Assateague Serves It Up!

This was a pretty big jump, right on my first run out. Doesn't it always seem your biggest jumps usually happen early in the session?!

Just off the water here in Assateague. Niko and I scored some epic 5.0 side off conditions, fully lit, and some sets easily overhead. Details and photos later. Gotta go unrig.
Live2sail
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Ocean City wind graph

Yeah, it was windy


So yeah, it was a lot of fun today. Arrived around noon, and the tide was just starting to recede. The current was off the charts, and the shorebreak was pretty knarly.
Heres Niko headin out around:

Looking at the pictures, you cant tell that the current is raging. Just sucking at your legs. The minute you put the board in the water, you have to step on it or else its rounding up and you get all "jimmmy-jacked-up"!!

Timing was critical.

There was no pretty way to get out today, you had to muscle it through and punch back, aggresively.

I myself made of the cardinal sin of not being aware of what was behind me as I was coming in, and I got tagged, pretty hard by a barreling shore break that dumped on me. In fact, I thought for sure I was gonna break something as I let go of my stuff and got pounded a few times. It all ended well, though I am limping slightly tonight. The smile on my face goes along was toward mitigating the discomfort though!
Niko times his exit properly, unlike me after my first session



Oh, ya'll thought i was gonna be reporting from Hatteras, right?!? Well yeasterday I woke up at 3am to hit the road, and did my regular research on the forecast. So it seemed my home waters on the Delmarva where forecasted to rock too, all weekend, but without the precipitation that was forecasted down in Hatteras. It looked like there was a good chance that the low would end up parking itself right over the Outer Banks. A repeat of last Saturday. After checking in tonight with the crew down there, thats exactly what happened. So I think I made the right call.


Niko bustin thru

Every time I sail in heavy conditions, I come away from not only with a deeper respect for the ocean, but also for the sailors that really go for the big moves. There is so much water moving, and it gets so big on the outside, and I’m just in awe of those that pull in with the backhand off the BIG stuff. Unbelievable really.


A downed kite was out there today. Made sure I stayed well upwind of it.



Here is Niko on his last wave of the day.


They had some size.

Some were three turn waves.

So much fun.




To "air" is human





Another day of STRONG winds tomorrow. I fear the ocean will be too insane after an all night gale. Steve Sabia, Niko and I will probably sail Deleware Bay-Broadkill Beach.

COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO FENWICK ISLAND DE OUT 20 NM-
300 AM EDT SUN OCT 19 2008
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
N WINDS 25 TO 30 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 KT... DIMINISHING
TO 20 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT LATE. SEAS 7 TO 10

So yeah, Fall sailing at its best! The water is still very warm, and the air has that crispness to it, my favorite time of the year.