Kitesurf Atlas, Kiteboarding Holidays, Kite Surf Lessons

Striking Gold in the OBX- May 2009 - a 10 day “Windferno”...plus Kitefix.com!!!

As my 5 month winter/spring teaching season was over I departed Florida on the 30th of April bound for the OBX/Cape Hatteras, my annual stopover there – and based on the latest forecasts the wind gods were clearly answering all of our prayers. The forecast for the following week was almost too good to be true – wind (and lots of it) every day for the entire week. I arrived in Nags Head on the 1st of May to a relative calm, which was to break into an all-out “windferno” beginning the next morning and lasting for the next 10 straight days, offering warm water and air temperatures the entire time!

I was staying in a house with a nice group of Canadians from Montreal and Quebec, comprised of a healthy mix of kiteboarders and sailboarders, and our house was located right on the waters edge in Rodanthe on the Sound side. We all had a great time hanging out in the house, eating breakfasts and group dinners together there every evening around the big table telling stories, sharing laughter and the experiences of our day. (I think the final cost of the house rental plan per person was around $120 plus $130 for shared food and beverages! - or $35/person/day total, what a bargain!). In retrospect I think it would be better logistically to rent a house in Avon or Buxton in the future – which would give better proximity to different locations when the wind direction changes.

While it was possible to ride the Sound side directly from the lawn of the house I ended up chasing the waves Ocean side, mostly between Hatteras and Avon, which typically meant a daily 45 minute drive (each way) – but it was well worth the effort. The wind was predominantly from the S and SW all week, which meant capitalizing on the waves on the South side of the island (Hatteras Village to Frisco Pier) or on the SE side (Ocean side near Kite Point-Canadian Hole). Except for one day of flying a big kite in the early afternoon on the Sound, almost every day I was flying 5m, 7m, or 9m kites.

I was pleased to meet some new kiting friends (and sailboarders) in our house and at the beach, and also bumped into some fellow Qubecois kiters I met in the Iles de la Madelaine a few years ago. Plus my best buddy/riding partner from Michigan showed up with his girlfriend for 4-5 days. We were able to ride good waves for several days and also did several down winders Ocean side when it wasn't blowing too off-shore. The riding on the Sound side was limitless and it was blowing HARD non-stop for the entire ten days.

One big change in the OBX – very limited beach access either with 4wd, or even walking! Apparently the National Park Service was ordered by a Federal Court to restrict access in many places as a result of a lawsuit brought by members of the Audubon Society. While I can appreciate their efforts to preserve the natural environment and protect endangered bird and turtle species, the restrictions placed on beach access is having a major impact on the local businesses who rely on visitors who have enjoyed relatively free access to the beaches. While I want to see things from both sides I feel there needs to be a better balance between the rules of access. It's ironic that for many years they have allowed blatant development of many areas of the OBX and now they have taken an extreme position on a situation that did not seem that out of control. Again, it's important to understand all of the issues before passing judgment, but it seems that the new restrictions have come at the worst possible time considering the current economy and dire needs of the community trying to keep businesses alive and food on their tables. On the other hand – as human beings we tend to be selfish and often overlook the importance of the environment for our own personal interests – so there is much need for self-examination on this controversial issue.

I rode a twin tip in the Sound a couple of sessions, but was always eager to get back out onto the Ocean with the directional boards. I did not have a chance to ride my strapless 5'-8'' Lost Aviso board as much as I had hoped. I finally found a smaller center fin for the Lost “fish” and this seems to make the board turn a little more quickly. The waves were pretty clean a few days but it was a little too gusty so I rode my ZONE most of the time. The downwinders on the Frisco side were pretty wild – lots of wind, big waves, ferocious current, but the seas were a bit confused – however still a BLAST riding on the outer sand bars!!!

My house mates, many of whom have been visiting the OBX annually for many years, were all amazed by the good fortune we were all having on this trip...some of them kiting or sailing from the moment they arrived until the moment they left. It must have been agonizing for them to pack their gear and drive away on Saturday with the wind blowing 25-35 kts, a warm and sunny day. During this last downwinder with Hakkon (Norway), Alex and Felix (Quebec) another rider was hit by a stingray while riding on his board, and sent packing to the doctor with the barb broken off inside his foot – I was surprised to hear that this was even possible (while riding), and admit I have a lingering phobia toward stingrays after being stung twice 2 years ago while teaching in Florida.

On the 11th of May I headed North toward Annapolis and CT to visit friends and family – and a much needed break from kiting every day – it had been a spectacular OBX experience! Next stop - the shores of Lake Michigan...and home!

EXTRA: A couple of the guys who were in the house were the developers of “Kitefix”. I happened to have torn a kite earlier in the year and had been procrastinating with getting it repaired - wondering if it was worth it. The guys from Kitefix offered to show me how their product worked. At first I had my doubts, but after it was repaired I was truly amazed. I flew the revived kite the same day it was repaired and it was PERFECT. I have been using the kite extensively ever since and it seems to be holding out fine. What's even better – you can hardly even see where it was repaired - even I have a hard time finding it when I show it to people. This is something everyone should consider carrying along on a trip so they can perform a fast and economical kite repair on their own and possibly save their kiting holiday from disaster without missing a beat. You can learn more about it at http://www.kitefix.com