The Groove Continues!
This time we were in the groove at Lifeguard Beach in Buxton! Strong WSW to SW winds blanketed the OBX providing plenty of power for sails below 5.0m. I decided to take the day off work to head down to Hatteras early to catch it. WSW wind is a tricky direction for wavesailing on the OBX since it basically is straight offshore along the east facing beaches and slightly onshore on the south side. Therefore, picking an ideal spot was tough, and eventually Lifeguard Beach was the call. An outer sand bar running from Lifeguard south toward Cape Point provided an ample wave playground, even if wind initially was near straight offshore. Fortunately, not long into the session, winds shifted SW providing ideal side-off conditions!
I was first on the water with a juiced 4.2m Legend and my trusty Quatro 76. Conditions included nice chest high set waves and long lines which were perfect for wave aerials! Water temps initially were quite cold (likely upper 40s/low 50s), though as the session progressed, the warm southern water crossed Cape Point and began to fill into where we were sailing. Later into our session, water temps were in the 60s!
Soon after I launched around 2:30pm, Keith McCulloch arrived, and he and I enjoyed improving conditions and warming water throughout the afternoon. By early evening, Ken Kellar visiting from the metro DC area, along with Andy McKinney, Stewart Proctor, and Josh Sampiero, editor at Windsurfing Mag, arrived and rigged up! By 5:00pm we had the entire crew out there enjoying the surf, sun, and wind. Definite fun time!
As the tide lowered, the outer sand bar became quite shallow and was hitting knee to waist deep in some spots. Unfortunately, I was caught in one of those shallow spots and while taking a few to await a clearing to water start out, one of the set waves drilled my board to the sand and the impact broke the carbon extension. Therefore, I had to swim the rig in from the outer bar. Luckily, the water had warmed and it was quite an enjoyable swim across the Lounge to the beach break. Everything made it back to dry sand with no damage, except for the broken extension. Luckily, I have a backup!
All in all, an excellent late March wave session, and it felt great. Keith and I sailed straight for nearly 4 hours and given it being only my 4th session this year, I am definitely ready for more! The arms were a little rubbery during the last hour or so, but those one hit wonders felt great!
Looks like more wind and waves are on tap beginning Friday, and lasting though the weekend! Who's game?!
