Dawn Patrol - 4/19/2026

I decided to surf again on the dawn patrol.  The tide was lower than I prefer for foiling.

And there was still enough energy to do well on a surfboard.

And I wanted to test these fins out - the NVS S Wing Twins.

I caught more than a couple of handful of waves - but really four good ones where after a fun takeoff I was able to get some turns in.

These fins feel like the raked out fins they are - best for longer more drawn out turns that you would want from a longer walled up front side wave.  Probably not the best call for a punchy beach break.

I think on a bigger day, these would be fun on the Seaside and Beyond.

But for now my preference for the Sweet Potato is still the BMTs and a small trailer.

PF:5/W:2/PW:31/FD:30/S:14

Evening Session - 4/6/2026

I took a nap after I got home from work...

After I got up, there was still plenty of sunlight - I figured I'd get another day of playing in the water before a third round of Kona Low storm comes through this week.

And I figured I'd breakout a surfboard to get back into that groove.

5'6" Firewire Sweet Potato with the BMT fins and a tiny True Ames trailer.

I got several waves - three really fun ones with lots of turns and decently long rides.

Robby and Roland were out on FD (and it looked fun on the outside) - but I felt like I needed a change of pace.

Tomorrow may still be clean enough to surf (and bigger... Album Twinman Twinzer, or the Great White Twin - hmmmm)

PF:5/W:2/PW:31/FD:25/S:10

Garage Works - 2/16/2026

And I did spend some time in the garage -

I got this new to me DMS Gherkin checked in to the hangar.

This is a super clean 5'8" coming in at 39 liters - a couple of liters above what I normally ride - but I am wanting to see the limits of uber grovellers.

This is a Surftech board - and I haven't owned one of these before.  The previous owner had also put a deck patch on so this should resist deck pressures nicely.

The tail is intriguing -  

I got the base coat and the top coats of wax on.  Never rush this step!!!

And for fins, I moved the Futures Alpha Vector 3/2 quads from the Firewire Sweet Potato.  The fin boxes on the Gherkin are pushed further out to the rails - I'm thinking this will suite a quad set better.

And having moved the fins over to the Gherkin, I went ahead and got the Sweet Potato waxed up and refinned - 

The CI BMT with an added True Ames 2.5" trailer 

I remember absolutely loving how the BMTs worked in this board - so again in the interest of finding what works best for hacking small, mushy waves apart into pure stoke - I'll give this setup a run.

It'll also be interesting to which of these board grovels better for the waves I surf over here.

Evening Session - 1/28/2026

This was yesterday's session.

Monk seal chilling on the beach.

The waves were forecasted to be bigger (swell peaking) - but that was far from what was present.

Low tide still and marginal wind.

Marlon brought his longboard - he had no issues catching.

I brought the Sweet Potato with the Futures Alpha Vector 3/2 quad fins.

This setup made catching waves easier (than the Machadocado), but the wave shape made it so the rides were generally shorter, and I wasn't able to get many turns out of it.

I still had some good turns and nice rides - plus the great exercise and just being able to be out in the ocean.

PW:5/FD:9/S:7

Evening Session - 1/12/2026

There was a decent north wind blowing - strong enough to parawing/wing, but when I checked out the conditions after work, the wind line was pretty far out (and the tide was getting silly low).  I opted to do some much needed yard work and to check the conditions later.

After mowing the yard, the wind did actually strengthen, and the wind line did get closer to shore - but I didn't have a lot of time.  I grabbed the Sweet Potato (Volcanic - I sold the Helium 2 one yesterday) with the Alpha Vector 3/2 quad set. 

Marlon came with and brought his longboard.  He got several good waves (easier to paddle in board).

I got three - and they were mostly straight runs.  It was nice just to get in the water.

Roland was out on Foil Drive testing out the Vyper 150 for FD.

Hopefully the wind starts to lineup to allow some parawinging -

PW:3/FD:4/S:4

Evening Session - 1/9/2026

Marlon and I headed out to surf pretty late in the afternoon.

Low tide, almost no wind and waist high surf when the sets came through.

Marlon brought his newer longboard.

I brought the Firewire Sweet Potato (regular Helium 2) today and here are the heelside fins from the Ryan Burch Asymmetric fin sets. 

These fins did not have a lot of drive - or maybe the waves didn't have any tappable energy.  But when I took off, I was not able to get to the pocket.  These being designed as heel side fins, their function may be maneuverability and not drive.

I caught six in an hour - they were still fun (but yesterday was much better).

I may start using the different twin fins sets again with a small trailer.

PW:3/FD:2/S:3

Evening Session - 1/8/2026

I did end up surfing today.

The tide was really low - and I just don't like foiling in those conditions (or at least having to paddle out super far).

There was a westerly wind blowing - but it did not mess up the surf.

Firewire Sweet Potato finned with the Alpha Vector 3/2 quad set.  These fins are becoming what I prefer to use with this board when the waves are small.

Marlon got asked by Roland to record some more video, so he came with.

I caught three really nice (albeit small) waves where I got in multiple hard turns and got some distance out of them.  You had to be patient - both in waiting for the sets to come through and in trying to get away from all the kooks.

The waves may get a little bigger tomorrow - may be another surfing day with the tide.  Might try the Sweet Potato again but with the Ryan Burch Asymmetric 

PW:3/FD:2/S:2

Evening Surf Session - 12/12/2025

The surf seemed better this evening - even glassier conditions!!!

I figured it would be a good comparative session.  Sweet Potato and the Tappy Twins on deck.

The waves weren't holding as open faced as they were yesterday.

That meant the rides were much shorter.

I did get a handful of waves, but what I noticed the most was I didn't have the same degree of control as I had using yesterday's setup.

I was generating more speed and carved with more drive yesterday.

Very interesting...

So for energy predictions below 35kJ, I am likely to take out a quad setup (if not the Large Vector 3/2 set), and if there is more energy than that, I'll take out the twins.

I also noticed going left a couple of rides, that I did not have the same degree of control (again compared to yesterday).

Testing is fun!!!!

W:58/FD:140/PW:72/S:20/PF:3

Evening Surf Session - 12/10/2025

Winds were light from mid-morning on.

Forecast was calling for a small pulse from the SW - and this was reinforced by Roland giving a report from a morning session.  He said it was chest high.

I got to the beach closer to 4pm and would you look at that - chest high glassy waves!!!

The tide was low, and I didn't have a Foil Drive battery charged up.

And I actually wanted to surf -

Perfect conditions for the Sweet Potato!!!

And I wanted to try these rear trailers - the quad set of the Vector 3/2 Alpha construction set.  I got these when La purchased the Album Twinzer Twinsman. 

The first half of my session was so much fun!!! Belly to chest high, and so smooth - 

I was able to crank some really great turns.  And these fins did what I wanted to do with the sections that presented themselves.

The second half of the session saw the swell start to lull out, and the crowd got thicker.

Prayot was out on his new (replacement) 270 DW SUP board and the Evo HA 1000 foil/Uglide 41

Roland was out on his Foil Drive.  He had just gotten a used Sport battery from Paul.  This was his second session with it.  I saw him blast a good jump.

And Eli came out late with his tow boogie.

I'm glad I surfed - no need to worry about grounding a foil!

W:58/FD:140/PW:72/S:19/PF:3

Evening Surf Session - 11/22/2025

I figured the waves would still be around this afternoon - and that this swell would start to back off.  

I didn't think the waves would be good enough for the newer boards I recently got - but the Sweet Potato can surf anything...

And I wanted to get the feeling of these Tappy Twins + trailer down some more.

I caught four really good waves - where I got in multiple turns and actually had a long ride.  You just really have to be patient and be in the right place at the right time.

This combo of board and fins are really good.  The Surfline energy calculated number was 20kJ (for future reference).

Fun sunset session!

W:58/FD:133/PW:69/S:16/PF:1

Garage Works - 11/13/2025

I have been wanting to give the Sweet Potato a go as a quad again - but this time with the Futures Alpha Vector 3/2 set (I bought the rear quads when La got me the Album Twinsman Twinzer).

These look fun!  But I ended up doing lawn maintenance work and skipped out on the second session.

And I also set about to fix this interesting ding in No.40

Some cracked epoxy... not sure where or when that happened - but in order to set the universe right, I went ahead and sanded, prepped and recoated this area.

Should be good as new tomorrow.

Evening SURF Session - 10/28/2025

Yesterday when I got home I crashed on the couch for a couple of hours.  I was groggy when I got up, but I knew the wind was down and I wanted to paddle around for some exercise.

Despite what is in the picture, these waves were rideable - especially with the lower tide.

Roland was setting up his Foil Drive when I got there.  I wanted to use this session to get back to surfing for a bit.

And here is what I have been wanting to test out - the True Ames Tappy Twins plus a Tappy Trailer fin.

The Firewire Sweet Potato has been such an awesome board for me - as long as the waves are waist high, I can get some really satisfying turns in.

I picked up a handful of waves in the 40 minutes I was in the water.  A couple of them I was able to get in some great turns.  Another just kept on going and even though the turns were not as hard as the other two referenced, they were more than satisfying!

These fins really feel great in this board.  Like the Tappy Quads I had out last time, these felt more subtle - they were there doing their job, but doing it so well I didn't notice them.  No tracky, sticky feelings - release coming off the top turns, and drive going into a bottom turn - these let me do what the section in front of me expected me to do, and I was able to do it well.

These do have more "presence" than the quad set did - but I'll do some back-to-back testing to really get the differences down.

Super fun session!

W:57/FD:127/PW:60/S:9

Evening Surf Session - 9/2/2025

Thermals kicked in around 1pm and stuck around until 4:30pm.  The direction was pretty much onshore - the one direction that really doesn't work well for windsports.  Mix that in with surfers in the lineup and that's a recipe for a lot of stink eye.

Instead of heading out right away, I helped La with some things around the house, while I waited for the wind to drop off.

And I actually didn't feel like Foil Drive-ing (and setting up the system). 

I opted to surf!

And I figured it would be a good day to get a real feel for the Tappy Quads.

I caught a couple of handful of waves - three pretty good ones and the rest were shorter two maneuver rides.

These fins were sublime - they worked, but didn't really standout and scream at you.  There held when they needed to, and released when you wanted them to.  But that's pretty much anything Japanese right?  They perform and do what they are supposed to without being flashy or dramatic.

These are a good fun alternative to the myriad of twin fin sets I've been using.  I think the next fin setup I use will be the Tappy Twins with and without the Tappy Trailer. 

It's really good to mix things up every now and then.

W:56/FD:111/PW:29/S:7

Evening Surf Session - 8/14/2025

Noe left today to go back to school... and La left to take her.  I took them to the airport and traffic back towards home was not terrible (because it could have been).

I got home with just enough daylight left to get some paddling around in.

I brought the Sweet Potato out again, but this time placed the Tappy Quads onboard.

Truthfully the surf was too small to really get a feel for these (or any other) fins.  I did catch a handful, and even got a few turns in - but realistically the surf was too small for this board.

I miss Noe and La already (and wind and good surf too - but these not as much as them)

W:55/FD:103/PW:19/S:6

Evening Surf Session - 8/12/2025

The wind was blowing around while I was driving home - and I was kinda hoping to get in a PW session.

But after getting home, doing some stuff that needed to be done, and further contemplating the weather conditions, I decided to simplify a bit and go surfing!

The Firewire Sweet Potato is probably my favorite shortboard for surfing White Plains.

And I recently got these fins (when Marlon got his Dominator Pro - he got a 15% discount on all accessories), and figured I should give them a spin.

I caught a couple of handfuls of waves - and some of them I was able to squeeze out some really fun turns.

But these fins did not have 100% of the grip that I was expecting them to have.  Maybe if I use a slightly bigger trailer I can get there???  I got this tiny 2.5" trailer and a Tappy trailer at the same time as the ENs.

I'm also curious that the BMTs, being larger and with more rake felt better - what if I go in a totally different direction - the Tappy Quads...

So many fins and boards - it sucks that surfing foiling always have to compete for my time and attention.  I love both

W:55/FD:103/PW:19/S:5

Evening Session - 2/19/2025

And after the sanding session, I figured I might as well rinse off the work day (and any sanding dust) - so I headed out for a quick session at WPB.

There were decent waves coming through!!!  And there was enough wind to mess up the surf (at least it looked that way from the beach - which kept the crowd light).

I figured the conditions would be junk - so I threw (figuratively) the Sweet Potato in the truck.  I had the Britt Merrick Twins still in the board - probably the best fins for this board (and the way I surf it).

I caught some really fun waves - where I was able to make multiple turns and run along the wall.  It was a ton of fun!!!  If you look at the section right in front of you and just focus on making the most of that piece of energy, then every wave you get is a fun one.

I picked off a handful of good ones then called it for the day.

These two were hanging out on the beach when I got in. 

With all the foiling I do, I sometimes forget how much fun surfing the right board for the conditions present can be.  It's good that I forgot my FD remote and it was low tide - forces me to surf (and remember it is awesome!!!)

W:9/FD:30/PW:1/S:2

Evening Session - 11/27/2024

Yesterday evening the wind was up and down, the tide was lowish and the waves were small - I ended up bringing the Sweet Potato.  I could have brought the Mode Pro 6.8 and the Dragonfly - that for sure would have worked, but I opted to play it safe.

I actually got up on several waves - but there was so little energy it was hard to get maneuvers in.  At least I didn't get skunked.

Roland and Prayot on the other hand did take out their prone foil setups and had some good rides.  Three-peats were common.

This was Roland's last wave of the day - he took it all the way in.  But it wasn't sand on the inside....

Hopefully the wind comes back soon.

W:145/PW:2/FD:83/F:5/S:23

Evening Session - 11/25/2024

I finished fixing Roland's boards this afternoon - then headed to WPB to get the mold release from Norm, get Prayot's Pure 900 back to him, get Roland's boards back to him, then hit the beach for some more low tide surfing.

When I went to check out the surf, I could see Norm out in front of the Cabins riding wave after wave after wave.

Roland was setting up his prone gear.

I opted to play it safe with the Sweet Potato (outfitted with the BMT fins)

I also was out to try this new rashguard from Aloha Xchange - half the price of the Xcel ones I use.  And this actually did a decent job.  It's true to size in case you want to grab one.

Once I figured out where to line up with this board, I actually had a great time!  I caught five waves that I got in a bunch of turns on.  Made for a great session!!!

I love twin fin boards!!!

W:145/PW:2/FD:83/F:5/S:22