Last Paddle Out 2012

2012 Santa Paddle

Merry Christmas

Santa and  his helpers

Merry Christmas form City Dock

After City Dock, Santa and the Elves paddled out to Bay Ridge

Santa and Head Elf

Stoked Santa

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Got Boost?

I got a chance to hit the water in my new O'Neill Boost Drysuit last weekend.  When I headed out at 9am on Sunday, the air temp was around 44 and the bay temp was about 48 resulting in some pretty heavy fog.
It wasn't real cold, but there was a damp chill to the air. 

Horn Point Shoal Marker

 Underneath the Boost,  I wore a pair  mid weight polypro tights on my legs and a silk weight top under a mid-weight stretch fleece.  I wore a pair of 6mm boots and a 3 mm pair of gloves.  I was a little overdressed and started sweating as soon as I hit the water.  All of my base layers did what they were supposed to do and wicked that moisture away, and after those 1st few minutes I no longer felt any dampness next to my skin.

Fog Starting to lift

I paddled for a little over an hour by myself, and then was joined by Sarah. Now time to water test the suit!  I lowered myself in to Back Creek doing my best to keep my head out of the water.   Even though I had "burped" the air out of my suit before heading out, as soon I was in the water I ballooned up like the Michelin man.  I could feel the cold through the suit, but was still not uncomfortable in the water. I'm glad I had a leash on as I think it would have been difficult to swim in the suit. Note to self, burp a little more air out next time.  As soon as I climbed back on the  board and started paddling I was nice and toasty again.

Boost gets 2 Shaka's!

When I got home and pulled the suit off, I was surprised on how dry the inside of the suit was, indicating the beathability of the suit was actually pretty good.  I have worn some drysuits in the past that were completely soaked inside from my own sweat.

My initial 1st impression of the Boost is that it works well and is a good choice for someone looking to paddle comfortably in cold weather and water.  I still need to dial in my layering system, but unfortunately I hurt myself surfing on Monday and it maybe a few weeks before I get a chance to give the Boost another test.
East of Maui has a Large Boost in stock,  if anyone wants to check it out.  Other sizes available special order.
Ahola, and happy warm paddling.

Papa Mark

 

Papa's got a brand new bag!

"Come here mama....and dig this crazy scene
He's not too fancy....but his line is pretty clean
He ain't no drag.
Papa's got a brand new bag" - James Brown

  I been paddling a bit this fall, and quite frankly, going for a long paddle in a wetsuit sucks. The new wetsuits are super stretchy and are great for surfing, occasional or short flat water paddles, but after an hour and a 1/2 or 2  hours I thought I was going to die fighting the wetsuit.  I broke down and bought a BAG!
Bags are a loose fitting waterproof / breathable suits designed to keep you dry in the water.  While there are a ton of drysuits on the market, I chose the O'Neill Boost. At $449 it is one of the less expensive suits out there.  Like most drysuits the ankles and wrists are sealed by a thin latex seal.  A reasonable amount of care is required getting into and out of the suit in order  not to tear the seals.  It is best to have help with the back waterproof zipper, but attaching a lanyard to the zipper makes it possible (although tricky) to get in and out  of it by yourself. I'm 6' x195lbs and the XL has plenty of room it, but I don't think I would have been comfortable in a large.
I hope to hit the water with it Saturday.  On the water report coming soon.

Aloha,
 Papa Mark 

Thanksgiving Paddle

Booty Call

Booty Call

Yep, it is getting to be that time of year.  No more trunks and  bare feet.  East of Maui has a great selection of wetsuits, booties, gloves, and hats to keep you warm, safe, and extend your SUP season.

November Glass

TODAY'S SAFETY TIP:   Even in "flatwater" USE A LEASH!.  The last thing you want to have happen in cool water is to have your board get away from you.

SUP'n Sandy

I manged to get to the Avon on the Outer Banks just before Hurricane Sandy washed out the road on Pea Island.  I got in a good day of windsurfing before the conditions just went out of control.  We were stranded in the house due to soundside flooding for a couple of days, but if I had had a board (we moved the truck and board trailer to higher ground), I could have paddled down the streets in Avon. 

The street in front of our rental house.

 After a couple of days, the water receded  enough to get our  gear and we had a couple of pretty good windsurfing days, but the surf was still way to big for me to think about going out in the ocean, and still too windy to SUP on the Sound.

Avon Pier Monday afternoon.

By Thursday the wind  the waves had dropped, and I got in a nice SUP surf session just north of the motels in Buxton.  I was a little apprehensive that my new Naish Mana 9'5"  might be a little tippy for my 195 pounds so I opted for the 11' 6" Naish Nalu and had some nice long rides in knee high surf.

9'5" Naish Mana

 Friday  the waves were about the same size as Thursday, and I christened the new 9'5".  My fears were completely unfounded. While it felt a little smaller than the published 190 liters, I had no problem paddling out through the shore break and the waves. It was super easy to catch waves with, make the drop, then turn and go down the line .I'm totally stoked on the new board.

Making the drop

However, I went the wrong way and got closed out!

   The trip was a little bitter sweet. We were fortunate to have made it to Hatteras and come through  Sandy  OK. It was a bummer that our friends couldn't make it down to join us.  We feel somewhat guilty that after the storm,  we were out playing while so many people both on the Outer Banks, and even more so, up the coast in Jersey and  New York were dealing with so much  loss and destruction. 

Pool and hot tub at the Lighthouse View in Buxton took a beating.

The next time you  go Stand Up take a second to be thankful for everything you have, and send some positive vibes and aloha to all the folks up and down the East coast for a speedy recovery in the aftermath of Sandy

Such a change from just a few days earlier