Walk of Shame

"The sea was angry that day my friends...like an old man trying to return soup at the deli"

Sometimes it's just not your day. Sometimes the ocean lets you know that, if it wanted to, like a flea it could squash you.

The sun came out yesterday afternoon but the air was still cold and damp. With NNE 30mph winds, it had to be in the 40s. And the ocean is still COLD. Very cold! Not like the Sound. The Sound has got to be 15 degrees warmer. It's much more comfortable to kite in the Sound in the winter. Of course you hope that you'll be spending most of your time above the water. That's the point of kiting.

Not yesterday. Double overhead waves awaited me...much more than I expected when I decided to join Brandon, Eric and Pat on an ocean downwinder. 3 miles. From S Turns back to REAL. I decided to stay in the shore break to warm up. I was intimidated by the size of the waves in the middle and outer breaks. It was an obstacle course. Lines and lines of rolling white water and cresting waves. And as we approached Rodanthe, before the first house, I decided to try to venture out. The walls of water were bigger out there but cleaner and further apart. But before getting too far, a glassy smooth head high wave tackled me. That's the only way to describe it. I held my breath as I got spun underwater. I let go of my bar and curled into a ball as I've learned to do. When I found the surface, my kite had crashed into the surf...directly between me and the next glassy smooth wall of water. The wave struck the kite and the kite flew towards me...floating on a wall of foam. I grabbed the canpoy and worked my way to the leading edge and used it as flotation. I knew my lines were all around me and having been tangled before getting tangled again was my biggest concern.

Long story short...I swam in with one arm knowing not to kick my feet too much. I made it shore. I was able to walk up on the beach and flip the kite over...which miraculously was as good as new and fully inflated. Eric stopped to make sure I was ok. I was dizzy and numb and out of breath. I then walked one mile back to my car...the walk of shame…a humbling experience for even the most advanced kiters and surfers.

Makes you feel very small. But alive.

U.S. Coast Guard ruling on SUPs

Stand-up paddleboards (SUP) are now no different than vessels in the eyes of the U.S. Coast Guard...good coverage on Surfline.com. I agree with this ruling. Like kayaking, now PFDs, whistles and, at night, lights are required.

This will save lives.

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/stand-up-paddleboards-classified-as-vessels-by-us-coast-guard-surf-zone-not-affected-stand-up-and-be-counted_19530/

Stand Up Paddle Boarding - My New "No Wind" Activity

Cookie Monster

I have become the cookie monster. My appetite is insatiable. When you're in 50 degree water everyday kiting or surfing or SUPing, your metabolism skyrockets. Today I went for an hour and a half paddle in the Sound. I'm starting to get a feel for stand up...or as they say here "dialed in". I'm getting dialed in...at least in the flat water.

Today the sky was cold dark gray and the Sound was glassy flat. I had it all to myself. Not a soul around except me and my 11 foot Takayama. Soon I'll be taking it into the surf. But you have to crawl before you can walk. I have to get my endurance up. I have to work on my bracing and sweep strokes with the paddle. AND...I need speed. All of this in preparation of paddling into the perfect wave, accelerating into the pocket and going down the line. That's surfer talk for catching my first wave on a SUP (stand up paddle board).

Until then, it's time for another trip to the Food Lion. I'm eating us out of house and home!