Theory of the Wind Rocker

Fall riding - Damon Point

2011-11-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

Damn, it's getting cold quick like in WA. Did that stop me from getting out on the water. No sir...well, at least with a little push and shove my buddy Jeff Lamb, aka Loki (www.pskite.org webmaster) I agreed to road trip it to Ocean Shores to hit the epic spot known as Damon Point.

Jeff hit me up, as his wife and newborn baby were on their way to see the in-laws. And Becky is out of town with her mom and sister....so could there be a better reason for two guys to head to the coast when the forecast is upgraded on Friday night? Hell no, there is no better reason. The wind is supposed to show up around 12pm and keep going from there.

So, after dropping Becky off at the airport, I get home and get the gear laid out. Jeff arrives at 7am and we are on the road, a 3 hr trip, to Ocean Shores. Our buddy John Hausman gives me a ring at 7:30am to let me know he is also on the road. We all meet up at a coffee shop in Aberdeen. Then the caravan makes the last of the drive, arriving at Damon Point at 10:30 am-ish.

Damon Point

When we arrive there are already a few kites on the water. Excitedly we jump out of the car into extremely chilly wind.

John and Jeff concur "Sh*t it is cold out!"

Anyways, we suit up. I even opt to wear a helmet just to keep me a little warmer. If you know me then you also know I never wear a helmet....but I can honestly say that it has now become a part of my winter apparel because it did keep my head warmer in the cold wind.

I pump my 10m RPM. It is just enough to be fully powered, not too much, just enough. I ride for a good 3 hrs session. At the point my legs are jelly I head in. Dan aka Tuna invites us over to his place about 2 miles away for a lunch break....and a chance to warm up a bit. We take up his offer and head over. I am glad I had stopped in the morning and stocked up on beer and a sandwich, which I take advantage of at Dan's place. After refueling and warming back up, we head back for another session.

Another 1 -2 hrs of awesome super lit 13m conditions wait us. When we get off the water, barely able to stand up, the wind is still blowing. That is how you know when it was an epic, epic day. You stop riding because of exhaustion, even though the wind is still ripping. Yeah, 100% epicnesss!!!

Before I leave though, I grab the camera from the car and get a few shots of my pals riding.

After packing up, and getting these epic pics, we head back to Dan's house. A quick stop at the grocery store first to stock up on sausages and buns, cream cheese and jalapenos, and of course more beer is all we need to end a truly awesome day.

Dan and his roommate are quite the hosts....and after such an amazing day on the water I am not sure that any dawg has ever truly tasted this good. I am beat. Refueling was totally necessary in order to make the 3 hr trip back to Seattle.....but it was sooo worth it!!!!

Stay tuned....final Puerto Rico kitesurfing update is coming soon. I just got the last of the pictures from our trip...which is what I had been waiting on for the last P.R. recap post.

Summmer / Fall recap (part 4) - Double Bluff

2011-10-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

Double Bluff

September the 25th ushers in true Fall weather conditions in the Pacific Northwest. This means that the wind will be blowing from the south, and usually is much stronger than summer winds. 10m is average, but 6m-8m conditions are not uncommon.

I pick K.C. up and we meet other kiters in the ferry line to head over to Whidbey Island. The plan is to hit up Double Bluff.

And DB doesn't disappoint, as there are 10 or so kites up when we arrive. It felt pretty light onshore so stupidly I pumped the 13m. It becomes apparent quickly that it is way too windy for a big kite. So I pump up my 10m. Needless to say I am litski!

I have two things to tell for you from this epic day.

The first is that somehow I must not have connected my leash completely to my safety line. How do I know this? Well because the first time I wiped out while unhooked and let go of the bar...I get to watch my leash go tight, snap back at me, and my kite flies off to land in the water 50 or more meters from me.

I am a good 300 meters from shore...maybe a bit more.

I luckily get a fellow kiter to tow me for a bit hanging off the back of his harness, and with a ton of additional swimming I get within feet of another kiter who has grabbed my lines. Right as I get 15 feet away or so the kite powers up and yanks out of his hands. Off it goes again.

Eventually after much more swimming I get to shore. Some high school kids have grabbed my kite and kept it from continuing on, in what would have surely damaged my kite, if not at least stuck it on the roof of a beach house.

It takes me a good 20 minutes to untangle my lines and rig up the kite. A break which I gladly took as I was still out of breath from the long swim in.

Lessons #1) Recheck the leash connection to the safety lines before launching.

Once I make this check and recheck, I self launch and head out. I am between the main riding area and the slick at the other end of Useless Bay.

I start riding towards the slick where I can see a few kites belonging to my friends up in the air. After riding about 200 meters or so, I see black shapes moving in the water off my left hand side. At first I think that it may be a group of Sea Lions swimming, however upon closer inspection I can clearly see dorsal fins as the backs of the animals arc out of the water. It is most definitely a pod of porpoises, and they are swimming in a trajectory that should intersect with my current direction.

It is hard to tell how many of them there are as I am not sure how deep they are diving or if they are just staying right at the surface. My estimates are between 8 and 16 porpoises.

I adjust my speed slightly trying to time it perfectly and riding through the midst of the breaching mammals.

As I get closer to the moment of intersection, I realize I have timed it perfect. I lean way back, getting myself as close to the water as possible, hoping that if one breaches I will be close enough to touch it.

Seconds later I am cutting through the middle of the pod. Behind me two porpoises breach, and with quick reflexes and almost wiping out, I am able to run my hand down the back of a porpoise from right behind the dorsal fin down to mere inches from its tail.

I instantly look around me hoping that there is someone close enough to have seen my magic moment.

I am not that lucky. Oh well, it was amazing and maybe a moment I wasn't supposed to share.

When I get to shore I ecstatically tell several of my friends to their amazement. I am sure none of them would have believed me if it wasn't that a fellow kiter remarked that the porpoises had been sighted in Useless Bay several times over the recent weeks. He also believe they were Dall'ss porpoises.

I mistakenly say at one point to Darcy (wicked good female kiter) that I saw a dolphin, before I corrected myself, and before she corrected me with a "You sure they weren't porpoises? I am pretty sure there are not dolphins in the Pugest Sound."

Anyways, later I did some research.

I am positive that the porpoises were in fact Harbour porpoises, and not Dall's porpoises. I can say this with certainty for three reasons.

One, they were the smallest looking porpoises I have ever seen.
Two, because the dorsal had an arc shape. (I know this because I got a very up close look)
three, because there was not any white on the bodies of any of the porpoises in the group.

One last thing to note, is that when I was researching the type of porpoise my encounter was with, I found this picture.

It is a picture taken in July 2011 in the Olympia WA area of the Puget Sound. And that my friends is a "common dolphin". So I guess that while I misspoke when telling my story to Darcie, it is certainly not outside of the realm of possibility...which is just another cool thing about being a kiteboarder in the Pacific Northwest!!!

Summmer / Fall recap (part 3) - Clayton Beach

2011-10-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

On the 10th of September, and what was to be the last decent northerly of the season, Becky and I picked up my buddy K.C., and headed up north to the Bellingham area.
Plans were to hit up Hunter. Halfway on the 1 1/2 hr drive north we got word that the wind hadn't filled in at Hunter, and that we should drive another 15 minutes north to the state park. Once there we quickly found the trail-head to walk to Clayton Beach.

The walk is awesome, and is in fact a downward hike via a well worn path through a beautiful state park. Huge fir and cedar trees line the path. It is a good 1/2 mile or more to the beach, but well worth the walk. The smells and sites of the forest are always welcome, especially if it preludes a wicked good session.

K.C. and Becky following me down the path

Not too far from the desired beach we take a wrong turn, but are able to quickly rectify the problem and find the "correct" trail down to the beach. As I walk over a small ridge I am welcomed by the sight of a few kites up, one being Andy (owner of www.bellinghamkiteboarding.com ) tearing it up in the sun, cruising on a warm yet windy day.

Andy

So in typical fashion I rush down the hill with reckless abandon and once I hit the beach and I get my gear set up in record time.

So yeah, like 10 minutes later I am putting on my shorty.....yes, a shorty for kiting in the Puget Sound. OK, I will admit I wasn't thinking when I made the hike from the car to Clayton Beach with only my shorty on hand. The full suit is in the car....oops.

If I may explains myself, Hunter is notoriously warm because it is shallow. Clayton is not shallow, and as such it has temps similar to Golden Gardens in Seattle....that is to say, it is freaking cold!

That isn't to say it stopped me from riding. It just means that after the first or second body dragging session to retrieve my board, I started riding a little more carefully. No unhooking! The raley I missed was the cause of a 15 minute body drag. You know the ones where you are dizzy by the time you get your board back...usually in cold water? So yeah, time to take it easy. Just cruising around and boosting.

I rode for a good 2 hours, in the sun, kickin it one last time in what could be considered the last day of summer....at least to me.

Summmer / Fall recap (part 2) - Hood River

2011-10-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

That's right. For the Labor Day weekend I packed my car up and headed down to Hood River. A few of my kiting buddies are doing the same, so it should be a good time by all.

Wind was a little non-typical in the Gorge. In fact the wind was a easterly, meaning it was blowing from inland out to the Ocean, eat to west. This means all the normal spots, like the world famous sandbar in downtown Hood River would not be our kiting location.

Instead we went to Rooster Rock state park. There is a 2 mile long sandy beach that runs parallel to the Columbia River. It makes for a great place to launch and land.

The only down side is to get to the beach you must choose between walking a bog, getting mud up to your knees, or walking a nude beach where dudes (many who do not man-scape) walk around with their junk hanging out. So if you are NOT in to shlongs on parade...then you may want to avoid the mud bog. Personally I choose to walk the bog and rinse...it is more direct and certainly does not pose any potential for scaring my mind with images I would rather avoid.

When I get there on Saturday, it is starting to back off. Easterlies tend to start in the morning and back off in the afternoon. I got there around noon. I rode for a good hour or so on my 13m. Pretty over powered most of the time and I could certainly have made the 10m work.

That night we headed into Hood River for some fun. Colleen Carol has offered up her driveway for us guys sleeping in our cars, her backyard for some guys in tents, and her living room for Devon (her brother) and the ladies. Because of this we are all ready to party, knowing we don't have to drive to some random park to sleep.

Yes, we party until very late night. Yes, many people were a bit hung the next morning. Three of us head for a big traditional breakfast. This makes up feel great and ready to do it all again. So we head to Rooster Rock again where we all score a good 2-3 hr session. I was on my 8m the entire time.

Totally rad.

Sorry, no picks as I forgot my camera..... but there it is. stay tuned for part 3... Clayton beach. Yes, I do have a few pics.....

Summmer / Fall recap (part 1) [cold weather has returned] :(

2011-10-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed. The cold is here, and it is taking all of my will to keep from shedding a tear. Did we even get a summer here in the Puget Sound area? That is certainly debatable.

Without dwelling on the depressing weather, I can say that I have been riding quite a bit since our August trip to Puerto Rico.

Where you ask? Well, let's see. I did a 5 mile downwinder at Ocean Shores in the Pacific Ocean, I spent several days in Hood River, I hit up a new spot (new for me at least) up north near Bellingham called Clayton beach, and I even rode with a pod of porpoises at Double Bluff on Whidbey Island.

Wanna hear the details? Ok, here it goes.

Ocean Shores:

Not long after returning from Puerto Rico some friends were all talking about heading to the coast. High pressure had settled in over the mainland, so not much air was moving around. This usually means the only place to get some wind is at the coast. So Becky and I head out in the morning for a 3 hr drive to Ocean Shores on the Pacific Coast of Washington.

We arrive and join a good group of 15 or so kiters that all made the trip from Seattle.

After loading all of our gear into the back of one truck and consolidating all of us kiters into different cars, at the same time making sure to leave a few cars at the finish line, we drive upwind about 5 miles to pump up and begin the downwind excursion.

Once we are all pumped up and suited up, small groups take off every few minutes and head downwind. I am one of the last to hit the water, as I am waiting for Becky. Her and another gal are both giving it their best shot at riding in the open Ocean for the first time. The other gal ends up crashing and rolling her kite in the surf within just a few minutes. And while Becky gives it her best shot, she is not able to get out past the surf.

No mind you, the surf is a good 6-8 ft crashing in. Sets are pretty close together, so you have to literally pick a line and charge out. It is pretty hard to do actually and even I get tossed around a bit. The key is to just let the wave hit you while concentrating on keeping the kite high at all costs. As you know, a kite in the surf can easily get a panel blown out.

I might also mention that the wind is uber light. A 15m would be more appropriate than my 13m, although many of the guys downwind are making it work...but just barely.

I wait around while Becky is packing up by playing in the shallows with my skim board.....and then the wind picks up a few knots. Even though I am the last guy on shore, and I can not even see any kites downwind, I decide this is my chance. I run in, grab the twin tip, and charge out by myself.

I might also mention here that kiting the ocean surf by oneself is probably not the smartest thing I could do...but it is nice outside, sun shining, warm wind...I just can't help myself.

I charge downwind as fast as possible. In fact, I am almost riding straight downwind. The salmon are running and so I see seals and sea lions everywhere. It is somewhat unnerving when they splash or jump out of the water right next to me...especially since I am riding by my lonesome.

After about 3 miles of riding, I can finally see some kites in the distance. I continue my downwind assault. I arrive at the finish line right as the final kiter in front of me was getting off the water.

Guess what? I beat Becky back. She thought for sure she would be waiting for me after driving back...but nope, I was standing around drinking beer with the guys when she arrived.

How fast did I make it? Around 5 miles in under 15 minutes. Not bad eh?

Needless to say the rest of the guys jump in cars to head back up and do it again. I wait around, 1) because a kiter somehow was lost along the way (no I didn't see him walking but I was mobbing) and 2) I was just pretty dang tired from my 15 minute dash downwind.

After about 1 hour the others start to arrive and I took a few more pictures of my buddies finishing their ride in the sunset. It made quite a picturesque scene. I wish I had a better camera!!!

Afterwards, we all head into Ocean Shores to have a few beers, margaritas, chips, salsa, and if you haven't guessed by now, some scrumptious Mexican food to end the day.

Hood River:
labor day weekend...... stay tuned... recap coming soon

Puerto Rico trip (day 7)

2011-08-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

Time to Ride!!!!

Yes, that is what is on my mind, and about all I have planned for the day.

Also, it is time to get Becky out there practicing with me.

So after a decent breakfast we both pump up and walk upwind a few hundred yards. I meet a local kiter as I walk, who happens to work at the jetski rental place on the beach. Very nice guy. He was interested in where I was from, if I was an instructor (more on this in a minute), and he also had some questions about my LF Comp harness. His girl friend has the same model and complains that it rides up. Becky showed him and his girlfriend her Dakine harness board shorts, and recommended she get a pair.

After the meet and greet Becky and I lay out our lines and rig up. I plan to follow Becky and retrieve her board for her, should she wipe out and get dragged too far away from it.

I launch her, Sean launches me...and we are off. Becky has a few small problems, but overall we have a good 1/2 mile downwinder together. However, downwind we have been traveling. Towards the end of the beach I start to think it is time for Becky to head in, when instead she keeps riding out further towards me...until she wrecks and downs her kite.

I hoop and holla, and then I get her attention. I try to make it apparent to her that she needs to get her kite up and make it to shore ASAP, as in there is no more downwind area, just a straight line to the beach if she holds her ground. Also, we are both getting into the reef which is literally like 12 inches or less under the water.

I ride in and self land my kite. I end up with a seaweed salad on my lines...dammit that sux!

Anyways, Becky does get her kite up and in one last desperate ride she makes it to shore....with no downwind space to spare, holding her ground the whole way in. I laugh when she gets in and tells me that she was chanting a mantra to herself the whole time while making that last ride in, "Bitch, you better get your act together Becky. You better ride for your life bitch".

So, after a little help getting the seaweed off my lines, I launch and head out solo for another hour or two. Then I come in when the wind starts to back off.

As you can see in the above picture I was wearing my Urban Surf instructor rash guard. Why? Well, most of my rash guards are either black or they don't have sleeves. Black is of course hot in the sun, and I was already chaffed under my armpits from wearing sleeveless rash guards.

Anyways, it turns out to be a great way to get students in Puerto Rico. It seems like most people there have not been exposed to the sport. They tend to come hang on the beach, point, watch, and very much get excited about the jumping and hang time. Adding an instructor shirt meant these gawkers all felt at ease coming up and asking me about the sport. I could easily have lined up prospective clients from these encounters. So yeah, I learned wearing an instructor shirt when riding or teaching lessons is a great way to drum up new business.

Ok, so now the wind is down, riding appears to be over....but after a beer or two I just can't help but want to get back into the ocean. I just love it! Becky and Sean join me. You will notice Sean has on a fluorescent yellow shirt I loaned him, which we hope will reflect as much sunlight off of him as possible, making his burns bearable.

At first we try launching Becky into the air....

Next we all try our hands at body-surfing. I seem to have the best form and get the furthest each time, although you can see Sean certainly has the most style.

Sean body-surfing with style...

"look at me Mom, no hands"

Becky's face says it all as she misses the wave, "This Stinks!"

OK, she caught it that time....

Sean's turn....

Ryan cleans house though with massive rides to shore.....

At some point I grab the camera and decide to take picture of waves, hoping to catch a cool pic or two of the lip rolling over me.

And while you can see I got a couple OK shots, most looked like this.....

However, I did get two really cool ones, and with a little color correction they turned out like this....

So yeah, I was pretty stoked at the end result.

After thouroughly wearing ourselves out playing in the surf, we head in and start putting kiting gear up. While we are sitting drinking beers......

We look down into the bushes below us....

No silly, look closer....

Yep, we find little crabs that live under the bushes in the yard. They must come out at night and scavenge. Of course, I jump down and rummage around until I capture one.

And boy oh boy does this little guy put up a fight!

After letting him go, Sean gets a great picture of the "light" beer we have been drinking all week.

Puerto Rico trip (day 6)

2011-08-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Day 2 exploring the island)

Today, is the second installment of the "WindRocker Puerto Rico Exploration Series", where we head west from San Juan along the northern coast of Puerto Rico to where we eventually turn back around in Arecibo. But that is not all, we then get back in time to go on the BioBay tour. "BioBay" is short for Bio-luminescent Bay...yes this is a super cool experience....more to come shortly.

map of our day 2 exploring (in red)

I failed to mention that both yesterday and today I planned the direction we would travel based upon satellite images of the tropical storm Emily, and used this info to guess where the best weather would be. In the two days of exploring we never really saw much rain, so I guess I did a good job. We found out later that it rained in San Juan both days...so I guess I was more than successful in my predictions.

So, as I mentioned we head west, following the same pattern as the day before, looking for that hidden gem of a beach. We find several beautiful beaches, however none of them had a large enough beach to launch, and all most of them had a land mass blocking the wind from directly hitting the beach. In other words, we first found a bunch of beaches located in sheltered bays. Great for sunbathing and swimming, but definitely not a wind mecca.

However, we were not giving up. Becky had a property we are trying to find, which has a private beach that looks pretty amazing from a google satellite map. So, we at least want to check it out before heading back and giving up on this coast. And it is a good thing we did because while we did not find the property Becky wanted to see, we did find two great beaches that definitely get wind, have a great spot to launch, downwind room for lessons, and there is even a spot that lines up waves for those wanting some surf action.

wish I had taken a panorama pic of this beach!

Around 5pm or so we decide to head back to the condo. We need to be back in time for our 8pm pick up for the BioBay tour.

So we get back, eat some food and drink a few beers, and then catch our van ride to Fajardo where we meet our guides. In the van we meet three other Americans going on the same tour. All very cool katz!

When we get there we sign in, and then have a few minutes to walk around. I eye all the local street meat vendors, and while the smell is great, I don't explore any of it with my taste buds. We do get this great picture of the local restaurants pet parrot.

The guides then fit us with PFDs and give us a quick kayaking instructions.

Becky and I already know the best method for us in kayak together from rowing across to Jetty Island together more than once or twice. And that method is that I paddle, while Becky relaxes. Yes we make better time, and we enjoy not banging oars together every 30 seconds. And trust me when I say that we see a ton of people having serious issues.

brief kayaking instruction for the inexperienced....

So yeah, after the quick tutorial on paddling, we are off. Once our entire group is loaded into their respective kayaks, we head across a bay which also houses a marina, until at the edge of the water we enter a small waterway, roughly the size of a 1 line road, that winds up through the mangrove trees.

Sean and OK paddling through the mangroves in front of Becky and I

mangrove forest is uber thick and dark at night

The trip through the mangroves takes about 1 hour and is roughly 1 1/2 miles of paddling to get to the bay. The mangroves are very cool. We get to see blue crab mingling under the roots of mangroves. We also see a green tree iguana hanging out in the tree branches over hanging the waterway.

A funny thing to mention: on the second night we were in Puerto Rico, Becky notices all the nature sounds that are out and about at night. This happens right as we walk through the Ritz Carlton Hotel property. She then asks me, and is quite serious, if I thought the noises were a recording being played by the hotel. Thus this becomes an inside joke everywhere we go, because as you may have guessed, if this is a recording, it just happens to play everywhere on the island each night ;) Here is a video of the nature sounds you hear...and Becky poking fun at herself.

Roughly one half of the way to the bay, I start to notice the bio-luminescence in the water. Faint at first, but it gets brighter the further in we get. I splash around several times showing Becky, who has never seen bio-luminescence before. We try getting some pictures and videos, but unfortunately our point and shoot light sensor is way too noisy at night to make out the glow.

Once we reach the bay, I am impressed with its beauty. It is amazing, over 2000 acres of a 8-10ft deep flat water bay, rimmed 360 degrees by the mangrove forest. I instantly dream of kiting some night here, bio-luminescent trail glowing behind me, glowing water spraying off the kite after a relaunch. Probably not going to happen, but I can dream.

The bio-luminescence in the bay is amazing too. If you have ever experienced it, say in the Puget Sound, then you know how cool it is. However, the plankton that cause this effect bloom year round and have a density of over 1 million of them per square inch. My guess is that the Puget Sound levels are 50-100 thousand per square inch. So yes, at least 10 times brighter than anything I have experienced in the northwest.

If you hold your arm under water, it really does look like you are in the movie Avatar. Reaching in the water, pulling out a handful, and letting the water drip down your arm and legs is uber cool as the glowing plankton flows down your extremities.

Years ago visitors were allowed to swim in the water, but due to concerns that sunscreen and bug spray may damage the plankton bloom, swimming is no longer allowed. There is a "photoshopped" picture that shows what an extended shutter speed of the bio-luminescence would look like. When you move your arm or oar underwater, this is very close to what you see.

The bay is home to shrimp who eat the plankton, and tarpon who eat the shrimp. Becky and I paddled out to our lonesome and sat still for a few minutes...then I would bang my oar on the kayak, making a loud boom, scaring the tarpon away...which would cause a glowing outline of spooked fish as they zig-zag across the top of the water. Yes, very cool indeed.

We get some fun pictures of the experience....

Ryan working, Becky relaxing....

Sean and OK

Becky and I...

After we complete our trip, we meet under the tours tent for complementary water and snacks, and then we grab a group picture.

Becky and I really can't say enough about this outfit. The guides were all helpful and fun. They spoke multiple languages so there are no barriers due to language in the group. Becky also did some googling before we booked and they have the highest rated tour. If you are in P.R. and want to take the BioBay tour, then definitely call these guys. www.kayakingpuertorico.com

On the way back, all of us Americans were pretty pumped from this wicked tour, plus we had all connected a bit with each other on the tour..so of course we exchange facebook info during the ride back.

OK. Well, that wraps up the "WindRocker Puerto Rico Exploration Series" and while we got to see quite a bit of the island, I still feel like I need another month here to take in everything there is to do and see. Yes, we want more P.R. in our future.

Next stop, tomorrow....and there better be some more kiting in my future or I will not be a happy camper!

Puerto Rico trip (day 5)

2011-08-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

In the above picture you get a inside look into the next 2 days. As tropical storm Emily barreled down on Puerto Rico the wind was shotty at best between convergence zones. We decide that this would be as good as time as any to start exploring the island. Since Becky and I have plans to potentially end up on P.R. we decide to start looking for that hidden gem of a beach that could play host our headquarters someday.
And while both Becky and I had a blast exploring all the beaches on the northern coast (and I literally mean ALL), later on in the trip Sean, when asked if he had fun riding around the island, described the next two days as "riding in the back seat of a rental while Ryan drives down the coastal roads until he randomly pulls over, jumps out of the car, tromps through whatever brush is between the road and the beach. Once at the beach he then puts hands out to his sides assessing the wind conditions. Then two minutes later, his wind and beach assessment over, we pile back into the car to drive another 5 minutes where we repeat the process again." So yeah, I guess the island exploration was more entertaining for Becky and I.

And yes, that does pretty much describe the next two days. Thus we start day one of the two day "WindRocker Puerto Rico Exploration Series".

Day 1 exploring the island)

We travel the northern coast from San Juan to the east until we finally turn around in Ceiba.

map of our day 1 exploring (in red)

As we drive along the coast, there are many times we went through very "rain forest-ish" landscapes. Here is a quick video Becky took while I was driving that shows much of what the local backcountry looks like.

We loved a few little spots we found. One beach town in particular, although I will refrain from naming this little gem we found. However, I will show you some pictures. Several of the beaches look to be pretty well setup for wind, especially in the A.M. hours. Also, I locate a flat water lagoon, with surfing readily available just down the beach. Overall this looks like a decent setup.

secluded little beach

Lots of space on this beach ..but alot of beach trash/driftwood

this is the gem though... room for launching, shallow water..... and surfing down by those buildings

And a flat water lagoon that is sheltered from the surf by a reef.

Just sea grass on the bottom of waist deep water.

We also stop in Luquillo for a wonderful Mai Thai and Mojito at a cute little restaurant. this town has lots of surf style character. We liked it.

Once we get to Ceiba, it is getting dark so we head back to our condo.

On the drive back we take a more direct route. This takes us over the iconic bridge covered in flags that you can see when your aircraft is landing upon arrival into San Juan, Puerto Rico...and yes, the flags were blowing tonight just as they were when we arrived. The flags blowing in the wind are a great welcome sign for any kiteboarder traveling to P.R.

We then walk down to the Old San Juan Casino where on the top floor there is a BBQ restaurant. The sky is dark, and the city lit...but we are told to come back for a sunset...so we decide to forgo the "overly priced" fare and come back later. We did have one drink each...but I guess I wasn't feeling like being nice either ;) so time to jam somewhere else for dinner.

So, we end up at a Chili's. I know, not very authentic, but reasonably priced all the same. Yes, more drinks with our food!

Next stop bed, and then tomorrow we head west.

Puerto Rico trip (day 4)

2011-08-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

As you can see in the above picture...yes, I do pump up and ride today...so all is well that ends well.

However, when I woke up this morning I was not, I repeat, NOT a happy camper. No joke, since I missed yesterday I woke up at least 4 or 5 times during the night only to notice that it was still windy, and I was crossing my fingers it would stay that way. That being said, when I get up it is not windy. And who is pissed...you guessed it, ME.

At this point I pretty much felt like a dumb ass to myself for not riding the day before, and done the responsible kiter thing to do and have planned to see Old San Juan today. A day that I should be tired as hell from the previous day's perfect conditions....which I am not. :(

As every kiteboarder learns at some point; "Get the wind while the getting is good." That is to say, there is no counting on the wind.....so get it while you can. You can always plan to site-see after you are 1) to tired and sore from riding everyday, or 2) if and when there is a no wind day.

So, yeah...I am pissed. Needless to say it shows in my attitude, and as such I rub both roommates a little wrong when they wake up...why, because like I said, yesterday was EPIC...and today is looking like it will be crap.

Am I wrong...well sort of. Thanks to Tropical Storm Emily around 11am the wind picks up. Gusty yes. Holey at times. But still, the sand is blowing sideways when it fully ramps. That's right. I have to pump Becky's 8m up and I hope it doesn't become even stronger since the 8m is the smallest kite we brought with us.

Here is a video of me pumping the 8m Royal Era. You can see how much sand is being blown around...nice and windy!

So yes, I get out there and as I already mentioned, it was definitely gusty, a little holey at times. I am reminded a lot of the conditions in the Gorge. Once again I was riding all by my lonesome. In these conditions it was totally apparent to myself that I was riding solo. While it was a rush at times, jumping huge way out was a bit scary at times. There was not going to be someone coming to the rescue on a jet ski if I run into a problem.

I do ride for a good while and tried to come in and jump for Becky and Sean...and random beach goers who seem as if they have never seen the sport of kiteboarding. I was hoping to get some good pictures or videos jumping. However, it is hard to get a good pic since like most of the beaches on Puerto Rico, Isla Verde also has a buoy system that designates the swimming area. And while going through it to get out is not an issue, in the spirit of preserving access it is still not a wise place to jump in. So yeah, not much video, however Becky did manage to catch me crashing....

While riding I could see other kiters about 2-3 miles downwind...maybe 5. So after I wore myself out, and the wind backed down to 10m, I came back in and washed up for lunch.

We decide that tomorrow we will buss it up to Ocean Park to see if that is where the kiters downwind of me are riding at. Becky and I plan to join them...however, we also know that Tropical Storm Emily may be about to wreck the wind and weather conditions...but we are crossing our fingers.

Puerto Rico trip (day 3)

2011-08-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hello again...back to the recap.

As I mention, Sean and I walked shirtless during the sunset last night. When Sean walks out of his bedroom this morning I just couldn't help feeling sorry for him. 3rd degree burns and all. Here is Becky in the picture to give you a sample of white to go with that red.

Burned to a crisp as he was, he was still able to get up and make us this gourmet breakfast of French Toast w/ a reduced Banana Rum topping and a side of berry yogurt (which also works as a great topping!).

breakfast...mmmmm

After breakfast I keep eyeing the conditions, as today the sky is clear as a bell and I am pretty positive the wind will be epic smooth 10m conditions around noon...however, I start to get pressured to take the day off riding, and instead head to Old San Juan to do some sight seeing. While it goes through my mind to just let them go without me, and I stay behind to ride, I instead eventually let myself ditch riding for the day and instead focus on being a good sport and heading out with Becky and Sean to see the city.

We head to Isla Verde Ave to catch a buss to Old San Juan. Let me tell you another thing about Puerto Rico. They have a great buss system, just do not expect it to come on time...in fact, just plan on waiting around watching every buss but the one you want to come through the buss stop multiple time before the buss you need gets there. So, after a 45 minuter wait.....we board. So now, plan on packing in like sardines, because I have never seen so many people packed onto a buss at once. Thank god for A.C.!!!!

Becky takes a seat next to another gal, as Sean and I slowly get pushed to the back of the buss. Once we arrive in Old San Juan, about 1 hr later, we decide to help Eliza (the gal sitting next to Becky) get checked into her lodging so that she can join us in our sight seeing.

After walking for a few minutes we arrive at her place.

We are all hungry, so once she comes down from checking in we decide to look for lunch. We decide to head back into her place to ask the hotel owner where a good local spot is. We grab this panaramic pic of the bay of Old San Juan from the top floor.

So, after a short 10 minute walk, we arrive at the suggested local spot rumored to serve the best Mofongo, which is the local plantain or yuca root side dish. The place is very cute, bright, local feeling joint that also had excellent service.

After a fantastic lunch we wander Old San Juan and visit several of the old military forts which were built in the late 1700's.

I almost caught this guy....

We could actually see blue fish swimming around in this pool...

Next we decide to keep walking through Old San Juan...to another fort at the northern tip of Puerto Rico. At a local park I channel my inner Ace Ventura....

Jesus going strong in Puerto Rico since 1968....

And thus ends our tour of Old San Juan. Mucho fun to be had by all.

We catch a 7:30pm buss back to Isla Verde, which is good because they only run until 8pm.

Once back, I can tell you honestly I am bummed....why?

Because it is pitch black out but still blowing 10m, which it had done most of the day. Perfect trade wind + thermal = 10m winds......And I missed it. I am almost sick to my stomach...but I am hoping that I will get the goods tomorrow.

To be continued.....

Puerto Rico trip (day 2)

2011-08-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Day 2 starts with me and my one-tracked mind walking out to check the wind almost as my feet hit the floor in the morning. I probably had made two trips down the stairs and out to the beach before either Becky or Sean had even woke up.

Here is a pic of our condo from the water...and as such a picture of the beach I made my wind assessments on each morning.

Already the wind is up and its only 9am. After eating breakfast I pump up my 13m and head out. Probably around 11am......

Unfortunately the beach at Isla Verde is not set up well for getting picture, as there is a buoy system about 50ft out that keeps swimmers from going out where there is boat traffic, but it also makes it hard to come jump near shore for pics. Oh well. Still I score a wicked 2 hr solo sesh. I see at least 10 sea turtles who tend to dive when they see the kite, aka big ass bird of prey.

Also, at some points I was riding over the reef, which was not more than 2ft at most from the surface. I would see fairly large fish run from me...most often what looked to be bright turquoise parrot fish.

Eventually I tire....

When I come in you know I head straight for a cold beer.

Not long after finishing a beer or two....we are all ready for some lunch. So we decide to walk to the northern portion of Isla Verde and stop and eat at one of the beach side restaurants.

More beer, a pina colada, and a great tasting sandwich. Fun staff too.

Here's the deal...when in Puerto Rico it is helpful to know Spanish....but in most tourist areas it is not needed. Take the above place we had lunch. I take a moment to formulate my order in Spanish. After listening kindly, the server responds with a smirk on his face, "No problem dude, I got you covered." This experience is repeated several times for us during our stay.

After lunch, it is probably about 4pm. We decide to hit a grocery store up on the way back. We score quite a bunch of good stuff from the Pueblo..although beer is supper expensive here, oh and not a good micro beer in sight.

After getting back with groceries we decide to walk up the beach into the sunset...and after a mile or two we walk back.

And they sure don't get much prettier than this do they?

During the walk, both into the sunset and walking back to our condo, Sean and I both take off our shirts and enjoy the tropical warmth. Take note...this plays a part in tomorrows update.

Anyhow, we get back, drink another beer in the dark on the beach...or two....before heading to our room for some wifi and tv action...along with a rum and coke.

Puerto Rico trip (day 1)

2011-08-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 29th was our day to fly out...or should I say "night" to fly out. We had a 10:30pm red eye to Charlotte, and then from there to San Juan.

Getting to the airport with 2 deceiver golf bags (see image to left) a additional kite, suitcases, and carry-ons was quite the Tetris experiment. We could barely get the 3 of us, luggage, and a driver into Sean's Scion...but we did manage.

In our deceiver bags Becky and I both brought 1 board, 2 kites, 1 harness, and 1 impact vest. Both bags weighed about 43-46 lbs. I brought a 10m and 13, and Becky brought a 8m and 11m...so yeah, we have a decent spread to work with while we are there.

Also, US Airways charges $25 for the 1st bag and $35 for the 2nd. Becky and I shared a suitcase so overall luggage fees where $170 for the round trip. This leads me to thinking next time I will look into a 1st class upgrade where luggage would be free...and of course so would the drinks.

At the airport we started off our vacation with a few tall beers and some grub. Go figure.

packed in like sardines!

Seattle to Charlotte was a uneventful flight, although with all 3 of us riding in a middle seat, I think none of us got the shuteye we were hoping for. In Charlotte we have a 3 hour layover, so we decide to find some food....low and behold we run into George, a kiting buddy of ours. Last year on vacation we ran into him in Caberete. At first I am shocked to see him and my mind races thinking he may be heading to Puerto Rico too.....but he was actually catching a flight to D.C. to visit family. Regardless it was great to see him and we all went for breakfast and bloody mary's before catching our connecting flights.

So, we board for San Juan, but the flight gets delayed as the gateway motor won't turn on so that the gateway can be pulled from the airplane. It takes about 45 minutes or so to solve this and then another small delay as we wait in line to take off.

So because of the delays we land in San Juan around 3:30pm on Saturday and get to our condo rental around 4:20pm. As we fly in, I can see whitecaps on the water and flags, on a bridge near the airport, really moving in the wind. However, by the time we get to the condo the wind is backing off....so no grabbing my gear and scoring a session. Besides, I still need to unpack and get some fins and pads on my board.

We are also hungry, so regardless of wanting to score a sesh, I have a feeling my wife's hunger would have won out and we would have gone out to eat anyways. So, on with plan B...finding food it is.

We opt for a quick walk down Isla Verde Ave, until a Mexican restaurant caught our eye. Lupi's. The food was tasty..although like much of the food you find on an island, it is somewhat sub par compared to what we get in Seattle. Still, it did hit the spot with an ice cold Presidente to wash it down.

When we were done eating, it was getting dark. Beings that three of us are all from Seattle which gets dark at 10pm in the summer, it was a little strange to be walking back to the condo in the setting sun at 7pm. Never-the-less we were feeling good walking home in the 80 degree evening.

And what better than a good swim in the ocean when we got back. Here are some pics of us horsing around during the final stages of dusk.

So I know what you are thinking, "Enough with this boring crap, what about the kiting?" No worries. Tomorrow I get out on the water, so stay tuned.

Back from Puerto Rico.....

2011-08-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard right! I just got back from 9 days in beautiful Puerto Rico. What an awesome place. Both Becky and I love it there...and I have a ton to tell you about.

I rode most of the days I was there...although I took a few off to see the sights and explore the island. 8m, 10m and 13m conditions depending on the day....and get this, most days I kited the above bay in Isla Verde by myself...that's right, solo-sesh galore. A few of the days I was joined by a local or two...all of which are uber friendly.

So stay tuned this week as I update my blog with more pictures, videos, and stories......

P.S. Sorry for not getting you pumped before hand, but I took the advice of others and did not advertise that I would be out of town through social media....not saying any of you would rob me....but just sayin :)

Jetty Island 7-23-11

2011-07-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

I took some pics of the local homies killing it during a sunset session. I was already packed up so I decided to get some pics and vids.

pUmPDATE (pump update)

2011-07-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

The pump was fully tested this weekend at Jetty Island. And.... dat da-da daaaa....it worked GREAT. Yes few people remarked that I am just "plain lazy" but I think they were just jealous ;)

Ok, so here is the deal. Pumping up takes twice as long as with the traditional hand pump. However, while it pumped my kite to 8psi, where it then stopped on its own, I was getting my wetsuit, impact vest, and harness on, and I had time to lay out my lines.

Then I grabbed my kite, hooked the lines, and I was off riding. I easily got on the water before my buddy who started setting up at the same time. In fact, I rode for 10 minutes or more before he got on the water.

Further, I pumped my 13m twice...and I am pretty sure it still has 2-3 pumps of my 13m left on just this one charge.

Not bad for $50!!!!

a better way to pump up a kite!!!???

2011-07-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hello again.

So I am excited.

Why?

Well hopefully my days busting my back while pumping up my kite are over.

Check out this pump (click on the image to the left), which by the way is on sale at Amazon.com

What do you think?

Pretty interesting, huh? Great price too!

It looks like it will do the trick. It is about the size of a soccer ball, weighs 5 lbs, and you can set the desired PSI and the pump will auto stop then it reaches that pressure.
It also appears it will have enough battery strength to pump several kites each charge.

Here is a promo video:

I will report back in about one week and tell you how it fares...but I am hopeful!

I picture myself plugging the pump in, turning it on, then walking away and getting my wetsuit and harness on (and if course board shorts too), then walking back to my kite, where it waits for me fully pumped up to 7-8 psi..... I just cap the valves, hook up the lines, and launch. Sounds too easy doesn't it???!!!

IKO level 1 instructor

2011-07-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

Not that is wasn't official several weeks ago. And I have been giving lessons through Urban Surf....but IKO just officially updated their website with my new level 1 status.

Oh, and if you are reading this....I am heading to Puerto Rico, with my wife Becky, in a few weeks to look at land and check out the riding conditions. More to come on this.....

Jetty Jam recap...

2011-06-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, a fun day was had by all at this year's 2011 Jetty Jam, even with the lack of wind.

Not to say that wind didn't happen, but it was light and came up after all the Jam attendees had got a ride back on the ferry. Regardless, the Cabrihna Race Series kicked off and 3 races were completed.

I spent my time riding around on my Liquid Force Twin Skim, which was a ton of fun and super challenging to learn to ride something strapless.

Another bummer....the generator wasn't powerful enough to fully power the sound system. The mid and high drivers would cut out every time the bass dropped. Totally distracting and a real buzz kill for the DJ. Thanks again to my buddy Charles Sidious for helping me out behind the wheels of steel.

Another bummer is that I couldn't get Pussy Galore up and running in time to take to the Jam. It would have been a blast to tow around on kiteboards behind the boat during the windless hours. Oh well, the SUPs got lots of use.

Anyways here are some pictures from the day taken by different local photographers. Be sure to check their websites out for more rad pictures!

Photos by: JuniorMonkey

Photos by: Jim Stringfellow

Eric Carrothead

The new sign at Jetty Island

Additional photos......by random peeps

Parker flying the trainer kite - 1st flight

SUP racers

trainer kite lesson

Jetty Jam tomorrow....and yes, the wind and weather should cooperate

2011-06-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

BE THERE!!!!! Call me if you want a reatime wind report.

Or, if you have an andriod phone, go to the market and get the "pswind" app so that you can check the wind conditions yourself. 12+ at Point No Point = wind at Jetty.

I should also have "Pussy Galore" up and running. (not dirty...the name of my boat)

Skywalker go bye bye

2011-06-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

2.5 hr Jetty session last night. Great time....but I delaminated my Skywalker so far that the inserts came out from the top laminate. Anyways...should have taken a picture.....but saying my farewells here on my blog.

Loki is going to give a epoxy fix a go for me. Stay tuned. Looks like its boots or skim board for now.

Orlando Watersports Complex - Cable Park

2011-06-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

So last week I was at a tradeshow in Orlando. On Saturday, I decided to take advantage of being in the area, and rather than head straight to the airport, I stopped at OWC to ride the cable for a few hours before catching my flight.

I only grabbed a few pics as I was leaving, right when my taxi pulled up, check their website for more info or youtube for vids. Guys were killing it in the pro pond.

Needless to say, it is much harder to do raileys, or rolls......and I am probably more sore today than I have ever been from kiting. I only rode for about 2 hrs, was exhausted, and today feel like a freight train hit me.

http://www.orlandowatersports.com/

pro pond

beginner pond (where I rode)

Maiden voyage... and Jetty Jam 2011

2011-06-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, I don't have pictures...but the maiden voyage was almost my new girls last.

That's right! I almost sunk her...in fact I did sink her...but thankfully I made it to within 6 ft or so to the shore. Then with the help of about 6 other kiters we were able to drag her and about 1500lbs of water up on the beach to drain.

Needless to say I left her on Jetty Island for the night and retrieved her the next day. Thankfully the next day kicked up 7 plus hrs of wind. I rode for almost 3 hours and taught lessons for another 4.

What a day. And to top it off, my boat started right up.....well, she did run like shit, but at least I got her back to the marina.

For big news we have our 2nd annual Jetty Jam kiteboarding event on June 25th & 26th. I will be DJing on the beach.

Be there!!!!

the Theory Mobile

2011-06-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

aka ride to Jetty Island is style..... 1991 Yamaha Jet-n-Cat, 650cc 50 hp

Maiden voyage is set for tonight after work.....

I am thinking that I can get 3 people and all their kite gear across to Jetty in one trip...we shall put my theory to the test tonight.

IKO ITC day 1

2011-05-19T13:20:00.001-07:00

IKO Day 1:

It's a 9am meet up at Tonia's house. Tonia hosted the ITC for the IKO through her IKO certified school Cascade Kiteboarding in Hood River.

Donuts were provided..although of course I stopped prior to Tonia's for a McD's sausage McMuffin and a lo-carb Monster energy drink.
The session starts off with introductions and then some reading in the book.

Lunch came around 1pm, and at 2pm we needed to be at the event site for the start of hands-on training, David Dorn of Action Sports Maui showed us some techniques for shortening lines, as well as converting a 4 line bar to work with a trainer kite to provide the student with the ability to hook in.

Below are some pictures from my friend's Flickr account, David of Morph Kiteboarding, of day 1 ITC training in Hood River - May 11th. Check em out.

IKo day 1, a gallery on Flickr.

iko day 1b, a gallery on Flickr.

After the training, it was time to suit up and do the ride test. The wind was a bit light, so I put up my 13m...and yes, I passed my ride test with flying colors. OK, well maybe I did crash a nice backroll kiteloop directly in front of Jeffro...I think I even got the "naughty move finger shake" from him too.

When we got done with the ride test and wrap up it was roughly 6:30pm, which happens to be the earliest ending to our day for the whole week.

Anyways, after this we kit up Full Sail Brewing again..this time with most of the class.

Needless to say, I didn't stay up all that late, as I was tired from a long day.

Here is a quick little video, made from a bunch of flip video shots, that I quickly seemed together with music. Probably not much to watch for most of you, but it will most likely bring back some good memories for those that were there with me taking this ITC certification course.

Also, here are a few picture that I took from the day.

Pat's farmer tan sunburn

the crew - day 1

demonstration

sumo wrestling..ok, maybe not!

Don't mess with the kook....

It is official! I am an IKO Level 1 kiteboarding instructor...

2011-05-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

But I think I am jumping ahead a bit... so how about a recap? I mean, I assume that is why you are here anyways, right? You want the dirt on the IKO ITC held in beautiful Hood River, Oregon.

I got into town a few days early as I wanted to get on the water and practice up. I was feeling mighty unsure of myself, having not kited since the fall, feeling completely out of shape as I never work out. I know right...what am I thinking?

Anyways, wind is up on Saturday, but I get there pretty late, so the plan is to ride on Sunday.

Tomorrow is supposed to be good, and the crew will be arriving. Pat and Jus10 from Seattle are going through the ITC with me. Also, Jeffro (who runs the IKO Kiteboarding School for Urban Surf), and who I will be working for this summer, as well as David, the owner of Morph Kiteboarding in the Mayan Rivera, will both be working towards their IKO Examiners certification. All four of them will be crashing with me at the condo.

On Monday, Jeffro and David are busy with pre-itc setup. They were meeting with the examiner, David Dorn of Action Sports Maui, to get set for the week.

Meanwhile Pat, Jus10, and I all head down to the event site to get a session in.

Holy crap this water is cold!!! Later in the week I got a whistle (require for the class) that has a thermometer on it... 48 degree water! Yeah, real cold.

So cold in fact that when I would crash, I would get a brain freeze that would rival and Slurpee!!!

Once I even feel and got dragged from my board. After 10 minutes of body dragging to get my body, I was initially dizzy when I got up again and started riding, at least until I warmed up again.

After getting a good 1 1/2 hr session in I came in and took a few pics.

Pat Robinson on a Naish Park 2011. Pat rode for at least 3 hrs +

After riding we met Jeffro, David, David and Susie Dorn at Full Sail Brewery for a little pre ITC beers and grub. Then we headed back to the condo, drank a few more beers and prepare ourselves for the upcoming week.

Stay tuned for a ITC day 1 recap... coming soon to a blog near you!