Wavesailing at the Hatteras "Spit!"

Today is the official first day of Spring, and we were welcomed with strong NW winds and a sizable ocean swell! I decided to take a day off work and drive down to Hatteras for a wavesailing session. Along the way, I checked the usual spots (Coquina, Boiler, the Point); however, all were a little big for me at this time of year (Spring green), and not too many of the crew were game for east facing water time. Ride Hatteras Charlie is back, and after being primed from big wave sailing in Baja this winter, the swell over the past two days was welcoming for him. I believe he was the only wavesailor to hit it both yesterday (the BIG day) and today.

I settled for a moderately sized chest to head high wave at the "Spit." Is this a good name for this place?! Its basically the southwest facing side of Cape Point in Hatteras. It has been referred to as the Point, and the Cove, but it actually lies in between. "The Spit" lines up quite nicely for NW winds. Side shore conditions were on tap with a decently shaped wave. There was outside current which killed the apparent wind, but as long as you had power in the sail, it was not too bad. Though, it was best to rig a size bigger than it looked given the current. Billy E, Keith M, and I were there to hit it! 5.3m was the call for me, and I was well powered about 50% of the time. Waves were soft, and it was easy to make it out. The lineup was messy, but the set waves were easy to identify, and usually provided a few nice hits. All in all, a fun time!

Check out the video: