It's blowing 20K right now (and going up!) from WNW (offshore). Low tide is at 3:50 today. Kent Rittschoff and I are planning to meet at the South lot (across Strand Ave. from Fannie's) about 3pm.
Session was okay. Got there at 3:30. It was blowing anywhere between 8-16 but frequently gusting to mid 20s. Changeable too... from NW to SW- all offshore. Tough to handle for me and Kent. We rigged 7.5s and got pretty beat up... blasting run. Wind dies and we'd fall in. Trying to uphaul or waterstart with swirling gusting stuff wasn't worth the drive (from Atlanta anyway). On the positive side there were dolphins everywhere. We saw probably close to 60 in pods of 3-6 behaving very weirdly. Swirling around one another. Swimming atop each other. Anyone seen this before? Mating ritual? In any case it was cool.
Hey Chris,
Yeah - a bit. 80 miles compared to 110 to Clark-Hill drive - AND usually(!) more predictable breezes. Oh well.
Hey, you and Elizabeth have the young'un on a "0.5" yet?
Steve - Monday was pretty good across the water on Hilton Head. I got on the water around 3. 5.8 for about two hours - overpowered some time. the wind was straight out of the west. wierd how just a few miles makes that much difference. Looked the same mid-afternoon today but it flattened out by the time i got rigged. Definitely active marine life this season. We spotted a 'herd' of dolphins and several sharks yesterday - one 8-footer. Lots of bait fish moving thru the chanel. peace s, tc
I still have the training wheels on my kite. The local guys are telling me I'll learn a lot faster if I go put my pole gear in storage for 6 weeks. tomorrow will be the test - SW 25-30 w 6 to 8 foot seas. I usually don't see the kite boys out on big days. My son is learning kiting - maybe he can shame his old man into getting it wired. You'll like this one - on Monday one of the kiters was getting monster air so I motioned for him to jump over my rig as we were approaching each other. When his fins were about head high and not climbing and he was closing fast, I chickened out and carved upwind. He crumbled about 10 ft behind me. On the right day, we'll be able to pull it off. Hope a photographer is there to catch it!
Steve - On anything from NE around south to SSW, I launch from the 'beach club' in Sea Pines. SW to NW, I launch one the south end of the island in sea Pines. N is Dolphin Head in Hilton Hd plantation. If you want to come sail anytime, let me know (843-363-6657) and I'll call in a pass for you and give you directions to the hut.
I love the fact that you're open to it. Sounds like a neat atmosphere with poles and strings coexisting and intermingling...
I will have to admit that the pictures of the guys at VanPugh from Monday look very enticing. If my board weren't so old and heavy (Mistral Screamer from about 93') I'd be tempted to get it out and have a go.
Have a ball tomorrow and let us know how it was! Post that picture if it happens.
Mel
Mel - Unusually gusty west wind early in the afternoon. Bouncing between 18 and 30. Great chop but west is off-shore here so we had to sail the south end where we didn't have the swell action that was further out. We also had a strong outbound tide running east-to-west so only 2 kiters came out to play. Both were riding Cabrinha 12M Crossbows and both said they would have preferred something smaller. The wind smoothed out later in the day and a 5.3 was just about right. Looks like Atlanta and Augusta had a great play day too. peace s, tc
A lot of us are but we wouldn't get there before dark. We are all envious though and thanks for keeping us posted on happenings down east.
Session was okay. Got there at 3:30. It was blowing anywhere between 8-16 but frequently gusting to mid 20s. Changeable too... from NW to SW- all offshore. Tough to handle for me and Kent. We rigged 7.5s and got pretty beat up... blasting run. Wind dies and we'd fall in. Trying to uphaul or waterstart with swirling gusting stuff wasn't worth the drive (from Atlanta anyway). On the positive side there were dolphins everywhere. We saw probably close to 60 in pods of 3-6 behaving very weirdly. Swirling around one another. Swimming atop each other. Anyone seen this before? Mating ritual? In any case it was cool.
The above was from Steve Bonham - BTW.
Hindsight is 20/20 -- but too bad you did not make it up to Augusta. We had nice 5.0 weather for most of the day. Is Tybee closer for you?
Hey Chris,
Yeah - a bit. 80 miles compared to 110 to Clark-Hill drive - AND usually(!) more predictable breezes. Oh well.
Hey, you and Elizabeth have the young'un on a "0.5" yet?
Steve - Monday was pretty good across the water on Hilton Head. I got on the water around 3. 5.8 for about two hours - overpowered some time. the wind was straight out of the west. wierd how just a few miles makes that much difference. Looked the same mid-afternoon today but it flattened out by the time i got rigged. Definitely active marine life this season. We spotted a 'herd' of dolphins and several sharks yesterday - one 8-footer. Lots of bait fish moving thru the chanel. peace s, tc
TC,
Where do you launch on Hilton Head? I've not been able to find a public area with easy access to ocean and rigging area. Any advice appreciated.
Steve
Tim, You splitting time between poling/windsurfing and stringing/kiting or are you still 100% poler?
Mel
I still have the training wheels on my kite. The local guys are telling me I'll learn a lot faster if I go put my pole gear in storage for 6 weeks. tomorrow will be the test - SW 25-30 w 6 to 8 foot seas. I usually don't see the kite boys out on big days. My son is learning kiting - maybe he can shame his old man into getting it wired. You'll like this one - on Monday one of the kiters was getting monster air so I motioned for him to jump over my rig as we were approaching each other. When his fins were about head high and not climbing and he was closing fast, I chickened out and carved upwind. He crumbled about 10 ft behind me. On the right day, we'll be able to pull it off. Hope a photographer is there to catch it!
Steve - On anything from NE around south to SSW, I launch from the 'beach club' in Sea Pines. SW to NW, I launch one the south end of the island in sea Pines. N is Dolphin Head in Hilton Hd plantation. If you want to come sail anytime, let me know (843-363-6657) and I'll call in a pass for you and give you directions to the hut.
tc / thin'air
I love the fact that you're open to it. Sounds like a neat atmosphere with poles and strings coexisting and intermingling...
I will have to admit that the pictures of the guys at VanPugh from Monday look very enticing. If my board weren't so old and heavy (Mistral Screamer from about 93') I'd be tempted to get it out and have a go.
Have a ball tomorrow and let us know how it was! Post that picture if it happens.
Mel
Mel - Unusually gusty west wind early in the afternoon. Bouncing between 18 and 30. Great chop but west is off-shore here so we had to sail the south end where we didn't have the swell action that was further out. We also had a strong outbound tide running east-to-west so only 2 kiters came out to play. Both were riding Cabrinha 12M Crossbows and both said they would have preferred something smaller. The wind smoothed out later in the day and a 5.3 was just about right. Looks like Atlanta and Augusta had a great play day too. peace s, tc
tc / thin'air