Thursday, October 30, 2008

Hitting Up The Slick (video)

Phew, sorry for the lack of updates, but Hatteras has been firing, and between work and sailing and surfing, I just haven't had the time or energy... So here's the update:

Following the crazy day in the Cove, the wind went light north, with a remaining South swell, lining up an unbelievable day of surf on the south side. Dan and I ended up catching a sunset session in the Cove, as the swell was fading out. Caught one ok right, and a great left, and called it a day. This is what the lineup looked like:

Warbly and weird, but a whole lot of fun!

Monday offered up some great surf on the East facing beaches when the wind all but disappeared. Glassy and fun! It was still mostly a South swell, lining up long, slow rights, and fast, heavy lefts. Stuart, Anne and I caught a great sunset session.

And the last two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, have just been cranking Westerly! It's the first big West event of the Fall, and to be honest, it feels a bit like winter out there. I put on my boots and mitts for the first time this year to fend off the chill. Stuart and I have been charging the Buxton Slick every free moment we get! Dawn and Dusk sessions, 5.0, for two days straight. Man, it's so much fun sailing back there! The water is just SO flat, it's perfect for cranking high speed jibes and working on those freestyle moves. I brought the camera with me Wednesday morning, and this is what we came up with:



Stuart is a nut! I mean, who jumps an island on windsurfing gear? Gimme a break! In all fairness, there was water there. It was all of 4 centimeters deep. When we went back last night, it was completely dry with the lower water levels...

Mike B, we're kidnapping you and your crew and taking you to the slick if it blows West while you're here.

Anyway, it's still windy!! Looks like a recovery day tomorrow and Saturday, but all of next week is lining up with another batch of insane NE wind! Gotta love it! And YOU have gotta get here! COME JOIN US!!!

6 comments:

George Markopoulos said...

i too had to pull the booties out of the closet for my session tuesday. didn't have to wear gloves however. the fatigue factor is just so much greater on the forearms with gloves.

yeah, it pretty much sucks to wear so much rubber. oh well, the price i choose to pay cuz we're going year round up here.

Anonymous said...

rubba? I luv da rubba. The cold really sucks during the first cold snap, but once you get used to it the cold water just gives you so much life and vitality (until it gets really cold - then it literally sucks [all the energy from you]). Besides, the wind is better when it's cold, especially the nice west days (although the west days in spring are really nice too. Glad to hear things are rocking up there in md/del!
-stu

Bill said...

Andy, that photo of sunset from the Cove is purely magical!

Seeing the sun set on the ocean is what is so special about that spot. It feels like the west coast or some place other than the east coast of the US since the sun normally sets over land, especially when waves like in that shot are crashing on the bar!

Great stuff!

Anonymous said...

I've got that Morphine CD! Loved the way you synched it up with Stuart's last maneuver.

I should be down during Thanksgiving and hope to hook up with you guys. I'll bring lots of "rubba"!

Ken K

Unknown said...

Yeah that CD was our favorite when my brother and I loaded a rented panel van Thrifty with a Goodwill couch in Portland and spent the week in Hood River in 1993. Buena is still one of my favorite songs, and the video brings back lot of good memories from that trip.

I met Stuart at WSH this spring when I rented gear. I love the youthful vibe you guys are infusing in the sport. We need more of it. Keep it up!

Andy said...

Yeah, I have to say, I really don't care so much about putting on wetsuits... It's well worth the effort for the TOW... Adds a little padding for those botched loops, too. Just have to budget an extra 5 minutes per session for getting them on and off before work!

Gotta love the Cove, Bill!!

See ya soon, Ken! Bring a flashlight! The last two Thanksgiving Weeks were so windy the road overwashed and we lost power...

Man, that album's 15 yrs old?! Time flies... Stu's a good guy to have around down here! Nobody else wants to go sailing when it's 30 degrees and blowing 40...