Assateague Was Firing, Again!!!

All photography by my awesome wife Janis Markopoulos


Two consecutive days of wavesailing at on Assateague Island, and I'm stoked. Ken Kellar came out today, and I really enjoyed sharing the waves with another sailor, there where plenty to go around, even a tad bigger than saturdays waves, though not as long and a lot more disorganized, but still plenty of nuggets to hit.

All in all, we dialed it perfectly, and sailed till almost 6pm.









Perfect sunny weather, wind outa the SSW in the mid teens. Ahhh



We set up camp around 10am. Hi tide was noon, so it was a struggle to try and hold out for the good waves that we knew where coming as lo tide approached.



I've had a lot more succes catching waves that are in front of me as opposed to behind me and looking back over my should. A quick pivot gybe I'm front of a incoming wave is now my preferred method to catch a wave. My success rate has gone way up, although it is a pressure situation.











Ken was ripping today










The waves were a little bigger than yesterday, but a lot less organized, most one or two hit wonders, but still tons of fun. I also think they packed a bigger punch. I guess that's a factor of size?









Fun sequence by Ken


Cool shot











BTW, see the widget on the upper right marrgin of this web page for a link to Ken's brand new beach house in Hatteras. Perfect for location just 3 miles from the hole. Check it out!


We carried our stuff upwind a few hundred yards to check out another sandbar











Ken going backside







The boy who cried wolf. Ken says he saw a large fish.....the unpleasant sort that we want to avoid. We're sitting on the beach in between sessions, and Ken jumps out of his chair and swears he saw one. Close, inside the sandbar. I never saw it. He says he's certain, a big one. Me, I'd rather not hear about it. I know they're out there. I also know that the odds of getting hit are astronimical. If my number is up, well so be it, but I'm not gonna obsess about it. I mean, how long do we spend down in the water? A few seconds, unless you really explode trying something. Gettin hit aint gonna happen. So I choose the ingorance is bliss perspective, and go about my business. Ken recovered from the alleged sighting, got right back on the horse and went back out, ala a certain puffin up north. Good work Ken.

do real dues today


Cool point of view-front row

Headin back out




I need to extend my front arm more, and lay it down











This was so much fun, i hooting at ken to rip it up. Front row seat. There really is no better place to watch another sailor than out on the water.






Light winds on the inside meant slogging thru the impact zone


smart tactics to maintain position




Our experience with the hatteras crew and wavejam has taught us to enjoy the liter conditions. You don't need planing wind to wavesailing. In fact, in my experience, some of my best waveaailing ever has been in under 15 knots. I mean that was probably the avg speed both saturday and sunday. But it was some of the finest wavesaling I've ever experienced. So the benchmark forecast for me has been redefined. If there are waves, I'm stoked with a forecast of 10-15, and we get that most every weekend. I'm telling ya'll, if you have any desire to wavesail, sign up for the wavejam here. You'll be glad you did.

What a great day

Wave Sailing Assateague

All photography by my most awesome wife Janis Markopoulos

Amazing day of wave sailing here on Assateague Island. After living and sailing the Delmarva now for several years, I’ve finally got this spot dialed! Without a doubt one of the best days I’ve ever experienced at this spot. The waves were sooooooooo long!!



The wind was marginal 5.8 on the floaty board, but that suits me just fine.



Nice one!



Waves were maybe chest high, perfect for easy carefree wavesailing with no dues. Great tune up for whats to come this fall when the tropics heat up.






Gybing ont the outside


Cool shot

This guy (not the pic above but one of the guys in the pic below) stole my shoes today. I’m carrying our stuff out to the beach, up the board walk. And as I near the top at the beach line, as I often do, I kick of my sandals to carry the chairs and cooler out onto the sand, only to put them back on as I come back to go to the truck for another trip with gear (oh, they where again limiting the number of trucks allowed onto the beach so we just sailed the main parking lot, and dealt with the huge crowds). Well when I come back up, my sandals are gone! Well Janis had noticed these two Hispanic men without shoes carrying their cooler. Then she happened to noticed one of them suddenly was wearing shoes! Amazing. She pointed out there compound

so I marched myself over there, said, “Immigration, I’m searching for stolen shoes”. They where speechless. I saw my sandals (he had taken them off), promptly claimed them, and walked away. I mean, who the heck steals someone’s shoes. I thought back to my friend Andy having his board shorts stolen off of the clothes line. Unbelievable really. Perhaps I should have called the ranger, but it was windy and I had to go sailing.

Really fun sequence going backside to set a series of front side turns














Long lines! Some of the finest wavesailing I've ever experienced at Assateague


aw yeah!





Headin out


Gybin on the outside







One last ride before packin up jackin on up bring it on home!



Success with the heli tacks on the outside today



What a great day


Ken is coming out tonight for tomorrow’s action. Hopefully we get a little bit more wind so we can add some aerial action to the mix!

Yup, it was one of those days that I knew I’d have a tough time getting to sleep at night….it was just that good and I’m still pumped with adrenalin. I was up at 3am blogging this post, waiting for the sun to come up to get some more! Great forecast for sunday...... Stoked!

Solid weekend Forecast!

Thanks to the Bermuda High setting up, Assateague should be firing, both Saturday and Sunday. The tides are also in our favor for an afternoon wavesailing sesh.





Hope to see some other sailors out there in the waves.
Cya in the straps.

Hatteras Day Two

On Saturday, we had fantastic waves, but the forecasted wind didn’t materialize. Man to have had Friday’s wind with Saturday s surf. Ahhh. Oh well, it’s all good. Ken, Keith, Ian and I rigged up and putted around trying to get out and catch a wave.


I gotta say the shore break was intensely dangerous, and there was absolutely no wind on the inside to beach start. You had to time it right, toss your stuff over the shore pound, and swim it out to the lounge, where you could try to water start or up-haul.

This is Keith coming back in

Ian Stokes, who weighs all of 90 lbs, stuck a sail on a Starboard SUP and was just zipping back n forth, even planning. He caught a few waves, and had us all wishing we had a SUP too.





I tried but couldn’t get out. It had to have been blowing all of 8 knots, but still fun to get the endorphins rushing.


Of course when Ken went out, the seas just parted, he freaking steps on his board and proceeds to make his way out the sand bar.

Memories of Issabelle's last year. Sooner or later Ken, the tables will reverse, hehehehehe.





Oh well, you know my policy by now, any day of sailing is a great day of sailing. The trip was an unqualified success, and I’ll be eyeing the forecast to come back.

Hatteras Wave Jam

Ken and I where the first sailors on the water very early in the afternoon. We had the whole place to ourself, sharing waves, hooting and hollaring at each other, and just have a blast! It really reminded me of Maui, when Ken and I would just get so dialed together out there. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh :)

Cool shot

Keith McCulloch





Andy McKinney is...

ripping and has really taken his sailing to the next level

By 7pm the tide had gone back out and the waves began to ramp

and Andy went out and promptly tore it up.






Yannick drove all the way from Chicago


Ian Stokes was throwing himself all over the place! (that really is his name!)

Stuart Proctor can hang with the best of them

Here he is working on his one handed jumps. I'd like to learn those too.




Ken Kellar has really taken his looping to the next step, and has shed the fear that keeps so many from going over the bars






Dale Bendula


Ralph's first reach in the ocean!


Wrap up to a GREAT day!

Dana Miller

Got an email from my friend Dana Miller, who was excited to tell me that he now has his website up and running. Check it out here.

Perhaps he'll bring back the "The State Of The Stoke" annual address. I'd be stoked if he did..

live2sail

Hatteras Day One

It wasn't epic, but it was a heck of a lotta fun. Lots of sailors, and some new faces. Yannick drove all the way from Chicago. And Ralph and Jasper from Charelston. Ralph scored his first sesh in the ocean, and came away stoked. Great work Ralph! Jasper, thank you for taking these pictures.

Dale bendula was out there ripping, as was the usual host of hatteras studs Keith, Andy, Bill, Stuart, Jim....am I missing anyone else? Lots of jumps, loops (none by me :(, and the occasional wave ride.

Lots of sailors today at ramp 34

Show time





The beach scene


Dont ask how this guy got his big ole truck so stuck


Here I'm headin out following Stuart. He's always insprining to watch


Andy McKinney is always throwing himself around


Ken Kellar



Dale Bendula rigging up....

....and heading out


Ralp (last name?)


his first time in the ocean, and no dues where paid. I told him he'll never be the same



The Man, Keith McCulloch

All in all, a terrifically satisfying day. More on tap for tomorrow. More deatiled recap of the festivities later..
live2sail

Rockin Hatteras Forecast!

The Hatteras Wave Jam Summer Edition is scheduled kick in tomorrow!

There is a solid weekend forecast, and all systems are cleared for take off.

Ken and I are headed down to Hatteras early tomorrow morning.

It should be pretty fun, and I can't wait to rig up!
.
There is still time to sign up and join the fun.

Hope to see you in straps!
Live2sail

Assateague Was Fun Today!!

Lots of waves today. They were small, and not much power, the wind was marginally powered 5.8 conditions, but lemme tell you it was fun!!!






Apart from the chaos just to get onto the beach, which was, interesting. They limit the number of people they allow on, and once that limit is reached, they'll only other trucks on as some leaves.. On a one to one basis! Over 2 hours just sitting on the ramp waiting our turn. But no worries, I knew thermal wasn't scheduled to kick in until early afternoon so I had no problem waiting my turn. Had it been honking however, I would have gotten a tad bit anxious. As it turned out, we dialed it perfectly, and I milked every bit of the conditions.














Ken, it was about as fun as our last day here together, but not nearly as big. Wish you could of been here to enjoy this day.





Its funny, the 5.8 was marginally powered, never litski. And I'm finding that thOSE sorts of conditions are very condusive to wavesailing. Had it been honkin, its easy to get sucked into blastin way out to sea, as opposed to just sailing out beyond the sandbar and gybing onto a swell and riding the wave back in. I had it dialed, a wave on every reach! However the odd times that it would really be rocking, I found myself blasting way out and enjoying the speed over the rolling swell. Fun for sure, but that sort of blasting has a direct impact on the number of waverides, an inverse relationship to boot. I swear those times it would start honkin, I'd be like "NO!!, don't get too windy!!". But its all good, and for the most part, it was a pure wavesailing day, with no baffing.









Beautiful

Fun to get tumbled
















































Wild ponies on Assateague island






I'm dog tired, light air wavesailing really wipes you out.


Probable dawn patrol tomrrow. NW wind in the morning. Secret Spot any one?

live2sail

Terrapin Adventure Park

We took Kristin to Terrapin Adventures for her 12th birthday. They have an obstacle course and zip lines that you travese up to 40 feet in the air. There are also spots that require you to take "leaps of faith".

The adventure course has three levels.

You start of on the lower lower, an gain confidence as you work up to progressively higher lines

with less to hold onto but your faith in the harness you wear

After maybe the second obstacle, Kristin began to shake off her fear, and really enjoyed the experience!



We had now climbed up to the third and highest level. We where approx 40 feet above the ground!

Up there, you mostly have nothing to "walk" on, and you're mostly hangind from the zip line

and using your arms to pull yourself across



My girl has some risk taking adventure running thru her veins!!

Lemme tell you, its best not to look down from that altitude!


Woohoo!!

I believe this was the first "leap" you had to make.

Which required you to leap off the platform which is 40+ feet up and reach for the hanging rope to help you swing across to the next platform

And here is the first zip line leap straight back down to the ground.Keep that tension in the line and kick off the wall as you kareen down


Kristin white knuckled this jump, and was rewarded with a few blisters

And this is the swing, which was SOOOOOOOO much fun!



We rode this three times!

Yup, we had a blast!

Good looking forecast this weekend. I'm shooting for Assateague. Cya on the water!

Kayak Adventures in Delaware

On Sunday, Janis and I took a whirl at kayaking on a nice pond near our home in Milford, Delaware.


Thanks to our new friends from Lincoln, DE, Don and Jen, we were able to borrow their kayaks to try it out.


Very close to their home is Cubbage Pond. We had no trouble putting the kayaks in and exploring.


We saw lots of turtles, dragonflies and water foliage.

This is a really fun thing to do on a no-wind day.

Thanks again Don and Jennie. You guys ROCK!

Ah, Milford, Delaware. This sure isn't Savage.

Happy 4th Of July

 

Just a glorious 4th of July here on the Delmarva. The weather was absolutly stunning. Temps in the upper 70s, zero humidity, blue skies, AND WIND! It was a treat as the forecast was for light and variable winds. what we wound up with was solid 5.8 conditions.

Northwest wind to boot! Are you kidding me?!??! NW is normal for spring and fall, but not July. The weather here for the past 5 weeks has been extremely unusual, but hey, no complaints (except for the lack of wind). To have the iwindows open at the house with no AC on in july is extraordinary.

 

 

 
 
Made some new friends today. Don and Jenny Shrift live very close to us in Lincoln.
 
Jackie Warren was out there ripping today, and shes ready to take her first steps out into the ocean. Jackie, check out the Hatteras wave jam festival. Its geared toward the sailors of all abilities. In lieu of a trip to the OBX, follow my tweets, and we'll get you out down in Assateague!

 

Donna and Jules were out enjoying the fabulous weather, and tuning up for their trip to Maui in August.

 

Bob and Andy where there for a dawn patrol, then left around 11am, only to return when it filled in around 1. Yup, the Zamboni destroyed more equipment today! Bob, Avon Sailhouse can get the sail back in shape. Margaret and Olaf spend the summer at The Gorge, but you can ship your sail out to them and they can get you back on the water in no time. Email them at avonsailhouse@gmail.com

 

Then back to the house for a barbeque with the Poon's
 



 


The fourth wouldn't be complete without fireworks, so we cruised over to Slaughter Beach.
 

 

Lovin life on the Delmarva