EPIC conditions at the Bowl, down-the-line frontside wave sailing, jumping off of 12' waves fully juiced on 4.2, riding logo to mast high waves with the crew and even getting treated to a Graham Ezzy backloop just 50 feet away! It all came together on September 10th & 11th, 2009 when a weak low off of Hatteras ran up against a Maine/Nova Scotia high and sent us several days of side-off Northeasterlies. For a complete rundown, check out the Peconic Puffin's excellent reporting: Land of the Giants at the Bowl and From The Bowl: More Waves, More Wind.
I know the word "epic" can get overused after an inspirational session. This session blew away all previous contenders by far, and was definitely epic for me, but I've only been wave sailing for 3 years. When I heard the 10-20 year veterans, however, raving in disbelief with looks of euphoria on their face, I knew it was indeed a rare, special event.
Video footage shot from the beach, Days 1 & 2:
Photos from Day 1:
Photos from Day 2:
I got the idea for the following video from Andy McKinney's Lost in Hatteras: Lighthouse Video. He found the best spot to mount a boom cam - the clew! I gave it a go on the second day about 20 minutes before the thunderstorms hit (missing the big stuff), and caught a couple interesting moments. One thing is for sure - wide-angle is the way to go - I may get one of those GoPro's after all....
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Ponquogue Summer Waves
Picture perfect side-shore, warm day, nice waves, big air, but most incredibly, an East wind and sunshine? Score!
Video via Youtube in case the Flickr video doesn't work. I'm trying to figure which looks/works better.
For more in-depth reporting, check out the Peconic Puffin's recap of this spectacular day: "There's Still Sand On My Boom"
Plus, it looks like more potential wave-sailing action later this week, but bigger, meaner and wetter: NOAA Marine Forecast - stay tuned!
Video via Youtube in case the Flickr video doesn't work. I'm trying to figure which looks/works better.
For more in-depth reporting, check out the Peconic Puffin's recap of this spectacular day: "There's Still Sand On My Boom"
Plus, it looks like more potential wave-sailing action later this week, but bigger, meaner and wetter: NOAA Marine Forecast - stay tuned!
Monday, September 07, 2009
LI Summer SUP Part 3 - Clark Bar Bonanza
Shoulder to head-high+ came out of nowhere to make for a delicious day of standup paddle surfing and kayaking at the Clark Bar. Joining the Wolf and myself on SUP and Scott on his 'yak was Michael riding a demo Naish SUP from Windsurfing Hamptons. This was Michael's second time standup paddling in the surf, and first time in surf greater than knee-high, and wouldn't you know he was catching long and big waves right from the start!
Sunday, September 06, 2009
LI Summer SUP Part 2 - Danny's Waves
Our next round came one weekend later from another offshore storm- Tropical Storm Danny. Danny petered out and threw its energy into a frontal storm off of Hatteras, though he still managed to send meaty 6' to 9'+ waves into the Bowl. I somehow grabbed a couple of these giant waves amidst a crowd of 25 surfers on my 11'2" Starboard SUP, an utterly thrilling and exhausting experience (I think I experienced endorphin fatigue!).
The next morning we took refuge and long rides on the bay side of the inlet. This session was a total blast and excellent workout. A mix of surfers, kayakers and SUP'ers shared in the wave bounty, often in "party waves".
The next day, winds went off-shore and cleaned up long-period left-overs. I joined Jon Ford and John van der Wolf at the Cut for some beautiful glassy waves in the chest to shoulder-high range.
Check out the full photoset (with 2 videos) in this slideshow (can be made to fit full-screen):
The next morning we took refuge and long rides on the bay side of the inlet. This session was a total blast and excellent workout. A mix of surfers, kayakers and SUP'ers shared in the wave bounty, often in "party waves".
The next day, winds went off-shore and cleaned up long-period left-overs. I joined Jon Ford and John van der Wolf at the Cut for some beautiful glassy waves in the chest to shoulder-high range.
Check out the full photoset (with 2 videos) in this slideshow (can be made to fit full-screen):
Friday, September 04, 2009
LI Summer SUP Part 1 - Hurricane Bill
Hurricane Bill passed 275 miles off our coast August 22/23, sending big waves to our southern shores. Erosion was bad in spots, but in some cases sandbars improved for surf and SUP. The first couple days we hid from Bill's fury on the inside of Moriches Inlet, catching mellow 1-3 ft waves that would run for 100-200 yards. Here's one of those rides:
Later in the week we were scoring shoulder to overhead-plus at Dune Road ocean beaches in Southampton. I shared one of my favorite sessions at K Road with the Wolf and C.D., where we found waist to head-high waves, a warm, peaceful sunset, frosty beers and good company:
This post also marks the introduction of my new waterproof camera, the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000. The photo quality is sadly subpar (see above), but it should make up for that in durability -- I'll post a full review later this fall. For now, enjoy these pics from LI Summer SUP Part 1:
Later in the week we were scoring shoulder to overhead-plus at Dune Road ocean beaches in Southampton. I shared one of my favorite sessions at K Road with the Wolf and C.D., where we found waist to head-high waves, a warm, peaceful sunset, frosty beers and good company:
This post also marks the introduction of my new waterproof camera, the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000. The photo quality is sadly subpar (see above), but it should make up for that in durability -- I'll post a full review later this fall. For now, enjoy these pics from LI Summer SUP Part 1:
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