Friday, February 1, 2008

Ice Cream!!! (Headaches)

Playtime with Anne's dog, whose name is Banana, is part of my daily routine. Usually, we take long walks on the beach. Sometimes, we also take skateboard rides! Today, I'm happy to report, Banana broke a world record! She (41 lbs) towed me (4 times her) on my skateboard at a magnificent top speed of 13.9 mph! Here, the record breaker catches her breath while checking the surf:


On to the day's watersports extravaganza:

South winds ushered in warm air today, approaching 60 degrees, and some brief moments of sunshine made for a pleasant afternoon. The morning surf check revealed lumpy, disorganized, washing machine conditions on the East facing beaches. I decided to check the cove, on the off chance there would be enough angle to the wind to get a side-on sesh. As I arrived, one kiter was leaving, saying the waves were really good, but the water was cold, and, ... he saw a huge shark... Tommy was still out there, and for sure, the waves were looking pretty good, however the angle of the wind to the swell was directly onshore. Not so hot for windsurfing, especially in waves that large (they block the wind). Tommy's kite shows, but he doesn't:


So, off to the north I went, to meet up with Caleb, Bill, and Stuart at the Boiler! The beach bends just enough up there to make a South wind just a tiny tad bit offshore, cleaning up the faces and organizing the swell enough to make it ridable. As I arrived, Caleb was heading out to test the waters:

Shorebreak? Nah...

Lining up on a meaty one!

Hucking his meat!

Shortly thereafter, everyone else arrived, rigged, and hit the water. I was surprised at the size of the sets, some reaching about logo high at the peaks! I was playing it pretty cautiously, because I really didn't want to take a long swim in the 40 some odd degree water. A spinout in the trough put me down in the impact zone, and I immediately felt out of my comfort range. I made it out unscathed, but my wave riding confidence was shot. Luckily, there were some great ramps on the outside, past the breaking waves.... So free from the fear of getting worked, I was able to chuck a few lit forwards, and ended up skying one of, if not the, biggest air I've ever caught (kiteboarding included)!

Safety Time:

Please don't ever ride alone in water this cold.

Please make sure you're dressed appropriately for the air or water, whichever is colder.

Never sail out further than you can swim.

We got lucky today, and everyone made it safely back to shore... but it was a little too close for comfort...

Alright, that's enough of that! Be safe, and everyone wish Caleb a happy birthday if you see him tomorrow!! He got an early gift this afternoon!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice post Andy!the photos look real good considering the camera you were using.I wrote an account of my swim on bills obx beach life if any of your readers are interseted.without trying to sound to dramatic,it def feels good to be able to celebrate my birthday today.keep up the good work!

Andy said...

Hey man, yeah those shots are way better than I thought they would be, especially if you click them to get the full size. I've also got the original (much bigger) files if you want 'em!

Glad to have you around! That was sketch yesterday, man!

Happy Birthday!