Jimmy Buffet Visits the REAL Flagship Store

Apparently I'm in good company. Jimmy Buffet wrote about visiting REAL on his blog as well! Click on the photo to be taken to Margaritaville!

60 Day Evaluation

I spent this past weekend in New York. I had loose ends to tie in the city and then I drove to Montauk to find a venue for our Alumni Retreat. Saw some good friends. I then spent time with my family in New Jersey. It felt good to be back. It was the first time in a long time that I looked at Manhattan, Montauk and my hometown...and all the people in my life...with such appreciation. It may have had something to do with the spectacular weather, but no doubt it felt good to see everyone. I think they call that home sickness.

But today, back in Cape Hatteras, I cranked away on the 20+ projects I'm working on to help grow this business. For example, this weekend I am hosting an editor with Go Outside from Suao Paulo and the Latin American distributor for North Face. Pretty cool. I am enjoying work for the first time in a very long time. That feels good.

And tonight...yet another sunset session. I don't think I'll ever get bored of the sunsets here. Even better...riding a strapless surfboard in the sound as it sets. Religious experience every time.

So far so good...and it's probably not a bad thing to appreciate the people and places in my life a little bit more.

REAL Alumni Retreat Details Thus Far...

REAL Alumni Retreat

REAL is proud to announce the launch of our 1st Annual REAL Alumni Retreat scheduled for June 26-28, 2009 in Montauk, NY.
What : REAL Alumni Retreat
Where : Montauk, New York
When : June 26-28, 2009
Why : Kite, Surf, Standup Sessions, Demos, Clinics and Parties
Who : All REAL Alumni and their Friends
RSVP : Alumni@realwatersports.com

The 1st Annual REAL Alumni Retreat will happen June 26th-28th in Montauk, NY and YOU and your friends are invited ! The REAL Alumni Retreat is a weekend set aside each year so that all of our clients and their friends can get together and celebrate our years (or days) on the water with great sessions and great parties !

We decided to host our 1st Annual REAL Alumni Retreat in Montauk, NY since it is the home stomping ground of REAL Co-Founder Trip Forman AND because Montauk/Napeague Harbor offers a wide variety of session opportunities for kite, surf and standup paddleboarding action !Already confirmed in attendance from the REAL TEAM are Trip Forman, Matt Nuzzo, Jason Slezak, Sam Bell, Jeff Soderberg, Ryan Evans, Bryan Elkus and Carl Giordano.

REAL Alumni Retreat Schedule:
Here is how the schedule is looking for the three day weekend. As we get closer, this will be updated.
Friday June 26th
AM : Kite, Surf and Standup Sessions in Napegue Harbor and Montauk Areas
PM : Burgers and Beers at the Shagwong Restaurant
Saturday, June 27th
AM : Kite, Surf and Standup Sessions in Napegue Harbor and Montauk Areas
PM : REAL Alumni Retreat BBQ Dinner Party (Location TBD)
Sunday, June 28th
AM : Kite, Surf and Standup Sessions in Napegue Harbor and Montauk Areas
PM : Drive home with huge session hangovers !

Because we are at the mercy of the wind and the waves, we will provide everyone with a cell number to announce exactly where we will be kiting or surfing or SUPing. We will also be announcing locations and activities on Twitter.

We urge you to book your accommodations soon! Please email us at Alumni@realwatersports.com if you’re not familiar with the area and would like some advice on where to stay.

PLEASE RSVP!
In order to help us plan this event more efficiently, please RSVP by sending an email to Alumni@realwatersports.com for you and your friends attendance. Also we need your t-shirt size(s), so we can hook you up with some new RED Threads !

We look forward to seeing you and your friends at the 1st annual REAL Alumni Retreat !

REAL Alumni Retreat

I'm heading to Montauk this weekend to do some scouting for the first annual REAL Alumni Retreat. This is going to be a celebration of kiteboarding, surfing and SUPing in Montauk June 26th to June 28th. All are welcome! More info to follow!

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Beginngs

No that's not me in the photo. :o)

The other day I decided to do something different. Instead of demoing another twin tip freestyle board like I’ve been doing for six weeks now, I decided to try a surfboard. I had done it twice before…that is, kite with a surfboard…and I definitely felt drawn to it. Hard to explain. It just felt like the right style of riding for me. I like to make big carvey turns and just cruise around at a pretty fast pace. If I jump, it’s a big lofty boost…nothing crazy.

So yesterday I demoed another one. A Naish Custom Gun. I was using it in the sound in huge chop and surfable swells. It was awesome. It was blowing about 25mph SSW. I was blazing upwind and carving downwind and having a ball! It is an extraordinary feeling to ride it strapless and let your feet move around the board….to not even jibe…just ride toe side! Such a different feeling than a twin tip.

http://www.naishkites.com/en/products/boards/custom_gun.html

For me, it felt great. That’s the beauty of a sport like kiteboarding. You can adopt a new style and reinvent yourself and suddenly you're learning again. Very cool feeling.

God I love this sport! :o)

Goodbye Grandpa

I was out riding this evening after work. The sunset was even more spectacular than usual. After coming off the water, I checked my messages and received word that my grandfather, Carlo, had passed away minutes earlier. We knew it was only a matter of days, but nevertheless the news left me feeling empty.

He turned 98 in Feburary. I took this picture with him at his birthday party in Morgan Hill, CA.

He lived a simple life. He had a cherry orchard. He had a modest home. He always had a woman in his life. First my grandmother Elenore. Then, after she passed, he remarried...my Grandma Rose as we called her growing up. Then, when she passed, he met another companion, Francis, who took care of him with such love and devotion until tonight. He was happy.

I was named after him. And although I only got to see him a few times a year, his presence and his lifestyle and his stories always reminded me that life doesn't have to be so complicated. To be content..to live a simple life...to do what you love and live in a beautiful place...well...that's a good life.

Francis - Thank you for taking care of my grandpa for so many years. Thank you for all the care and all the love.

I hope that I will look back one day and know that I lived a life as fulfilling as yours Grandpa. You were loved by three children, ten grandchildren and four great grandchildren and tonight we all mourn your loss.

Goodbye Grandpa. You will be missed.

Off-Road Vehicle Access Brochure for Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Driving on the beach is a way of life here in the outerbanks. This link will take you to a very useful brochure on the subject.

http://www.outerbanks.org/pdf/CAHA_ORV_Brochure_July08.pdf

New Information Regarding the Death of Tim Holman

There is new information that I think changes the story quite a bit.

The twin brother of Tim Holman, the Canadian kiter who was killed Saturday, and his five friends stopped by REAL today wanting to set the record straight.

Tim Holman was an experienced kiter and had experience flying in strong winds. It wasn’t the change in wind speed that caused him trouble. He didn’t leave the shore until after the wind had already increased above 30 mph and rigged a very small kite (6m) knowing that he was dealing with a powerful wind. This was the right thing to do. I would have done the same thing.

According to eye witnesses, Tim was boosting himself again and again. His friends explained that on his last attempt, intentionally or not, the kite dove to 3 o’clock pulling him vertically in the air. They describe seeing Tim 30 feet or so high at eye level with his kite. Tim apparently recovered and landed the jump but then face planted hard. They waited for movement but there was none and immediately knew something was wrong.

Cause of death was recorded as head trauma and drowning.

ALSO, IT IS WORTH MENTIONING…

Some kite forums have reported that there was a 13M kite looping towards shore dragging a kiter. The kite was moving fast and completely out of control. Seconds before hitting the shoreline, someone risked their life by diving on the kite as it came screaming passed them.

According to Tim’s brother and friends, the guy who risked his life was Tim!!! Only after securing this kite and possibly saving a life did he rig his own 6m and head out for what would be his last session.

I wanted to pass this along and set the story straight. Tomorrow these guys are taking their brother and friend Tim home to Canada.

All they asked is that we do our part to promote safe kiting and I assured them we will.

Be safe!

Carl

Letter to the Virginia Pilot

Dear Catherine,

I wanted to update you regarding the accident Saturday. There’s been new information that I think changes the story quite a bit.

The Canadian, Tim Holman, was an experienced kiter and had experience flying in strong winds. It wasn’t the change in wind speed that caused him trouble. He didn’t leave the shore until after the wind had already increased above 30 mph and rigged a very small kite (6m) knowing that he was dealing with a powerful wind. This was the right thing to do. I would have done the same thing.

According to eye witnesses, Tim was boosting himself very high (which in itself is not dangerous) and on one of these boosts, performed accidentally or not, what is called a kite loop. The kite spins in a circle creating an incredibly powerful pull forward. This is what caused him to lose control. This is a force powerful enough to cause major harm in a collision.

For someone to attempt a kite loop in mid air, they must be extremely experienced. This is a very advanced, arguably extreme, maneuver which I personally have not attempted and have no interest in attempting. Like many sports, there are levels of extremity and what Tim was doing was pretty extreme (certainly in such strong winds) and weighing only 150 lbs.

We can’t blame the weather on this one…although no doubt anytime you kite or surf or any other outdoor sport in a storm, the risk increases. High winds, high seas, lightening, etc. etc.

I hope you find this useful.

Best regards,

Carl

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/wind-spike-cited-kiteboarders-nc-falling-death

Poor George

Park Service cracks down on unleashed dogs.

Superintendent Mike Murray says there will be “a focused effort this season” at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on requiring that all dogs be leashed so they won’t interfere with nesting shorebirds and sea turtles. Last year, he said, there were over 700 documented cases of unleashed dogs doing damage in nesting areas. “I have directed park staff to step up their efforts to inform pet owners of the federal leash regulation.” Park rangers will issue violation notices carrying a $150.00 fine for a pet owner who does not comply.

-http://www.obxalert.net/

Riding Map of Cape Hatteras

Bryan Elkus did a nice job of laying out this map and illustrating what a wonderful playground this place is. Click on the photo to enlarge it. For any watersport, but most definitely for wind and surf sports, this is a paradise.

Keep Your Eyes On The Weather!!!

Any experienced kiteboarder understands the importance of following weather reports very closely and prior to launching, making sure that the weather will remain relatively consistent throughout the session.

When a front moves through, wind speed and direction can change drastically. This is when kiteboarding gets dangerous. The graph above is from Saturday, April 11th from the wind meter at the REAL slick. Notice the spike in wind speed at 5pm. I am very sad to report that this spike claimed a life. Details are still emerging but what is known for sure is that my friend Keith, who was very close to the scene and struggling to maintain control of his own kite when the front moved in, watched a lifeless body being dragged across the water by a kite. He yelled over and over to get the kiteboarder's attention. Once he safely secured his kite, he called 911.

Yesterday afternoon details started to emerge that the guy was boosting himself and on his final attempt, lost control and came down hard on the water. The impact may have killed him. We don't know yet.

I've been caught in these situations myself. Most recently, I was forced to let the kite go blowing across the sound to ensure my own safety. One of the coaches at REAL raced to retrieve the kite on a jetski once the front was passed us.

But I was warned that the front was coming! As I left the demo center, Brandon told me to be careful. He said I had an hour before it was supposed to hit. I wish I had brought a watch! As predicted, the sky got dark, the wind spiked from 20mph t0 50mph at which point I lost control of my kite. Imagine being dragged by an elephant. All I could do is eject. And I did.

LESSON LEARNED: Check the weather! Don't just prepare for the current weather, but for the weather an hour and two hours from now! And if you know a storm is coming..and this one on Saturday was being forecasted ALL DAY...keep your eyes on the sky! Consider taking a smaller kite and a big board if you know the weather is supposed to change! OR...just wait until the forecast looks more stable! And know the eject features on your bar very very well!

This was preventable. That's what's most sad.

Dolphins

I saw more dolphins today. Seems like more and more lately. Today was the first time though that I was in the ocean with them. A bunch of us were long boarding and standup paddle boarding at sea haven. Beautiful glassy clean chest high waves all afternoon. There were at least eight dolphins within 30 feet of us for an hour or so. I couldn't tell if they were hunting or playing but there seemed to be a pattern of swimming back and forth, breaching again and again before turning back. One of those times that you wish you had a good waterproof camera handy. But I'll never forget. It was one of those moments I know I have a picture perfect image of in my head and it will stay with me.