My eyes are bloodshot, my hair feels like straw, my face is wind burnt and my muscles are sore. Goddamn' I am lucky! The last three days I have spent more of the daylight wet then dry.
Tuesday was easily the best day on the water in months. I feel like I did it all.
Started with a little bit of speed board training. I was on my 12M and the wind was still building so I didn't get any great speeds but it was interesting to see the video of my tail. I did this at the request of Stan Pleskunas who is designing my new speed boards. It was interesting to watch the way the water came of the tail, we both agreed it was a lot more turbulent than either of us would have suspected. Is this a result of too much rocker? Incorrect cutaway to the tail? Tail Fade? All sorts of questions to consider.
Anyways with the work done and the breeze still building I switched to a smaller kite(7M TS), bigger board(5'6" Shortstick Surfboard) and flopped over from the glassy flats of Tisbury Great Pond to the Ocean. Waves had built considerably throughout the afternoon and as I charged out through the shore break and headed West I had to pause for a minute and realize how lucky I am. Head high waves, winds were in the mid 20's and I was departing one set of friends to meet up with others about 6 miles down the beach. The smell of the sea foam was intoxicating, the waves were a light shade of green streaked with the white of the foam. Everything was in constant motion including me. It had been quite some time since a good strong weather system with wind and waves and it felt so good to be in the middle of it. At first the body works too hard, tries too hard, then after a few minutes you remember to work with the kite and the board not against it. Everything smoothes out, well except for the seas. The body relaxes, you start to enjoy the intoxication. Then it starts to come. A kite loop here, a heel side slash there, a smack of the lip, a deep bottom turn it all clicks. Then you misjudge get eaten by a wave, dropped into hole, lose your board, find your board get up and keep riding and laughing. It's all part of the experience, the learning.
Six miles of fetching with a little upwind work got me to the verySW tip of the Island. A friend of mine who is a stellar surfer had encouraged me to go check out the outside break known as Second Point. It was easy to tell that there was an enormous amount of water moving underneath my board. The currents that surround our Island often move at close to 4 knots and it was easy to see I was getting every bit of that. The building swell rushing headlong into the strong current and sizable boulders that lay just underneath the surface seemed to jack the waves up into these perfect glassy bowls. Wave after wave was placed before me with endless opportunities to explore my own comfort level and ability to control kite, board and body. Again sometimes achieving and sometimes failing but definitely laughing and learning constantly. What was so interesting was that nobody had followed me. I had rounded the corner and was all by myself. No boats, no kiters, no surfers and certainly no beachgoers or onlookers just myself and the Sea. I literally had this perfect point break all to myself.
Since tuesday afternoon I have improved upon my SUP skills, bodysurfed some gorgeous waves that I couldn't ride on a surfboard and even hopped on my course board for the first time since July.
There have been a few exciting developments on the sponsorship and partner front which I will be unveiling shortly. I have been working hard with Stan to finalize design on the speed board and overall I have just been trying to work hard, push my body and get ready for the NASSI which starts way too soon.
After I shot the video of my speed board tail for Stan I played around did a quick run through this gorgeous little canal. I love this spot, especially with the Golden Rod blooming this time of year. Funny to think that it was this glassy here and just over the dunes and only 100 meters to the South the waves were booming. I guess that is the beauty of barrier beaches and coastal ponds.
Trying to sort out a little expedition for Sunday. We shall see if the forecast delivers.
All the best.
B
Tuesday was easily the best day on the water in months. I feel like I did it all.
Started with a little bit of speed board training. I was on my 12M and the wind was still building so I didn't get any great speeds but it was interesting to see the video of my tail. I did this at the request of Stan Pleskunas who is designing my new speed boards. It was interesting to watch the way the water came of the tail, we both agreed it was a lot more turbulent than either of us would have suspected. Is this a result of too much rocker? Incorrect cutaway to the tail? Tail Fade? All sorts of questions to consider.
Anyways with the work done and the breeze still building I switched to a smaller kite(7M TS), bigger board(5'6" Shortstick Surfboard) and flopped over from the glassy flats of Tisbury Great Pond to the Ocean. Waves had built considerably throughout the afternoon and as I charged out through the shore break and headed West I had to pause for a minute and realize how lucky I am. Head high waves, winds were in the mid 20's and I was departing one set of friends to meet up with others about 6 miles down the beach. The smell of the sea foam was intoxicating, the waves were a light shade of green streaked with the white of the foam. Everything was in constant motion including me. It had been quite some time since a good strong weather system with wind and waves and it felt so good to be in the middle of it. At first the body works too hard, tries too hard, then after a few minutes you remember to work with the kite and the board not against it. Everything smoothes out, well except for the seas. The body relaxes, you start to enjoy the intoxication. Then it starts to come. A kite loop here, a heel side slash there, a smack of the lip, a deep bottom turn it all clicks. Then you misjudge get eaten by a wave, dropped into hole, lose your board, find your board get up and keep riding and laughing. It's all part of the experience, the learning.
Six miles of fetching with a little upwind work got me to the verySW tip of the Island. A friend of mine who is a stellar surfer had encouraged me to go check out the outside break known as Second Point. It was easy to tell that there was an enormous amount of water moving underneath my board. The currents that surround our Island often move at close to 4 knots and it was easy to see I was getting every bit of that. The building swell rushing headlong into the strong current and sizable boulders that lay just underneath the surface seemed to jack the waves up into these perfect glassy bowls. Wave after wave was placed before me with endless opportunities to explore my own comfort level and ability to control kite, board and body. Again sometimes achieving and sometimes failing but definitely laughing and learning constantly. What was so interesting was that nobody had followed me. I had rounded the corner and was all by myself. No boats, no kiters, no surfers and certainly no beachgoers or onlookers just myself and the Sea. I literally had this perfect point break all to myself.
Since tuesday afternoon I have improved upon my SUP skills, bodysurfed some gorgeous waves that I couldn't ride on a surfboard and even hopped on my course board for the first time since July.
There have been a few exciting developments on the sponsorship and partner front which I will be unveiling shortly. I have been working hard with Stan to finalize design on the speed board and overall I have just been trying to work hard, push my body and get ready for the NASSI which starts way too soon.
After I shot the video of my speed board tail for Stan I played around did a quick run through this gorgeous little canal. I love this spot, especially with the Golden Rod blooming this time of year. Funny to think that it was this glassy here and just over the dunes and only 100 meters to the South the waves were booming. I guess that is the beauty of barrier beaches and coastal ponds.
Trying to sort out a little expedition for Sunday. We shall see if the forecast delivers.
All the best.
B
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