven’t been apart from my kids this long and I already miss them just a day or two into the trip. Luckily, my beautiful bride is joining me in Kona for a portion of the trip.

The fun part started in Maui. I managed to arrive just as a stormy windy swell was hitting the island with periods of rain. My first day wasn’t so great. I know…I was on Maui, how bad can it be? Well, you’re right, it wasn’t that bad considering where I was. But I did manage to scrape my foot on coral when SUP surfing on small waves on the less windy south side of the island. That required a trip to the pharmacy and some self first aid with hydrogen peroxide and waterproof bandages. Then I had equipment failure on my first windsurfing run out at Kanaha in the afternoon, giving me a nice long swim back in. I couldn’t go back out since I needed to swap some gear which I didn’t have with me. So I basically missed a whole day from the get go. With my tail between my legs, I stopped at Hookipa to check out the action and take some pics. It wasn’t your classic Hookipa conditions you see in the mags. It was stormy angry ocean onshore head to mast high conditions Hookipa. Matt Pritchard chronicles it here. He also ran into some issues! I saw and talked to Matt when he came off the water with that ripped sail.

Maui south side SUP'ing small waves

Kanaha 1st day

Hookipa 1st Day - onshore conditions

Day 2 was much better although the forecast was pretty intimidating . Gusty 25-30 mph wind and 13 ft surf was expected, closing out Hookipa and creating over mast high conditions at Kanaha. Jaws was supposed to be breaking but I don't know if it ever did and if anyone surfed/windsurfed it. I did a little bit of paddling in the morning in the harbor and got some great paddle technique tips from the man himself, Dave Kalama.

Then I hooked up with former windsurfing World Champ Matt Pritchard for a windsurfing lesson at Kanaha in the afternoon. Since it was so crowded and over mast high meaty waves at Kanaha (see pics here), we opted for a launch downwind of most of the windsurfers/kiters and found a fun chest to head high onshore wave break to play in. The outside reef at that spot was dumping probably well over mast and a half high so we would jibe before hitting that outside reef and ride the first reef waves back in. I’ve never been a real good jumper, so we worked on my jumps and onshore wave riding. This less crowded spot afforded Matt & I to get more 1:1 time on the water and he was able to stay close to me to yell instructions without worrying about staying out of everyone else’s way. I had a blast and it definitely made up for the misadventures the day before. Matt wore a GoPro helmetcam and captured the session. I'll be sifting through that footage within a few weeks and might post something with it.

Even though Hookipa was supposed to be closed out on this day, Graham Ezzy managed to make hay with it all by himself in huge messy conditions. Check it out here (pics) and here (video), and here (Graham's review). I saw him out there as I was driving by.

Check out these pictures of the same day...these are from the Hookipa Overlook parking lot just upwind of Hookipa Beach.

I sailed the Tabou DaCurve Quad 91 board and Gaastra sails. This was my first time on a quad fin board. I’m first and foremost a slalom/bump & jump windsurfer used to bigger and floatier boards with limited time and experience in the waves, so take these comments for what it’s worth. The quad fin board took some getting used to. At first, I didn’t like it because I couldn’t get powered up and going and I thought maybe a quad just wasn’t an early planer (which it actually isn’t really). Thanks to Matt, I found the problem was I needed less outhaul and we lowered the boom height a bit. That got me powered up and going. Then the board was fun. So when you think you have a problem with a board, don’t forget to make some other adjustments and that might solve the problem. When slightly underpowered, I had a heck of a time staying upwind, but powered up, it got me upwind just fine. It was an easy jumper, a fun board to jibe, and turned easily on the waves. But it does require wind and I needed to be powered up to make the board work for me. I’m sure that proper form in the waves would make it work better as well. Even in the lulls, I was able to stay balanced and shlog just fine on the 91 liters under me.

Matt recently posted an interesting piece about quad fin boards and predicts single fins might soon make a comeback. For the slalom/bump & jump conditions I mainly sail in back home, I think I’m still a single fin guy. But if you do a lot of wavesailing, you owe it to yourself to at least try a quad fin board so you know how it works for you. I think it really takes an experienced wavesailor that already knows how to make nice top turns and cutbacks to make a quad fin work the way it’s supposed to.

I stopped by Sprecklesville and snapped some shots.

My 3rd day was a little different. It was windy on the north shore in the morning but you’re not supposed to windsurf until 11am. There wasn’t a south swell running on the south side of the island so I couldn’t SUP surf in the morning. So I waited it out at Kanaha and was ready to go at 11am with my rig. I can tell you firsthand that it can get gusty on Maui. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. It’s a good thing I’m used to gusty conditions because I sailed Kanaha in up and down gusty conditions just like windsurfing at the lake. The swell was a bit smaller than the day before but still dumping logo high at Lowers and mast high at Uppers. It was still crowded so I pretty much hit the smaller waves breaking just upwind of Lowers. GP thought it was a mediocre day. I finally ripped a couple holes in my Maui rookie baby hands and called it a day, then drove up to Hookipa to check out the late afternoon action.

Kanaha 3rd day - Mon Nov 28th

It seems all the pros were on island because I saw a ton of them at Hookipa when I arrived after windsurfing at Kanaha. It appeared to be an almost ideal Hookipa day with big sets coming through. I saw Levi Siver (just missed his performance, it appeared he had just come off the water), David & Graham Ezzy, Victor Fernandez, Mark Angulo, Bernd Roediger, Ricardo Campello, Manu Boevet…and I’m sure there were a few other pros and Hookipa locals who I didn’t immediately recognize. I got a chance to meet and speak to David Ezzy while we watched Graham rip it up. He shared some local knowledge about the island, and we talked about Hatteras and the differences in sailing on Maui and back on the east coast. I also met Bernd Roediger and his dad Norm and Mark Angulo while Mark was showing off a brand new board he had just shaped and trying out for the first time...63 liters! Everyone was very nice and easy to talk to. When they found out I was from NC, they were very interested in Cape Hatteras. The Roedigers are already planning for the 2012 AWT event and can’t wait to get some blue crabs and sweet tea (they used to live in Hilton Head, SC). I have to mention another person who was an absolute standout while I was watching the action at Hookipa – Morgan Noireaux - 17 years old and was absolutely ripping it up. He won the AWT Youth Championship this year. Watch out for this kid, you’ll be seeing much more of him.

You never know who else you’ll run into on Maui. I met and spoke to Keith Taboul at the Quatro/Goya shop on my 1st day – very nice guy. He showed me his board shaping room, we talked about his board shaping business and talked about Hatteras. He looks forward to getting there at next year’s AWT event. Windsurfing and hanging out with Matt Pritchard was awesome. Paddling and talking with Dave Kalama was a treat unto itself. I met and spoke to Maui blogger Giampaolo Cammarotaat Kanaha as he was rigging up for his 11am Kanaha session before work. I also saw Peter Thommen (formerly F2 board shaper and now Thommen Boards) at Kanaha and saw a couple of other familiar faces from the magazines and blogs.

And finally – I had a nice visit with Sam Bittner - American Windsurfing Tour (AWT) organizer. She is already well underway with the 2012 AWT plans. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – windsurfing is lucky to have her. She is revitalizing the big wavesailing events across North America and bringing growth and visibility back into the sport. Support the AWT in 2012!

I mostly ate in Paia – Milagros, Flatbread Pizza, Paia Fish Market, & Anthony’s were very good. Also ate at “Colleens” in Haiku and “Baked on Maui” next to The Cannery, which both were also very good.

Paia

I want to thank Matt Pritchard for getting me hooked up with advanced lessons, rental gear, rental truck, and a room. I had met Matt at his wavesailing clinic in Punta San Carlos so it was a no brainer for me to contact him about my Maui trip. Everything was top notch and windsurfing with him was a big highlight. I stayed at his brother’s place, located in “upcountry” Maui, which has a nice separate 1 bedroom rental suite. It was very comfortable and had an awesome ocean view. Contact Matt if you want him to help you with your Maui vacation.

My Ride

I didn't know Tabou made a SUP board. This is the 9'2" surfboard. I could tell it was a very fun and turny board even on the small waves I was on. I would love to get it on larger waves. It also has a mast insert.

All in all, it was a short but fun 3 ½ day trip to Maui. It was on to Kona – I’ll post later about the Big Island of Hawaii.

Aloha

2011-11-30T21:10:00.001-05:00

Absolutely gorgeous. Will post more later from the land of Aloha.

The Best Athlete In The World

2011-11-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

In celebration of Kelly Slater's very recent pro surfing world championship that makes it his 11th, I thought it would be fun to start some dialogue about who is really the best athlete in the world. Lets start with some of my choices and top mentions...

Lets start with the most recent ASP world champ himself, Kelly Slater. He is the youngest (20) and the oldest (39) to win the title. Think about this for a moment...really. Focus. Dedication. Drive. Staying fit when you're getting old (old for pro surfing) and competing against guys who could almost be your son...and beating their board shorts off. Lance Armstrong and Jimmie Johnson can only dream of 11 championships. From a pure athletic and year after year streak standpoint, Slater stands out. Just watch this video and tell me surfers aren't athletes.

Then there is Laird Hamilton. A single debate alone could be who is the better surfer - Kelly Slater or Laird Hamilton. I think this is apples and oranges. I think Slater is the better competitive short board surfer and better twisty move thingamajiggy whatchamacallit surfer. Laird Hamilton wins for all around waterman across multiple disciplines, big wave surfing, creativity, and pioneering water sports such as stand up paddling. So you clearly have to put Laird Hamilton in the best athlete debate. The only rub might be he doesn't compete. Doesn't matter. That actually puts him a league all by himself - by having made himself a living legend because he doesn't compete. Because he can do so much - short board, long board, tow surfing, SUP, prone paddle boarding, windsurfing, kiteboarding, foil boarding, outrigger canoe, etc. - that may make him the best athlete. C'mon, he freaking paddled across the English Channel and didn't tell anyone. Pictures of that adventure never appeared and probably don't even exist. He might have been the first to stand up paddle the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. He might have tow surfed the biggest wave ever ridden (Egypts - yeah bigger than GMACs recent big wave ride) and only three other people saw it. Again, no pictures. He and Dave Kalama biked and paddled the entire Hawaiian Island chain because they could (and for a good cause - autism). He bikes too? Ridiculous. From one of my favorite movies...

Lance Armstrong - He's innocent until proven guilty of the alleged doping...period. Seven Tour De France titles after almost dying from cancer. Winning seven titles without cancer never happened and probably never will. Imagine biking 100+ miles per day for almost two weeks...a large part of it in the French Alps, fending off competitors nipping at your heels, and dodging crazed fans waving you down on the side of the road. Then he ran the NYC marathon, won the Leadville 100 mile mountain bike race at 10,000 ft+, did some triathlons, and just did the Xterra event. Raising millions for the fight against cancer has helped so many people. I know that doesn't make him a great athlete, but its a bonus.

Robby Naish - Again with the old(er) guys. He's still killing it today in his late 40s - windsurfing, kiteboarding, SUP. 24 various windsurfing titles in waves, racing, slalom...been doing it since he was 11 years old. He even won some kiteboarding titles. Yes, pure athlete. Here's the opening clip from another favorite movie classic, RIP

Bjorn Dunkerbeck - Speaking of streaks and titles and another 40 something. He came along and gave King Robby a run for the money and took over as windsurfing world title holder and has 38 various world windsurfing titles. Dunkerbeck still races competitively and has been working on the world's fastest speed sailing record on a windsurfer. I thought this was a good oldie video clip to show from when he was just a kid and the equipment now seems so antique. He gets a mention for the title streak.

Jimmie Johnson - OK, he's not really up for best athlete compared to these other guys - but you have to give him props for 5 NASCAR titles in a row. You'll probably never see that again. Yes, NASCAR is a sport and Jimmie Johnson is an athlete. If you don't believe me, go to your nearest NASCAR track, sign up for the Richard Petty Driving School and drive one those cars around the track for 10 laps at 180+ mph, then multiply that by 30-40. Do that for 30 something weeks straight. Then you'll know it takes an athlete to handle that.

Dean Karnazes - ultramarathoner (and former pro windsurfer) - anyone who can run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days has to be considered for best athlete (and considered crazy) from an endurance standpoint. He capped off that feat with the New York Marathon, then decided to run home to San Francisco from New York, but stopped in Missouri to spend more time with his family. He ended up running across the country this year in 75 days, running 40 to 50 miles per day. He also once ran 350 miles in under 81 hours without stopping. Wow. Running is as pure and natural form of athleticism as it gets. From a pure running and endurance standpoint, no one comes close.

See the themes here? It's streaks, longevity, and the best at more than one thing. Kobe? Lebron? Joe Montana? Tom Brady? Aaron Rodgers? Albert Pujols? Ali? Jeter? Gretzky? Jordan? Shawn White? Tony Hawk? Past Olympic greats like Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis, and Jesse Owens? They are or were the best in their respective sports but don't come close to the multi-dimensional and endurance abilities of the athletes mentioned above...and for so long.

I think it comes down to Laird Hamilton and Lance Armstrong. Water wins in my book so Laird gets it.

Disagree? Who am I leaving out? What sport(s) did I leave out? Who do you think is the best athlete in the world?

Now Lets Go Windsurfing

2011-11-13T20:14:00.007-05:00

After yesterday's nice sail with the boys, it was time for some windsurfing today with the increasing SW wind. The SW wind forecast looks fairly good for the next few days but I had to get it today while I could since work calls this week. Rob joined me out there and it was a cloudy day but we had a great time. This was my 4th sesh so far this fall - all medium wind slalom sessions on the lake. All the higher wind days have been either during the work week or when I was out of town.

All rigged up and ready to go

Rob

Let's Go Sailin'

2011-11-12T17:32:00.007-05:00

A casual sail today with the boys and their Granddad. My dad (Granddad) built this 15 ft flat bottom skiff with a spritsail rig (no boom). It's modeled after the boats that used to sail around the shallow waters off Beaufort and Harkers Island, NC. He finished it about 7 years ago and its completely hand made with juniper and treated pine wood. Even the mast, sprit, and paddles were hand made by him. We had a fun sail in easy 5-10 mph and gave the boys the tiller for a while.

Punta San Carlos Video

2011-11-05T20:19:00.014-05:00

It took me a while, thanks to home PC issues, but I finally got the video together from our awesome August trip to Punta San Carlos, Baja. I captured some good scenery shots, along with some GoPro helmet cam footage in clean, glassy, playful SUP waves. I edited it in big HD, so watch it full screen, click the "HD" so it turns blue, and let it buffer. Enjoy!

Punta San Carlos 2011 from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

Our Fall SUP Racing Wrap Up

2011-10-18T20:56:00.004-05:00

The last two weeks have been a fun blur of SUP racing. The new local stand up paddle shop at Lake Norman, My Aloha Paddle Sports & Fitness, held their first SUP race on Oct 8th. It took place at Vinnie's restaurant, which is located lakefront on Lake Norman and made for a great spectator friendly area to watch the racing. The course was set up in laps with buoy turns all in front of the restaurant and the main road leading right by the water. There were over 35 racers in all, which was a great turnout and a nice surprise given that the race was planned only a few short weeks in advance. The best part was the event raised over $1,000 for the local Habitat for Humanity. Lake Norman has a very fast growing SUP community and has the potential to have a really big SUP event that could attract racers from all over the country.

Here are the race results and some pictures. Here are a couple of local articles about the race...here and here.

This past weekend, the family and I participated in the 2nd Annual Golden Isles SUP Classic in St. Simons Island, GA. The event is put on by WhiteCap Windsurfing & Stand Up Paddling...and Paddle and Putt, which is pro golfer Davis Love III's local shop. For those that don't know...Davis Love III, future hall of fame pro golfer and the 2012 Ryder Cup captain, has taken up stand up paddling as his new passion and does it for its fitness and cross training benefits. The following photos tell the story of our weekend...

After a 5 1/2 hour car ride, we went straight to the beach Friday evening and let the kids release some pent up energy...

Family meeting

Saturday morning - getting in a pre-race warm-up with my daughter, McIntyre. The weather was absolutely amazing....sunny, low to mid 80s, and a light offshore breeze.

Giving McIntyre some instruction about the race course. She decided that morning to race in the 3 mile Recreational Division with the adults.

My brutha from another mutha - the other Mac! This is another whole story unto itself. He works with Davis Love III, is co-owner of the Paddle and Putt shop, we have the same first and last name, spelled exactly the same, we grew up within 1 hr from each other in NC, our kids are the same age, and we both stand up paddle. What are the chances of that?

...and some of my friends also call me "MacDaddy". This slogan is hilarious and has new meaning now that there are two of us!

Davis Love III speaks before the race. He said he "conveniently" missed the cut of the local PGA event so he could come check out the event on Saturday. He wanted to race but was nursing an injury. Davis said he loves to SUP surf. To the right of Davis is Chuck Hardin, co-owner of WhiteCap Windsurfing and Stand Up Paddling. Those of you who follow windsurfing may remember Chuck wrote an article for Windsurfing Magazine a couple of years ago where he did the Matt Pritchard wavesailing clinic at Solo Sports/Punta San Carlos, Baja Mexico...and they burned/sacrificed his seat harness. Its burnt and charred remains are still in the lounge, left there and mounted on a plaque as a hilarious reminder. Chuck, WhiteCap co-owner Danny Johnson, the Paddle & Putt folks, and their volunteers did an outstanding job with the race and post race party.

Notice that sculpture behind them? Our 7 year old son got a hold of our camera unbeknownst to us and this was the result. He took 20 more pics just like it. I thought it was funny, Kris not so much.

Off to battle. I love the shape of my Surftech Bark Competitor 12'6" race board.

The race start

The boys being boys

McIntyre races to the finish.

At 12 yrs old, she finished 3rd place in the Recreational 3 mile Women's Race Board 12"6" & Under Division. What a great follow up to the recent Stand Up Journal article.

This is me headed to the finish in the Men's Elite 12'6" & Under Division. The 1st & 2nd place finishers were Packet Casey (Jimmy Lewis team rider) & Ian McFarland (formerly with Starboard), both from Florida and two of the east coast's fastest paddlers. I had to fight for my 3rd place finish and hold off two other racers who stuck with me for most of the entire 7.5 mile course.

I left it all out there on the water to pull ahead of those two other guys towards the end of the race. My legs cramped up as soon as I hit the beach for the run to the finish.

McIntyre with her awesome trophy

...and as luck would have it, she also won the raffle give away for the brand new Jimmy Lewis 12'6" Blade race board. Big thanks to Jimmy Lewis and all the great sponsors of the event. Check her out with Davis Love III.

Proud papa with his girl and her new race board. It's a good thing I know something about carrying multiple boards on top of the family truckster...we brought an extra one home.

We got home as the sun was setting and just in time for her to break it in on the lake. Looks like it suits her!

Here are all the 2011 Golden Isle SUP Classic race results.

StandUp Journal article

2011-09-25T17:13:00.008-05:00

Pick up the latest Fall 2011 edition of the StandUp Journal and check out page 152 for the 6 page article and pictures I submitted to them. It's about how stand up paddling has brought our family closer together and how my daughter was really the catalyst for it all. Hopefully it will inspire kids and their families to get outside and paddle together. Many of the pictures are from our family Hatteras trip last April. The pictures include my wife and our good friend Dawn's son, Gabe. Big thanks to Clay Feeter for publishing it. And big thanks also to pro women's SUP racer Karen Wrenn for her quote and kind words. If you don't subscribe, pick it up at your local SUP shop or Barnes & Nobles.

Here is a favorite photo of mine that I submitted but didn't make the cut. Notice my daughter is splashing the water...if you click on the photo you can see the droplets in the air. I think it speaks to the beauty of our surroundings if we just look around...and of the carefree, fun and easy feeling that kids can bring out in all of us...

Katia Leftovers & Cheap Thrills

2011-09-14T19:53:00.005-05:00

Unfortunately the American Windsurfing Tour's Hatteras Wave Jam was cancelled due to damage sustained from Hurricane Irene. Looking at the epic forecast for this weekend, all I can think about is what could have been. Bill has been thinking the same. So when it got cancelled, new commitments started filling the void this weekend instead and that means no windsurfing for me. Knowing that last week, I grabbed a brief window of opportunity to make a 24 hr run to catch some Hurricane Katia leftover swell. I missed the best waves on Thursday Sept 8th and it dropped a lot overnight but I got the very end of the downward slope on Friday Sept 9th.

I made it to the north end of Carolina Beach, met Sam and Ralph, and hit the water with the local crew at sunrise. I think there were over 10 of us on the water. After the local crew got their fill and headed off to work, Sam, Ralph, and I had it all to ourselves as the waves got fewer and farther between. We all caught many waves that morning...hard not to when SUP surfing for 3.5 hours straight. We ran off to catch some delicious lunch at the Surf House, then returned for more when the wind picked up and caught a few waves by light wind wavesailing on our SUP boards as the surf finally started to disappear.

Ralph chronicles it here and Sam chronicles it here.

Here are the only four pics I took the entire day...

Sam on a nice one

Where did Ralph go?

Ralph

Sam

By midafternoon, I was back on the road and home by early evening to spend the rest of the weekend with the family. Then Rob got the itch since he missed out on the 24hr road trip adventure. So we went for the cheap thrill and did some SUP wake surfing behind the boat...he chronicled it here.

Never Forget

2011-09-10T12:35:00.004-05:00

How You Can Help Hatteras Island

2011-09-06T17:17:00.000-05:00

Hatteras Island has a special place in our hearts, certainly mine. Hurricane Irene's aftermath is having a serious negative impact on their economy and livelihoods. Avon and the tri villages (Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo) were hugely impacted by the soundside flooding. People have lost their homes and everything in them such as clothes, etc. Hatteras Island has given us so much and we've enjoyed her bounty of wind and waves for many many years. It's time to give back. I've spoken with several folks, locals and others, and have collected some ideas about how we can all help the Hatteras Island residents:

1) Buy from the local windsurfing shops. They're losing at least an entire month of sales, not to mention the cancellation of the Hatteras Wave Jam, which would have brought many competitors and spectators to the shops. We need these shops to survive. Call them to order something or order online from them. Even if you don't need a new board or sail, buy accessories...even if its just spectra line, a mast base, or harness lines. If you were thinking about some new equipment for next year, get it now. Buy that birthday and Christmas gift from them...think about the apparel they carry too. Think of the other local businesses too...such as the local gift, art, book, and fish/tackle shops.

The windsurfing shops in alphabetical order:

Avon Sail House

Fox Watersports

Hatteras Island Surf Shop

Ocean Air Watersports

Ride Hatteras

Wind-NC

2) Here is a great article about the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center and the great work they're doing. It provides a great idea on how you can help: "People off-island have been making food donations by calling one of the open local restaurants, which are basically in Buxton, and requesting a certain dollar amount of food be delivered to a community center. Most donations have been between $200 and $500. The restaurant then makes the food appropriate to the canteen styles of eating and takes it there."

3) Donate to the local Salvation Army and Volunteer Fire Depts in Avon and Rodanthe/Salvo/Waves area. They have been working their tails off around the clock helping folks with everything from rescues, making and serving meals, providing shelter, etc.

Avon Volunteer Fire Department
40159 Harbor Road
Avon, NC 27915
Mailing Address
PO Box 388
Avon, NC 27915
Phone: 252-995-5021

Salvo Volunteer Fire Department

Chicamacomico Banks Fire Department

Here is more info on how to donate to the local Salvation Army. Read the section at the bottom about giving.

4) Donate clothes - I'm still trying to get more information on this one. Salvation Army says on their web site that donating used clothes are seldom required in specific incidents and that donations give them more flexibility to respond to emergencies. Many people lost everything they had, including their clothes. There are kids and adults in need. I'm awaiting more information on what the specific needs are for clothing and where we can send donated clothing. I'm told the Rodanthe Hotline Thrift Shop has been giving out free clothing to those in need so perhaps they could use more donations. I tried to call them but no one answered the phone. We're already collecting clothes from our closets and our neighbors are pitching in too. Stay tuned on this one.

Please pass this on to your friends and families who have enjoyed Hatteras Island. If I missed a local organization or idea on how to help, please let us know in the comments section below.

Action Kids

2011-09-04T21:47:00.009-05:00

Nintendo? We don't need no stinkin' Nintendo!

In the span of 24 hours, the kids and their cousins lived it up outdoors. Stand up paddling on Saturday evening, then on Sunday it was off to the National Whitewater Center for mountain biking, tree canopies/zip lines, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing. They are sleeping good tonight.

The 5th, 6th, & 7th photos from the bottom are other people in action (kayakers & rafters)....all the other photos are our kids, their cousins, and my in-laws...

Oh Man...Hatteras Island cut off...

2011-08-28T17:46:00.004-05:00

8/29 UPDATE: click here for Island Free Press update & slide show (photos by Don Bowers)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Unbelievable video from the air & pics...

http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/aug/28/hatteras-island-cut-after-hurricane-irene-ar-1338636/

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/28/2560167/rescue-efforts-continue-in-wake.html

Irene Windsurfing on Lake Norman

2011-08-27T16:09:00.007-05:00

Thinking about the eastern seaboard and hoping Irene's bite isn't as bad as the hype. Meanwhile, we took advantage of the north/northwest wind that Irene gave the Lake Norman area today. Sailed with Alan, Rob, and Dmitri. Not abnormally gusty for the lake, but was quite up and down early, then really started to fill in as the wind turned more northwest. Rigged for the gusts and getting upwind...was on 6.4 sail and 113 lt board....was the perfect set up early on....and then we did some exploring. We worked ourselves way upwind to see what was beyond some islands way out in the distance...and found an even longer fetch to the northwest that gave us stronger and more consistent wind...and bigger swell/chop. At that point, I wish I was on smaller gear but had a blast anyway. We played around in that area for a while in 25mph+ wind, then returned to the launch area where it had filled in nicely. Great day on the lake. Hope everyone stayed safe out there if you're near the coast.

This is the south end of Lake Norman. The yellow icon on the right is where we started the sesh when the wind was more out of the north. The blue icon on the left is where we found the much longer fetch to northwest and had the better conditions. The area between those two islands is marked with shoal markers, very rocky and shallow so we had to walk across it with our gear.

Looking to those islands in the distance and wondering if it was better over there

Rob not Robert

Rob portaging his gear across the shoals to get to the good stuff

Rob

Rob

Rob

Dmitri

Dmitri

I told Dmitri it was better beyond the island and off he went. Alan was already over there. You can barely see him on the water just over Dmitri's sail.

Punta San Carlos No Succiona De La Segunda Parte

2011-08-21T15:52:00.001-05:00

Continued from Part 1...

Rob made a great video of our week in Punta San Carlos/Solo Sports camp, check it out:

Punta San Carlos, Baja - August 2011 from Rob on Vimeo.

You asked for more pics. Well, sit back and enjoy. Here are a lot more, along with some commentary...

All the following windsurfing and SUP surfing shots were taken by Clark Merritt...San Carlos photog extraordinairre. Thanks Clark!...

The wavesailing was so much fun. The Saturday afternoon we arrived, there were logo high sets and it was blowing 25mph+ and we jumped right in the frying pan. The waves and wind let up for the rest of the week, but we made the best of them and wavesailed everyday but one...

Loved the SUP surfing! We SUP surfed every single morning. Earlier in the week, we had overhead waves and it must have been a south swell because we had long rides with multiple top/bottom turn opportunities. Mid week gave us waist to shoulder high waves. Late in the week, the swell angle changed, we had knee to chest high waves and we had to wait longer for the bigger sets to roll through. Most all these SUP pics were taken late in the week when the waves were smaller...

Sharing a party wave...

This is my new paddle yoga pose - I got a little too close to Rob on my cutback and lost my balance. No wonder my knee was sore when I got home...

Buh-Bye!...

Emily liked it!...

Can you see the grin on my face?...

All week long, there were a group of at least 5 seals who were checking us out while we were windsurfing and SUP surfing. They were very curious about the SUP surfing. As the week went on, they got closer and closer to us, until finally on our last morning SUP surfing, one of them would submarine right into the back of our board and nose the board's tail ever so gently, but not knock us off. Earlier in the week, one of them tugged at Kevin's leash while he was surfing The Point. Here is one of them in the foreground...

This place is becoming a serious mountain bike destination. The pros and magazines are coming and filming here...

The entrance to the Fish Camp area...

surfers set up their own camp at the Chili Bowl...

At the top of the black diamond designated trail "Snake Run", looking down...

Rob at the top, Luis coming down...

Matt was looking for another challenge, so he decided to go for a swim sans wetsuit in the 60 degree water, hoping that would get the wind to come up. Sam joined in and yes, she screamed. And the wind came up...

Matt at the Chili Bowl...

Rob, Clark, Waterturtle. Clark told us some great stories that were hilarious and had us falling out of our seats laughing so hard. I know he's thinking about it, but he definitely needs to write a book about his surfing/windsurfing exploits that should also include the history of Punta San Carlos. I would buy and read that in a second. Required reading is his article in that last issue of Windtracks Journal, the "white" issue in Summer '99. It was titled "San Carlos: The Formative Years". Get your hands on it if you can. It sits proudly in my windsurfing mag library...

Waiting for the wind and waves with some card games...

Loungin' in the world's best outdoor lounge...

A week here goes by very slow...in a good way. I never felt like the week was rushing by...

Early evening sets in...

Gorgeous!

Neil serves up the Baja Fogs...

Kevin Trejo, Matt Pritchard, Rob, Waterturtle, Sam Bittner...

The entire crew in our camp were awesome. Everyone got along great and we shared many great conversations...

It's Baja Midnight (9pm)...time to go to bed!...

The view from inside the equipment room...

All the gear you want...

One last SUP surfing sesh before heading home...

Da Plane, Da Plane!

Emily got some flying lessons on the way out and I wanted it to stop before I hurled...

Matt flew out with us...

Flew back in a Piper Cherokee 6...

From l to r: Brock, Greg, Happy Sam, and Ruben post landing in San Diego. Sam Bittner is the American Windsurfing Tour (AWT) creator and organizer. Sam is the right person at the right time for the AWT. She is creative, passionate, upbeat, positive, and always thinking about how to improve. Looking forward to she and Matt Pritchard (acting as head judge) coming to Hatteras...

Thanks again to the entire Solo Sports Crew and Staff, Matt Pritchard and Kevin McGillivary for the excellent wavesailing clinic, and to our camp mates for the great camaraderie!

Punta San Carlos Doesn't Suck - Part 1

2011-08-16T19:27:00.012-05:00

This is Part 1 of the Punta San Carlos pics and commentary...stay tuned for Part 2 which will have more water action shots, including some taken by the world famous and illustrious Clark Merritt.

Special thanks to the the crew and staff at Solo Sports. This was our second trip there and we had an amazing time. I highly recommend this trip if you ever get the chance. I also recommend the Matt Pritchard Wavesailing Camp. I was sailing the waves better at the end of the week and took away some things to continue working on. Matt and Kevin McGillivary were excellent hosts and instructors.

One of the great things about the week was the people and that we had a small group. From left to right starting at the top: Ruben Lemons (stayed for a 2nd week, competed and won 3rd in the amateur division of the Cactus Cup), Kevin McGillivary (also known as K-Smac, west coast pro and instructor in the wavesailing camp, absolutely rips Punta San Carlos), Matt Pritchard (World Champion, 'nuff said), Steve (Irishman landlocked in Switzerland, but very world traveled and lots of wavesailing experience around the world). Bottom row l to r: Rob (my partner in crime), Emily (Bay area windsurfer who frequents Crissy Field and absolutely loves PSC), Waterturtle, Chris (our rocket scientist from Melbourne FL and was always the last one off the water), Greg (Bay area sailor who frequents Coyote & 3rd Ave), Sam Bittner (AWT organizer and all around happy girl, she stayed for 2nd week and finished 2nd in the womens division at Cactus Cup), and Brock (Bay area sailor who also frequents Coyote and 3rd Ave).

Crossing the border - Tijuana on the left, San Diego County on the right.

Rob

We were checking out all the cool breaks on the way down.

Entering PSC airspace! Our runway is that strip on the right.

It was big when we got there - logo high sets

Ruben

That's why they call him K-Smac

K-Smac

100+ miles of world class mountain bike trails for all levels

Entering "Badlands"

Rob

Waterturtle with Badlands behind me...the mountain biking here rocks

Our home away from home

The tents were comfy with enough padding and sleeping bags provided

Kevin & Matt providing some on land instruction to Rob. We also had video analysis and remote audio helmet radios. We wore helmets on the water and Matt was relaying instructions to us over radio....how cool is that? Kind of weird having Matt in your head like that...but it helped.

The crew suits up for some trail riding

Rob, Steve, and Matt

Solo Sports Camp - bar/lounge to the right, equipment in the middle, showers and wetsuit/towel rack to the left

Looking back at camp from the "Islote"

We did some tidal pool exploring at low tide...look how clear the water is

This rock was covered at high tide, was the size of a large beachball

Not sure of the name of this mollusk looking thing that attaches itself to a rock and has tentacles, but it was ingesting a crab.

What do you call it?

Heading to "Top of the World", where you overlook the camp.

At the "Top of the World" with Luis, the 12 year old son of a local, and one of our new friends. Luis would hang around camp sometimes and stay hidden until we were suiting up to ride. Then he would all of a sudden appear out of nowhere with a helmet, gloves, and a bike and ready to ride. Language barrier didn't matter and we figured what the heck. Turns out the kid can ride and stayed with us the entire time.

These two pics above are of Matt on a smaller day in the middle of the week. Matt rallied the troops by going out and setting an example of what was still possible in the smaller stuff. We followed and had a great time.

Stay tuned for Part 2 with more water action including more wavesailing, SUP surfing, mountain biking, and camp shots...

Baja Fog

2011-08-13T22:35:00.002-05:00

Sitting in the airport, waiting to fly home on the redeye...and in a Baja fog. For those that don't know, the Baja Fog is the official drink of the Solo Sports camp in Punta San Carlos. It's made up of a Corona, pour in some tequila up to the top of the neck, add some lime juice, then hold up it straight up as you guzzle it down to the bottom of the neck.

Reentry is going to be rough. We SUP surfed every single morning, mountain biked 4 times, and wavesailed every day except one day. The wind and waves got a bit scarce towards the latter half of the week for wavesailing but Thursday was absolutely memorable with some fun rides and had us all sailing much better than earlier in the week thanks to the Matt Pritchard wavesailing clinic. It was an epic week because of the overall experience and the ability to take advantage of my 3 favorite sports every day. The food was great and everyone in our camp was very cool (included Matt Pritchard, Kevin McGillivary, Sam Bitner - AWT creator and organizer, 4 Bay area folks, 1 Floridian, an Irishman living in Switzerland, and the Carolina boys Rob & I). Kevin, Clark, Rodney, Neil, and the local staff were all in great form.

More to come later with pics and more commentary on the experience.

This Place Sucks

2011-08-08T20:38:00.002-05:00

Reporting from Solo Sports camp in Punta San Carlos, Baja California Mexico...In 1st 48 hrs here, we've SUP surfed 2x, wavesailed 3x, mtn biked 2x. Best and longest SUP waves Rob and I have ever had. We're SUP surfing very early in the morning....7-9am....glassy conditions....chest to overhead high. Long rides with easily 6-10 top/bottom turns.

We're windsurfing in the afternoons when the wind picks up. Saturday's windsurfing waves were chest to logo high. Sunday/Monday afternoon windsurfing waves were small but we got out there and we're learning a lot from World Champion Matt Pritchard and west coast pro Kevin McGillivary. Rumor is another swell is on the way...we'll see.

Internet bandwidth is severely limited and my iPad won't connect to the wireless AP....so we're unable to post pics for now. I'm typing this from the shared wired PC.

The joke around the camp is "this place sucks"...of course Kevin Trejo started it...always gets a smile & a chuckle. Adios Amigos!

Baja Or Bust

2011-08-03T20:28:00.003-05:00

A few days & counting until Punta San Carlos....going to get the Cactus Cup leftovers. Will try to post something a couple of times while there. In the meantime, enjoy my 4 favorite Punta San Carlos windsurfing videos (with special mention to the Ian Boyd/Chris Wyman footage in the Peter Trow/Brian Caserio classic "Surface Tension"):

Graham Ezzy goes down south from umi pictures on Vimeo.

One week in Baja from Pete Wurster on Vimeo.

Punta San Carlos Home Movie from Catapult Media on Vimeo.

The Best Windsurfing Video Ever. GoPro. from GoPro on Vimeo.

Here is the mountain bike oriented Solo Sports video...gives a great feel for the experience (if you're mtn biking)...

And here is the video chapter book from our trip three years ago...

The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - Intro from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - The Players from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - The Waves from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - The Pros from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - The Dirt from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - Finale - Camp Life & Departure from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - Slideshow from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

New Charlotte Windsurfing Forum

2011-07-31T21:05:00.002-05:00

The IBSCC Forum site is no more due to technical difficulties (The main IBSCC is still alive and well). The new Charlotte Windsurfing Forum is up and running. It's for anyone, it's free and easy to use, and requires registration so we can keep out the spammers. Check out the site and join us for all the local happenings, when folks are going windsurfing locally or taking trips to the coast, upcoming forecasts, session bragging, war stories, post photos & videos, etc. It's now updated on my blog roll list to the right.

Please also bookmark the main IBSCC site (International Board Sailing Club of Charlotte...or otherwise known as I Be Sailin' Cause its Crankin) for local launch info, shops, weather, equipment, etc. Alan White has owned and maintained this site for many years and its chock full of great links and information.

Shem Creek Shootout

2011-07-26T21:16:00.008-05:00

Raced in the 2nd Annual Shem Creek Shootout a few weeks ago. The start/finish was at Red's Icehouse, located in Mount Pleasant, SC right next to Charleston. It was a great event put on by Charleston Watersports.

I entered the 8 mile Elite race in the Men's 12'6" division. As it turned out with the way the turn buoys ended up getting put out, it actually only ended up being 6.3 miles according to my GPS watch. It was a breezy morning that produced various conditions (and 2 turn buoys) out on the race course...it had it all with chop and wind from all directions...which I prefer to just an out and back flat water race. The first leg out of the creek had us paddling into the SW 10-15mph breeze in flat water. Once out of the creek, we dealt with wind and boat chop, then around a turn buoy and paddling with the wind (and side chop) coming across our shoulder for a very long leg.

The 2nd turn buoy had us at the Sullivans Island cut which had two currents running into each other producing some rough chop. Once around that buoy, it was more side wind but flatter water that took us back into the finish. At that 2nd turn buoy, I was neck and neck for the lead in my division with a local paddler. I took a risk and went hard for the inside of the turn around the buoy, stepped back and did a hard pivot turn with the board, then just turned it on from there and never looked back. Very happy with the 1st place finish in the Mens Elite 12'6" division.

Here are some pics from Beth's Picasa photo album. Beth was a major race volunteer who did a great job along with Dave Clifford, Charleston Watersports' proprietor.

The race course

The start...Waterturtle is in black/white and on the yellow Bark board. Photo taken by my friend Lori.

Crossing the finish line

The times

Won some money...it was very cool that the purse was the same between the 14' and 12'6" divisions.

All the mens' and womens' divisional top 3 winners

Here are the top 3 in each division:

Recreational Class Women’s
Name Finish Time
Bernadette Leach 1:01:37
Jana Foglam 1:02:46
Jenny Alderman 1:06:31

Recreational Class Men’s
Name Finish Time
Justin Schaay 0:57:58
Kenny Puckett 0:58:14
David Thorvalson 0:59:41

Elite 12’6″ Women’s
Name Finish Time
Kimberley Sutton 1:26:28
Kimberly James 1:28:48
April Zilig 1:33:21

Elite 12’6″ Men’s
Name Finish Time
Mac Barnhardt 1:16:53
Jeremy Whitted 1:17:30
Mark Colino 1:18:53

Elite 14′ Men’s Finish Time
Chris Hill 1:11:49
Craig Stephens 1:12:30
Rhodes 1:13:29

Kids
Name Finish Time
Jameson Sanders 11:28
Chase Michaelsen 16:40

Men’s 50+
Name Finish Time
Mike Evatt 1:15:55
Bill Curry 1:17:23
Clay Thornhill 1:23:39

Here is a local newspaper article about the race.

Marine Science

2011-07-19T21:06:00.018-05:00

Last weekend, our family visited my cousin Susan, who lives and works in Virginia Beach. Susan is the Stranding Response Coordinator & Senior Scientist at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. She was an awesome host and gave us a great behind the scenes tour of the Aquarium as well as the Stranding Response & Rehabilitation Center. The behind the scenes tour included up close and personal time with the seals, a spotted eagle ray feeding, a behind the wall komodo dragon living quarters tour, and seeing stranded sea turtles being rehabilitated.

Susan and her coworkers will get calls when there are marine mammal and sea turtle standings in the Mid-Atlantic region, although she has also traveled to further east coast spots when her assistance is required with a major whale stranding. More often than not, a whale that has stranded itself or washed up on shore has to be put down if it hasn’t already died and that’s when the real work begins - the neocropsy (animal autopsy) right there on the beach. Waist deep in whale blubber, they will remove the vital organs and record everything for science…and to determine why the whale got stranded in the first place. Susan was once featured on the Discovery Channel in a show about solving the mystery of local Virginia Beach area dolphin deaths. I’ve seen pictures of Susan and her coworkers doing a neocropsy on a large Sperm Whale on a shoal 1 mile off Cape Lookout, NC. They had to time their work at low tide and make quick work of it before high tide set in (leaving the remains for the sharks and birds). She’s also done a lot of work on the Outer Banks of NC.

The animals who do survive sometimes get taken to the local Stranding Response and Rehabilitation Center to get treated, rehabbed, then released back into the ocean when they are well enough to be on their own again. Some of these released animals will get tagged with GPS monitors so the scientists can track their movements and paths around the ocean. Check out this web site where you can track some of these sea turtles that get tagged. Real fascinating stuff.

These amazing sea animals that get stranded, die, or end up in the Standing Center are victims of natural causes….or sadly because of boat strikes, fishing nets, and ingesting garbage/plastics. Whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and seals are arguably the most beautiful and majestic sea animals on this earth and we’re always admiring their grace in the water. So its always a sad occasion and incredibly ironic when one ends up the beach dying because of man made dangers. At the Stranding Response Center, we saw one loggerhead turtle that had been struck by a boat with a split shell and split skull. It was deeply medicated and resting and Susan talked in terms of “if” it makes it. There was another very large loggerhead over 300 lbs that had one of its flippers amputated because it got caught in a net and lost all circulation. If it had not been found, it would have died. Yet another loggerhead was recovering from pneumonia and set to be released within a couple of weeks. We also got to see a recovering baby Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (which is fairly rare). As we were leaving, Susan’s coworkers were bringing in a dead leatherback sea turtle for a neocropsy that had been found that morning.

The work that Susan and her coworkers do is incredible. A lot of research is done on stranded marine mammals and sea turtles. This leads to educating the public about these magnificent animals and their conservation needs. Of course, all this great work and science relies on grant money and donations. Please be sure to support your local marine science center (and stranding & rehab center if they have one). If you are in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Tidewater area, be sure to visit the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center.

Marine Science from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

My cuz, Susan, with one of the satellite tracking devices they attach to released sea turtles.

The loggerhead turtle with the amputated flipper. He was moving around pretty good.

Kemp's Ridley sea turtle

The loggerhead turtle with pneumonia....to be released within a couple of weeks.

The boat strike victim - lets hope he makes it.

Spotted Eagle Ray feeding time

The kids checking out the Komodo Dragon...or perhaps its the other way around.

Susan's friend feeding the fish and cleaning the aquarium.

We had incredible weather and benefited from the milder summer temps that we got in between the big heat waves. Combine that with a nice onshore southeasterly breeze and you couldn’t ask for a more picture perfect beach day. Of course, the beach weekend wasn’t complete without some time on the water. Susan lives on the north end of Virginia Beach near Cape Henry away from the crowds and 1 block from the beach. I was able to sneak in some SUP surfing both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I would roll out of bed and carry my board/paddle to the beach. On Saturday, I was on the water and catching waist to chest high right handers before 7am before heading to the Aquarium. Sunday morning, the waves were smaller in the knee to waist high range. The waves on the north end would pitch up steep but then not yet break for a while allowing some nice rides…and when they did break, it was that nice soft crumbly off the top kind of break. I had fairly clean conditions before the weekend’s forecasted late morning and afternoon southeasterly breeze would pick up.

And the coolest part - I was surrounded by 8-10 dolphin both days...some were just babies. There were surfers within a hundred yards of me in both directions and these dolphin would hang out with me the entire time I was out there both mornings and just about completely ignored the other surfers. They would slap their tails, play with each other, jump around, surf the waves, jump over the waves...it was wild. They seemed fascinated with the guy who was standing up...and I enjoyed the company. Susan tells me that many of the dolphin who hang out at Virginia Beach in the summer actually hang out in the Outer Banks in the winter.

All the following pictures were taken on Sunday morning by my lovely bride.

VB waves

2011-07-17T14:59:00.001-05:00

In Virginia Beach visiting with family and caught two dawn patrol SUP surf sessions this weekend. More later about the trip...

HIHO revisited

2011-07-13T20:39:00.004-05:00

The 2011 HIHO just took place earlier this month. This was the 2nd year they included SUP in the mix along with windsurfing at this annual event in the British Virgin Islands. Here is a good video of the vibe...

Highland Spring HIHO 2011 from Ryan Reede on Vimeo.

Here is the write up and pics I put together after our 2007 HIHO adventure...brings back some great memories...and here is the video...

HIHO 2007 from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

Unreal Windsurfing in Real World Conditions

2011-07-11T21:13:00.003-05:00

Windy side onshore wavesailing...check out how long Philip Koster's (G44) harness lines are...and his triple loop attempt towards the end.

Seagull Stole GoPro

2011-07-02T06:36:00.001-05:00

Very funny, but staged or real?

Amazing Feats of SUP

2011-06-30T21:15:00.002-05:00

The SUP The Coast guys are almost at the end of their journey, paddling from Key West, FL to Portland, ME.

"The eastern coast of the United States is long. In a car bus or train it takes several days even weeks to travel from Key West Florida to Portland Maine.

Our journey has taken approximately 85 paddling days to reach Marion Massachusetts.

I can’t help but think how the natives and ancients travelled the coastlines of our Earth. Whether for trade or survival these men and women would leave the shore and travel long distances (on simple craft) to meet other tribes and trade goods.

We also have met many” tribes” along the way. We have traded stories in return for a place to stay and a wonderful home cooked meal. People have greeted us the same way I imagine villagers would greet travellers from lands far away. First with a little wonder in their eye. Then after a customary handshake, Bang! Friends for life.

Our travels began for two reasons: The Wounded Warriors and SUP Cleanup. Only now after 1800 miles do I clearly see that this is just the beginning of journeys to come. It would be nice if what this trip represents fixed all that is wrong with our coastline and our war hero’s. I’m afraid they both need more help.

This current journey is close to completion."

More here at SUP The Coast blog.

...and Bart de Zwart just completed what is believed to be the first nonstop solo stand up paddle across the entire Hawaiian island chain...from the Big Island of Hawaii to Kauai.

"Bart de Zwart expected to be in more pain after paddling 300 miles from the Big Island to Kauai.

"I'm not even sore," he said Monday morning from his Kauai hotel room, where he slept in a bed after arriving to Kalapaki Beach the night before onboard a stand-up paddleboard.

The 41-year-old Maui man spent five days alone at sea attempting what he believes to be the first-ever solo crossing from the Big Island to Kauai on a standup paddleboard. He was headed to a Kauai clinic Monday to have swollen, infected blisters on his feet checked out. Aside from the blisters and losing about six pounds, he said he felt fine."

Read the rest here.

Uwharrie!

2011-06-26T18:53:00.002-05:00

After many years of driving by the place, I finally got an opportunity to mountain bike at the Uwharrie National Forest, located in south central NC. I dropped the kids off with their cousins who live nearby, then Rob and I hit the trails for a couple of hours and knocked off 14.5 miles of combo single track and fire roads. The Charlotte/Lake Norman area mountain bike trails have better technical single track, but the Uwharrie trails have longer and better climbs and downhill runs and a great mix of single track and fire roads. Got a serious cardio workout today.

I took the camera but didn't take any pics since we were having too much fun to stop and snap any. We thought we were fast, but not nearly as fast as these guys...check out these awesome mountain bike movie trailers...I love the overhead cable shot angles in these films.

3 Minute Gaps Official Trailer from Clay Porter on Vimeo.

For Sale

2011-06-17T14:15:00.008-05:00

F2 Phoenix 340 windsurfing longboard for sale...great board for light wind and upwind performance sailing, and it really performs well when the wind picks up and you can kick up the centerboard for full on planing fun. Great all around board for different conditions.

Includes Lakes Bay padded board bag with handle, rear fin (missing screw), adjustable/removable centerboard, foot straps, and mast foot = all for $400.

It's in very good condition. Got a ding on rear end in shipping when I first bought it but had it professionally repaired by Don Bowers in Hatteras....one of the best board repair guys in the country. That's why there is discoloration on the back end near rear foot strap in picture. It's structurally very sound.

Will not ship it but am willing to drop off or meet in NC/VA/SC area within 2 hr drive of Charlotte area.

Drop me a line in the comments section or email me at yahoo, macbarnhardt is the id.

Better Than TV

2011-06-10T09:44:00.002-05:00

It's 12.5 minutes long but you won't be sorry you watched this. One of the best slo-mo films I've ever seen. Stick with it to the end...

Chris Bryan Films Phantom Reel from Chris Bryan on Vimeo.

OBX Paddlepalooza Cont'd

2011-06-06T20:19:00.015-05:00

When we pulled out of Frisco Woods Campground on Sunday to head home, I asked the family who wanted to come back next year and the response from everyone was a resounding "ME!". If that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is because they are a tough bunch to please.

The 1st Annual OBX Paddlepalooza was a great event and one that will grow year after year. Event co-organizer, Drew from Hatteras Island Boardsports, said it best - In a few years when this thing grows really big, we're going to look back on the 1st year and say we were there. Although this 1st year's turnout was small compared to other events that are already in their 2nd & 3rd years, we had a blast. This was an event the entire family can enjoy. The organizers are already thinking about next year's event. Starboard liked it so much, they are going to return and really want to help grow this thing. SUP is a great family oriented sport/activity and this event is an excellent example of a grassroots event designed with the family in mind. I would highly encourage you to attend next years' event and bring the whole family.

Frisco Woods Campground was a great venue for this event. It was easy camping in the cabins, which the family really liked. We had great weather - 10 degrees cooler than the sweltering heat back home. The soundfront beach was a kids playground and an excellent launching pad for the flat water SUP events. There were races in the morning and SUP games in the afternoon the whole family can participate in together. There were board and paddle demos. Frisco pier is just down the street and provided some fun mellow waves to play in. The swell forecast was very small but provided the perfect conditions for the beginners and just enough of a bump for the rest of us to have some mellow fun. Dawn and her kids surfed their very first SUP waves! Drew had our daughter on the front of his board and they were tandem surfing wave after wave. Saturday evening's BBQ was to die for and the evening entertainment band (The Dune Billies) kept the awesome tunes coming. Rob and I even got in a nice surprise slalom blasting windsurfing session in the sound when we arrived on Friday afternoon.

Special thanks to the event organizers and sponsors Wind-NC, Hatteras Island Boardsports, and Koru Village. Also big thanks to Starboard for their support and to Frisco Woods Campground for hosting the event.

Event Organizers Drew (Hatteras Island Boardsports), Andy (Wind-NC), and Joe (Spa Koru)

Waterturtle (far right) off to a great start in the Men's Unlimited race, led most of the race only to get beat at the very end by Starboard team rider and east coast rep, Mark Colino. Doh! I left it all out there and Mark did a great job of catching and passing me at the end.

Mark Colino/Starboard and I at the finish

A kids playground at Frisco Woods Campground

Our daughter McIntyre (look at that stroke!) and her friend Gabe in the kids' race

McIntyre coming to the finish in 1st place in the kids race

Rob stroking it at the end to finish 1st in the Men's Surf Class in another close race

Dawn coming to the finish in 2nd in the Womens Race

Kris finishing - 1st in the Womens race

Waterturtle and his boys...chips off the old block

The boys in a SUP tug of war

An event for the whole family

McIntyre doing the dizzy SUP race...5 spins around the paddle and then...

...do your best to run to your board and paddle around a mark and back. Here I am running sideways trying to find my board after a few spins.

Our 9 yr old in the freestyle spinny contest

Tandem SUP race...our 7 year old paddling with me on the board

This is the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge wildfire that has been burning for the past month. This photo was taken from the Oregon Inlet Bonner Bridge on the way in last Friday. Luckily, the smoke held off from Frisco on race day. But Sunday as we were leaving, it got very smoky and ash was falling out of the sky. As of this writing, the fire is 60% contained and hopefully they'll put it out for good soon.

Kris and Dawn and their gift certificate winnings

Killer sunset at the BBQ

OBX Paddlepalooza

2011-06-04T20:02:00.002-05:00

Having a great time...great event. All of you need to attend next year. We've windsurfed, flat water SUP racing, SUP games, and some mellow SUP surfing. More later...

Boat Date

2011-05-30T14:12:00.009-05:00

The kids had to go to school on Memorial Day as a snow make up day. That could only mean one thing - Boat Date! As soon as the kids were on the bus, my bride and I hightailed it to the boat with books/magazines and cooler in hand. By 8am, we had anchored in a nice quiet cove by Lake Norman State Park. Out of the way of the holiday boat traffic circus in the main channel, we relaxed, took some dips to cool off, and even went for a short paddle exploration into some other coves. We ended it with a nice waterfront view lunch at the Midway Boathouse Grill. It was great except that the time went by so fast and we had to be back to meet the kids off the school bus way too soon.

On this Memorial Day, we remember those who gave their lives for our great country.

Observations on new issue of Windsurfing Magazine

2011-05-18T20:40:00.004-05:00

I just got the new June issue of Windsurfing Magazine. I've only gone through some of it so far but it looks like a great issue with lots of good content.

I'm absolutely cracking up at the photo on page 11. It follows up nicely to my last post about our great week in Hatteras minus the run in with the disrespectful kiteboarders. That photo was taken right in front of the house we stayed in and was just a few weeks earlier. What is it about that spot and windsurfers/kiteboarders? It's good to know I'm not the only one who vented.

Josh also writes a piece titled "Is SUP Hurting Sailing?". He raises some interesting points. As a windsurfer/SUP'er, I recently bought the Starboard Element 9'8". I was specifically looking for a SUP board that had a mast insert so it could act as my SUP surfboard and also as my light wind wavesailing board. There are several options out there - Naish, Starboard, Fanatic, RRD, and Bic come to mind....these are all windsurfing companies. It still boggles my mind that Naish doesn't have mast inserts in some of their medium size (9' range) boards....which is one of the reasons I opted for the Starboard. Except for one, all my windsurfing friends who also SUP have all purchased a SUP surfboard with mast insert. In some of those cases, it might have taken the place of a true windsurf board purchase but these windsurfing companies still benefitted. Maybe we're in the minority?

What do you think?

Final Thoughts and Pics From Hatteras Trip

2011-05-07T21:46:00.024-05:00

Rob bump & jump

Final thoughts and pictures from our awesome spring break week on Hatteras Island last month...

I purposely didn't take any video or use the GoPro. I just wanted to focus my time on the water. When I've got the video camera or GoPro out, I tend to lose focus with how I'm actually performing on the water. I was making it a point to spend quality time with the family, so I had to really pick and choose my limited time on the water, thus no time for messing with video. Fortunately, my wife took some great pictures and I snapped a few too. I'll probably make a photo album video set to some cool tunes.

Ken, Mac, Rob

Taking the long ferry ride from Cedar Island to Ocracoke. Awesome. Cedar Island and Core Banks is a place I want to explore some more with SUP and windsurfing.

Dawn and Rob

Our youngest (7 yrs old) climbing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse for the first time. Last time he was here (2 years ago) he was too small, so he was looking forward to this.

Beaufort sunset

Kinnakeet Shores Beach (the big colorful soundfront homes directly behind the Food Lion) - these homes are nicer then the Island Creek homes. Our house had an 18 person theater. You haven't experienced The Windsurfing Movie 2 until you've seen it on the big screen with a real theater sound system...wow! We shared that beach with about 50 kiteboarders that week (not a problem, except for what happened to us.....see below). It seems to be a kiteboarding beach for the most part, although I've stayed and windsurfed there before (Windsurfing Magazine board tests were there this year). The Island Creek houses (behind Ocean Air) still seemed to be the soundfront windsurfing spot of choice...when I drove by there, there appeared to be more windsurfers than kiters. Those houses are nice but older and without all the new amenities (which were great for the family/kids) at Kinnakeet Shores.

Ralph

Only one bummer during the week - our kiteboarding neighbors with foreign accents (French Canadian?) who insisted on kiteboarding as close as possible to my family and friends by kiting all the way to the beach and then turn around to go back out (and only going out 100 yards before turning around to come back...seriously every one of them did that). They can't turn around 20 yards short of the beach or kite 20 yards upwind or downwind from my family and friends? There's the entire Pamlico Sound out there...use it. You could clearly tell they weren't happy sharing with windsurfers what they must have thought was their beach. All week, I let it go and didn't say anything because I didn't want to let it get to me and ruin our week. If you're a skilled kiter and are clearly in control, you can kite close to me...that's fine, I'm cool with it. I'm all about the aloha spirit and everyone getting along on the water no matter what kind of board or wind power you're using. I'm fine sharing the water with kiteboarders and there's room for everyone out there, but don't kite near the kids. The last straw came on our second to last day there when one of them decided to kiteboard in between 2 of the kids coming within 5 ft of my daughter's legs. I just about lost it and yelled at the offender who never looked back and never came close to us the rest of the day. What a complete lack of respect and regard for others. I also let every kiteboarder on the beach know how I felt...not one of my proudest moments but things had to be said because they weren't stopping their friends' nonsense. If I saw another windsurfer doing something like that, I'd be in his face telling him to stop ruining it for everyone else. I've never had problems with kiteboarders before and I know there are always bad apples in every bunch, but these folks were very uncool. Next time, I won't let it go on as long as I did.

Hanging out on the beach in front of our house waiting for the sunset

Watching Ken Kellar going for loops and getting really good rotation in a lesson with Andy. Awesome.

Cocktail Hour

Sailing in 30mph+ two days in a row. That never happens to me and it showed (and the reason my smallest sail has been a 4.6...maybe that should change). Big thanks to Ken for rigging his 3.8 and letting Rob and I use it.

Rob

Windsurfing every day...7 days in a row. Used sails 3.8 to 8.0. SUP surfing the last 2 afternoons there.

Dawn and Kris

Ralph is the Energizer Bunny. He was always the last one off the water. Those kooky crazy kids.

Ken

Gabe (13 yrs old), Ralph's wife Leah, and Sam were all learning and improving their windsurfing. Gabe was a true beginner...his first time windsurfing and had a blast. Leah and Sam were out in the 30mph+ wind loving it and you could see real improvement in their sailing. Stoked!

Gabe first time windsurfing

On our last full day, we went to the south side beach at Frisco and found mellower waist high (some chest high) SUP waves with a nice easy channel for paddling out. It was a conveyor belt of waves....over and over again. We caught a lot of waves that day. And we don't have any pictures of it. The day before it was tougher to get in position to catch the bigger waves at Old Lifeguard Beach.

Mac & Rob

Making the case for supporting your local shop - I'm slalom sailing late the second to our last day and my boom head breaks. I know I'll need the boom early the next morning based on the fading NW wind forecast, so I rush in to call Andy at Wind-NC after he had supposedly already closed. He hadn't left the shop yet and stuck around so I could rush over. He replaced my cracked boom head with an old replacement so I can hit the water early the next morning (which I did). I'm buying a new boom head from him and will return the older replacement part so he can do it all over again for someone else. Now that's customer service!

When it wasn't windy, the girls and kids loved paddling out in the sound. When the wind wasn't blowing, the water was crystal clear and it looked like the Caribbean.

Oh yeah...the sunsets. They were spectacular.

Sharing the house, the water, and the aloha with our friends and family - great memories.

View from the lighthouse. Can you pick out Ken, Ralph, and Sam? Why isn't anyone on that wave?!?

Sorry to have missed the free clinics at Wind-NC and watching the visiting pros, Wyatt Miller and Tyson Poor, windsurf. When I wasn't on the water, I was focused on spending quality time with the family.

Rob and I had a nice light wind wavesailing sesh at Ramp 30 on our SUP boards. I've got to work more on wave selection and positioning.

We took a couple of magazine quality shots (SUP & Windsurfing). If they don't get published (hey, its worth a shot), I'll post them here later.

Rob jibing

OBX SUP Surfing

2011-04-29T19:27:00.014-05:00

Thanks to my beautiful bride Kris for taking all these pictures. We had a great afternoon SUP surfing at Old Lifeguard Beach, Hatteras Island. Mid to high 70s, sunny, warm water...we wore shorties but could have been in boardshorts.

I see his new Fanatic Fly 10', but where's Sam?

There he is - Sam

Waterturtle on his new Starboard Element 9'8"

Rob not Robert

Ken

Sam

Ken

The Energizer Bunny (Ralph)

Ralph

Sam

Ralph

Rob not Robert

Waterturtle

Energizer Bunny (Ralph), Rob not Robert (Rob), Waterturtle (Mac)

Rob not Robert

It's A Party!

Rob not Robert, Ken, Waterturtle

Rob not Robert

Ken

Yeah....it was that much fun! Ralph loving it!

White Knuckle

2011-04-28T10:44:00.020-05:00

** 9pm Update **
From Andy McKinney/Wind-NC: "Nukin' at (Ramp) 30 - Way overpowered 3.7 in the gusts but the majority of the time it was fine. Lots of people out, chest to well overhead occasional sets. Tyson Poor was throwing 30 foot backloops with ankle dry landings!! I had a blast, and took a really long swim after I lost my gear once... It's been a while since I had to do that! Stoked!"

We finished the day at our soundfront house comfortably overpowered on our 4m sails past sunset. Waist high rolling swells made it extra interesting and fun. Watching the thunderstorm roll past in the sound now. What a day. Hopefully SUP surf next couple of days.

** 3:30pm Update **
Overpowered on 3.8. Ken, Ralph, and Rob stayed out longer on 4.4, 3.7, 3.8. Ken is the man for holding down a 4m sail out there for as long as he did. Sam showed up and got out there on a 4.0 on only his 14th day of windsurfing ever. Leah was working on her high wind windsurfing too. Awesome.

Did I mention we're only in boardshorts out there?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Wednesday and Thursday is all you want. We're overpowered on our 4+m sails. It's currently blowing 35mph as I type this. Lots of folks at Canadian Hole and some folks wavesailing in overhead waves at Ramp 30 as well. Here's a few pics from yesterday and this morning at our rental house.

WaterTurtle - black helmet, grey shirt/blue trim sail
Rob - white helmet, Ezzy red/yellow
Ken - red trim sail, black cap
Ralph - Ezzy sails (blue/red & orange), blue board
Leah - in wetsuit/helmet on orange Ezzy sail

Spring Break Fun

2011-04-26T17:41:00.006-05:00

Just having fun in Hatteras this week. So far, we've had great bump and jump in the sound on 5.5s, light wind SUP wavesailing in the ocean, and some slalom blasting in the sound on 8.0 & 6.5. The girls have been getting some flat water paddling in and the kids are having a blast on the beach. The really good conditions are yet to come. Looking forward to some more wavesailing/bump and jump and then some stand up paddle surfing later in the week when the winds get light offshore.

Rob posted something here.

Kids on a sandbar on Cedar Island waiting for the ferry to Ocracoke last weekend

Ocracoke lighthouse on the way to Hatteras last weekend. We always love the ferry rides.

Family & friends goofin' off

Sunset Session

2011-04-24T21:44:00.002-05:00

Arrived on Hatteras Island this afternoon, got in an awesome late afternoon and early evening session on 5.5s. Nice ramps way out in the sound.

This Is How We Roll

2011-04-23T20:19:00.003-05:00

Adventure...family truckster style! Only thing we couldn't fit was the dog. OBX here we come!

Banff Mountain Film Festival

2011-04-21T19:22:00.006-05:00

Grab your favorite brew and sit back for this one.

Rob and I went to the Banff Mountain Film Festival a few weeks ago at the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. This was the 2nd year the festival made a stop there. Our favorite film last year was Take a Seat, which has become a cult hit and now a book.

This year's film choices had a couple of real gems as well. Our favorite - a film about fly fishing called Eastern Rises. You read that right...fly fishing. I'm not a fisherman. I'm terrible at it and I can't sit or stand still long enough to really do it. However, I'm still fascinated by it. But I thought this would be a boring film. On the contrary, it was facinating and funny. Really funny. It follows a group of die-hard (think major wind addicts) fly fishermen on a trip to a remote country in Russia that is the size of California, only has 300 miles of roads, and thousands of miles of rivers teaming with big fish. Go see this film (you can buy the DVD too).

The Longest Way was really good. Its about a guy who walked the entire length of China in one year. You have to watch it a few times (only 5 minutes long...see below). The guy who made the movie doesn't want you to look at him in the film...he wants you to look at everything behind him in the background. That's hard to do the first time watching this. You'll see what I mean.

Life Cycles is a cool mountain bike film. The Dream Result and Wildwater are two crazy whitewater kayaking films. The Swiss Machine is about that crazy Swiss climber Ueli Steck...what an athlete! Alex Honnold makes an appearance in this film wtih Steck. Honnold is the one that solo free climbed El Capitan and then went on to break solo speed records last year on El Capitan and Half Dome (in Yosemite Park, CA)...and was featured last year as a selection in the film festival that blew everyone's minds.

Hopefully one of these days, windsurfing will make its way into the Banff Mountain Film Festival. The Windsurfing Movie 2 would have been a great opportunity...I wonder why it wasn't entered into it.

Enjoy.

Eastern Rises

EASTERN RISES TRAILER from felt soul media on Vimeo.

Life Cycles

Life Cycles OFFICIAL Trailer from Life Cycles on Vimeo.

The Longest Way

The Longest Way 1.0 - one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.

Dream Result

Dream Result Trailer from Rush Sturges on Vimeo.

The Swiss Machine

WildWater

...And Then I'll Have Some More Wind With That Wind Please

2011-04-17T19:07:00.003-05:00

Big Saturday on Lake Norman! 30mph+ most of the day and sunny 70s. Some of the guys said it was like sailing at Hood River. You can't really tell in these pictures, but out in the main channel there were some waist high rolling swells. Go here to see some great pics of the local crew lighting it up. Photos were taken by Alan White and Rob Cornwell with Alan's camera.

Cast of Characters:
Dmitri Pourlos - Northwave sail
Chuck Anderson - Hot Sails Spiderweb sail
Raceboard Dude - Gaastra sail
Waterturtle - Ezzy sail
Tony - Mistral board
Rob Not Robert - Sailworks sail
Alan White - Hot Sails Superfreak sail

From Hatteras With Love

2011-04-13T20:01:00.002-05:00

Had some fun with this one...hope you like this dual personality film. Turn It Up!

From Hatteras With Love from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

Go Exploring In Your Own Backyard

2011-04-10T20:01:00.009-05:00

Matt, Fred, Mike, and I went exploring in our backyard today. We live in the Lake Norman area and Lake Norman is one of many lakes in the Catawba River system. The Catawba River system starts in the western NC mountains and flows down through the NC Piedmont past Charlotte and well into SC. The main Lake Norman channel is used widely by many boaters, fishermen, etc. But most people around here, including myself, have never explored the Catawba River outside the main lake channels.

Matt and Mike had already paddled the river south of Lake Norman down to Mountain Island Lake and told others about it. I was intrigued and wanted to go. They planned another outing and it fortunately worked out for today. So we "Huck Finn'd" it with some fog starting out and overcast skies stayed with us the entire paddle with glass the whole way. Unless the upriver dam is releasing water, there isn't much of a current. Twelve miles and 3 hours later, we had seen lots of Osprey, Blue Herons, shallow sandbars, all kinds of fish, and turtles. It was beautiful and quiet. Big thanks to Matt's wife Jen for picking us up at the end of the run. I'm inspired to do more exploring around here and check out some more of the Catawba River system by SUP.

Hatteras Hangover

2011-04-04T20:13:00.010-05:00

WaterTurtle - this photo was taken by excellent Windsurfing Magazine Board Test photographer Nate Appel and shamelessly pulled down by me from Board Test Live on Facebook. Thanks for the great photo Nate and very nice to meet you. Check out Nate's excellent work here.

You know that sinking depressing feeling you get after you get home from a great adventure and reality sets in? In my case this time around, I call it the "Hatteras Hangover". Don't get me wrong...I missed my family and I'm glad to be back home with them, but it was hard to leave Hatteras especially knowing the forecast they were getting this week. The hangover actually set in while I was working today, sitting indoors, and looking out the window seeing the trees bending over and dogs flying off chains.

But I'm very grateful for the awesome conditions we got over the weekend. Friday afternoon was WNW 20-25mph, Saturday was WNW 25-30mph all day long, then we were treated to a Sunday morning sesh in NW 20mph. We had a great time sailing and hanging out with Josh Sampiero and the Windsurfing Magazine board testing crew, as well as with our friends Ralph, Sam, Ken, and Andy and Anne McKinney. The board testers were from all over...there was James from his new home near Boston, other folks from Winnipeg, Newfoundland, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Buffalo NY, Florida, and Virginia Beach/Norfolk. We made some new windsurfing friends.

Here are a few pics. I'll be editing a video over the next few weeks and will post when finished. I got some killer GoPro HD footage.

Gear Heaven

Rob

Josh filming for Board Tests Live

Waterturtle early evening blasting (photo taken by Rob)

I think I've mentioned before that I never tire of sunsets...ever.

Andy sunset blasting

I'll Have Some Waves and Then I'll Have Some Wind Please

2011-04-02T07:47:00.003-05:00

Rob and I are on Hatteras Island this weekend. Friday provided some nice SUP waves, offshore breeze making for some nice clean A frames, and when it got too windy to paddle into the waves, we went over to the Windsurfing Magazine house and joined the board testers for some 5.5 wind for the remainder of the day. Big wind forecast today! More to come including video...will probably take me a while to edit.

Waterturtle loving his Starboard Element 9'8"

Rob skying it

Did I Ever Tell You Our Local Crew Rips?

2011-03-27T06:31:00.009-05:00

A big missed it for me last Wednesday. It blew warm southwest wind 25-30mph, with much bigger gusts, air temp was low 80s, water temps in low 60s. I had a ton of work going on and family commitments afterwards, so I couldn't even get out late after work. But others in the local crew made it out on Big Wednesday to Ramsey Creek Park at Lake Norman.

All photos below were taken and shared by Donald Obst.

Ramsey Creek Park launch

Alan

Steve

Steve

Raceboard Dude (Jeff) - Check out the spray

Alan - check out the smoke on the water in front of him

Alan

Alan

SUP The Coast

2011-03-20T18:58:00.003-05:00

SUP The Coast from Wind Powered Productions on Vimeo.

"Starting March 1, 2011, Will and Mike will embark from Key West, Florida and head north to paddle the Eastern seaboard on stand-up paddleboards, finishing in Portland, Maine. We're combining our passions for paddling, people, and the ocean while fulfilling a dream of seeing the East coast from the water. In doing this we hope to spread awareness and raise money for two specific causes which stem from these passions." Those two great causes are Wounded Warrior Project and SUP Clean-Up. Read more at the SUP The Coast web site.

This link provides all the ways to track their progress through their blog, Facebook, Twitter, and an awesome site that tracks their exact progress at any given time via GPS.

Livin'

2011-03-18T21:13:00.003-05:00

Force of Nature

2011-03-13T19:24:00.003-05:00

Check out this thermal map of the tsunami wave patterns across the Pacific. You can see the entire trek to Hawaii and California. Makes you wonder what happened to the many tiny islands in the South Pacific.

I'm sure everyone by now has seen the astonishing tsunami footage to come out of Japan. Here is some amazing footage of what it looked like in Crescent City, California.

Here is time lapse video of the tsunami sucking in and out of Crescent City Harbor...watch how the water changes direction back and forth so fast:

Fishermen unfortunately losing their livelihood...these docks and boats don't stand a chance:

Watch how in the span of just 4 minutes how the dry beach changes into a giant sloshing bathtub:

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan.

When It Gets Really Cold, Do This

2011-03-10T20:36:00.000-05:00

Quick Sesh

2011-03-06T20:39:00.005-05:00

It rained all weekend, then ended late Sunday afternoon. Rob and I were waiting for the break in the rain knowing it was windy. We hit the water for about 30 minutes while the wind was good. Very gusty NW wind but glad we got out.

The Maiden Voyage

2011-02-27T20:24:00.013-05:00

Here's my new 2011 Starboard Element 9'8" SUP surfboard. It has a mast track for light wind wavesailing. I demo'd the 2010 version of this board at Bolsa Chica (Huntington Beach, CA) last year and liked the feel of it. After talking to Andy about what I've been riding (SOS 10'10" Big Blue), my intent and goals for dropping down in SUP surfboard size, and the conditions I would mostly be in, I settled on this board (thanks for the help Andy - remember readers, support your local shops!). She's a beauty...check out the thruster fin set-up.

First chance to get in waves - Isle of Palms, SC with Rob (left, with his Starboard Ultimate Blend 11'2") this past weekend.

We had some wind in the morning...a bit too much for paddling, so we stuck our 5 meter sails on our boards and went light wind wavesailing in 10-15mph side/side-off wind and waist high waves. I was able to turn the Element immediately down the line and get a couple of good top and bottom turns on most waves before they completely broke. The Element caught waves very nicely. The waves weren't rad by any means, but we had a ton of fun out there. I do look forward to seeing what else the board can do in bigger, longer and cleaner waves.

The walk of shame thanks to the fast current from wind direction and wind swell running in the same direction (and being awfully close to the inlet).

All photos above taken by my wife. Kris. All photos below taken by Rob.

After the morning windsurfing session and the wind/waves dropping off, we woofed down some mahi mahi and shrimp burritos for lunch. After refueling, it was off for some afternoon flat water paddling with our better halves. Here's our lucky dolphin on the flat water SUP paddle in the intracoastal waters behind Isle of Palms. Kris wanted to see dolphin and she was not disappointed.

Me, Dawn, Kris

Kris and I, the inlet behind us (between Deewees Island and Isle of Palms)

My friend the pelican. I want to be a pelican in my next life.

I look forward to getting the board in some nice paddle surf conditions. Its still a stable flat water board for its size. It was nice to have taken only one board for the weekend....waves or flat water, wind or no wind...this board appears to handle it all.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out in Charleston, eating some fine low country cuisine, taking in the historical sites/homes, and seeing The Old 97s in concert.

Support Your Sport - Donate to the Cause

2011-02-23T20:40:00.002-05:00

We all love windsurfing. Lets support our sport and help the American Windsurfing Tour with a permit issue for their first event this spring.

Check out the article here and what you can do to help.

Back In Windsurfing Mode

2011-02-22T19:49:00.006-05:00

It's not every day we get warm sunny and windy conditions in February. The forecast looked solid for strong SW winds so the local crew busted out the smaller gear we haven't had out in months. Ramsey Creek Park was the call and I got there for an excellent post work sesh just as the wind started to kick in and sailed until sunset. Folks were already coming off the water having been there all afternoon. Others were rigging down and going back out. It was one of my best sessions ever at Ramsey...fully lit on my Ezzy Wave Panther 5.5 sail and RRD Freestyle/Wave 100lt board. Everyone is still buzzing and dreaming of the next sesh.

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY ALAN WHITE - THANK YOU ALAN...GREAT PICS!

Here's a great duck jibe sequence - Donald Obst showing how its done

WaterTurtle (Ezzy Sail) and Raceboard Dude (Jeff)

WaterTurtle

Donald airing it out

A brief plug for SUP - It has been since early fall since I've sailed in 25mph wind. I felt great yesterday and I'm not sore at all today. I attribute that to stand up paddling. If you're wanting to stay in shape between windsurfing sessions....think of SUP as jogging/running on water, except that it's more of a full body/core workout. Plus its another excuse to hit the water more.

It was great to have everyone out there sailing again.

Is Punxsutawney Phil right?

2011-02-14T20:07:00.002-05:00

LKN windsurfing February '11 from WaterTurtle Productions on Vimeo.

Somehow you have to believe there's another cold snap and probably another snowfall in our near future before spring officially rolls in...but this warmer weather is a nice treat. Punxsutawney Phil apparently didn't see his shadow this year, meaning we may be in for an early spring, but I heard on the radio the other day that he's been only 39% accurate. Last year it felt like we went straight from late winter to a very hot summer (and PP saw his shadow last year). However, the two years before that were nice mild and windy winters that transitioned into nice springs and relatively mild not-so-hot summers. So who knows.

Sunday Feb 13th brought the sun and some light warm southwest wind. Of course, Valentines Day brought stronger wind but I had to work...so Sunday was my only opportunity and I made the best of it....started in SW 10-15 on my 9.6 Aerotech VMG and AHD Free Diamond 145lt board. I've had this light wind combo for about 10 years now and its always done me right in light wind...however I don't think I used that combo once in 2010. It was good to wipe the cobwebs off. After a while the wind picked up to around 15+ and I pulled in the adjustable outhaul and continued to have a blast.

Also got to try out my new GoPro HD cam. Above is a brief 1 minute clip from Sunday's session. The picture is definitely sharper than the older standard def wide-angle GoPro I've had the last couple of years. The water is a nice cool 44 degrees. I wore my 3/2 short sleeve wetsuit and my arms froze even in the sun. You can also see that I'm wearing my dorky Sun Specs sunglasses. They're dorky but definitely save my eyes from that afternoon glare off the water.

Here's to a warm and windy spring...please oh please.

Go Karen!

2011-02-10T13:36:00.005-05:00

2.16.11 UPDATE here She did it! Congratulations Karen!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I've met Karen Wrenn and her husband John three times in the last year and they're great people. Karen is a very talented paddler and athlete (windsurfing/kiteboarding)...and mother of two young kids.

Here's Karen with my daughter at last year's Coastal Urge May race

She just embarked on a very challenging trek....to paddle the entire length of the Channel Islands off southern CA....150 nautical miles. Here is the press release.

You can keep up with her progress from Twitter feeds http://twitter.com/#!/SUPkaren)...or at the Keanon web site...and I imagine at some point, she'll have updates on her own site and blog.

Ski Your Tail Off

2011-02-04T20:53:00.007-05:00

Oh Eldora Eldora - a cool locals mountain near Nederland/Boulder. Neil checks out the double black diamond...

...and steadily teli-marks on down the mountain.

Now I've got to follow him...gulp.

Here is Neil and Connie's market in Lyons, CO. If you're ever in the Lyons area and/or heading up to Rocky Mountain National Park/Estes Park area through Boulder/Lyons, you have to stop here at St Vrain Market and load up...including fresh made breads, locally cut meats, deli, and coffee. Neil and Connie did an awesome job of upgrading, renovating, and painting the joint...and I saw it 1.5 yrs ago before they started to work on it. On top of that, they also adopted 4 yr old twins from Ethiopia last year....they've been very busy. It was great visiting the whole family. Thanks Neil for also introducing me to some tasty locally brewed Colorado IPAs. Neil is who I went back country camping/hiking with in summer 2009.

The drive through Rabbit Ears Pass on the way to Steamboat was a snowy one. I started out driving in ice on the way out of Lyons and into Boulder. This was the edge of the same storm that hit the midwest and east coast so hard last week.

Aahhh....snow

Dan

The view of Steamboat Ski Mountain from our place. Thanks Bill for the awesome hospitality!

The birthday boy Greg (left) and Bill

Bill and Greg

Birthday Boy Greg

Powder

Greg, Bill, and Dan at the top of Steamboat.

Elk

My drive leaving Steamboat started out in -37 degrees. The storm earlier in the week left crazy cold temps in its wake. We were dressed for it and had a great time skiing at Steamboat. There was hardly anyone else on the mountain. We virtually had it almost all to ourselves...zero lift lines.

Colorado sunrise

My legs are spent!

-50 Below Zero Wind Chill

2011-02-02T00:08:00.003-05:00

That was the wind chill temperature on top of Steamboat Mountain, CO today...and we skiied in that. Before wind chill, the high at the top was -22. The high at the bottom of the mountain was -9. I was pleasantly surprised how good I felt in these conditions...it's all in how you dress for it. Several layers and don't leave any skin exposed. It certainly didn't hurt that the sun was out today.

Monday was low 20s and snowing. Greg in knee deep pow pow and heading into the trees.

Here's Dave...so smooth in his turns. We ended up with 11 new inches of snow to go play in on Tuesday.

Tuesday - Sub zero temps, blue sky, powder, and aspen tree skiing. Bill leads the way.

Here's what it looks like in sub zero temps with wind chill...heading to the top. Dan (right) trying to get frostbite on his face and me all covered up toasty warm.

I'm here with friends celebrating Greg's 50th birthday. I've already visited another good friend Neil in Lyons, CO and we skiied Eldora together on Sunday in 35 degree blue sky conditions. When I arrived on Saturday, it was 60 degrees. Since I've been in Colorado, I've been through a 100+ degree swing in temperature change if you include wind chill...and drove through ice and snow to get to Steamboat. The skiing has been fantastic. More later...to be continued.

Windsurfing Mag's Board Tests LIVE

2011-01-25T20:00:00.001-05:00

Be there or be square. They're making it a bigger and better event this year and Hatteras is the place. Check it out here.

Everyone's Doin' The Cold Stroke

2011-01-17T07:58:00.009-05:00

We just returned from the 3rd Annual Cold Stroke Classic in Wrightsville Beach. It was the usual great time had by all. Jeoffrey, Kathryn, and the fine folks at Coastal Urge once again did a great job of putting on a class event and well run race. The evening banquet was a lot of fun as well and included a fire dancer/breather.

After nearly 2 months of cold weather across the south, Mother Nature was kind to us with high 40s, sunny conditions, and very light wind by race time...as opposed to last year's race conditions with wind chill in the teens. We couldn't have asked for a better winter day for racing.

The best thing about the event was the number of folks who came out...Jeoffrey said 108 registered and he expected approximately 125 total. And an even better thing was that there were many new SUP'ers out there in their very first race. I couldn't have been prouder of my wife, Kris, and her friend Dawn...both in their very first SUP race. If you had told me just five months ago that my wife would be racing in the Cold Stroke Classic, I would have said you were absolutely out of your mind and dreaming.

If any of you out there are reading this and wondering how you can get your spouse out there, let me tell you...it is absolutely possible. Kris never considered herself a "water person" and still probably doesn't. But she recognized the health benefits, it didn't hurt that our kids love it, and also having her great friend Dawn getting into it with her.

Dawn and Kris closing in on the finish line

The Lake Norman crew represented again with several of us there, but some were unfortunately missing as well and we hope to have everyone there at future events.

Top row l to r: Mike Rodden, me, Rob Cornwell, Nick Cesmat, Matt Cesmat. Bottom row l to r: Kris, Tom May, Dawn Jeffer, and Jen Cesmat. Missing from this picture but also from Lake Norman were Gary McAuliffe and Dan Meyers.

With great humbleness and full on respect for all the other competitors, I'm also pretty excited about having won 1st place in the Men's Recreational 12'6" & Under Class. It was the shorter 3.5 mile course around Harbor Island and pretty much a full on sprint.

It was a fairly windless fall and a windless winter so far, so without much windsurfing I spent a lot of time paddling in very cold conditions and working on my stroke technique. I would encourage anyone to read what's readily available out there on the 'net about stroke technique...there have been some great write-ups by Dave Kalama on his blog (linked from this blog...see my blog roll list to the right), and others such as Rob Rojas on SUP Magazine online. Its all out there available to anyone to digest. Pro SUP'er Dan Gavere put on a race/paddling clinic on Friday before the race but I couldn't get there in time for it...otherwise I would have loved to learn from him as well.

All the pros/elite paddlers that I have met are very open and willing to share knowledge about their technique and how they train. The SUP community as a whole has been awesome in terms of sharing knowledge, camaraderie, fun, and just having that great aloha spirit. Its contagious and I just want to pass it on as well.

WaterTurtle on the podium with a spanking brand new Werner paddle

Here are the results.

Here is the local Lumina News coverage of the race. I was misquoted a bit...they have me in there saying I "kitesurf". Ahem...excuse me, but that is "windsurf"....go figure. And they got my other quote a little bit wrong as well...they paraphrased what I actually said even though the reporter recorded me. Oh well.

And here is a local news TV spot that aired. Funny how they still get it wrong saying we're "standing on surfboards".

The next morning on the way out of town, we detoured to Carolina Beach to surf in some small knee slappers. It was a fun mellow session with Rob, Matt, and his son Andrew. No matter the size of the waves, we were very grateful for more time on the water. Here are some pics Kris took of me...

Foggy Fog Fog

2011-01-02T17:55:00.004-05:00

New Years Day paddle outing with friends (and Turtle the SUP dog)...foggy weather for foggy heads after New Years Eve...

Winterplace

2010-12-31T09:41:00.003-05:00

Family ski outing/day trip to Winterplace, WV...it takes longer to get there than it does to the NC slopes but they had a better deal on the kids ski school and seem to handle the crowds better with multiple parallel lifts running at the same time. We had good conditions as they had received a ton of snow earlier in the week. Great family day and the kids loved it.

Peace On Earth

2010-12-24T07:58:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!