Post by 1footwilly on Sept 14, 2011 9:03:41 GMT -5
After a wind drought that would make the lack of rain in Texas pale by comparison the weather finally turned, turned yellow, orange and red on iwindsurf. It was like a pusher returning the hood after long vacation and the wind addicts began to line up like hookers in L.A. The word was out, it was solid, a sure thing, epic, historical, toe breaking!
OK, so I arrived around noon, Joe, Jimmy, Art and a few locals were already on site. The forecast showed a gradual shift from the south to the west, the wind increasing at a steady pace all day.
After consulting Wendy, and Herr Herbert I started to rig my 5.2 to go with my 93 liter board. That's when Jimmy the King of Hatteras came off the water. By the time he reached the parking lot he was buzzing like Stuka bomber from WWII. Whirling like a dervish he let me know that certain death awaited me on a board that big and a sail that huge. "It's 3.7 on the outside at least!" His confidence, the forecast and my willingness to believe was all it took. Temptation kicked to get some time on my RRD so I grabbed my 85 liter board and rigged a 4.5, hoping like hell it wasn't too big. BeBe Jones arrived shortly thereafter and rigged a 5.5, with a classic 103 Fanatic Bee by virtue of the fact that he had basically destroyed everything else he owned. In any case with butterflies in my stomach, knowing the grim reaper was just off shore with his scythe of 40 knot wind I bravely hit the breaking waves. There was just enough wind to make it out, out to the waves, the lulls, the gusts, the lulls, the gusts, the lullllls....a half dozen water starts later after my board simply sank beneath my feet I flew back to shore to grab my 93 liter board. Which soon became my 93 liter board with a 5.2, which eventually became my 93 board with a 5.2 sitting in the parking lot by the boat launch. In fairness to His Highness of Hatteras the wind on the graph tells the story, 20-36 for a hour or so followed by a slow but steady decline. BeBe Jones and the 5.5 had a great day. Joe and Art seemed to fair well too as well as Mark from Buffalo.
One thing was outstanding and that was the number of windsurfers that showed up. I will need some help here, there was Andy, Steve, Joe and his wife, Kinger, Joe H, Art, Mark, some guy with a new 116 Liter JP, Doug from Curtis Sport and at least 3 or 4 others I didn't know or have forgotten.
The final chapter for me was a Slogfest downwinder, Art and Ken were kind enough to join me in this, although for a while it looked like Ken had a reservation at Hoak's but instead he landed at King beach.
In any case I managed to be one sail and one board behind the real conditions all day, a real education as it were....still beats working! Oh one more thing, Jones did manage to break a mast, a signature move for him this season. I think that makes, 2 masts, two boards, one boom and still counting. He's going to be hard to catch.
OK, so I arrived around noon, Joe, Jimmy, Art and a few locals were already on site. The forecast showed a gradual shift from the south to the west, the wind increasing at a steady pace all day.
After consulting Wendy, and Herr Herbert I started to rig my 5.2 to go with my 93 liter board. That's when Jimmy the King of Hatteras came off the water. By the time he reached the parking lot he was buzzing like Stuka bomber from WWII. Whirling like a dervish he let me know that certain death awaited me on a board that big and a sail that huge. "It's 3.7 on the outside at least!" His confidence, the forecast and my willingness to believe was all it took. Temptation kicked to get some time on my RRD so I grabbed my 85 liter board and rigged a 4.5, hoping like hell it wasn't too big. BeBe Jones arrived shortly thereafter and rigged a 5.5, with a classic 103 Fanatic Bee by virtue of the fact that he had basically destroyed everything else he owned. In any case with butterflies in my stomach, knowing the grim reaper was just off shore with his scythe of 40 knot wind I bravely hit the breaking waves. There was just enough wind to make it out, out to the waves, the lulls, the gusts, the lulls, the gusts, the lullllls....a half dozen water starts later after my board simply sank beneath my feet I flew back to shore to grab my 93 liter board. Which soon became my 93 liter board with a 5.2, which eventually became my 93 board with a 5.2 sitting in the parking lot by the boat launch. In fairness to His Highness of Hatteras the wind on the graph tells the story, 20-36 for a hour or so followed by a slow but steady decline. BeBe Jones and the 5.5 had a great day. Joe and Art seemed to fair well too as well as Mark from Buffalo.
One thing was outstanding and that was the number of windsurfers that showed up. I will need some help here, there was Andy, Steve, Joe and his wife, Kinger, Joe H, Art, Mark, some guy with a new 116 Liter JP, Doug from Curtis Sport and at least 3 or 4 others I didn't know or have forgotten.
The final chapter for me was a Slogfest downwinder, Art and Ken were kind enough to join me in this, although for a while it looked like Ken had a reservation at Hoak's but instead he landed at King beach.
In any case I managed to be one sail and one board behind the real conditions all day, a real education as it were....still beats working! Oh one more thing, Jones did manage to break a mast, a signature move for him this season. I think that makes, 2 masts, two boards, one boom and still counting. He's going to be hard to catch.
