These conditions look very similar to our setup on Long Island in a Nor'Easter. The main difference being that our wind and waves go the opposite direction.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Helicopter shots of Rider in Maui
This video of Naish kite designer Damien Girardin is more interesting than most of the pro videos.
The helicopter shots give you great perspective. Man those waves look sweet.
010 Charger / Damien Girardin at Work from naishkiteboarding on Vimeo.
The helicopter shots give you great perspective. Man those waves look sweet.
Forecast
It has been 10 days since we had some decent wind
Fingers crossed, today is the day
NOAA & Windfinder both calling for 15-20 SW by early afternoon
GSB Downwinder for me
Fingers crossed, today is the day
NOAA & Windfinder both calling for 15-20 SW by early afternoon
GSB Downwinder for me
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Forecast
Just checked the meters and it is windier than forecast this morning
15-20mph NE
5ft @ 10sec SE Swell
Setting up for a sweet ocean downwinder
15-20mph NE
5ft @ 10sec SE Swell
Setting up for a sweet ocean downwinder
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Forecast
15WSW with gusts to 20 at Gilgo
6ft x 10sec swell
First decent conditions in a week and I am on daycare duties...
6ft x 10sec swell
First decent conditions in a week and I am on daycare duties...
Upwind Jibe Tutorial
Check out this tutorial on a "Duck Tack."
Looks easier than a traditional jibe and you lose less ground downwind.
Looks easier than a traditional jibe and you lose less ground downwind.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Sessions - RM6 to J5 Ocean Downwinder
On Tuesday I met up with four other guys to do an ocean downwinder from Robert Moses P6 to Jones P5. Temperatures were in the 50’s, it was raining, and the wind was blowing 15-25 east. The Gilgo Wind Meter always under reports on East and Northeast by 10-15mph.
A car was dropped at Jones and by 2:00 we were launching from the east end of Robert Moses. Between the five of us there was a diverse range of experience and riding styles which led to a range of kite selections. We were all around 180-200lbs and riding small (5.5-6ft) surfboards. One guy was riding strapless and flying a 5.5m 2010 Kahoona. The rest of us were strapped and while I flew an 11m 2008 Waroo the rest had a 7m 2008 Waroo, 9.5m 2010 Kahoona, and a 10m 2009 Nemi HP.
Side note: I thought the wind was going to range from 10-25mph with gusts to 30mph, in which case I would prefer to have the larger kite to handle the low end. It turned out that the gusts were up to 35mph and I would have been better off on my 7m 2008 Nemi HP. I was powered to overpowered the whole session and it wasn’t till afterwards that I realized I had used the wrong knot which depowered the kite past its usable range and explained a lot of its weird behavior during the downwinder.
The southeast swell was 4-5 ft and easy to get through. Since the waves weren’t breaking on-shore where we started I fired downwind quickly by looping the kite. Eventually the break moved a little off-shore and there was room to start playing in the waves.
Around Democrat Point I realized that our party of five was now four. One of the guys had never done an ocean downwinder or ridden a surfboard. Throw in the gusty wind and 4-8ft waves and you are biting off a lot to learn at one time. He realized that quickly and stayed at Robert Moses until we returned. Unfortunately for him he didn’t have a car to wait in so it was a long wet wait.
Democrat Point wasn’t going off that great but it is always decent given the large sandbar. We shot over to Cedar Beach quickly as the inlet was very choppy. Hemlock had nice little rollers with some glassy conditions between them. The second half of the downwinder from Gilgo to Jones was really nice. The waves increased in size all the way. By Tobay the swell was really kicking up and I caught a couple of waves that were at least 7-8ft. I would make a turn at the trough and look up to see the wave towering over me. Whenever I wasn’t riding a wave I was looking around watching everyone tearing it up.
I ride goofy so on this downwinder I was riding toe-side away from shore and through the break and heel-side coming towards shore. I try to make a big powerful toe-to-heel-side turn on the lip followed by a heel-to-toe-side turn in the trough. At this point I try to either slow down or speed up to get in the pocket of the break. This is very challenging to time and when you do finally get the timing right it is a whole different feel to let the wave drive your movement rather than the kite. I had brief moments where it all came together and this euphoria washed over me as I grinned widely looking around for a witness.
I was the first to land at Jones P5 around 4:00. I had not dropped a car or launched anyone so I felt I should self-land and help everyone else get their kites down. By now the wind was gusting to 35mph and sand was blowing across the beach. My kite was soaked from the rain and was quickly covered in wet sand. I did my best to rinse it off in the shore break before hiking back to the parking lot to pack it up. Somehow we managed to squeeze 4 guys with kites and surfboards into the car on the way back. All those years of Tetris paid off.
A car was dropped at Jones and by 2:00 we were launching from the east end of Robert Moses. Between the five of us there was a diverse range of experience and riding styles which led to a range of kite selections. We were all around 180-200lbs and riding small (5.5-6ft) surfboards. One guy was riding strapless and flying a 5.5m 2010 Kahoona. The rest of us were strapped and while I flew an 11m 2008 Waroo the rest had a 7m 2008 Waroo, 9.5m 2010 Kahoona, and a 10m 2009 Nemi HP.
Side note: I thought the wind was going to range from 10-25mph with gusts to 30mph, in which case I would prefer to have the larger kite to handle the low end. It turned out that the gusts were up to 35mph and I would have been better off on my 7m 2008 Nemi HP. I was powered to overpowered the whole session and it wasn’t till afterwards that I realized I had used the wrong knot which depowered the kite past its usable range and explained a lot of its weird behavior during the downwinder.
The southeast swell was 4-5 ft and easy to get through. Since the waves weren’t breaking on-shore where we started I fired downwind quickly by looping the kite. Eventually the break moved a little off-shore and there was room to start playing in the waves.
Around Democrat Point I realized that our party of five was now four. One of the guys had never done an ocean downwinder or ridden a surfboard. Throw in the gusty wind and 4-8ft waves and you are biting off a lot to learn at one time. He realized that quickly and stayed at Robert Moses until we returned. Unfortunately for him he didn’t have a car to wait in so it was a long wet wait.
Democrat Point wasn’t going off that great but it is always decent given the large sandbar. We shot over to Cedar Beach quickly as the inlet was very choppy. Hemlock had nice little rollers with some glassy conditions between them. The second half of the downwinder from Gilgo to Jones was really nice. The waves increased in size all the way. By Tobay the swell was really kicking up and I caught a couple of waves that were at least 7-8ft. I would make a turn at the trough and look up to see the wave towering over me. Whenever I wasn’t riding a wave I was looking around watching everyone tearing it up.
I ride goofy so on this downwinder I was riding toe-side away from shore and through the break and heel-side coming towards shore. I try to make a big powerful toe-to-heel-side turn on the lip followed by a heel-to-toe-side turn in the trough. At this point I try to either slow down or speed up to get in the pocket of the break. This is very challenging to time and when you do finally get the timing right it is a whole different feel to let the wave drive your movement rather than the kite. I had brief moments where it all came together and this euphoria washed over me as I grinned widely looking around for a witness.
I was the first to land at Jones P5 around 4:00. I had not dropped a car or launched anyone so I felt I should self-land and help everyone else get their kites down. By now the wind was gusting to 35mph and sand was blowing across the beach. My kite was soaked from the rain and was quickly covered in wet sand. I did my best to rinse it off in the shore break before hiking back to the parking lot to pack it up. Somehow we managed to squeeze 4 guys with kites and surfboards into the car on the way back. All those years of Tetris paid off.
Forecast
It is looking possible for a downwinder this afternoon
70degs inland, 10-14mph SW @ Gilgo
Trees are moving on the south shore
70degs inland, 10-14mph SW @ Gilgo
Trees are moving on the south shore
Ben Wilson visits Best Odyssey
This video has some decent wave action
The swell starts off small but by the end of the video is double overhead.
I can't tell you how much I want to live that lifestyle. Cruising around the world on a sailboat, chasing trade winds and surf breaks. Amazing.
The swell starts off small but by the end of the video is double overhead.
I can't tell you how much I want to live that lifestyle. Cruising around the world on a sailboat, chasing trade winds and surf breaks. Amazing.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Forecast
Solid east wind and moderate swell is setting up ocean downwinder
20-25 E, gusts to 30
7ft SE swell @ 6sec
It is going to be raining all day but should be a lot of fun on the ocean.
RM5 to JB6. Meet at JB6 @ 1pm
20-25 E, gusts to 30
7ft SE swell @ 6sec
It is going to be raining all day but should be a lot of fun on the ocean.
RM5 to JB6. Meet at JB6 @ 1pm
Why Blog about Kiteboarding/Kitesurfing?
This is my first blog ever. Why would I decide to start one now? Well, for the first time I feel I have some experience, knowledge and advice to share on a topic I am passionate about.
I started kiteboarding in the fall of 2007. Like many students of the sport I tried to teach myself. I bought my first kite (2005 Naish Raven C-kite), my first board (148 Cabrinha Prodigy) and my first lessons (Real Kiteboarding: Zero to Hero DVD) and hit the beach. Luckily I managed not to hurt myself or anyone else as I tried to learn how to setup, launch, bodydrag, and land that monster kite. I never did make it out into the water that fall...
The following spring I decided to take lessons at the Best Kiteboarding Center in Amityville, NY. After a couple three hour lessons I had gotten up on the board for a couple seconds and was officially hooked. While I would have loved to keep taking lessons I couldn't afford the cost. Luckily I met another newbie who had a boat and we spent the summer of 2008 teaching ourselves in the Great South Bay of Long Island, NY.
By the Fall of 2008 I was confident enough to try a downwinder through the Great South Bay. I quickly realized that downwinders allow you to progress very quickly. You no longer have to worry about trying to stay upwind. A downwinder allows you to keep failing over and over until it starts to work. After you learn how to stay upwind, you can focus on improving your heelside and toeside riding style, turns, and eventually jumps.
I am still learning every session. This sport has an amazing learning curve. It starts off steep. A newbie has to learn how to control a powerful kite while learning how to wakeboard. Getting up and taking your first couple tacks may seem impossible in the beginning. Once you overcome that initial hurdle the learning curve becomes more gradual and you can look forward to building on your base every session.
The goal of this blog is to help you progress as quickly as possible. There seems to be a lack of basic tips and guidance on transitioning from newbie to beginner to intermediate to advanced. Over time I plan to write blogs on a variety of topics around technique and gear.
In addition this blog will serve as a guide for kiteboarding in the NYC/Long Island area. This area offers a wide variety of terrain and conditions. If it is windy there is a place to ride regardless of direction. Over time I hope to post on the most popular locations to ride in the area and the logistics behind doing downwinders in the ocean and bay.
I started kiteboarding in the fall of 2007. Like many students of the sport I tried to teach myself. I bought my first kite (2005 Naish Raven C-kite), my first board (148 Cabrinha Prodigy) and my first lessons (Real Kiteboarding: Zero to Hero DVD) and hit the beach. Luckily I managed not to hurt myself or anyone else as I tried to learn how to setup, launch, bodydrag, and land that monster kite. I never did make it out into the water that fall...
The following spring I decided to take lessons at the Best Kiteboarding Center in Amityville, NY. After a couple three hour lessons I had gotten up on the board for a couple seconds and was officially hooked. While I would have loved to keep taking lessons I couldn't afford the cost. Luckily I met another newbie who had a boat and we spent the summer of 2008 teaching ourselves in the Great South Bay of Long Island, NY.
By the Fall of 2008 I was confident enough to try a downwinder through the Great South Bay. I quickly realized that downwinders allow you to progress very quickly. You no longer have to worry about trying to stay upwind. A downwinder allows you to keep failing over and over until it starts to work. After you learn how to stay upwind, you can focus on improving your heelside and toeside riding style, turns, and eventually jumps.
I am still learning every session. This sport has an amazing learning curve. It starts off steep. A newbie has to learn how to control a powerful kite while learning how to wakeboard. Getting up and taking your first couple tacks may seem impossible in the beginning. Once you overcome that initial hurdle the learning curve becomes more gradual and you can look forward to building on your base every session.
The goal of this blog is to help you progress as quickly as possible. There seems to be a lack of basic tips and guidance on transitioning from newbie to beginner to intermediate to advanced. Over time I plan to write blogs on a variety of topics around technique and gear.
In addition this blog will serve as a guide for kiteboarding in the NYC/Long Island area. This area offers a wide variety of terrain and conditions. If it is windy there is a place to ride regardless of direction. Over time I hope to post on the most popular locations to ride in the area and the logistics behind doing downwinders in the ocean and bay.
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