Charlie and I tried bodysurfing (and got super tired swimming in the current to maintain position), then swapped out the handplanes for boogie boards caught some dumpers on the outside. It takes some courage to take the drop on these closeout bombs knowing the bottom is very likely to drop out from underneath you. Fun - fun - fun!!!
Packed and ready to go!!! SUP surfing and fishing, kiting and boogie boarding - oh my...
Back at it - hanging out, getting tan, trying to fish (no bites - water was too choppy), and surfing!!! As you can see, it was windy - but unfortunately I anticipated slightly lower wind speeds - the 16m2 kite I brought was too big. The choppiness of the surf gave Marlon and Noe a new perspective of surf quality. The last time we went out and the surf was like this, they had some apprehension to getting in - this time they just charged it, but weren't able to stand up as much. It's the hard times that make you better, but conversely any surf is better than no surf when you have to drive 3.5 hours to get wet.
At our favorite beach in Virginia Beach. Marlon taught himself how to standup and surf his boogie board! We didn't take pictures of him fully standing (I think we have video - if yes I'll upload later) as I couldn't find my camera and La's phone lost it charge, but we did a few of him getting to his knees. I thought it would take much longer from him to get to this point, but I was wrong and he taught himself!!! I was so stoked, we went to Wave Riding Vehicles and bought him a Beater Twin Fin so he can practice some more before we have to head back. More pictures to come shortly.
I mentioned I sold the Big Tuna - yup - that certainly was a quick turnaround. We bought it in October last year, used it fairly often, modified it and now it's got a new home. I enjoyed the boat immensely. I really enjoyed modifying it so it fished well. I didn't ever make a connection with the kayak sitdown style of paddling. I never have - in fact 99% of the pictures I have been in on the Big Tuna was of me standing up and using a SUP paddle. And this boat did that well too, but the lure of being able to have an Aguera Hooked SUP was too much. That and I realized the kids are big enough to paddle themselves around on SUPs. So I put the kayak up on Craigslist, www.paddling.net, and the Stand Up Zone - and after a week, Rob the new owner called and asked a bunch of questions. Done deal! Our garage has changed significantly since this time last year - lots of board purging - but after the Hooked SUP comes in, things should be stable for a while. So the next leg in our short trip - hit the surf!!! Here Marlon and Noe get comfortable in the water (high tide and windy - not ideal according to Marlon). More in a second...
We spent most of the day at our secret surf spot - and we used just about every piece of gear we brought down with us. First up - the kiddos on their boogie boards!!! Marlon declared he much prefers surfing at low tide - and from the looks he and Noe gave while zooming around, I think that declaration will stick. I rode a few on my surf mat and then...
SUP, Boogie Boarding, Crab Hunting, Tanning, and having lots of fun!!! We love Virginia Beach!!!
