Kitty Hawk Water Sports- Nags Head, NC

New news: We now sell lacrosse equipment!
Having been an active part of the OBX Lacrosse club here I’ve seen how hard it is for parents to get their kids suited up for lacrosse season. They either have to shop the internet or drive up to Hampton Roads. The problem with that is you spend either a lot of time or money and you don’t get to try stuff on or you don’t get to talk to someone who knows lacrosse. You get the stuff and you realize it doesn’t work.

Well, since my business is virtually shut down during the winter I have a bunch of retail space I’m not utilizing. This is a great way for me to keep a little momentum during the winter and help out the players in the club. The inventory is in, I just need to get it organized and we’ll be ready to go. Store hours will be posted soon.

Friday the 30th gave the kids a day off from school so with a nice forecast I decided to take the boys fishing on the skiff. I’d heard the stripers were going off at the Mann’s Harbor Bridge so we set out to see if this was true.

Before we left I stopped by the tackle shop to see if I needed anything and I asked about the stretch lure which I hadn’t used before. Sure enough they had one and they were happy to take my money.

The “stretch” should be called the “snag”. That thing would steer towards the bridge everytime while we were trolling. But just as we were turning around after our first pass we got a strike. The striper was a definitely a keeper and he was nice and fat. The boys were stoked.

We messed around for a while and the few boats that were there started to head in so we passed over the channel and got another strike. Again, another fat keeper. It seems the fish were hanging around the channel under the high span.

The boys were getting bored so we trolled east back towards the launch and we got another striper but he was he was too close to call without a tape measure so we threw him back. Try telling your 4 year-old that the 17″ fish is too small and you have to throw him back. That fish looked pretty big to him.

Once again another beautiful day on the Outer Banks.

Well, we’ve pulled the boats out of the water in Nags Head and started the winterizing process. At Nor’banks in Duck we still have boats ready if needed and we’ll milk that a little until November at the latest. The only thing we have going in Nags Head is windsurfing.

Last winter I was sweating bullets over the economy and how it would affect the summer business. We wound up being down a little but nothing hugely signficant. I read in Consumer Reports that vacations were the one thing the general population would actually spend more on now that they’ve reprioritized their finances. Hard to pinpoint the thinking behind that.

We had a very good staff this season which makes it more enjoyable for everyone. The key phrase for a business owner like myself is “no drama”. Just give me a group of people that show up to work everyday with a good attitude and give an honest effort. We’ll get them up to speed with the rest.

Back to windsurfing, over the next year I’m going to further our interest with more equipment and greater exposure. The bottom line is, we’re located in a great windsurfing spot where you don’t have to take your equipment elsewhere to rig it. We have it rigged for you. My goal is to get some of the people who regularly head south to Hatteras Island to slow down and try us.

In other news, stay tuned for a very exciting anouncement for the spring of 2010. It will bring more adventures to our site in Nags Head.

We’ve experienced some nice days recently on the Outer Banks and it’s actually been killing me to choose what to do. Should I catch up on paperwork? Nah. Should I go surfing with the pulled muscle in my back? Maybe. Should I go for a bike ride and take it easy on the back muscle? Maybe. Should I plan to go striper fishing on Friday at Mann’s Harbor Bridge because the fishing report says they’re slayin’ ‘em there? Good chance.

It’s been a long time since I’ve caught a striped bass and with my kids having Friday off from school it might be a good time to take them out there and give it a try. Besides, for every person on the boat we can keep 2 fish. But the kids have other redeeming qualities as well, just give me some more time to think of them.

I rode by Lillian St. access in Kitty Hawk on Tuesday and it was fairly packed due to the good swell. Lots of funboards catching some long rollers.

We had a big blow come through on Saturday and Sunday. When the wind stopped the ocean settled down and left behind a nice swell. It was pretty sloppy on Monday and peaked out nicely on Tuesday. By Wednesday it appeared to be mostly gone.

In other news, I was checking out http://www.kahunacreations.com/ to look at some of their products. I sell their Big Sticks, which is a tool to use your skateboard like a land paddleboard. When I went to their Facebook page I noticed they had pictures of Matthew McConaughey using one with his skateboard. Pretty cool.

Friday, the 23rd of October was a nice looking day. I was just about to start painting my house (an ongoing project) when I got a phone call. It was my friend, Steve The Dream Thomas, with a live surf report. He was at the Lillian St. beach access (aka, the Laundry Mats) and he informed me there was a nice little swell that only a couple of stand-up paddleboarders and longboarders were taking advantage of.

I was in quite the dilemma. Paint the house or go surfing? Duh, I’m going surfing.

Air temp was about 70, water temp in the low 60s. There was a very gentle, slow rolling swell with a knee high wave you could ride for quite a long ways. On top of that there was no wind and the waters were very calm.

I actually needed a day like this to build up my confidence. The waves were easy to catch and I got good practice staying on the board as I finished out and turned around. In addition, I was able to paddle along with a pod of dolphin that weren’t too far away. Always a thrill.

The swell eventually quit around high tide so headed back home to see if I could get any work done. That didn’t last long because I soon had to pick up my son from elementary school which leads me to my second beach getaway.

I decided to take him, a friend, and my 4 year-old to the beach to play. Just in case I was given the opportunity I brought my fishing rod.

The kids went immediately to building a sand fort at the base of a washed up tree. If there’s one thing I can rely on with my kids at the beach is that they’ll find some old flotsam and start creating something. That distraction is just what I needed to start fishing and it went relatively smooth for 3 hours, which might be a record for us. I even caught a speckled trout, but not a keeper.

Once again it was a good day to be alive on the Outer Banks.

Every now and then it’s good to be the stay at home dad. Yesterday was shaping up to be a good day. Weather was warming up, ocean temp was still decent (65), and there was still a small swell. Trying to stay active (read: keeping the winter fat at bay) and not having anything too pressing to do while my 4 year-old was at preschool I decided to go for a quick paddleboard. I drove down route 12 in Kitty Hawk looking for a gentle, outside break. I finally settled on an access at the Sea Kove motel. After paddling around for 15′ I finally caught a wave and for the first time was able to stay on the board, turn it around, and head back out without falling off.

I scored one more wave before I had to hop in the car and go get the preschooler. The funniest part is changing out of the wetsuit at the beach access next to Black Pelican and going to school smelling like the ocean.

I tried to go fishing with a friend Sunday so we headed the boat out of the Southern Shores canals and on to Guingite Creek. It was about 48 degrees and blowing 15-20 out of the northwest. Total crap.

We never made it out of the creek it was blowing so hard and we were probably only on the boat for about an hour. Whoever said fish like it when it’s rough is full of it. I’ve never caught a fish in a good blow.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day trying to warm up and wondering why winter came so soon to the Outer Banks.

Alas, winter doesn’t have too tight a grip on us yet. I went for a bike ride yesterday, riding past the Laundry Mats (Kitty Hawk’s not-so-secret surf spot) and there were a bunch of surfers taking advantage of a nice swell. Full wetsuits were the standard attire. Did not see any gloves or booties.

Forcast is for warmer weather for the next couple of days (70-80) so if the swell continues it should be a good time to get out.

Last weekend was our first ever regatta at Kitty Hawk Water Sports and although the turnout was small everybody had good fun. The racers were mostly locals except for the Marines who came in to pick up a new purchase and what better way to give it a shake down cruise than at our regatta.

On Saturday the weather held off and we got in 6 races on the triangular course. Afterwards, we had a great social at Pamlico Jack’s just a block away. If you get the chance to go there they have a great deck bar overlooking the sound.

Sunday morning we woke up to clouds and cool weather. After much debating we decided on a mid-distance race across the sound. The winds were great, around 12 mph, and we were zipping across the water.

Chip Forbes won the regatta on a Hobie 16 with Chris Matthews coming in second on a Getaway. It should be noted that anyone scared to race should take a lesson from Wikey. Who, at 70 years old, capsized both days and each time got back on the boat and kept racing.

During the regatta I ran in to some BABA members who were on their way to Hatteras Island for a week of windsurfing. After talking with them I decided to hold a windsurfing regatta next year on Columbus Weekend. It should be a great time to attract racers from BABA and WET since they are in the neighborhood. Plus, it’s a good time for wind. In addition, I’ll switch the sailing regatta to a weekend in September where there will be more people to participate.

As an aside, we are shutting down the operation for the season except for windsurfing. We are going to try to attract the windsurfers who normally head down to Hatteras Island this time of year so I want to make ourselves more available.

Chris and Wikey bringing up the rear.

This is my favorite time of the year on the Outer Banks. Ocean temps are still great, the stress of the season is no longer there, fishing is heating up, and there are plenty of family activities.

A week ago I visited the Hobie Wave regatta at Nor’banks Sailing and Duck and helped out on the committee boat. Of the three day event I was lucky enough to show up on the one “good” day. Friday had high winds and rain which led to boats dismasting and Sunday had high winds and rain, as well. Saturday was cool and cloudy but the winds were such to have good races at a crisp pace. No slogging around the course.

Racers came from Ohio, Raleigh, and South Carolina. I had a chance to talk to a few and they were incredibly nice.

Speaking of regattas, we’ll be hosting our first ever in Nags Head on Oct. 10 and 11. We’ve seen a lot of local interest and hopefully we’ll have a good turnout. For more information go to our web site.

Last night before the sun disappeared I went down to the ocean with a fishing rod. I was there only about 1/2 an hour and I caught one 10″ speckled trout. Not a keeper but still fun. That’s what I love about the Outer Banks, I fishing hack like me can have success while fishing.

Monday was another story. My remaining staff and I went fishing on one of our skiffs as a little get together. After fishing all day the only thing we had to show for it was a bunch of empty beer cans. Still a fun time to be with friends.

Hope to see you out on the water.

Although I’m just as cynical as ever about the Redskins I find the reporting and fan reaction from last Sunday’s game to be excessive.  One topic that nobody wants to drop is their effectiveness in the redzone.  The Redskins are an average running team at best.  They haven’t been able to punch it in from the redzone since Joe Jacoby played for them.  So now you have to take that out of the equation which leaves you with throwing the ball.  Since you don’t have a great big target to look for the Redskins are forced to out-wit the other team.  This is why Joe Gibbs ran the bootleg alot down there when he coached last. 

Everybody’s brow beating Jim Zorn and his play calling.  I saw a team last Sunday that marched up and down the field converting crucial 3rd downs.  There were two touchdown passes dropped in the end zone.  How is that bad play calling?  If the score ended 17-7 or 21-7 would we still be hearing all of this?  You take away three plays from last Sunday; the two dropped TD passes and Steven Jackson’s long run, and you could say the Redskins dominated the game.

Rick Maese of the Washington Post stated that Sunday’s game was a “lackluster” performance.  Really?!  Was it that dull?  Was there a lack of effort?  I saw the defense trying to seek and destroy the ball carrier.  When Steven Jackson broke his long run I saw a bunch of guys taking off to go catch him.  And they did.  Had this been a lackluster team you would have seen the Redskins jogging.  Instead, the defense is looking to create more turnovers. 

Another thing I’m tired of is all the media asking, assuming, and/or stating that the Redskins and their coach are on the hotseat.  After two games and a .500 record.  They’re not that talented!  I wish they were a lot better but they’re not.  Who’s fault it that?  Management.  Creating a negative environment is only going to divide the team.

Jim Zorn still needs to prove to me he’s a winning coach.  I say let this season run its course and see what happens.  The only time it pays to dump a coach mid-season is when the coach has lost the locker room and you have someone on staff who can fill the void.  Otherwise, wait until the end.

As an aside, Robert Henson is an idiot and here’s the big beef I have with him.  When you talk condecendingly about McDonalds’ employees your saying that because of your career or how much money you make you’re a better person than someone who makes less money.  He needs to learn that his job and salary have nothing to do with character and the quality of the person.  We all found out last Sunday what kind of person he is.