And Boy Are My Arms Tired…
Here in Raleigh you often see cars sporting a little oval sticker that says “OBX.” This is, obviously, an abbreviation of “Outer BanX,” which is a pretty popular summer vacation destination. The Outer Banks is (are?) basically a string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, much of which is owned by the FedGov as a National Seashore (no idea if it was seized by eminent domain). Notable attractions include Kitty Hawk, a lighthouse which is on our license plates, and the legendary Canadian Hole (no snickering; we’re NOT talking about Neil Young’s orifices here).
Canadian Hole is, according to me, THE premier windsurfing spot on the East Coast. Located on the Pamlico Sound side of Hatteras Island, the water is calm and shallow, which makes it great for beginning sailors as well as old pros. Plus, this being the Outer Banks (hey, the Wright Brothers chose Kitty Hawk as their launch site for a reason), you’ve got a good chance of some crankin’ wind.
Except, of course, in the summertime. Oh, there’s occasional wind, but the primo season is fall and spring when those cold fronts and nor’easters come rumbling through. Still, there’s always a chance. So when we loaded up the gas-guzzling, environment-destroying, squirrel-squishing SUV last week for our trip out there, of course I packed every single piece of windsurfing gear I own, on the principle that the thing you leave behind is the thing you’re sure to need the most when you get there.
Turns out, when you bring everything, you wind up needing none of it. Major skunkage, dude. Oh, there was some wind; maybe 10-12 mph a couple of days. That’s fine if you’re learning, but I was really hoping for 15-20. And the worst part of it was that every day, the Weather Channel forecast said, “tomorrow, winds 10-20mph.” What I didn’t realize is that that’s basically the default forecast there for that time of year, just as “hot and humid” is for Raleigh at this time of year. So every night I’d go to bed thinking, “Oh yeah, 10-20 tomorrow, baby!” only to wake up to “5-10” the next morning.
But I’m not bitter.
I learned something else, too: now I know why that absurd-looking kite-sailing stuff is so popular. Those guys where hauling butt in the 10-12mph wind. Just what I need; another gear-intensive hobby.
