Clamp Post Results

The clamp post works - but definitely need to add floatation aides (on my last wave it did get knocked off and I had to look for it (PHEW!!!).  A camera float and some additional lengths of pool noodle should do the trick.  I may try the bigger clamp just so there won't be any shifting.   Here are some of the pictures from yesterday afternoon.

This was on a super full tide - the waves were tiny - but the funny thing about gopros - waves and bellies can look way bigger than they really are ;)

But like I said earlier - this is a view that you only want to shoot a few times - after that it can get a little repetitive (even the paddle mount I use when SUPing suffers from that now).

Camera Clamp Trials

I've actually been longboarding a fair bit the past few weeks, but I haven't been carrying a camera.  I really don't want to stick a permanent mount on the board - a few sessions of those shots and I'll never use the mount again.  GoPro sells a clamp that has a lot of versatility, but it's $50.  I've got bunches of clamps and stems hanging around from over endeavors (kayak and SUP fishing mostly), so here is the basic setup.

This will definitely need a good rinse and some WD40 after surfing, but at least it'll start going out more.  I'm also going to get a float for the camera and cut up a pool noodle for the stem in case the assembly gets knocked off.  I may also try out the bigger clamp first... now I feel like going surfing!!!

Swim Call

An awesome lazy Sunday!

I went for a short 5 miler on the Glide - thought I was being smart by paddling upwind first (average 4.2 mph for the first 2.5 miles), but the wind shifted on me and even picked up (average 3.8 mph for the back half). Oh well - at minimum it was good exercise.

I got back and took the kids to the pool via bike ride. Marlon got a new bike on Saturday so it was a good trip to break it in.

Brought the GoPro cam and came away with some gems!

Kiting Gulfport

I finally kited over on the East side of Gulfport Harbor (usually we go to the West side). This is the spot where the locals hang out.

Yesterday the winds were not behaving as predicted. The forecast called for strong, steady SE winds. The yacht race I was supposed to sail in got cancelled - Roger said "I'm at the Skipper's meeting right now standing a nervous crowd of sailors that don't want to go out". Granted at that time of the morning, the winds were jumping and the swell outside was 3', but that would soon change.

So with my mid-day now freed up, I'm trying to get a kite session lined up. Went to Gulfport to meet Joe. Driving down, the trees were NOT moving...

Went back home and did a bunch of other things to make good use of time (laundry, dishes, cutting out templates for the mini-SUBs from their blanks, massaging feet, playing soccer with the kids). Then the wind started back up.

Went back to the kite spot and rigged up the V4 16. To tell you the truth, I've never felt dated flying this kite, AND I still didn't. I love the C kites from 2004! But seeing all the latest kites did rouse my curiosity.

La and the kids came so I had my photog on the beach, but I also had the GoPro on the kite lines. La, Marlon and Noe played with the training kite. As the water warms up, hopefully I can get La trained back up - this is the year!!!

Fun pictures!

The wind was barely enough for my 16. If I brought the Flash board (old 4'10" Naish), it probably would have been better (more float than the Stretch Trow I was using). I'll have to get the lightwind board finished up sooner I guess (but priority is on the kid's boards).

Today the winds shifted to Westerlies - we'll see what brews up...

GoPro Kite Line Mount

I picked this up on our trip to Jacksonville - a line mount for the GoPro.

Now all I need is for the incessant North Winds to shift to the East (or West) and some time to get out on the water...

Did I say it is freezing down here...

Sunday morning - What to do with no wind or surf

We are headed to the grand opening of the D'Iberville Target today.

BUT, I did manage to do some projects to tune up our stoke generating equipment.

I bought two RAM 1" Ball Mounts from BSP yesterday and epoxy puttied them on this morning to the hull access hatch on HOO-YAH. I'll mount the GPS and the GoPro on the hatch.

I also installed an apparent wind indicator vane on the top of the mast and cleaned up the bitter ends of the trampoline lines (the cores were hanging out of the sheaths).

I also modified a kite bar (improved leash) and tuned up the nose lines on my larger kites. Should be able to self-land the kites with this modification (in preparation for the winter months when La and the kids will look at me like I've got a carrot growing out of my head as I head off to the beach).

Not as fun as ripping through the water on an 15kt wind, but it feels good to get hands on the gear and improving the functionality of the gear.

SUPing this morning

I took the Walden out this morning. After contemplating between C Street and Silver Strand, I ended up surfing the north end of Oxnard Beach Park (parked in the neighborhood this time so it was FREE!!!).

Nice light offshores blowing kept the shape pretty close to perfect (for pounding beach break - there were right openings that gave good, decent length rides before closing close in).

I had several good ones before the offshores started keeping me from making the drops. Here is the weak point of all spoon-round-squared nose boards - surface area for the wind and wave-face upward driven air (the same air pelicans use to "surf" or get ground effect from) gets caught in nose and keeps you from catching waves. The next board I build will be a SUP specifically for getting down the face in these conditions (and built to take the punishment).

Oxnard always seems to be bigger than C Street on the same swell. But, it isn't as nice and peely. I paid for the waves today in battle scars in the paddle and board, and mother ocean now has a cool water resistant beanie to keep her ears warm on those cold air mornings. I really liked that hat...

The one picture included that isn't of me surfing has a dolphin playing through.

Aloha!

Perspective Number Two - Paddle Mounted Camera

Now here's a closer perspective...

My GoPro 5 megapixel fisheye lensed digitial camera mounted on my paddle shaft.

I am pretty sure these are from the same wave as the previous post.

Pretty cool huh?!?