Sometimes it all comes together, and yesterday was one of those days.
Forecast was for a squally morning with prefrontal SW Winds giving way to WSW and Sunshine. For once the forecast was spot on.
I dropped my son off at 0830 with rain showers and and dark clouds looming. By 0900 my buddy Dan and I had his boat loaded and we were pushing off the dock trying to figure out fitting the vinyl covers to the cockpit. Thunder was rumbling to the south and the sky had a very dark complexion to it. As we motored out of Edgartown harbor and turned East the breeze was beginning to kick in. The trip across Muskeeget Channel was relatively calm. Visibility wasn't great but by the time we reached Hawes Shoal we could see the little house on Muskeeget Island poking up out of the dunes. We picked our way through rips of Long Shoal and settled in on the North side of Muskeeget. The current was absolutely ripping to the West at close to 3 knots making the unloading of gear interesting. My first attempt at anchoring proved unsuccessful as the current and wind fought for control of the boat, but the second attempt succeeded as a downpour drenched us.
Dan and I quickly rigged our BEST Kites. He originally chose his 14M BEST HP Nemesis while I rigged my 15M BEST TS. After the shower and seeing my choice he went for his BEST 17M TS. The winds at this point were from the SSW at 16-17kts and with the strong current flowing West we were both lit and loving it. The current flowing over some of the small shoals created these perfect slicks leading in to smooth ramps allowing for maximum boosts and really playful feel to the board. After about an hour we started to see the clearing skies to the West and with it came these little shots of sunshine through the clouds that would light up the shoals to this beautifully vibrant green. Unfortunately the breeze was dropping leading into this transition zone so we hit the beach to fuel up on some granola and water while we exchanged huge grins, high fives and slaps on the back. Little did we know it was only going to get better.
With the clearing skies came the wind shift to the WSW, slowly the breeze crept up and again the two of us were lit. This time we ventured around to the south end of the Island where there is another "Island" that is really more of a large sand bar. It sits about 500 meters to the South-West of Muskeeget and runs for approximately a mile. The water in between the two Islands is only about 2-3 feet deep and crystal clear. You can see everything underneath you which very often were some very playful and inquisitive Seals who wanted to see what we were doing. It was amazing the younger ones were not at all afraid of us and would watch us go zipping by then dive under the water and follow along underneath our boards before darting away. As we reach the far end we found there were probably 20 Seals hanging out on the beach and another 50-100 playing in the channel between Tuckernuck. We stopped and watched them for a few and it seemed that both species exchanged looks of amazement with the other, as if asking. "What are you doing here?"
For the next hour and a half Dan and I laughed our asses off as we exchanged crossing tacks and boost after boost in the most perfect setting. Bright blue skies, turquoise water spotted with seaweed and large Quahog shells and every shade of green and blue you could conjure up in your mind. It has been a long time since I went out and enjoyed a session like this. I wasn't working on anything, there were no goals in mind. It was just about sharing the experience, serenity and the pure joy of kiting and interacting with Nature.
After soaking up as much of this as time would allow we hit the beach to pack up and the two of us were still in awe of what we had just experienced. Dan was pretty funny as he listed off the places all over the Globe where he has kited and then in complete seriousness stated that the only session that rivaled this was the Great Barrier Reef. I was floored. Then I thought about it and just smiled. This was pretty special.
So another adventure begins today with more action scheduled on the water. Probably no kiting but definitely some Sailing lessons, some paddleboarding and well, who knows...
Forecast was for a squally morning with prefrontal SW Winds giving way to WSW and Sunshine. For once the forecast was spot on.
I dropped my son off at 0830 with rain showers and and dark clouds looming. By 0900 my buddy Dan and I had his boat loaded and we were pushing off the dock trying to figure out fitting the vinyl covers to the cockpit. Thunder was rumbling to the south and the sky had a very dark complexion to it. As we motored out of Edgartown harbor and turned East the breeze was beginning to kick in. The trip across Muskeeget Channel was relatively calm. Visibility wasn't great but by the time we reached Hawes Shoal we could see the little house on Muskeeget Island poking up out of the dunes. We picked our way through rips of Long Shoal and settled in on the North side of Muskeeget. The current was absolutely ripping to the West at close to 3 knots making the unloading of gear interesting. My first attempt at anchoring proved unsuccessful as the current and wind fought for control of the boat, but the second attempt succeeded as a downpour drenched us.
Dan and I quickly rigged our BEST Kites. He originally chose his 14M BEST HP Nemesis while I rigged my 15M BEST TS. After the shower and seeing my choice he went for his BEST 17M TS. The winds at this point were from the SSW at 16-17kts and with the strong current flowing West we were both lit and loving it. The current flowing over some of the small shoals created these perfect slicks leading in to smooth ramps allowing for maximum boosts and really playful feel to the board. After about an hour we started to see the clearing skies to the West and with it came these little shots of sunshine through the clouds that would light up the shoals to this beautifully vibrant green. Unfortunately the breeze was dropping leading into this transition zone so we hit the beach to fuel up on some granola and water while we exchanged huge grins, high fives and slaps on the back. Little did we know it was only going to get better.
With the clearing skies came the wind shift to the WSW, slowly the breeze crept up and again the two of us were lit. This time we ventured around to the south end of the Island where there is another "Island" that is really more of a large sand bar. It sits about 500 meters to the South-West of Muskeeget and runs for approximately a mile. The water in between the two Islands is only about 2-3 feet deep and crystal clear. You can see everything underneath you which very often were some very playful and inquisitive Seals who wanted to see what we were doing. It was amazing the younger ones were not at all afraid of us and would watch us go zipping by then dive under the water and follow along underneath our boards before darting away. As we reach the far end we found there were probably 20 Seals hanging out on the beach and another 50-100 playing in the channel between Tuckernuck. We stopped and watched them for a few and it seemed that both species exchanged looks of amazement with the other, as if asking. "What are you doing here?"
For the next hour and a half Dan and I laughed our asses off as we exchanged crossing tacks and boost after boost in the most perfect setting. Bright blue skies, turquoise water spotted with seaweed and large Quahog shells and every shade of green and blue you could conjure up in your mind. It has been a long time since I went out and enjoyed a session like this. I wasn't working on anything, there were no goals in mind. It was just about sharing the experience, serenity and the pure joy of kiting and interacting with Nature.
After soaking up as much of this as time would allow we hit the beach to pack up and the two of us were still in awe of what we had just experienced. Dan was pretty funny as he listed off the places all over the Globe where he has kited and then in complete seriousness stated that the only session that rivaled this was the Great Barrier Reef. I was floored. Then I thought about it and just smiled. This was pretty special.
So another adventure begins today with more action scheduled on the water. Probably no kiting but definitely some Sailing lessons, some paddleboarding and well, who knows...
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