No Access at the Cove...The Price to Catch It!

UPDATE: 7/22/2008 Keith M, guest blogging on Lost in Hatteras, recounts his Cristobal Cove session. Great read!

I just read Andy's post on Lost in Hatteras regarding Cristobal's visit yesterday, its offering of an epic Cove session, and the price to get there now that we do not have access to that beach. Keith and Caleb caught it, and that is awesome; however, the risks to get there could have been high, if the unpredictable nature of tropical weather turned foul for them. As Andy mentioned, there is no shelter out there if conditions deteriorate. With no legal access to the sand/beach, you are on your own with regard to what happens on the water. True, the risk does fall on the sailor, and really if they go for it and something dire happens, they are on their own. Yet it does seem fairly ridiculous that we do not even have walking access along that stretch of coastline. If life and limb depended upon it, would you come into the beach or stay off shore and attempt to come in on an open stretch of beach which could be a few miles away?

All in all, some silver lining in this issue is that movement may be happening at the Federal level to open up our access. I found this recent article noting NC Congress(wo)men introducing legislation to reinstate the "Interim Management Strategy" governing off-road vehicle use on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Perhaps, we will be able to drive out to catch a future Cove session..., or if not drive, can we at least walk?!

4runner is Back on the Road/Sand!!

After 4 long weekends, my new engine is complete and the 4runner is back in action to haul my sandy windsurfing, surfing, and other beach gear around the OBX! The odometer currently reads 368,226 miles, and with the new engine the truck will have plenty of trips to Avon/south beaches back under its hood!

The engine swap was one of those "once in a lifetime" events for me. I jumped out of a airplane, surfed some big waves in Hatteras, windsurfed extreme conditions...(well you all are familiar with the windsurf part), and now did a complete automotive engine swap.

The engine swap was a learning experience, and it is now nice to know almost the full workings of the 22RE engine. Thanks a million to Keith M who guided me though many of the processes (he is a 22RE expert!), and physically helped me pull the old motor, and install the new. Definitely a two person job! Also thanks to Pete L, who came up and cut me some new threads on my intake manifold after a bolt broke.

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CRISTOBAL UPDATE: Got the report from Keith M, that he and Caleb experienced classic Cove yesterday. Only drawback was the "price of admission" since there is no driving or even walking at the Cove due to the beach closures. They launched at LifeGuard Beach and sailed around Cape Point, to enter the Cove. Keith reported head to overhead high perfect and easy long lines peeling for over 100 yards! Definitely classic Cove! He also reported that the return to LifeGuard from the Cove was dicey given a wind shift and drop, along with the crazy current. Definitely, if you wish to sail the Cove these days, the challenge just to get there is the main price to pay. Glad those guys caught it!

In TS CRISTOBAL news, we had strong SE winds most of the day on the southern OBX yesterday. I have not heard any "after action" reports yet, but preliminary reports note Ocracoke and the southern beaches as the spots where the local crew set up shop to hit the water. I missed the action yesterday since I had no wheels to haul the gear down south, but now that the 4runner is back, I am ready for the next sesh!