High Tide At The Lighthouse

So I hit the road at 5am, and pulled into Waves around 11.30. I made great time, 340 miles in 6.5 hours.
The word is Robby Naish is supposed to be on the OBX this weekend. Wouldn't it be cool if came down to the south facing beaches for tomorrows Beast Of The East Wave Challenge!

I pulled into Avon around lunch time and hung out with Andy at Sailworld. Then over to see Olaf and Margaret at Avon Sail House They let me demo a No-Limitz mast, which is the proscribed mast for my new Simmers. I must admit the 5.6 looked better on this mast rather than the Ezzy.

It pretty much rained intermittently throughout the day, but it was breezy in the rain lulls. So around 4pm, I cruised down to the lighthouse to check out the surf.

It was pretty much dead high tide, and the wind was NE mid teens with gusts to maybe 20. If I could make it out, it looked sloggable. However, high tide and side onshore wind = heavy shorebreak. The current wasn't all that tough, but the tide that raced back down the rather steep beach tended to want to sweep you off your feet into the incoming shore pound. Additionally, there was virtually no wind down there on the inside, so it was pretty sketchy! On top off that, the ideal launch window was in front of some fisherman, so I was forced to launch from a less desirable area. I rigged the 5.6 with the 109 RRD. Bottom line, didn't make it out. Denied twice. That being said, its all good. All I really wanted to acheive was to get my feet wet, feel the boom in my hand and the wind in my sail, and sort of get my sea legs back before tomorrows Wave Challenge. So it was mission accomplished, even if I had to take a few on the head. Here is a short video documenting the punsihment:




Nice senior couple stood and watched as I got worked in the shorebreak. Of course when I came in and shook the stones out, they came up to ask the standard questions, followed by my response:


Nice Older couple: Boy its rough out there, I cant believe you went out.
Me: Well sir, there isn't enough wind on the inside to get out at high tide.

Nice Older couple: How long have you been doing this sport?
Me: A little over 20 years sir.

Nice Older couple: Do you do that thing we see on tv where you fly the kite?
Me: Uhmm, no.

Nice Older couple: Did you hurt yourself out there?
Me: No, its all good sir.

Nice Older couple: Are you crazy?
Me: lol.

I'm all for providing entertainment, even when it has to come at my expense.