We woke up in the morning to find J-Dog soundly sleeping in the back of his little red Toyota pickup parked behind the trailer. We had told him to come in, regardless of what time it was when he arrived. Silly Dog.
Anyhow, reunited with our old friend, we went in to our new friend's house to welcome the morning Dual and the weather channel. The forecast, swell and wind-wise, didn't look very promising. Dual was ready to check out the Ride and Slide contest, but Jay, who wanted to get in the water, wasn't up for being a spectator, regardless of how flat and calm the ocean was going to be.
So the four of us (Renee had to work) cheffed up some breakfast burritos, then Dual, in an incredibe move of generousity, led us all the way out Sandbridge Beach, where he thought the waves and wind would be best, if they were to be at all. After dropping us off, he headed back to the contest, but we hoped to hook up with him later.
And so the day of sports attempts began, a reunion of two old friends fueling the desire to make it work somehow. Jay and Brant waxed up the longboards and charged the knee-high surf. Which the tide quickly reduced to ankle-size. Smurfs would be stoked on these waves, but us full-size people would need a sidewalk to ride them. The swell (or lack thereof) just wasn't cooperating.
Ever hopeful surf puppies.
It wasn't quite windy enough for kiteboarding, but Brant went into inventive mode and somehow convinced Jay that "kite kayaking" would be a blast. We headed to Sandbridge Eco Sports to pick up an extra paddle, then the kayak came down off the trailer. They packed up the 6.5 kite and paddled their way out about a mile offshore (since the wind was blowing straight onshore, the paddle out was a prerequisite). Then they futzed and fiddled with the kite, trying to fly it while paddling in too little wind. The highlights of the sport were the wildlife, as they saw up close a big green sea turtle (whom Jay was convinced was trying to eat the humongous jellyfish which was the kite) and a surface-skimming skate. The kite never even got up in the air, and they paddled dutifully back in.
Kite kayaking...died before it was born.
Finally, in the late afternon, the wind came up barely enough to fly the kites on the beach...the first step to learning. So Jay got to drag around on the sand and get used to the kite. B and I tried to take the 11.0 out on the water, but the wind just wouldn't cooperate. We finally admitted defeat and piled into the truck in search of some dinner. We settled in at Nuevo Rodeo a ways into town, and called Target the campground for the night.
It's a bird, it's a plane...
In the morning we headed back out to Sandbridge, ever hopeful. Jay had to leave in the early afternoon for the drive back to Richmond, so we thought lots of positive thoughts at Mother Nature. Over the dunes, it wasn't even worth getting out the surf boards. So a refreshed attempt at kite kayaking commenced. As we couldn't even get our smallest kite to stay in the sky, Jay and Brant took the kite out of kite kayaking and just kayaked.
As from the previous day, the highlight of this sport was the wildlife. The kayak was surrounded by dozens of curious dolphins, within feet of the small blue watercraft. Upon returning to shore, Jay, a devout vegetarian and lover of marine life, recounted the cetacean visit, colored it with tales of viscious dolphin attacks and then declared, "sometimes you just gotta kick a dolphin." (Complaints may be posted directly to Mr. Orvik.)
J-Dog getting kicked by the kite.
Just before Jay had to return to the gruelling task of med school, the wind picked up enough for Brant to give a proper demonstration on the 11.0. Not only was J-Dog sold on the sport, but the remaining crowds on the beach converged to cheer and applaud. We bid adieu to Jay, who spoke of the possibility that he might come see us next weekend, and then we headed south into North Carolina.
Summertime is different out here. Our drive out to Hatteras was stopped prematurely by a crazy tropical downpour. We found a secret spot behind a 50's style burger joint, Mel's Diner, and called it a day.
