Topics

16

Training, Diet, and Fitness / In OZ they have laws about sunscreen...

« on: May 27, 2021, 02:12:32 PM »

We in the States are at the mercy of pitchmen ...as usual.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/92799?xid=nl_medpageexclusive_2021-05-27&eun=g1282527d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MPTExclusives_052721&utm_term=NL_Gen_Int_Medpage_Exclusives_Active

Chems that cause blood cancer seem a natural fit for preparations that purports to prevent skin cancer.  Why not - it's probably a cheap blending filler?!   

They actually made it a real law in OZ that you cannot BS the consumer. Figure that?!

Jim

17

Foil SUP / We should all be Dave Kalama...

« on: May 14, 2021, 08:58:24 AM »

Erik Antonson on his podcast got past the difference between a .5 shim a .6 shim to talking about the drive and passion Dave has for all elements of his life. Not having any exposure to HI, I only knew of him from the mentions of his boards here and the respect people seemed to have for them. It was a great interview. 

https://soundcloud.com/progressionproject

Robert of BluePlanet seems the master of the relaxed interview where we learn there is more to a name than their last Instawave.

Jim

18

Random / Your call ...straps or no straps?

« on: April 23, 2021, 05:27:30 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agPd7TtQdf8


Jim

19

Random / Nobody doesn't like fireworks, right?! This is special...

« on: April 20, 2021, 09:53:21 AM »

This movie is not the Queen's Gambit but is stunning visually, and the artist, Cai Guo-Qiang , is refreshingly human.


https://www.netflix.com/title/80097472


Jim

20

Training, Diet, and Fitness / ' Interesting look at the Keto diet

« on: April 17, 2021, 12:09:52 PM »

I don't know much about it myself, but this is an interesting perspective, as I hear it is very popular...

https://www.statnews.com/2021/04/16/ketogenic-diet-belief-medical-school-pariah/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=85e86120ed-Daily_Recap&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-85e86120ed-151101361

Jim

21

Random / Migration ...think it's bad

« on: March 28, 2021, 10:16:25 AM »

...now?!  I have heard of recent surveys where 1/2 the under-30's in the Levant and other parts of the Mideast are ready to pack. It seems like even more in North and Central Africa are looking for an escape.  Here's a predictor about the US southern border...

https://news.gallup.com/opinion/chairman/341678/million-migrate.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top

I listen to all the political handwringing on both sides...  The Left dodges the question of 'The number?'  ..how many is too little or too many?  The Right games it by flapping on the ground about an 'invasion' ...all the while happily hiring the 11mil. illegals here w/o providing benefits accrued by locally born labor.  In case you were distracted by the border w/MEX drama... for 2019, DHS reported ~675,000 folks from everywhere flew in and 'overstayed' their visa.   

This is like budget deficits—your kids will deal with it, while you book your next three Carnival Cruises. (I know, not likely too many here.)

Jim

22

Random / COVID stuff you don't hear on the news...

« on: March 24, 2021, 02:08:57 PM »

There's a shooting somewhere - the call goes out: 80% of the news staff have the next 24-48hrs off.  The health rotations are predictable as are their instructions and laminations. Same people/same script/different day.  Here are two things I didn't have a clue about.

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/03/06/face-masks-can-give-the-immune-system-a-helpful-hand


The second is really disappointing...  rather than bring this young fellow forward, both the Gvmt. and media go back to the same old playbook.  Same old 'reliable' sources...  If the Gvmt. ignores him - why is the electronic media not bringing him forward? 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-19/covid-pandemic-how-youyang-gu-used-ai-and-data-to-make-most-accurate-prediction

...and God forbid you may want to know what is happening over our contiguous borders ...forget the Mideast or Africa.  F'ing-A.

Jim

23

Random / What did you think of the America's Cup?

« on: March 23, 2021, 07:04:40 AM »

I am usually pretty quick with the 'Thumbs Up' ..or, Down, but this series has me puzzled. Setting aside 'the rich played' while the Capitol is attacked and 400,000 died while Trump twittered .. not to mention Brazil, Italy, and deaths elsewhere.  There was something structurally wrong when basically an entire 6-legged race hinges on the start, or a structural breakdown. 

I fricking loved watching those boat round a mark! The complexity of the boats and the crewmanship was superb. The idea of only the mast and foil legs being single-sourced was excellent.  Just confining enough without appearing to let 'the largest budget win'. I thought the Cats in San Francisco were good - these are better.

As for a change.. I would either make it a three-boat series or have them start 'dead in the water' X100 meters from the starting line.  I would prefer the complexity of 3-boats, but something has to replace; 'He who wins the start..." 

I would also not allow 'paid guns'.  There is time to pick a home-grown crew. (Maybe not from Turkey or El Salvador... but then they're not likely to race anyway?!).   

I loved it, but it was like hollow calories.

Jim

24

The Shape Shack / Cutting stainless....

« on: February 22, 2021, 10:44:36 AM »

I am building a castor'ing nosewheel for my beach cart and had some 16 gauge SS sheet...  I tried an air cutoff saw, then a die grinder but could not cut a half-azz'd straight line if my wife depended upon it.  It turns out standard 4" cutoff wheels work well and this tracks like a skill-saw in wood.  ....plus, lickity-split compared with the other tools.

I did not have any fancy cutting oil ...but Canola oil seemed to work Ok to help keep it cool.  This saw is from, 'trow-it-out', Harbor Freight.  I have not thrown it out in 15+yrs, so I must have not used it much.  I put this up - because I had not seen it done before. (I am sure I am not the first...)  I don't want to be there, but I would bet it would work well for FRP also.

Jim

25

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Wing foiler Tamarindo

« on: February 18, 2021, 10:26:10 AM »

While doing my lunchtime surf break 'better-than-mine' check.  I spotted a WING!  He's pretty much outside, so it's hard to see the brand, etc. A few seconds later, he pumped up on to foil.  Sometime last year there was a yellow F-1 in the same area. Tamarido's wind, that I have seen, seems more a decent breeze. I have not seen much white water. 

Jim

26

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Learning to foil - a kiter's perspective

« on: January 29, 2021, 10:19:56 AM »

I know, I know - no kites here, but this young lady salted her post on a local kiters forum with some nuggets and good humor.

Sbuchan

4d
Foiling has been a total beast to learn. I can’t share how to do it, but here are the mistakes i’ve made in the process. (People learning to foil - don’t be like me, do different things, lol). I’m interested in y’all’s tips, thoughts, and input!

I’ve also sprinkled in little things I learned that helped. We hold these truths to be self evident…in paradise…no guarantees this works in the Chesapeake. The tips were not included in the progression videos, which I find disappointing because the tips really made the difference for me to function even a little on the foil.

Get your gear sorted to the most optimal set up immediately. Everyone told me that initially, but I was stubborn and didn’t want to listen. Just spend the money and have the expectation foiling is expensive. Gear talk is so blahhhhh (technical term), so I put my thoughts at the bottom of this note.

Location, location (like fer real): I liked learning in the area between Haulover Day Use and Kite Point in OBX. The REAL foil garden (aherm Sophia) was also a nice place to take a lesson. I had a hard time learning locally - I was getting smashed by the chop here at Triton, my gear got chewed up by the rocks, and I couldn’t body drag far enough at Matapeake (many thanks for the tows, T). All of that was time consuming and physically exhausting before I even had a chance to water start!

Water starting: I heard ‘pump and dump’ but I think that refers to something else…basically power up during the water start and sheet out once on the board and cruising. Specifically, pull the bar all the way to the chicken loop and cycle the kite with tight circles starting from noon (to 2, or to 10 for example). As soon as you’re up, dump the power by sheeting out all the way.

Also water starting: Angle the back foot towards the front of the board (like 45 degrees for example). This helped me pivot my hips towards the front and veer off upwind once I got stable. I’m pretty flexible and had a much more open stance initially that wasn’t helping. This is like going upwind on a TT.

Getting up on foil: People talk about weight shifting, but the easiest tip I heard was to sheet in when you want to lift the foil, and sheet out when you want to drop. Boom. So easy. Figure out the weight shifting thing later.

Stance: I. can. not. for the life of me. stand. up. on. the. board. without leaning too far back against the kite. But I think it’s important to do (figger it out). Other things I heard that helped: bend the front knee, and roll the back foot on the instep like you would surfing. ‘Steer’ by angling your hips (ribs? one of those…).

Blerg, the gear talk:

Just buy the things, no one has beginner stuff they can lend you. Also it’s really easy to lose the board (and mast and foil, cheezus!) because the current takes it away. And how awful would that feel to lose someone else’s gear? Or let it get chewed up by the rocks? It feels awful.
Use a foot strap. Don’t be stubborn. Life is too short to be bad at things longer than you need to be
Short mast obvi, I have a 27"
Stick your phone number somewhere on the board, you will lose it
Buy a beginner foil. I have the LF Thruster which catches a lot of flack on the beach (“it’s cheap for a reason” “…uh, thanks”). I have heard that the LF Impulse is super friendly because it can go on foil at low speeds. I have fear, so this tradeoff works for me. More experienced foilers have told me they prefer the thruster over the impulse because they fight the impulse down when they want to go faster. It strikes me that choosing the easiest foil to learn on will help you progress faster and get to a better decision-making stage for your forever foil sooner.
Boards: My fav is the Slingshot Dwarfcraft, it’s light and reasonably sized. Initially people told me bigger is better, but I found the bigger (boards) to be too unwieldy and I spent too much time handling them (the boards) in the water between water starts, it was physically exhausting. Also I’ve experienced more runaway tendencies with the bigger boards. I’m 5’2", a larger person may not have the same issues.
Lastly, I realized I should have taken it seriously when I read ‘slower progression’ vs. ‘faster progression’ in gear reviews, verbal advice, and ‘how to’ videos. I think I thought that progressing slowly was a good thing because it would give me a better foundation, but not so with foiling. Or maybe I thought I was tough enough to handle the more challenging foiling options, also not so. Having the easier gear set up, and trying it in easier locations, helped me progress faster (read: at all). Now I theorize that progressing faster is what actually gives one a base to function enough to then explore other options sooner like going strapless, not freezing to death in freezing water, etc.

Thanks to the village for helping me get out there (you know who you are and so do I)! Here’s hoping for more progress on the foiling front.




Jim

27

Random / Fricking drooling over an electric motorcycle...

« on: January 18, 2021, 09:26:15 AM »

For ~1/2 that for a powered foil, there is this M/C.  ...you know; "He who dies with...."

https://sondorsx.com

Jim

28

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Quick - get to FL before the Canadians get all the vaccines

« on: January 07, 2021, 11:55:34 AM »

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-vaccine-snowbirds-florida-covid-19-1.5863640

'Before docs, nurses, hospital cleaning staff ...we gotta take care of the Canucks.  What a great way to run a railroad.

Jim

(former CDN resident)

29

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / The other 'wing foilers' - the America's Cup in NZ

« on: December 22, 2020, 06:23:43 AM »

We who get entertainment via satellite, usually miss major sections of The Tour, Dakar, and the Am's Cup.  BUT - Youtube to the rescue.  You can get the cliff notes version in 33min or the FULL, 3hr race. Hot C'hit!   Download time...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ec_O0Chcbc

Jim

30

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Don't break quarantine...

« on: December 21, 2020, 08:14:08 AM »

https://www.wsav.com/news/local-news/georgia-news/georgia-college-student-jailed-in-cayman-islands-for-coronavirus-violation/

We got stopped in CR twice ..once on the main hwy I suspect because I had a board atop a rental and we looked like marks or drug suspects.. the other in a town because I drove with my headlights on ..and looked like a mark.  I cannot imagine being thrown in prison in the countries I have visited. 

Jim