Windfest Long Weekend

It all started last Wednesday after my softball game in Easton, MD. I had fully loaded my truck and made the drive to Rockville MD to meet my dad for the trip down to Hatteras. We met up around 9:00 PM stowed my gear in his trailer hopped in the van. We made it onto the island around 3am and slept for a few hours in a friend’s driveway. I woke up around 7 am and we hit the grocery store followed by the hole. The wind was in the high teens and I was well powered on my 6.6 and 92L board. I sailed for about five hours on Thursday and realized that I would be worthless the next couple of days if I continued. So we packed up and headed down to Frisco woods and the beer truck.

Friday – I woke up and checked the forecast. It hadn’t changed so I went over to real and rented a Stand Up Paddle board (Jimmy Lewis 11’0”). I tested it out in the sound for about 10 minutes and felt I was ready for the ocean. The surf at Frisco Pier didn’t look to bad pretty small on the inside and just looked like rolling swell on the outside. I paddled out and soon realized despite my very stable board that crashing waves can be a problem. I finally made it out of the impact zone only to be shocked by the 6-7 foot rollers coming through. After attempting to ride several of these and getting worked pretty hard I stayed on the inside riding the rebreak and whitewater. Got a fully day at the beach and headed back to the camp ground for a beer/board toss. While at the board toss I ran into James, Bruce, and John from WET (who I had sailed with last October), I also was winning the board toss until the eventual winner beat my throw by half a board length.

Saturday – I woke up early to get in another standup session before the board was due back at 11 am. The swell was smaller and my confidence was up from the day before so I ventured out into the now 4 – 5 ft swell and was rewarded with some 150 yard rides. No real turns but I’m not a surfer so I was happy to be riding the wave and staying up. As I was finishing up the wind picked up to about 10 or 11 mph making paddling difficult so I rigged my 10.6 and formula 155. This combination allowed me to cruise around the sound for about 45 minutes and be the only sailor consistently planing. The wind completely shut off around 2 and then shifted to the South. It built back up around 5 providing another hour and a half session on the big gear. That night it was more of the beer truck and we didn’t win anything at the raffle.

Sunday - It looked good on the forecast but didn’t amount to anything before the rain came. As a result I spent 11 hours in the cars fighting rain and traffic on my way up to visit a friend in NJ.

Meetings

Well there were two windy days this past week that I missed due to after school meetings. As a result I haven't been on the water since the Thursday before Easter. That day was the most consistent I have ever had down in Oxford. Winds out of the NW at 22 mph allowing me to be fully powered up on my 5.4 and 92 L board from 10 am till 1:30 pm. It was a little chilly 47 degrees but the clear blue sky made all the difference. Hopefully I'll make it out atleast one more time before I head down to Hatteras for windfest.