Messages

31

Random / Re: Moved to NC, got a hurricane and now mosquitoes almost the size of birds

« on: October 02, 2018, 11:28:54 AM »

We get pretty monster-size tiger mosquitoes by us along with the regular kind as we live on a Barrier island off of Long Island. The Tigers can bite through a shirt so I tend to have to double-up with another layer when I'm doing any kind of yard work in the Summer.  Love the dragonflies but we certainly don't have enough of them. They tend to do aerial spraying to cut down on mosquito larvae in the salt marsh next to our house but our belief is that just kills all the bugs including the good ones like dragonflies. We're also trying to encourage bats to nest with bat boxes without much luck so far. They supposedly can eat several thousand bugs a night. 

32

Gear Talk / Re: Water shoes or reef booties with thicker soles

« on: April 26, 2018, 06:40:21 AM »

+1 on the Body Glove 3T Barefoot - I've used them in Mexico where there are tons of sea urchins and the metal mesh bottoms stop any spines from penetrating.  Should have probably worn them during my last trip in PR where my feet got a little chewed up by the rocks...

33

SUP General / Re: Living the Dream....Sunova, calls Creek to Thailand!

« on: April 05, 2018, 12:50:54 PM »

Really stoked for you Rick and so deserved for all the effort you've put in to educate and evangelize people on Sunova!  We're definitely looking at next year's trip and I'm sure you can fit into my board bag if you can promise an 8'4" Creek will be on board ahead of time 

Hope we have a chance to see you on your way up from Florida.  We're in PR with Marc and Evelyn next week - winter just doesn't want to leave the Northeast...

34

SUP General / Re: Cold Water Paddling With Cell Phones???

« on: March 23, 2018, 10:01:22 AM »

This is the floating Bluetooth-enabled VHF Radio I carry while downwinding. I stash it in a fanny pack (yep - one of those..) and keep my iPhone in a waterproof case. You can make or receive calls on it and if you really are in trouble you can use the emergency band.
https://www.cobra.com/products/handheld/mr-hh500-flt-bt

35

SUP General / Re: Cam Torment

« on: March 21, 2018, 02:15:43 PM »

I'm stuck in CT for client meetings until Thursday night.  Checked the cams a couple times today - Torment is the right word... 

36

Downwind and Racing / Re: Negligent Operations... seriously!?!?

« on: March 08, 2018, 01:55:27 PM »

This is the Bluetooth-enabled VHF Radio I carry while downwinding. I stash it in a fanny pack (yep - one of those..) and keep my iPhone in a waterproof case. You can make or receive calls on it and if you really are in trouble you can use the emergency band. I've yet to be stopped by the CG but can imagine that having it might dissuade them from thinking you're unprepared to be on the water. 
https://www.cobra.com/products/handheld/mr-hh500-flt-bt

37

Downwind and Racing / Re: Best downwind runs in New England...is anybody out there?

« on: March 06, 2018, 01:00:11 PM »

When I was living briefly in RI where I surfed but never DW'ed I always wondered about a run from Block Island (based on taking the Ferry from Galilee) to Narragansett on a heavy SW which happens pretty often. Seems like you would be able to take advantage of ocean swells and for part of the run from Pt. Judith to 'Gansett you would be fairly close to shore. Definitely some logistics involved but could be a blast.  Some of the DWing folks in the Tri-state have been talking about a run from Orient Point to New London and taking the ferry back from there but I'm not sure if boards are allowed. 

38

Sessions / Re: Life of Riley

« on: March 06, 2018, 07:59:19 AM »

Great shots Cookie - glad you scored.  Travelled upstate on Saturday to ski the powder dumped onto the Catskills hills though with several resorts closed due to power outages everyone made their way to our local (Platekill). It was a zoo, but glad the mountain had a solid day since it lives on the financial edge. 

I made sure we got back to surf Riley on Sunday and Monday in Long Island.  Waves were clean and the lineup in Central LI was basically empty.  Mostly head and a half to double overhead sets rolling through with some great lefts. I grabbed a couple shots yesterday before paddling out. Caught about 10 waves in an hour before sunset last night including a barreling 100yd left that led one of the two people I was sharing the lineup with pumping his arms in the air as I pulled out clean...

Good vibes in the water, though the beaches have been scoured here and one of the dunes near Gilgo looked like it was almost breached.

39

Gear Talk / Re: Portal Surf Designs

« on: February 07, 2018, 10:31:31 AM »

I surfed with Erik for a couple sessions down in Costa Rica over the holiday break. He was on one of his Portal models (I think the lower volume version) and was ripping. I was down there with my wife doing some private coaching with Chase Kosterlitz of Blue Zone during our trip to Nosara (it wasn't one of their standard camp weeks). Chase was also loving the board after it took some time to dial-in. I didn't get a chance to ride it as I was focused on really dialing in my 8'4" Sunova Flow. Didn't realize the 7'9" was 107lts of volume - would have liked to have tried and compared it my Flow.  We'll have to save that for our next trip! 

Overall really enjoyed the experience with Blue Zone.  I'll do a writeup on it in a separate thread soon. 

40

SUP General / Re: Worst Wipeout Ever In One Foot Surf

« on: December 20, 2017, 07:11:15 AM »

Yeah - small surf tends to make you less alert. Learned that the hard way after a session of mellow small waves and while cruising in on my last wave I managed to fall clumsily and split my chin open on my board. Given that this happened in the Hamptons, there was of course a plastic surgeon on call at the hospital who had just wrapped up stitching up a female equestrian and he stitched me up so that you can't even tell it ever happened... 

41

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Re: Nosara- Costa Rica. Beach advice- big swell on the way.....

« on: December 19, 2017, 12:16:44 PM »

I've was down there last year around the holidays and am actually going to be heading back down on the 28th.  We surfed from Negra all the way down to Camaronal on the last trip and there are some points that might be more manageable though I didn't get it to surf anything in huge conditions. Camaronal can actuallly be much larger than Guiones on a SW Swell so I wouldn't try heading there.  You might want to reach out to Chase Kosterlitz who's running Blue Zone Sup camps via their FB page (https://www.facebook.com/BlueZoneSUP/). I'm going to do some coaching with him while I'm down there and he might have some availability (and boards) that could work for you and should have all the local breaks dialed-in. 

Then there's also Mal Pais that has a left point that can hold any size swell but that's a bit of a drive from Nosara (e.g. 4-5hrs).

+1 on bringing your own board.  I did last year and it made a huge difference. 

Hope you get to enjoy the coming swell - bummed I'll be seeing the tail-end of it!

Cheers,

Dale

42

SUP General / Re: Sunova Search - video of my sessions

« on: December 04, 2017, 01:26:53 PM »

Great video Rick!  Paddling solo in winter in glassy conditions is an amazing experience.  When are you going to take the Search on a Downwinder? 

43

Downwind and Racing / Re: "Chimneys" Downwind Run - Long Island, NY, USA

« on: November 22, 2017, 10:08:09 AM »

One other question - seems like it might be even more fun to start the run at Eatons Neck Light.  Did you figure out whether or not it's possible to launch from there.  Maybe the folks at the Coast Guard station there might not look too kindly on Downwinding in rough conditions...

44

Downwind and Racing / Re: "Chimneys" Downwind Run - Long Island, NY, USA

« on: November 22, 2017, 08:19:14 AM »

Looks fantastic - great looking run.  You guys seem to be mapping all of the NY Metro from a downwind perspective!  I definitely want to try to join you on one of these someday!

My usual run is right nearby my house in Oak Beach where I put in at Robert Moses and cross the Great South Bay towards Heckscher State Park on a SW or SSW wind, though it takes a little while for the fetch of the waves to make the bumps rideable.  Someday I'd love to do a run east or west across the bay parallel to Fire Island.

Seems that this run starts hot and heavy since there is plenty of open water for the windswell to build bumps before you start the run. One question though - you mention the wind being SSW - wouldn't that blow you across the Sound over to Connecticut? 

Cheers,

Dale

45

SUP General / Re: Apple Watch Saves Kitesurfer

« on: November 14, 2017, 03:16:00 PM »

I carry a waterproof VHF radio when I go on downwinders in Long Island in the Great South Bay.  The one I have - Cobra MRHH500FLTBT Floating VHF Radio with Bluetooth Wireless - connects to my phone which stays dry in a waterproof pouch.  I can simply call the last number dialed (my wife) with the radio and confirm my exit/pickup point.  If I were to get into an issue I can simply use one of the emergency channels.  I am also considering picking up a Personal Locator Beacon, though my downwind runs don't usually take me into the open ocean... I would certainly have one if I was living in Maui.