Wednesday, 7 Dec 2011

Winds: NNW 15-20. 10m. Spleene Board. Mom's Beach Session. Water: still clear and cold. Gusty conditions, but combining the 10m with the monster board got me through. Didn't really get any good jumps in today.

Sunday, 4 Dec 2011

Winds: SE 13-15. 10m. Rogue Wave Board. Orange House Session. Water: good color but there was a lot of chop. Waves: Red flag conditions. Not safe at all at second sandbar. Jesse, however, was having a blast. I wasn't, but managed avoiding getting smashed up.

Saturday, 3 Dec 2011

Winds: SE 10-12. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside Session. Water: cold, but the clearest I've seen the sound in a long time. Wind was flaky, not many runs. Just passed the 16m around until it sputtered out.

Tuesday, 29 November 2011

Winds: NW 15-20. 10m. Spleene Board. Mom's Beach Session. Water: cold. 4/3 wetsuit. Sound was murky past shore. Depower strap broke about fifteen minutes into session during a jump. Safe enough to fly back to shore. Getting hooked up with a replacement this weekend.

Saturday, 26 November 2011

Winds: SE 16-20. 10m! Spleene Board. Big Sabine Session. Water: clear in some parts of the bay. Spring suit still enough. Waves: just plain ugly in the gulf. That's why I stayed in the sound. Awesome session! Purchased a Airush 10m Lithium, and it worked really well for me. I hope to get many years out of this kite!

Friday, 25 November 2011

Winds SE 13-15. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Downwinder attempt from Opal Beach to Big Sabine. Water: cool. Shorty worked out well. High murk from chop. Waves: very messy. Mostly hip to overheads. Had a really bad wipeout. Waves were not friendly. Had to pack it in out three quarters of the way there as the wind had died.

Saturday, 29 Oct 2011

Winds: N 20-35. 8m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach to Big Sabine down/upwinder. Water: cold, mostly by wind. Had neoprene shirt and leggings on. Needed head warmth. Sound was very choppy but Big Sabine was quite glassy and enjoyable. Kited down from Opal Beach with Phillip (thanks for letting my use your kite). Enjoyed Big Sabine for a while then recruited Stephanie and AJ to go back upwind with us. This was challenging. There was a current and parts of the sound were 2 foot rollers. We eventually made it, but quite exhausting to go that short of a distance.

Wednesday, 19 Oct 2011

Winds NNW 18. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Big Sabine Session. Water: cold. Winds were typically gusty. Had on neoprene shirt. Very high jumps. Packed it in after an hour and a half and joined Jesse down at Mom's Beach for his first successful night session.

Thursday, 13 Oct 2011

Winds: WSW 20. 16m. Rogue Wave board. Opal Beach Session. Water: clear with slight murk from chop. Waves: knee high and fast. Winds were too much for my 16m. Had a few big jumps then felt overpowered. Packed it in.

Winds: W 15 then NW 10. 16m. Spleene Board. Mom's Beach Night Session. Was hoping the winds would stay on past sunset. I had a few minutes of really neat flatwater, but then the wind pooped out...right as Jesse was launching :(. There you are..two sessions in one day.

Sunday, 9 Oct 2011

Winds NE-E 13-17. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside Session. Power was a lot more consistent. Filmed a lot of footage. Had solid enough power to explore remnants of Navarre Pass. Neat. Made the most of the wind.

Saturday, 8 Oct 2011

Winds: NE-SE 10-16. Better yet, just see chart for direction...it's complicated. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside Session. Water: clearer, brisk. Gusts....what's new for that spot. Jesse showed up and the wind died. Had a few decent runs, but the gusts bent the kite fiercely.

Saturday, 1 Oct 2011

Winds: N 8-13 gust 20. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside Session. Water: stinky. Cold front came through, so water was a bit brisk, but outside temp was great. Very gusty conditions made for a frustrating session.

Monday, 26 September 2011

Winds: SW 13. 16m. Spleene Board. Gap Session. Water: clean with murk from chop. Sporadic moon jellies out on second sandbar. Waves: rolly, but a butter day. Saw this seasons first devil ray! I like them because they like to jump too, and they swim unarmed! :)

Thursday, 15 September 2011

Winds: W 12, dead then N. 16m. Spleene Board. Attempted downwinder from Opal Beach to the Gap. Water: bit dark outside the sandbar. Moon jellies. Waves: calf high. Thunderstorms sapped the wind. It will happen someday.

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Winds: WSW 12-13. 16m. Spleene Board. Gap Session. Water: murk, but it was sunset. Waves: butter with slight chop. Wind came up near sunset. Sneaked a short session before nightfall. Saw Nick on the webcam, but he was packing up as I arrived. New strings for 16m work well. Transitioned over a school of large cow-nose rays....like surfing an argyle sweater!

Saturday, 3 September 2011

Winds: SE 20-50. 11m. Rogue Wave Board. Soundside Session. Water: gross. Tried to kiteboard in between bands of the tropical storm. I made it back in in time, but Jesse got blown out into the sound and lost his board. We spent a good deal of time swimming to him and dragging him and his kite back. Bailing system on 11m failed to work. That's it. I'm retiring that kite....rarely had a good session on it, anyway.

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

Winds SE 13. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Gap Session. Water: murk from chop. Waves: hip high. Short session again due to thunderstorm rolling in. Haven't done wave work in a while! Awesome thing happened: a turtle came up for air right where I was getting into the water. His reaction was priceless! I hope I didn't startle him too much.

Monday, 29 August 2011

Winds: WSW 8-12. 16m. Spleene Board. Gap Session. Water: slight murk for most. Most salad gone. Waves: light chop, otherwise flat. Got in just in time to do a few tacks before the wind died. Oh well. That's August here.

Wednesday, 10 Aug 2011

Winds: SW 14. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: pea soup. Waves: just a few hips. Smoother. Phillip snapped a line on his old 14m. At least it waited on the inbound tack. Not as good as yesterday, but I'll take anything I can get during this dry spell.

Tuesday, 9 Aug 2011

Winds: W 15. 16m. Both boards, mostly Spleene. Opal Beach Session. Water: pea soup full of june grass. ick. Waves: a few hip high, but still smooth. Good soul session. Had plenty of power. Was afraid to get the salad on me though..first hour my head never got wet. Rode in some nice curlers. Fun. Packed up just in time: big squall came in from the north. Good thing I don't mess around when it comes to weather.

Monday, 25 July 2011

Winds: SW 16. Forecast way off again. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: freaking cabbage soup all the way until second sand bar. Disgusting. Waves: ankle with a little chop, mostly butter. Cancelled early because of thunderstorm growing in the north. Think I have theory on forearms: suntan lotion, then wash hands makes a better grip.

Thursday, 14 July 2011

Winds: WSW 15. Forecast 8 and storms. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: thick salad hanging between sandbars, clean on shore. Waves: anklebiters a little chop out, but mostly butter. Long dry spell. Welcome to summer. Good session, however. Forearms aching.

Friday, 25 Jun 2011

Winds: SW 11-14. Forecast 7. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: couldn't really see the salad within first sandbar, but water was green. Murk further out. Waves: knee high first sandbar, chop. Forecast wrong again, but I managed to squeeze in a session that got better as the sun set. Tourists impressed.

Sunday, June 19 2011

Winds: SW 10. Forecast 20. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: salad getting thicker. Waves: knee high on first sandbar. Yeah, weatherman didn't deliver today. I was expecting ripping winds. Also, a damn redneck sets up a pole in the middle of three kiters..speechless.

Wednesday, 15 Jun 2011

Winds: WSW 15. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: seaweed thick a few feet from shore, clearer out. Waves: mostly butter, small chop. Oh boy, I'm tired. My forearms are killing me. We've taken full advantage of the wind recently, and we are all exhausted.

Tuesday, 14 Jun 2011

Winds: W 16. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: clear, seaweed on bottom of first sandbar. Waves: practically butter, a little chop. Freaking sweet session. Very high jumps, air jibes, high speed high fives. Had a lot of control and a lot of room to move around the beach--very empty. One of the better sessions of the year.

Saturday, 11 Jun 2011

Winds: SW 14-15. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: sprigs but clear. Waves: butter day. Area where we would like to kiteboard was barricaded off at its parking lot. Not comfortable having to operate near crowds, but necessary. Had a safety issue, but we handled it well and no one got hurt. Nice session though: four of us at the beach!

Friday, 10 Jun 2011

Winds: WSW 13. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: sprigs but clear, feeding frenzies along first sand bar, moving west. Salad sunken at second sandbar. Waves: butter day. Park ranger approached me saying kiteboarding wasn't allowed. Fortunately, I had a print out of the park rules to say otherwise for Opal Beach. She was polite and left me back to my session. Big thunderhead over Pensacola cut session short.

Friday, 3 Jun 2011

Winds: W 14. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: sprigs still abound but clear. Getting late when I set up, so dark water. Waves: butter day, few calf high on first sandbar. My entry ticket is good for a week so I put it to use. Had the whole park to myself: nice. Good floaty jumps. Relaxing session overall. I love it when conditions are favorable.

Monday, 30 May 2011

Winds: S 12-13. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: more sprigs of sargasso but water isn't murky. Waves: knee high, rolling fast. Memorial Day weekend. Eight bucks to get in. Ick. More pickets at the Orange House. I think it is time to get organized and have a dedicated kite beach. Opal isn't going to work on busy days.

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Winds: S 12-15. 16m. Spleene Board. Big Sabine Gulf Session. Water: sprigs of seaweed. Waves: very choppy. Hip high at sandbar. A lot of sideshore work. Velcro on my footstraps kept getting opened by the damned chop. Memorial weekend tents already popping up :(

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Winds: SW 12-14. 16m. Spleene Board. Opal Beach Session. Water: *sigh* cystal. Waves: pure butter again. We went to Opal Beach to avoid the ire of the park service. Bird nesting season is on, and we are trying to figure out a way not to endanger the birds. I was a little underpowered for the most part, but Phillip was having a blast.

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

Winds: WSW 15. Forecast N 13. 16m. Spleene Board. Navarre Pier Session. Water: cystal. Waves: pure butter. Session was supposed to be Soundside. Wind shifted to the Southernly. Made decision to kite near pier. Fortunately, not too many people around, and those enjoyed the show. Still don't like using that spot, however. Conditions were short but very sweet. As we were packing up the winds shifted offshore.

Wednesday, 4 May 2011

Winds: NNE-NNW 12-18. 16m. Spleene Board. Fort Walton Leeside Session Water: clear. Early afternoon gusts up to 40. Spent late afternoon trading off kite with Phillip.

Sunday,1 May 2011

Winds: SE 13-15. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Water: sprigs of sargasso, trash from fishing boats. Waves: stupid. short period, overhead, swells crazy. I'm glad Jesse was having a ball. I wasn't. Pleasant day, however.

Saturday, 30 April 2011

Winds: SSE 12-14. 16m. Both Boards. Big Sabine Gulf session. Water: crystal. Fun little lagoons inside sandbar. Waves: fast hip high. Big swells out deep. Jesse is back in town. Good times.

Tuesday, 26 April 2011

Winds: SSE 18-20. 12m. Rogue Wave Board. Downwinder: Orange House to Opal Beach. Water: churned up but still blue, long sargasso sprigs everywhere. Waves: boiling. chest high. Spotted two turtles near shore! Couldn't get out to waves..white water rapids all the way.

Wednesday, 20 April 2011

Winds: SE 8-12. 16m. Spleene Board. Water: still clear but more sprigs of sargasso and salad. Waves: red flag reported, but waist high. Not too many good runs, but the few I had were fun.

Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Winds: SW 12. 16m. Spleene Board. Water: crystal! much sealife seen! Waves: mostly butter. Water moved a little fast so it wasn't a day of speed and jumps, but I spent most of the session dolphin watching.

Monday, 11 April 2011

Winds: SSE 10-14. 16m. Spleene Board. Big Sabine Session. Water: sound was decent temp, tea but somewhat clear. Gulf was blue, some sprigs of sargasso, murk from surf. Waves: choppy, chest high at first sandbar. Tried sound first since friend in town was doing paddleboarding. That didn't go too well. Went to gulfside..much better. Too bad I had the door, could have done some good wave work.

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Winds: SSE 14. 16m. Spleene Board. Water: crystal all the way out. Comb and glass jellies near shore. A couple of moon jellies. Waves: mostly butter, calf high at sandbar. Nice session. Had just the right amount of South wind to go far up and down the beach while still gaining distance from the beach. Surfed until exhaustion.

Sunday, 3 April 2011

Winds: SSE 13. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Downwinder: Orange House to Opal Beach Water: crystal inside first sandbar, dark outside that. Waves: few knees highs but mostly butter. Had trouble finding the center of the window. Not the most fun downwinder I've had. Took a while to get everything going. Busy beaches.

Friday, 1 April 2011

Winds: WSW 18. 11m. Rogue Wave Board. Water: cloudy from surf, but no weed. Waves: fast, hip high on first, rolly on second. Big props for Phillip for diagnosing the problem with my 11m: bridle rigging error. She still flies a little funny, but she lasted all afternoon. Wind stayed on past sunset.

Thursday,31 March 2011

Winds: 11-13 gust 16 NNW. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside Session. Water: clear near sandbars, tea. Temp okay. One jump happened during a gust and got boosted. Welcome surprise. That might be the last soundside session until this fall.

Thursday, 24 March 2011

Winds: 8-15 WSW. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside session, Mom's Beach. Water: tea colored. Temperature was okay in rash guard. We set out thinking the winds would stay West and have a bit of North on it. Wrong. Turned South. Mom's Beach is starting to be used, so that will be the last session there until it gets cold again.

Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Winds: SW 13-15. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Downwinder. Water: few sprigs of sargasso, chunks of salad...ain't crystal anymore. Waves: hip high on first sandbar. Messy near condos. Rounded the pier. Heavy wind shadow. Philip got snagged by a line. Good session overall, though.

Monday, 14 March 2011

Winds: S 15. 16m. Spleene Board. Water: slight murk from chop. Waves: hip high with a random shoulder. Wore a shorty, but could have used my wetsuit. Good sideshore work. Went down to old spot and back. Not many jumps: a lot of wave fighting.

Thursday, 10 March 2011

Winds: NW 8-13. Forecast NW 22. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside session. Water: murk, trash. Wind really spotty. Some pleasant runs, but not jumps. Philip was teaching family.

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Winds: SE 14. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Big Sabine session. Water: murk. Forgot my dang harness. Finally got going near nightfall. Overcast. Water still chilly. I should have had glow sticks!

Friday, 4 March 2011

Winds: SE 16-18. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Big Sabine session. Water: murk. Pretty gusty, but manageable. Philip caught some awesome footage with Jesse's helmetcam.

Thursday, 3 March 2011

Winds: SE 15. 16m Rogue Wave Board. Navarre Pier session. Water: cloudy from chop, but glistening bright blue and gorgeous. Waves: some nice head-highs rolled in. Very messy near shore. Challenging. Great session today..I needed that.

Monday, 14 February 2011

Winds: SW 14. 16m. Spleene Board. Navarre Pier session. Water: clear, but sun was getting low. Waves: none crashing near shore, rolls out past sand bar. Some very nice floaty jumps today. Odd thing: nobody called each other because they thought everyone's wife would let them go out. Pier is a pretty decent spot, but I wouldn't use it when spring comes around.

Sunday, 13 February 2011

Winds: SW 10-12. 16m. Spleene Board. Old spot session. Water: crystal, chilly. Waves: ripples. Air temp was awesome. Not an awesome session. Guys wanted to go to the old spot. Too busy. That's why I stick to the orange house. I feel bad about folks that left the beach because they guys got in the way. Wind came on a little stronger near sunset. Day prior, we paddleboarded and wind screamed from SW at about 3 o'clock. Thought there would be another repeat, oh well.

Wednesday, 3 February 2011

Winds: NNW 15-17. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside Session. Water: cloudy day, some chop. Really low tide near launch. Freaking cold. Turned out to be 40 degrees. I held off jumping because I didn't want to crash and get wet!

Friday, 28 January 2011

Winds: WSW 14-16. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Water: mostly clear, some haze from the chop. Waves: pretty calm, some hip highs on first sand bar. Four foot swells on second. A woman flagged me down and said that a kitesurfer had crashed and not gotten back up. I raced downwind to find him. He was swimming back to shore on his board. Towed him the rest of the way. Good save, but he would have been fine without my help. His kite eventually blew ashore.

Friday, 7 January 2011

Winds: Big Sabine SW 20-30. Soundside W 18-20. 16m. Rogue Wave Board. Water: gulf had a brown band around breaker, murk from high winds. Waves: fast and low. West wind blowing the tops off of them. Went out to Big Sabine, but conditions too strong. 11m still out of commission. Saw guys on way home at Mom's Beach. Decided to give it another try. Pretty good save! Packed up in the dark!

Sunday 2 January 2011

Winds: NW 11-18. 16m. Spleene Board. Soundside Session. Water: still chilly but was very clear in the Sound today. Gusty conditions, but very manageable. Losing stamina to put up with it, must change training regimen. Jesse broke chicken rope on the Helix.