Kitty Hawk Water Sports- Nags Head, NC

It was another great year for Windfest.  After a blustery first day, Friday and Saturday were very enjoyable.  Although wetsuits were still preferred attire I survived Saturday w/out one.  Spoke w/ a lot of great people, had a bunch of demos, and even got out on the water myself.

Speaking of which, I woke up Sunday looking for a big dose of vitamin I (the I stands for ibuprofen).  I must be getting old and out of shape because I had to think back to why this was necessary.  It turns out, when you spend the whole winter sitting on your tail and never going to the gym you might feel a little sore when you do just a little stand-up paddleboarding, sail a dinghy, and go windsurfing all in one day.  Even if it is just a short distance.  This could be a painful summer.

The Hobie Cat Bravo I brought along continues to get a lot of favorable reviews.  The boat doesn’t get enough credit in my opinion.  When I tell people it’s a Sunfish on steroids they laugh but I say it seriously.  Saturday it was powered up perfectly; throwing a hull w/out having to dump the wind too much.  I even had Fernando, a 200 lb. customer on the boat w/ me, and we were still powered up nicely.

I also tried something new w/ my GoPro camera.  I normally use it to record video while either shooting from my wrist or using the head strap.  This time I mounted it on the top of my windsurfing mast and pointed it down for an “aeriel” shot.  Although I wasn’t powered up on the board the shot turned out great.  I’ll continue to experiment w/ this.  If you’re looking for a camera that can shoot video and pics in a water environment I highly recommend the GoPro.  However, be advised that it’s not as user-friendly as today’s digital cameras and requires some trial and error to see what works best.

See you on the water.

Went down to Windfest yesterday and it was blowing hard out of the NE.  A handfull of sailors were out on 3.5s and braving the 50 degree temps.  They gave it a good showing and packed up early.  I brought a bunch of big stuff because that’s my niche but it wasn’t worth trying to rig up.  I’ll be back today to give it a go.  Feel free to stop by and say hi.  Free demos!

John

Rented out the Waverunners for the first time yesterday hoping the spring breakers would come out.  Unfortunately, didn’t rent as many as I’d hoped for.  I did, however, see a bunch of windsurfers enjoying the 15-18 knot winds.  I tried getting some video footage using my GoPro while riding a Waverunner.  Got some close shots but the chop bounced me around pretty good.  

The last couple of weeks have seen good spring windsurfing conditions.  It seems like every time it warms up the wind picks up, which is a combination I like.  Everyone was out yesterday w/ a full suit and no booties and it was fine. 

I’m heading down to Windfest on Thursday which is located at the Frisco Woods Campground.  It goes until Saturday and is a great time to socialize w/ other windsurfers.  If you’re new to the sport and you want to learn about the new gear or try out some of the equipment it’s a great opportunity to get a lot of information at one place and time.

I’ll be a vendor there with some of my long boards for windsurfing and stand-up paddleboarding.  I’m also going to bring a Hobie or two.  Feel free to stop by and try something out.

Until next time, get on the water.