5/8/07 Leftover waves from Andrea batter the Rodanthe Pier and outer beaches, breaching the road at Rodanthe and Avon, isolating us from the mainland. Several rescues at sea required for some unfortunate yachtsmen, a 54' yacht still reported missing - that's why they call this area the "Graveyard of the Atlantic".

5/9/07 Wednesday: The calm after the storm. Wakeboard training with the “Predator”

5/12/07 Saturday: Almost a week after “Andrea” blew thru here they are still digging sand off the road going north out of Rodanthe. After 2 days of un-kiteable winds over 40 mph and raging seas we had to suffer thru a few days of light air. Another storm blew thru on 5/13 and we did some kiting on the Sound but it was very gusty. I decided to hit the ocean side with a 9m Waroo and my Bowers Design 131, but I seriously underestimated the wind speed… I should have taken the 7m. The waves were very disorganized and I had the kite depowered completely and still had to work hard to hold down the power. It was survival riding but still fun to be out there.

5/14/07 Monday brought more manageable winds and we rode and coached morning and afternoon sessions on the sound side again, solid 9m conditions, and some great progress made during lessons - another new rider is born. After a long day on the water we chowed down and watched some kiting DVD’s, getting this new rider stoked for his first long down wind ride tomorrow.

5/15/07 Tuesday: At long last we enjoyed some SW wind today, solid 9m conditions. This would be only the second day on the board for Stewart and we decided to tackle his first down wind run in the Sound. After the first hour Stewart had his water-starts nailed, kite relaunching perfected, and board skills worked out and he was riding in both directions incredibly well with a 9 Waroo and Spleene 54 Door. It was an awesome day, riding thru the slicks, and watching a new rider’s skills blossom.

5/16/07 Wednesday: Another awesome day on the Sound side...25-30+ SW winds. Rode upwind from Barton’s, looking for flat water, with the 9m Waroo fully depowered and I was super-lit, getting huge airs with the slightest flick of the kite. Changed down to the 7m Waroo and was perfectly powered and much more comfortable with allowing the kite to hit top speed. The Real Slick was reduced to a small sliver of butter in the immediate lee of the island…the whole sound was covered with white caps and small chop. The sailboarders were SCREEEEMING out there today – made me think of “the good old days” before the kites stole me away from windsurfing.

After a fantastic 5 month stint in FL and the past few weeks in Cape Hatteras I am excited to get back to Lake Michigan for the summer. Hopefully the lake water has warmed up a bit by the time I get there.

Next Stop: Lake Michigan for a summer of fresh water riding