Surf Down South at Izzys!

Following the warmth and southerly wind of Saturday, Sunday served up cool N to NNE winds across the islands. The south swell continued with some sizable surf hitting the southern beaches. With near straight offshore winds, the surf was quite clean for the sailors hitting it at Izzy's!

Caleb caught this shot of Charlie M from Ride Hatteras (looks like new website is in the works) on approach showcasing the new 2010 Aerotech Charge in action!

Another Wave Sesh Score at Coquina Beach, Nags Head!

Well, it was not the surf/swell of Hurricane Bill, but conditions today at Coquina were quite fun! The outer bar was breaking with fun waist to head high peaks rolling in. South wind provided the juice for fairly clean side-off conditions!

Keith M, Olaf P, Caleb J, and I along with Atlantic first-time wavesailor Prescott M hit the surf at the north end of Coquina. The parking spot was not actually in the main Coquina Beach parking area, but rather about 150 yards north of the windmill. South wind combined with south swell is usually the right mix for fun at Coquina. We had it today, and for everyone out on the water, there were some tasty waves!

Oh yea, trunks along with a 1mm long sleeve top was all I wore out there!! 75 degree ocean water and air hovering in the mid 70s!! That's conditions here for late October Hatteras wavesailing!!

Some pics for the day (click images for captions):
photographer: Yana Bagdasaryan

COLD!! Is it Late Dec on the OBX?!

Well, at least it has been windy!! NW has been the norm over the past number of days with strong winds hitting across the islands. Today was exceptionally cold with upper 40 degree air and cloudy/drizzly weather. Not the most enticing for chasing it, though for northern visitors in town for windy weather, its been a major score! Today, I installed the top back on the 4runner to have some warmth in the truck, especially when removing a full wetsuit on cold days like today!

Yesterday, Lauren and I, along with the little guy, attended a wedding on the sound in Kill Devil Hills. Not quite the best weather for a sound side wedding, and the cold NW wind was harsh (great for windsurfing, bad for wedding!). Though once indoors for the reception, we all had an excellent time! Congratulations Katie and Byron!

Hopefully, this cold spell will end and we will soon see another round of warm southerly wind! Perhaps Saturday?!

Hatteras Fall Conditions are Here!!

Wow, what a forecast this week in Hatteras! Cool, windy, kinda gloomy weather is on tap along with some sizable surf forecast for Friday/Saturday timeframe. Definitely true Hatteras Fall windsurfing weather!

Only downside is that Mirlo Beach (near S-Turns), at the north end of Rodanthe, may experience ocean overwash closing Rt 12 when the bigger surf strikes the east facing beaches. Best to be on the Hatteras Ferry heading to the north end of Ocracoke by that time?!

All in all though, who's going to be here (south of S-Turns)?!
PS: George at Live2Sail has a Hatteras Hall Pass (see last sentence of linked post)!
See you in a few days George!

source: WindGuru

The 2010 Legend, Fresh Out of the Tissue Paper!

Many thanks to MauiSails for the quick shipment of the new 2010 Legends to Hatteras prior to the final edition of Hatteras Wave Jam a week and a half ago! The conditions were ripe for introducing the new sails to the Atlantic, and though the surf was not quite what it was when I introduced the 2009 Legends to the Atlantic, conditions during Wave Jam were quite fun!!

The 2010 Legend has some nice improvements from the 2009 line specific to durability both in the sail design as well as the mast sleeve. The tack area skid pad has been redesigned with both a change in material as well as stitching. The new 2010 padded area includes a durable cloth fabric as compared to the foil-like material in the 2009 model. The cloth will offer better resistance to wear from both sun exposure as well as folding for access to the downhaul pulley. The 2010 Legend also includes a cut away section in the pad to allow easier folding of the tack skid pad when accessing the downhaul pulley.

The 2010 sail design is similar to the 2009 with a focus on strength across the sail. The draft remains high providing that "pull forward" feel, though the sail feels loose and responsive while riding. The colored panel outline has been widened at the clew and above the logo area providing visual appeal as well as scratch resistance where needed (especially near the clew where boom adjustments tend to rub the sail if rigged "baggy" for light air wavesailing). The white high-strength cloth has been extended to the luff side of the colored panels near the logo. The clear panel window is slightly smaller than 2009; however, does not impact visibility in the wave zone. As in the 2009, the 2010 also includes the wide X-ply cloth for all panels including the clear windows on the sail.

Overall, another excellent sail from MauiSails with some fine improvements from 2009.

This year, I have all colors, so if you see me on the water, the following is my size guide:

5.3m - Red
4.7m - Blue
4.2m - Orange
3.7m - Yellow

If you are interested in taking one for a spin or simply must update your quiver, see Hatteras Island Sail Shop (252-987-2292) in Waves! Also, look for my red 4runner on the beach for a first hand look and perhaps a demo!

Some action at Hatteras Wave Jam fresh out of the tissue paper!
(photographer: Janis Markopoulos)