Amazons Again

[wavehobbit]

Just had to share the SUP sesh I had at Amazons.....perfect sideoff wind and chest to shoulder high...breaking flawlessly for 150 yards.  The Naish 11'4" is a surfing machine.  I never thought I could tweak an 11 foot plus board that hard.  On one wave I started counting off the tops........12.  Trust me...in Florida, that just doesn't happen.  Too top it off the wind picked up....so I rigged a sail and went back across the Pass. I haven't had that much fun in a long time.  With every wave I was seeing how hard I could bottom turn and go off the top wavesailing this 11 foot board.  Where was this wave machine 20 years ago?  I probably could've done the sesh on my 100 liter windsurf board but there's a windshadow next to the jetty...which makes it flukey.  Not a problem on the SUP and I was able to stall and just relax waiting for sets.  Now I want to get something like one of the Naish fish out there....only problem...no mastrack.  I think that's a huge mistake.  There's just too many days on the mainland USA where it's just windy enough to make the SUPing less then Ideal but not enough to plane on a windsurfer. These boards fill a huge niche for me.  Yeah, your not going to plane but it's all about that sweet feeling of synergy when you couple wind with wave.......and just killing that wave. I guess you would use a large floater board but they just don;t have the surf rocker lines which make it feel so good and really open up the wave performance....I promise pic's soon.  I took a water cam out there and tried to get a few shots......

[PonoBill]

You can get a mast track stuck into anything, for that matter just get one of the single screw inserts that Naish uses--I bet they'd send you one if you asked. I have a Naish insert in my Bill Foote 10'11" (the Gecko board). Had a track put into my Jimmy Lewis 11'7". They have to be well reinforced with high density foam and carefully glassed over, but any good repair shop can do the work.

I agree with you that anyone that hasn't tried wavesailing on a SUP is missing a big and VERY fun aspect of this sport. I now prefer my SUP boards to my windsurf boards, even for pretty big wind days.

[wavehobbit]

I know...it's just hard to cut into a pretty board.  It's a huge niche here in Florida that could be filled.  Fact is we have non-planing winds most of the time unless your out on some formula race gear.  I was already to get the Naish 9'6" but w/ Kalama onboard I'm waiting to see what they come out with this year. Also the sneak peek at the JL's are more what I have in mind.  And I will def. be sticking a mast track or hole insert in them.  Also a great workout as I hardly ever use the harness.

I wish I had a rig in Oahu this year.  We had a few really windy days at Sunset where there's a hole on the inside but on a SUP I could of got out easy.  The crowd was mellow and small so I think I could of pulled it of.  GL was out SUP'n and he wouldn't have minded at all. 

I would love to score the place in some EPIC conditions but it gets really crowded with people from all over the US.  It's the spot they never name in Surfer Mag but you see a hundred people and boats sitting in a Channel somewhere.  Truly a Florida phenom.