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I think I’ll use the declarative “strong” when describing the winds on Thursday, Sept. 30. The remains of TD Nicole interacted with a little coastal weather something or other to create a pretty intense day long burst of South/Southeast winds. Check out the iWindsurf graph for the Avon Pier:

iwindsurf.com wind archive for the Avon Pier on September 30th, 2010

I decided to just hit the Canadian Hole for some fun, relatively safe bump-and-jump action. Word is, a few guys headed up towards Oregon Inlet and got out into some mast-high, overpowered slop, but it sounded more like victory at sea than fun windsurfing conditions. Anyway, Ken and I shot some video at the Hole. Check it out (click HD to watch it in 720p!):

Windsurfing TD Nicole at the Canadian Hole, Hatteras, NC from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

By the way, it’s feeling like Full-On Fall at the moment. The winds are northerly and cranking, and I pulled out my 3/2 wetsuit last night for the first time this season. I was kinda bummed putting it on, but then I remembered that it *is* October… We’ve been pretty lucky so far this year!

Whoooooo Baby! The Atlantic sure did turn on over the weekend. Offshore, Hurricane Igor pumped us some meaty, full-size waves, just in time for this year’s installment of the Hatteras Wave Jam! The event window began with a warm-up day of mellow stand-up paddle board and light-wind wave sailing, but the chill factor did not last long. By the morning of the second day, the buoy was reading about 6 feet at 14 seconds, which translates into “Macking Swell.”

Day two was really pretty sweet. Many Hatteras Wave Jam participants were claiming it to be the most exhilarating day of windsurfing they’d ever experienced. The amazing part is that the wind was barely touching 15 knots for most of the day! That’s the thing about wavesailing when there’s a good swell — the wind almost doesn’t matter! Sure, it would’ve been fun to have a few more knots to play with, maybe get some jumps in, etc etc, but we made do with what we had and had an absolute blast! The bigger sets were just a touch overhead, and the ocean was going pretty much completely flat on a routine basis, so schlogging out and positioning was a piece of cake. We really couldn’t have asked for a better scenario!

Day three and four were a different story. The swell picked up to “Massive” size, which made the going a bit tougher. Add to that pretty much zero wind on day three, and very light, very offshore wind on day four, and it made for some tough sailing. Nevertheless, a few hardy folks gave it their best and scored a few epic rides! Here are a few pictures and video clips showcasing the conditions and the athletes on Saturday. Note: The clips are unedited, straight off the camera. Sorry for the wind noise.

Francois Cremer (left) and Graham Ezzy contemplate leaving the beach

Keith McCulloch schlogging through a tough spot

An Empty Set Rolls In:

Keith catches a lucky puff as he schlogs out:

and then rides a macker:

Graham Ezzy got out there and tore up a sweet wave:

Stuart Proctor caught a lucky puff on his way out, too:

And then carefully positioned himself to catch a great wave:

Keith catches another giant wave, and then schlogs back out into a massive set:

Overall, I’d have to say that the weekend was a great success! We got quite a few newbies out into the ocean, and got some other sailors to push their game a bit. Everyone came away with some new tidbits of knowledge and some memories to last a lifetime, including nabbing some of the best waves they’d ever caught! The Friday night raffle and Windsurfing Movie II premiere were insane. The movie rocks and should be in everyone’s DVD library ASAP! The raffle went huge with some great prizes, but the big item was a brand new RRD Wave Twin 90! Dang, Susie was stoked to win that awesome new board! Big Thanks go to RRD and A&O Sports for being such an awesome event sponsor!

Bill Bell did a great job organizing the event, so major kudos go to him! I’d also like to point out that none of this would have been possible without the help we received from all of the event sponsors. Please take a look at the list, and support the folks who support the stoke!

Next time you’re coming to Hatteras, stop by DBSA on the way, rent your house from Sun Realty, eat out at the Atlantic Coast Cafe in Avon or Waves, pick up a new RRD windsurfing or SUP board and Dakine harness at Wind-NC, check out the ProMotion wetsuits and all the sails at the Avon Sail House, have a peek at the Maui Sails at Hatteras Island Sail Shop, and check out the latest Windsport magazines at Ocean Air. Don’t forget to sign up for the ABK Boardsports clinic this October 18-22 or 29-31. If there’s no wind, catch up on some reading at Windsurfer International online or pick up a copy of the NEWJ. Don’t forget to bring your new AHD!

Hope to see y’all at next year’s Hatteras Wave Jam!!! (Or sooner, if you prefer)

Hey Folks!

Just a quick head’s up- the winds have switched to the North, and it’s a beautiful thing! I snagged a quick 4.7 sesh last night with a few other guys, just ripping around at the Canadian Hole. The highlight was watching everyone blow up trying new stuff : ) Ken K was making the biggest splashes by hucking himself around some flat water forwards. He’s making great progress! Way to go, Ken! Sorry, no pics- we were all too busy sailing.

The air is cooling off to a frigid 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius), the water is still warm, the sun is shining, and life is good! Come on down and join us! Wave Jam is fast approaching- we’re definitely going to have some swell pumping in from massive Hurricane Igor, and it looks like we’re going to luck into some wind, too! It should be a great time, regardless of whether you’re a participant or a spectator. RRD and A&O Sports are going huge as an event sponsor- They’re ponying up a Brand New 90 Liter Wave Twin waveboard!! Wow! Not to mention the East Coast premiere of The Windsurfing Movie II! That all happens on Friday night, so cut out of work a little bit early and come join us for some fun!

In other news, Facebook thinks that I should be friends with Robby Naish:

he he he

Mark your calendars, folks! The 2010 Hatteras Wave Jam is being held Wednesday through Saturday, September 15-18, 2010. The main goal is to get aspiring wave sailors out into the ocean, improving your technique and self confidence, so that you can safely take your sailing to the next level. This event is designed specifically for Ocean Sailing Noobies! The only prerequisites are:

1) you need to be able to confidently waterstart
2) you need to be a strong and confident swimmer in rough water

If you can handle that, and you’re interested in experiencing the unbelievable thrill of windsurfing in the waves, then you can handle the Wave Jam!

It’s going to be a heck of an event- Head organizer Bill Bell has been putting mega effort into this year’s plans. We’ve come up with this super rad schedule:

Wed Sept 15
Morning: 10:00am Event Registration/Skippers Meeting: Wind-NC, Avon
Day: Freeform/Expression session;
Night: Wave Jam Welcome gathering at Atlantic Coast Cafe, Avon
Thurs Sept 16
Morning: Skippers Meeting – 10:30am: Wind-NC, Avon
Day: Freeform/Expression session;
Night: Wave Sailing Clinic at Wind-NC – sponsor prizes giveaway!
Friday Sept 17
Morning: Skippers Meeting – 10:30am: Wind-NC, Avon
Day: Beast of the East III competition;
Night: Hatteras Wave Jam Party at OceanAir Sports featuring the Hatteras premier of The Windsurfing Movie II, raffle for some killer prizes including new 2010 windsurfing sails from Goya, RRD, and MauiSails, live music, food and beverages!
Saturday Sept 18
Morning: Skippers Meeting – 10:30am: Wind-NC, Avon
Day: BoE III competition;
Night: Sunset beach cookout and awards presentation to wrap Hatteras Wave Jam 2010.
Sunday Sept 19
Backup day, though if conditions are good, likely Freeform/Expression sesh
All day and night events will include photo and video coverage for Event media. All night events start at 7:30pm. The Freeform/Expression Sessions are geared towards fun sailing and noobies. The Beast of the East is a structured wavesailing contest with brackets for all ability levels, noobie up to pro!

Check out this promo video to get you stoked up for the event:

Booyah! Looks fun, eh?? Well, what are you waiting for? Sign yourself up! If you need a place to stay, we even have some prime rental houses blocked off with Sun Realty, at reduced rates, for you and your friends to rent!

“In this corner, wearing reflective orange vests, hailing from all over the state of North Carolina, weighing in at a hefty 250,000 pounds, including 40 massive dumptrucks full of sand, we have 200 hard-working members of the Department of Transportation!

“Aaaaand in the opposite corner, packing a one-two punch with 15 foot seas and 30 knot winds, hailing all the way across the ocean from the Cape Verde Islands, we have the Tropical Tag Team of Hurricane Danielle and TD7!

“As you may know, these two powerhouses are fighting over the prized title, the grand slam, the ultimate trophy of the Outer Banks:

“S-TURRRRRRNSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!”

Source: windguru.com

Best of Luck, NC DOT! I’m rootin’ for ya as the home team, and truth be told, if the long period swell stays out of the Southeast or East, I think the road will hold up just fine.

On a happier note, Saturday through Monday have potential to be absolutely epic, off the charts, ridiculously good wave sailing days down on the south side. My fingers are crossed for fun wave sailing and open highways. Hope to see y’all out there!

Hmmm, it’s been over a month since I put anything up for you guys and gals of the Windsurfing World. At least I have an excuse- The August wind doldrums have hit, and more importantly- Anne and I went overseas for our honeymoon! We disappeared to Ireland, hit up some Bed and Breakfasts, toured the west coast, and generally played the tourist part. It was straight up awesome. We didn’t do any surfing or sailing, but conditions were ripe and there is some serious potential for an epic surf trip sometime in our future.

I certainly don’t need to bore you with a thousand pictures and stories, but there are a few highlights that I’d like to point out- We spent our first night in Ireland in a sleepy little B&B on the Dingle Peninsula named Moan Laur. The scenery was absolutely stunning, the room was beautiful and comfortable, and the hosts Rachel and Ian were exceptionally welcoming and gracious. I highly recommend finding these guys if you ever make it out there- not only for their welcoming home, but because they also happen to be windsurfers, and they have the Dingle Peninsula completely unlocked when it comes to finding wind and waves! How awesome is that?? Check out their backyard, complete with miles and miles of hiking trails:

Moan Laur’s Backyard View

And the state of Watersports in Ireland, you ask? Well, it sure seems to be alive and well to me. Every little beach break we came across had dozens of surf lessons in the water, and dozens more waiting their turn on the beach. Check out this little flat water cove:

How many different ways can one enjoy the water? Lots, apparently!

We were also lucky to meet Brian McDowell, the man behind “The Beach Telegraph” and the always free and always awesome online magazine “Windsurfer International.” It’s great to put faces to the names you know via the interweb. It’s also advisable to meet them in public places, just in case they’re nuts. No offense Brian, but I did learn where your “publisher’s office” is, from some very trusted sources! Ha! Fret not, though, internet readers- Brian is just another normal guy who happens to be infatuated with windsurfing, just like the rest of us. Nice to meet you dude- next time Anne and I plan on staying longer!

Check out the surf scene in Brian’s town of Lahinch:

Every single one of those little dots is either an instructor or a student learning to surf!

Here are a few more pictures from our trip:

Wow, what a trip! We can’t wait to go back and get some surfin’ and sailin’ in!

OK, back to Hatteras-

We had one last day of SW wind when Anne and I returned. Zofia caught a few pictures of the action and sent these shots of me mid-grubby: Thanks Zofia!!!!!

photo: Zofia Lategano

photo: Zofia Lategano

Anne and I were pretty wiped out from traveling, but I’m glad we hit the water because the wind hasn’t returned since! Not that I’m surprised- August is pretty much the only month with light winds down here. Luckily, the surf has bumped up quite a bit, so we’ve been surfing ourselves to exhaustion! Check it:

Drewski- On it!

Speedy!

Checking the secret spot

Eject!!

Speedy!

Speedy!

Gary!

Drewski!

We’ve had some crazy thunderstorms roll through, too. If you see clouds like this, it’s time to de-rig and seek cover!!

Yikes!

And since I can’t leave ya on such a dark note, check out this rainbow we saw the other day:

Oooooohhhhh- Pretty!

We might have some breeze this weekend- come on out and join us!! Grab a SUP if the wind doesn’t show! Hope to see ya!

Oh, Man, Oh Man! !!!!!

What a whirlwind couple of weeks! I’m so stoked, I can barely contain myself! First, I need to apologize for not updating the blog, and not sending out those free Weather Alert Emails that I usually stay pretty on top of. Routine life came to a complete halt over the last couple of weeks as my family and friends all started to roll into town to help Anne and I celebrate our marriage! Woo hoo, we’re married!!

Words can’t describe the amount of fun and trouble we all had and got into. Suffice to say that the cops had to break up the wedding party at almost 1 a.m. — haha! Anyway, my most sincere thanks go out to all of my family and friends who made the trip to Hatteras to help us partay! It was great seeing everyone!

My windsurfing buddies lucked out and scored some pretty solid summer SW breeze. The Bermuda High has locked itself in place and has been pumping the afternoon winds up to the high 20s and low 30s, like clockwork, for the last 9 or 10 days straight. Absolutely sick windsurfing! These guys have been coming to Hatteras during the Spring and Fall for a decade, and I keep telling them how rad summer is, and they never believed me — until now! Anyway, here are a few pics from the last week or so:

Ace checking the scene with his new Starboard Element 9’8″ SUP (Spaulding photo)

There were fun waves the day of the wedding! Ace catches one. (Spaulding photo)

The Ceremony Zone (Scalia photo)

The Bride and her Father (Scalia photo)

Matt Pritchard said “It’s just like dropping in at Jaws. Big Rush!!” He was right! Does this mean I can handle Jaws now?? (Scalia photo)

Wedding Night Sunset (Spaulding photo)

…and some of the crew checking it out (Spaulding photo)

Party Time! (Spaulding photo)

Shredding the broom! (Spaulding photo)

The Summertime Blues Band was Tearing It Up!! I decided to help… (Spaulding photo)

Boogie Time!! (Scalia photo)

The next day was super windy- Here’s Anne on her 3.3 Gaastra Manic! (Spaulding photo)

And I got to try out my new 3.6 Gaastra IQ! Yeehaw! (Spaulding photo)

The crew, ready to rip! (Spaulding photo)

I’ve gotta say, it was a heck of a week! We’ve been trying to recover, but the wind hasn’t let up and the shop has been super busy. It seems like we’ve been running, 24 hours a day, for a few weeks straight! Ramp 30 has been really fun — waist-to-chest-high waves and 4.7 conditions most every afternoon. Keith has been taking a bunch of sweet photos (thanks Keith!!). Bill put up a bunch of great shots on his obxbeachlife blog, and I’ll single out a couple of myself and Anne that I really like here:

Loving the IQs!

Anne catching some air!

Backloop! (attempt….)

Thigh high and FUN! haha!

Sweet. It looks like this weekend is going to be another windy one! I hope to see y’all out there, ripping it up!!

I’ve been following Thomas Traversa and Alex Mussolini for a while now- They both have a pretty sick style, blending new school aerials and wave moves with old school carving power and style. Thomas is a Gaastra rider, and Alex rides for Vandal sails, both of which are designed by Dan Kaseler. Thomas has been on the Manic, which is Gaastra’s lighter power, luffable wave sail (with a relatively traditional cut), while Alex has been riding the Riot- a short luff, medium boom, new school maneuver oriented wave sail. The Riots have looked absolutely sick to me, but Vandal sails are a bit tough to get here in the states. So, when Gaastra announced the release of the IQ, Thomas Traversa’s new 2011 signature sail, with a shorter luff and slightly longer boom, wow, did I get excited! Long story short, I pulled the trigger and ordered a quiver for myself and shop demo.

Well, I’ve been out on the 5.3, the 4.7 twice, and the 4.2 twice as well, all on the Tabou Twister 100. I definitely could have used the 3.6 on one of the 4.2 days, but I wanted to see how the sail handled when way overpowered. The waves have basically been flat, so I’ve only been freestyling on the sails. They have a very nice, pumpable pull, with lots of stability both under and over powered, and a great, compact feel which makes them very easy to throw around. They seem to go neutral pretty easily, as well, when you want to ditch some of that power. I’ve been very impressed with how well they handle overpowered- going into tricks with crazy sail power is pretty scary, but the IQs provide a ton of control with all that power. Stoked!

Anyway, enough jibber jabber… My buddy Ace was kind enough to shoot some footage the other day while I was on the 4.2. Thanks for taking some time out of your sesh, Ace! Check out the footage:

Windsurfing on the Gaastra IQ from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Yeah- Stoked!! Swing on by the shop and try one out for yourself!

This is a very important “How To” lesson for everyone out there with significant others who windsurf:

How To: from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

If your significant other doesn’t windsurf, it might not go over quite so well.

Of course, as soon as the sails showed up, we had a week-long skunk fest — never fails! Luckily, there was a really fun, waist-high standup paddle board wave across the street from the shop, so we’ve been getting plenty of exercise.

It looks like it’s going to be a great weekend for wind down here, so if the doldrums are starting to hit in your neck of the woods, hop in your car and come join us! Hope to see ya out there!

Holy cow, someone flipped a switch! It’s suddenly August, I think. Hot, humid, the flowers are bloomin’, the waves are small but fun, the crowds are here, and there’s a potential tropical depression on the horizon.

The wind seems to have died for the next few days, but that’s subject to change. I’m glad that I dropped everything the other night and got one last 4.7 session in before the wind quieted down! It was an awesome sesh, too. I made it 98 percent through my first honest-to-goodness flaka before botching the ending! Man, it was surprising! Just like all of the freestyle moves, when you do them right, it’s pretty much effortless. I spent the rest of the sesh chasing the move down, but couldn’t make it happen again. Oh well, hopefully that wind will come back and I’ll get a few more attempts in soon before I forget how to do it!

I have a new secret weapon in my back pocket, too. They deserve an official introduction fitting to their level of radness. So for now, I’ll just tease you guys a little bit:

So hot, they glow!

So, So Hot!

And here are a few pictures from around my yard to get you guys thinking summer!

And here’s Anne with her new custom-built hybrid skateboard. Element deck, Indy trucks, and oversize soy-based Sector9 longboard wheels. I stole it for a few spins — it’s a killer ride!

(Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m the luckiest guy in the world!)

The SW has been crankin’ out here on Hatteras Island. Seems like it’s been sailable most every afternoon for the last few weeks, with a focus in the Avon and Rodanthe area. I’ve been slacking on the updates, in part because it seems like every day’s the same: work all day, try to sneak in a lesson, then grab an hour of free sailing before it’s pitch black out. SW, SW, SW. 3.7, 4.2, 4.7. Most every afternoon! Awesome! I love this time of year.

Here’s the sunrise from a few days ago:

And a very short clip: 4.2 on the Tabou Twister 100 (I finally got my weedfins sorted out):

Spock 540 from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

Looks like more wind this weekend, with a focus on Sunday. Come on out and join us!

And a quick reminder: Please be careful out there. We had (at least) two fairly major kite incidents in the last week. One of ‘em knocked out all of the power from Rodanthe all the way down to Ocracoke Island for an hour and a half on Sunday. The other guy broke his femur and was airlifted to Raleigh. Please be safe, folks!

Here are a few more pictures from last week’s big wave action:

Brad dropping in

running…

and celebrating!

Stuart’s giant bomb was the very next wave:

Stuart dropping in

Don’t look up!

Turn! Turn!!

Don’t look down!

He made it out the back. Check out the lip on that right!

Turns out, Dan Kramer had checked out Isabel’s while I was down there and snapped off a few pics. Check ‘em out (Thanks Dan!!!):

Long, crumbly lines on the outside

I was sailing a “sinker”

It doesn’t look that challenging, but I had spent at least 30 minutes trying to get out that day. The hard part was just waiting for a lull in the sets combined with any sort of gust of wind on the inside. I made quite a few halfhearted attempts, getting denied and looking the fool every time, but eventually my moment came and I was able to sneak out without any trouble at all. I guess the lesson there is to be patient and wait for the right timing instead of just trying over and over again when there’s very little chance of actually making it! But how can you know if you don’t try? Ah well, making it out through the barreling inner bar was just all the sweeter after getting denied so many times! Once I finally made it out, I sailed pretty cautiously, just tiptoeing around on these big outer bar crumblers. It was a bit of a soul session, making some lazy turns on the big, wide open faces.

Since then, we had a few days of really good waves, but I decided to sit ‘em out in order to recover, as my body was pretty sore. And now, we’re in the middle of another Bermuda High! This one is lining up a little weird, so the SW winds haven’t been epic, but it’s been windy every afternoon. 4.2 on Sunday and 4.7 last night. Both days on my NEW TABOU TWISTER 100!!! Woooohoooooooo!! That board is pretty sick — all of the tricks are coming with ease, which means that it’s time to try some new stuff! Gotta keep falling…

2010 Tabou Twister 100

The Stats

The Twister 100 has a pretty interesting ride. There’s a “second gear” that’s fast enough to try some moves but really quite slow, so everything is nice and controlled. But then you can kick it in to overdrive in the gusts and the thing just takes off, full speed ahead! It’s a little scary to try anything while going that fast but it stays very controlled in the spins, which means that you can throw stuff more aggressively, with more speed, and still have plenty of control! Awesome! I am super-stoked on this board! It’s in the demo fleet at Wind-NC, so feel free to swing on by and grab it the next time you’re in town.

Looks like we’re in store for some good SW wind every afternoon this week. I’ll try to grab a few action pics to keep y’all entertained. Better yet, come join us for some fun!

Stuart Proctor at The Lighthouse on May 25, 2010:

There was massive action all over the island. I hit some-logo high outer bar crumblers down at Isabel’s, a big crew went to Ocracoke, and Stu, as you can see, challenged the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

It’s on again this morning, but the buoy is reading even bigger! Booooyah!

Yikes! It’s been a pretty long time since I posted, so here’s a quick recap:

1. It was super windy.
2. It was super warm.
3. The shop was super busy.

There ya have it! Here are a bunch of random pictures from the last few weeks:

Fish at The Slick

Some of the crew up at Ramp 23

Airborne at the Hole

Committed Jibe!

Sunset Sesh!

Ken, Taking Off

Andy Brandt Clinic Crowd

The Wind-NC Crew poses with Ned and his new RRD FSW 120 LTD

Canal Cruise

Muddy Creek Exploration

Wendy, Roland, and Anne paddle into the sunset

There were many, many GREAT windsurfing sessions this spring. So many, in fact, that I really started to get tired. My body was just getting beat up from overuse. About a week ago, I was on my 3.7 again and kind of barely powered in the lulls. I was getting frustrated at the lack of power, which is pretty ludicrous, because I was comfortably planing on a freaking 3.7. Who complains about that? Anyway, just in the nick of time, before I gave up for good, the sun popped out below the clouds and illuminated the whole scene in a reddish golden light. I was instantly, completely rejuvenated, by the simple presence of sunlight. Amazing! Check it:

Cool! Well, you’re all caught up now! Come on out and join us for some fun. Looks like a few days of NE winds are upon us, and we have some great new free-ride boards to try out, like the Tabou Rocket 135 and the RRD Fireride 125. Hope to see you out there!

After getting fully thrashed, the best thing to do is to jump right back on that horse. Luckily, Ramp 23 provided a nice, easy wave — a much less intimidating setup than the day before at Ramp 34. Bill, Stu, Olaf and I grabbed a sunset session in the chest-to-head high waves. By the end of the sesh, I was feeling solid again, going for the lip and making some halfway solid turns. The confidence has been rebuilt!

Lots of pictures have surfaced from this sesh. Check out the awesome shots that Yana took! My lovely fiance Anne was kind enough to snap a bunch of pictures with my little point -and-shoot camera, as well. Check ‘em out:

Bill and Olaf Share a Wave!

Mr Shorebreak in the Foreground, Stuart in the background

Stuart gets a front row seat for Bill's wave

Olaf!

Bill Found a Nice One...

...and smacked da lip!

There's the full moon rising in the background

Hack! That Pocket 85 Sure does hod it's rail well!

Looks like another great batch of SW winds are on the way this weekend! Weekend Warriors: Load Up! Hope to see y’all out there!