Female Aquatic Humanoids - aka SUPing Chimpettes

Across these waters of Peconic and Shinnecock there shreds a small but fierce band of primal watermen known as the Windchimps. Public sightings of the chimps can be as rare as summer wind and waves, which is why last Sunday I nearly dropped my paddle on seeing 2 female standup paddle surfers in the lineup.

   

NOAA recently announced that no evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found, but today I present photo proof of the elusive Chimpette! Knee-high waves and shorty weather seemed important to drawing her out. With the summer season hitting high gear, I'm hopeful we'll see more female aquatic humanoids catching their first SUP waves.

Destroyed at Ditch

My 4 year love affair with a Starboard Ultimate Blend 11'2" SUP snapped to a sudden halt Tuesday in overhead waves at Montauk's Ditch Plains.

A combo of TS Alberto and other coastal systems heaved solid swell toward the Long Island coastline, enticing me and Jon Ford to hike east and meet Andy Brant for some SUP-sailing. For the first 30 minutes, we sailed starboard tack in meaty head high waves, and caught some fun rides. Sadly the wind died, but with the building surf I de-rigged, grabbed my paddle and headed back out.

When I reached the far outer break, which seemed further out than we'd ever seen, sets were rolling in well-overhead. I caught a couple half-ride wipeouts, and let one wave pass under me which felt like a small house. Suddenly, out of the fog, loomed Poseidon's monster. With glee I started paddling, trying to match speed with the hulking mass. Speed, though was not the problem -- the 1-2' overhead and now pitching wave: problem. I dove off to the side, held my breath and experienced a massive pummeling. After getting thrown like a rag doll and dragged under, I swam for the top, and swam more, and finally lungs bursting reached clean air. I had survived; my precious Starboard Ultimate, had not.

The Ultimate will be repaired and retired to flat water paddling. I now search for a new SUP surf board. I've ridden Starboard's 8'10" Wide Point, and 9'8" Element in solid surf, and next will test the Fanatic AllWave. I'm looking forward to changing up to something new, but will always miss the original.

The Starboard Ultimate Blend 11'2" standing ready for waves in better days:

Freestyle Fanatics

Lovers of wind suffering through the Summer doldrums found major relief Monday, with windsurfers trekking from the NY Hudson Valley, CT and beyond to the place where the thermals blow: Heckscher State Park in East Islip, NY. Following a weekend of waves (12 hours on the water over 3 SUP sessions) I could only last an hour or two on my 5.9, attempting a couple vulcans here and there. At this point, I threw my rig on the beach and grabbed the waterproof camera to capture these action shots in the late day sun.

Mike's Shuvit by Peconic Windsurfer, on Flickr

Frontside Flacka by Peconic Windsurfer, on Flickr

Ponch Popper by Peconic Windsurfer, on Flickr

Petestyle by Peconic Windsurfer, on Flickr

Mike's Flaka by Peconic Windsurfer, on Flickr

Thanks to Mike Burns for the heads up on the wind, for entertaining my photographer's sweet tooth, plus for keeping my Dakine T3 harness safe and sound in his trailer since the EC Windfest last month. Here's his account of Monday's sesh: Windsurfing IS a drug!, where he's got photos of these moments as shot from the beach by Newsday photographer John Dunn.

SUP Memories

A couple action shots from last November. Thanks to Bill Barber for finding these lefts, and to Scott Kielt for busting out the zoom lens and capturing these moments.





Hoping for more waves this Saturday, the forecast is promising!

Ohhhh Tiana! - The Video

WSW side/side-on wave sailing at Tiana Beach, November 20, 2010. Blasting 4.7 to 5.4 on fun 3-5'+ waves, which Scott considered the best he's ridden in a long time. I generously spoiled my regular foot with some DTL rights, and worked on safely landing jumps tail-first. Wave sailors include: George Pav, Frank Bellucci, Chris Daniels, Scott Kielt, Bill Barber, Bruce Milne, Jan, Michael Alex, Steve Pinksy, & Jeff Schultz. 

The video plays in 720p HD in fullscreen

Also see the report from the Peconic Puffin: Oh, Tiana!

Tiana SUP and windsurfing wave sailing

Glorious days like these pop up when you least expect them. Side-shore 5.8 and a south swell, first on the SUP and then on Scott's 98L JP. I mounted the GoPro HD Hero as a helmetcam, and here are the results:

Napeague Nor'easter - late August, 2010

With winds a tad too offshore at the Bowl, we trekked eastward for a classic Napeague session, outside the harbor at Goffs Point. Overpowered 4.7 and then 4.2, the outgoing tide against the NE wind made for smooth, tiny waves on the inside, and smooth, head high swells near the red can and lobster traps outside.

See the full photoset (9 photos, 1 video) here: Napeague Nor'easter - late August, 2010 - a set on Flickr

SUP-Surfing Hurricane Danielle Groundswell

Last Sunday, the stars aligned. An offshore hurricane, full moon, and high pressure bringing warm, off-shore winds and sunny skies. Hurricane Danielle sent us shoulder to well overhead groundswell as it passed 1000 miles to our southeast. My cameras were charged and ready as I grabbed ride after glorious ride with Peter, Jon, Michael, and Steve in the biggest waves on Sunday. You'll find photos in this Hurricane Danielle Groundswell photoset, as well as shots from previous weeks in the Summer of SUP - 2010 photoset; handheld & paddlecam video from the weekend is compiled in this youtube clip:

Long Lefts at Tiana

GoPro HD Hero Paddlecam and Olympus 8010 handheld footage of myself and the crew catching waist to head-high waves on the outer bar at Tiana Beach last Sunday, which included many looong lefts:

and a few fun rights as well:

I left one wave out of the footage, which was probably the most beautiful, and most threatening, of the day. On one outbound paddle back through the channel, a giant set reared its head. Excited, I pulled out the handheld Olympus and started shooting. Joe Natalie scored a big ride, while an outbound Wolf dove for cover under 6' of whitewater. I was not spared as the shoulder reached right into the channel, knocking me off my SUP-photographer's perch. As I scrambled to my board, hoots and shouts of glee pulled my camera's lens to the next wave. There, in all its powerful glory, loomed a head-high, glassy-clean wave with a SUP surfer having the time of their life. All I could think about was how great would this footage be, and steadied the camera to capture the moment.

It's best in life to not make assumptions, especially if you're a surf photographer. Even though a rider may seem to be looking right at you, and even though this rider has surfed past you on several waves already, when you're down in the water and they're on a big wave, it's best to expect the worst -- that they can't see at all, and might run you over. We were lucky to get this lesson for free - both boards and bodies were unharmed. But life is also about learning from mistakes, making adjustments and trying it all over again. May we all return to the waves, be more aware and respectful of other riders, and when in doubt, shout it out!

Emerald Green Waves in Hampton Bays

The magic arrived August 7th.

Check out these and other SUP photos from the growing Summer of SUP - 2010 Flickr photoset.

Also, check out the Peconic Puffin's report, which adds even more color to the day: Stand Up Surfing Extravaganza

Speed Runs at North Race

Scott, the Wolf and I caught some perfectly aligned speed runs off the northern sandbar of Robins Island the other day.

Check out the full photoset here: New Suffolk Flatwater (5 photos, 1 video)

If you have trouble with that video, try the YouTube version, though I wish youtube would default to 480p.

Jon, we had a terrible time after you left

After taking a look at stiff offshore winds and a small knee-high wave yesterday at L Rd., Jon Ford made a wise choice and left all small-scale action to the Wolf and I. And we had a horrible time with it. Just the worst.

Frontside, Down The Line, SUP-sailing Nirvana

I (finally!) scored my first full-on side-off SUP-sailing session in waist-to-shoulder waves yesterday at L Rd. I rode the incoming tide, and... and... OMG I SCORED BIG TIME!!! :D :D :D WHOOHOOO!! :) No pics or videos this time (being hooked in on a board with no straps in gusty winds was too risky for the handheld camera), just sweet visions of bottom & top turns on windswept but building, sweet, sweet, sun-glistening waves, as seen from under the boom and through my fully-powered maroon 5.8 Maui Sails global. By the end the wind was cranking right off the beach, which was enough to clear out the remaining surfers and leave me with all the waves to myself! (I couldn't even get any Puffins or Windchimps to join me.) Sailed for 3 hours and caught dozens and dozens of waves. All-in-all I am fully stoked. Hopefully I don't have to wait another 2 years for these conditions.

Here are two SUP wave sailing videos that shows the basic rig setup I was on: Starboard Demo and RRD Demo. My waves weren't quite as big, but you'll get the idea.

By the way, has anyone seen my ABK hat?

Dark and Sunny Waves at K Road and Tiana

GoPro HD Paddlecam footage of long overhead lefts at K Rd on March 4, 2010, and cloudy-to-sunny rights at Tiana on the 5th & 6th. Also SUP'ing were Michael Alex, Jon Ford, John van der Wolf, and C.D., with crazy Scott Kielt in the surf kayak.

Please offer your opinions on music vs. natural sounds in these paddlecam videos so far. Personally, I like the natural sounds of waves and chimp hoots, but find the grip squeaks pretty annoying. The requisite-for-SUP reggea is my first garageband experiment (my pursuit for royalty-free music suitable for youtube).

GoPro HD Clewcam - trial run at Sebonac

Bright sun, low tide, and small but smooth waves at Sebonac - February 19, 2010. Gusty winds into the 20's, using 5.2 (blue Ezzy) and then 4.7 (lime Maui Sail). The 4.7 jumps were too jarring for the trial mounting attempt, but hey, at least I know the safety line works! Originally shot in 1280x960 (960p).

Also see the Peconic Puffin's report for this day: The Ice is Gone but the Wind Remains at Sebonac

SUP Paddlecam!

In my last blog entry (a way-too-long 4 months ago!), I introduced the Clewcam to East End waters. Along with stints as a boom cam, ice cam and free-hand cam, the Olympus 790 & 8000 took decent stills, but only marginal video. The field of vision also missed a lot of close-range detail, and the cameras often took in sand and water, which is why I soon found myself drooling over GoPro's new HD Hero. With up to 1080p, 5 Megapixels, a 170° wide-angle view, and a tiny, indestructible waterproof housing, I was in business for capturing surf action from a new perspective... introducing the Paddlecam!

Perhaps most surprising was how well the battery performed in 38° air / 40° water temperatures. I bought 3 batteries in anticipation of them succumbing to the cold, but just 1 (a rechargeable 1100 mAh lithium-ion) held its own over the multi-hour sessions. For those looking to make their own GoPro Paddlecam, follow these excellent instructions from PaddleSurf.net. Here's a photo of my camera and mount prior to some early testing at Tiana Beach:

Epic Bowl Wave Sailing

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....

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!

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!

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):