What Else Has Been Going On

A lot has been going on the last two months since I got back from San Carlos. Both my beautiful bride and I turned 40. She walked in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer event in Charlotte. She and some of the other neighborhood women walked 40 miles over 2 days and as a team raised over $17,000 for breast cancer research!

I've been doing a little bit of windsurfing and stand up paddling on the lake. The family and I enjoyed some of the last warm water and weather days on the lake before it started to get chilly. Had a mole with suspicious cells removed from my arm that turned out to be benign....but left me with 9 stitches. Its been a good year to have health care....with this mole removal, lower back treatments, and hernia surgery. Is this what happens when you turn 40?

There have been so many other happenings that have kept me from going to the coast. All three kids are getting ready to play basketball so we're getting even busier. Thank goodness I live close to the water so I can still play when I'm doing so many things keeping me at home.

A glassy morning on the lake - Rob paddling

Rob's SUP board on the left (Starboard Ultimate Blend 11'2", 30 in wide), my board on the right (Sean Ordenez Shape 10'10", 28.5 in wide). Notice the shape differences at the nose and tail.

Healing Up - Wear Sunscreen!

Sunset

Pulling my nephew Evan

My daughter enjoying one the last warm water days of the season

My nephew Vic on his way to a 3rd place in a youth regatta...way to go Vic!

I took some of our neighbors' kids out for a spin when the wind picked up one weekend. I bought this used Starboard Start board many years ago...its been a great board for the kids to play around on, and for me to take them out windsurfing.

One of our neighbors "surfing" on the nose of the board, getting the sensation of windsurfing. On this day, after all the kids had their fill, I got a smaller board and windsurfed out in the channel, fully powered on my 5.6

Another weekend we got 20mph winds at the lake. Rob and I hit it and I stuck the Oregon Scientific ATC2K camera on my boom. Didn't quite get the angle I wanted. It looks like the camera is right on top of me here, but it's really not. I may have to get one of those new GoPro cameras that have a wide angle lens that captures so much more in the picture compared to this. But you can still feel the speed in this short clip.

Punta San Carlos picture slideshow

OK...this is really it...I promise. I went through all the photos one last time and decided one final slideshow was in order. A few photos I've already posted...many I have not. Now I feel better. Enjoy!


The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - Slideshow from Mac Barnhardt on Vimeo.

Summer Camp Finale - Parts 5 & 6

Wah-lah! Here's the finale of the "Summer Camp" video series...parts 5 & 6. Hopefully you're not too sick of it. I had fun putting it all together. Putting it all together from intro to Part 6 is about 30 minutes long...about the length of some other full length windsurfing video releases. Of course, I still have a lot of work to do in terms of bringing my work up to a real professional video and editing look and feel. I think releasing it in chapters made it a bit more watchable and fun. Hopefully, this video series gave you a real good sense of what it's like at San Carlos if you've never been, and a real good sense of wonder of why its taking you so long to get back if you have been there.

Lets face it - I'm married with 3 children and I don't live close to the coast. I'm not going to be a great wavesailor anytime soon. But damn - I sure did have fun at San Carlos. I know I was at the very far end of the spectrum compared to when you watch guys like Wyatt Miller and Kevin McGillivary (Duh!), but it sure felt good out there on those waves.

The problem with San Carlos? Now I'm spoiled. There wasn't any current, there was a nice long swell period, side off wind, no crazy chop or washing machine-like conditions between the waves, no huge shorepound to get through, and long crumbly waves that went forever....a wave riding dream. I would be real lucky to get conditions exactly like those anywhere on the Carolina coast...it just doesn't happen. Either there is a wicked current, major shorepound, the ocean is boiling, or something. I'll just have to suck it up, get out there in our local waves, pay some dues, and enjoy the heck out of it.

I think I'm going back to San Carlos. Who wants to go?

Part 5 - "Summer Camp" - The Dirt

The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - The Dirt from Mac Barnhardt on Vimeo.

Part 6 - "Summer Camp" - Finale - Camp Life & Departure

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

Special thanks to the Solo Sports crew - they were great, kept us laughing, and gave us great tips all week that helped our sailing and gear selection. Kudos go to Kevin Trejo for running a great operation in the middle of freaking nowhere for the past 20+ years and running. And kudos to his compadres Clark Merritt, Rodney, Joey, the local Mexican cooks and maintenance crew, and the local pilots. Thanks also to Wyatt Miller, Kevin McGillivary, Taylor Congdon, and Casey Hauser for providing us the ripping moves and impressive wavesailing...and for being very cool with helpful tips on and off the water. Thanks Kevin for coaxing me onto that nice wave even though you had right of way! Sorry Taylor - I thought I had footage of you wavesailing but the few shots I got of you didn't turn out well....you definitely rip! Thanks also to Taylor for the video tips. And thanks to Josh for being....well, Josh. Always fun to hang out with you and glad you were there for our next big adventure (as you were there for HIHO with us last year). Come back to sail with us in NC!

Special thanks also to my traveling and windsurfing mates - Alain, Alan, Donald, Jim, Rob, Tommy, and Troy. I had a great time with all of you and I'm ready to do it again. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and getting to know our new friends Ken from Portland, Mike - Sergai - Hugh from San Fran, Mike from Santa Barbara, and John from Cleveland.

May you always have wind in your hair and sand in your shorts.

Mother Nature Provides a Beat Down

Wow. Another reminder of the power of mother nature...

Thanks to Drew for first posting this. Its a slide show of the recent storm that hit Hatteras Island. Donny Bowers, windsurfer and local photographer, took great shots. It includes shots of the house, Serendipity, (used in the filming of the movie Nights in Rodanthe), surrounded by the ocean and another house nearby that fell into the ocean.

Humbling isn't it?

The Pros - Part 4 of "Summer Camp" San Carlos video

Didn't I mention there were some pros at San Carlos with us? It was the Kevin and Wyatt show. Rock on....


Untitled from Mac Barnhardt on Vimeo.

"Summer Camp" - Part 3

Here is part 3 of the "Summer Camp" Punta San Carlos videos. This one is dedicated to the waves and to The Windsurfing Crew. Thanks to Alan for the "poke & destroy" theme song inspiration - Enjoy!


The Windsurfing Crew in San Carlos - The Waves from Mac Barnhardt on Vimeo.