Andy's video footage from Hatteras

Ex-Ida Windsurf HQ from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.

See all the latest from Hatteras on Andy's blog.

Lost in Hatteras

Highway 12 is seriously damaged at S-curves and remains closed

Gorge 2004

The hatch 2004 - Singe nailing a jibe in 35 knot winds
Yes, good swell
Steve getting a taste of the action

A change of seasons

Sandbanks video - looks like a sweet place to sail

Sandbanks Windsurfing Oct 7th,2009 from Nicolas Chapleau on Vimeo.

10-31-09 Big Plattsburg day for the crew

Happy Halloween
What a treat. 3.5 on small wave boards. Got to the Rocks just in time to watch 2 guy launch. "Boom" they both skyed big back loops. time to rig. Speaking of launching, Singe launch his first forward loop and I saw the whole thing. It was great to have the whole crew show up, Steve, Justin, Tim, Singe, and myself and about 25 Canadians.
Here's the Graph

Plattsburg 10-30-09 - 4.8 day

a nice 4.8 day on 85 ltr board, just a warm up for tomorrow

Heli Tack video

Hi Ugly Bird
Here is a Heli Tack video I found.
Also, here is a link to the full article

The Heli-tack

I hope it helps
The season is not over yet, forecast for Saturday looks promising for Lake Champlain.
Windy and warm.
Brian

Sailday 10-24-09

Plattsburg graph

White's Beach Graph
We sailed 4.2 on 78ltr boards for a while the 5.4 on 85 ltr boards. surprisingly little rain until the end.

World Cup Sylt - Day 8

Saturday 10-24-09 forecast

Sylt - expression session with Robby & Bjorn

5.4 Day at Plattsburg 9-28-09

Above is the Plattsburg Iwindsurf graph for 9-28-09. I sailed 5.4 on a 85 ltr. FWS board. I had a good time but the swell was a little off.
Below is the graph for White's beach for comparison. I think we made the right call.
Brian

Windguru Forecast for Whites Beach 9-27-09

Sandbar State Park - Northwest Day 9-18-09

A pretty decent NW day at Sandbar State Park. The gate was open, Port-a-potty were still there and there was actual wind. The wind line came in once the clouds past and I rigged a 4.8 sail on my JP 85 ltr FSW board. Of course it was up and down, but we sailed. It has been a while and since there has not been any south wind days, you have to make due. Here is the graph.

Chatham oceanside beaches closed

By Aaron Gouveia

agouveia@capecodonline.com

September 06, 2009

CHATHAM — Swimming has been prohibited at all Chatham oceanside beaches for the remainder of Labor Day weekend because of several great white sharks spotted off Monomoy Island, Harbor Master Stuart Smith said yesterday.

Gregory Skomal, a senior biologist and shark expert with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, said he spotted four great white sharks off Chatham's coast yesterday. That prompted beach officials at North Beach, Lighthouse Beach, South Beach and Hardings Beach in Chatham and Nauset Beach in Orleans to raise the red "no swimming" signs, much to the disappointment of beachgoers trying to enjoy the last big weekend of summer.

But from a scientific standpoint, Skomal said it was a blockbuster day.

Skomal and his crew managed to place electronic tags on two of the great white sharks, which he said were 8 and 10 feet long.

Using the tags' satellite-based technology, Skomal said researchers will be better able to understand the sharks' migratory patterns.

"From a scientific perspective, it's fantastic," Skomal said while still walking around in his fishing boots yesterday in Chatham. "We're pretty excited to be putting together the pieces of the puzzle."

Great White Shark in the waters off Cape Cod

Boaters, swimmers on Cape warned after shark sightings

Email|Link|Comments (178) September 4, 2009 04:21 PM

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent, and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A state shark expert today spotted what appeared to be a great white shark in the waters off Cape Cod, prompting officials to warn boaters and swimmers to be cautious and to use good judgment when they hit the water over the holiday weekend.

Is something like this lurking off Chatham?

Greg Skomal, the expert with the Division of Marine Fisheries, was able to locate the animal off the eastern coast of Monomoy Island, which is off Chatham, and determined it was "very likely" a great white shark, said Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

After state officials received reports of several large sharks in the area, Skomal spotted five large sharks from the air Thursday. He got aboard a boat today hoping to get a closer look and identify what species they were with the help of a spotter pilot. He found the one shark, but fog and cloud cover rolled in, depriving him of the help of the pilot, and he couldn't find any more.

Capone said that an Environmental Police boat would patrol the area today, Saturday, and Sunday.

Authorities in Chatham on Thursday urged swimmers to be careful while cooling off in the waters off the town.

"While it is rare for a shark to strike and attack a human in the water, it can happen and given the recent local shark sightings, swimmers should exercise caution while swimming in Chatham's ocean waters. In particular, people should avoid swimming in waters in the direct proximity of seals where sharks may be in search of prey," the town's harbormaster and parks and recreation director said in a statement.

The statement said there have been "recent confirmed reports of sharks feeding on seals" in the area. On Aug. 28, the carcass of a seal was confirmed to have been partly eaten by a large shark, the statement said.

Two kayakers paddling off of Chatham on Aug. 15 reported that they saw a possible attack by a great white shark on a seal. A large fin protruded about a foot from the water as the bloodied seal frantically jumped out of the water. Skomal said it was a credible report.

Colchester Reef meter email

This Email was forwarded to me. It explains how the meter is setup and why it only updates once per hour.

From: emeryboarder@surfglobal.net
To: Carl.Waite@uvm.edu
Subject: Re: Colchester Reef wind data site
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 17:01:40 -0400

Hi Carl,

Thanks for the heads up. That's good news - glad to hear that NWS was
interested. I don't see gust data ever getting bumped out of the #2
position in the wind speed data hierarchy but there are other
characteristics relating to wind speed variability that are
intriguing. Like Eskimos using an array of words for specific
qualities of "snow," after kiteboarding sessions you hear various
differentiating terms (besides "gusty" or "steady") being used to
describe the wind speed characteristics that day - like "punchy" or
"holey." It will be interesting to compare our field evidence with
Std Dev data once that is available.

Given the orientation of Lake Champlain I'm going to venture a guess
that westerly wind directions will generally have the greatest wind
speed distribution spread. I look forward to a fresh excuses to talk
about Lake Champlain winds.

Thanks again for being willing to explore this further.
Ken

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Waite"
To: "Kenneth Emery"
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 4:25 PM
Subject: Re: Colchester Reef wind data site

Hi Ken,

I have spoken to the folks at NWS and they too would be interested
is Std Dev of wind speed. We do already collect Std Dev of wind
direction, although, NWS does not currently display those data on
their site. NWS is agreeable to adding Stds to their site. I will
make changes to the program when I get the chance, but it will not
happen immediately.

Again, thank you for your interest in the CR data.

Best,
Carl

At 01:35 PM 8/28/2009 -0400, you wrote:
Carl,

Thank you for taking the time to reply and respond to the questions.
I can appreciate what you are up against to keep the Colchester Reef
data station up and running - through the winter especially.

The only other question I raised was regarding existing data...
Specifically, while it is helpful to have "gust" as well as
"average" data elements presented, would it be possible to have "lull" data per 15 min segment to match the gust data, or better
yet, a standard deviation calculation that might provide a better
overall indication of the degree of speed variability behind the
"average" reading (data that might suggest how (in)consistent the
wind speed is around the mean)... just thought I'd ask because the
software piece might be less involved to tweak. If this isn't
workable either, we will continue to compare the gap between the
average and gust in order to guess as to the potential for
unfriendly wind speed changes.

Again, thanks

Ken Emery

----- Original Message ----- From: "Carl Waite"

To: "joanna grossman" ; "Kenneth Emery"
emeryboarder@surfglobal.net>
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 1:15 PM
Subject: Re: Colchester Reef wind data site


Hello Ken,

As Joanna said, we are sorry that the current wind data output from
Colchester Reef does not totally meet your needs, but our first
obligation is to the research community which these data support.
Because our station runs entirely on batteries and solar, we do
need to be careful about the frequency of data transmission. The
Colchester Reef station also acts as a repeater for data
transmission from a met station at mid-elevation on Mt. Mansfield.
This puts additional strain on our batteries.


1. Are any system upgrades planned?

We do not anticipate any major changes or upgrades to the system in
the near future. Because of the high winds, exposure and icing
during winter at Colchester Reef, it is a bit challenging to keep
even the existing equipment intact and operating.

2. Is there any avenues by which other interested parties
could
contribute to improve upon the existing system?

We currently do not have a mechanism for accepting donations.


3. Can data be available more often that hourly?
As I said before, the station runs entirely off 12V batteries with
solar recharge. It is possible to add more batteries and panels,
but that is not likely to happen this year. We can look into that
for the future which would allow more frequent data transmissions,
but I can not make any promises.

4. Do you foresee any other wind sites being considered
(besides
Diamond Island)?

Another site near Missisquoi Bay is being considered for research
purposes. I am not sure if such a site will have any significant
benefit for you and other windsurfers.

We will look into the possibility of more frequent data
transmissions, as this subject has been raised before. We cannot
make any promises, but will do the best we can.

Thank you for expressing you interest in these data and we hope
they are useful despite their shortcomings for your purposes.
Regards,
Carl


At 08:31 AM 8/21/2009 -0400, joanna grossman wrote:
1. Are any system upgrades planned?
2. Is there any avenues by which other interested parties
could
contribute to improve upon the existing system?
3. Can data be available more often that hourly?
4. Do you foresee any other wind sites being considered
(besides
Diamond Island)?

Carl Waite
University of Vermont
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and
The Vermont Monitoring Cooperative
Office: 705 Spear Street, S. Burlington, VT
Mail: 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405

Tel: (802) 656-0683
Fax: (802) 656-8683
Email: Carl.Waite@uvm.edu
Carl Waite
University of Vermont
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and
The Vermont Monitoring Cooperative
Office: 705 Spear Street, S. Burlington, VT
Mail: 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405
Tel: (802) 656-0683
Fax: (802) 656-8683
Email: Carl.Waite@uvm.edu

Where is the wind?

September 3, 2009 - what is going on with the wind? 2 weekends in a row with hurricanes coming up the coast and no sailable wind. I think we need a wind sacrifice.

Dale Cook aborting a massive jump on a 50+ knot day at Doug's Beach, The Gorge, 8.7.09.

The Hatchary - 7-11-08 video by Epic Sessions

the music sucks, so turn the volume down and enjoy.

so easy, a baby could do it!

Hatch 8-4-09 (Smoke on the water)

Tabor Point closed to windsurfing

Here a topic of interest on the iwindsurf forum - Tabor Point closed to windsurfing

Author	Message
Panasuk Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 2	Posted: 11 Aug 2009 02:44 Post subject: Tabor point launch closed to windsurfing For your information last Sunday the patrol came in because of a complaint and required the 40 or so windsurfers there (all Canadians) to leave the spot immediately. 2 people got a 156 $ fine. The fishing & hunting water priviliged acces does not officially permit sailboarding since 2005 so thats it, permanently closed. From my understanding there was a complaint by a boater one week ago concerning dificult access. From what I saw last Sunday the complaint that day came from the person responsble for the grass cutting. By the time the patrol came in there was not a single boater on site but all 40 windsurfers had to leave...no tolerance. The managing patroler was just short of being a real asshole, the 2 standard patrolman where OK. I asked if there was an issue with garbage or whatever....no ! I will say from a Canadian point of view that altough totally in their right this was complete administrative bullshit as there was not areal problem ( a warden told me so) just total intolerance to Canadians and a real power trip by the warden. May Vermonters live long and propsper...and by themselves...I aint going back. Serge
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What is going on with the Afternoon Sessions?

I have sailed Lake Champlain for more than 15 years and I've never seen the wind blow in the afternoon as much as it has in the last few south wind forecasts. It usually dies at lunch. I have to re-think my min. wind speed and time of day to leave to sail.

GORGE VIDEO- July 11-12, 2009

2009 Windsurfing the Gorge from Trudy Lary on Vimeo.

5.4 Summer Afternoon Session (8-4-09)

White Beach Graph from 8-4-09.
I think the meter off on direction and maybe a little low for wind speed. There was not any north wind all afternoon and I was on a 5.4 with an 85ltr board, pretty powered up later in the day. I'll post the Plattsburg Graph below. Anyone sail over there? seems to be winder than White's.

This video is just to good not to post, 15 year old "Philip Koester" wins PWA Pozo wave event

Just for you Steve. Gorge video-Arlington 7-13-09

The Hatchary 7-11-09

The Gorge - going off at the Hatchary 7-11-09
To see more photos by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com.
click the link:
Epic day at the Hatchary

5.4 day at White's Beach

Finally a pretty classic White's beach day. Sunny with a front coming from the west. I had to leave after the first lull but it looks like the wind came back up for a while. It was great to see most of the regular crew, it's been awhile. 5.4 sail with a 85 ltr board took the edge off for a few days, but I hope this is just the start to something good.

I wish I was here

I need a wind fix
I was just at Mascoma Lake and I could of sailed a 6.4 or 5.4 in the gust on my 100 Ltr but I brought the boy's fishing instead.
Please get me to the Gorge.
Check out the new hatchcam. Looks like a new HD camera. You can also pick the last 10 min tab to see 1 min. slide show. If anyone can find a cheap flight please let me know.
Brian

Lake Champlain facts sheet

info provided by Lake Champlain Basin Program

Lake and Basin Facts

Lake Length: 120 miles (193 kilometers). Lake Champlain flows from Whitehall, New York north almost across the U.S./Canadian border to its outlet at the Richelieu River in Quebec. From there, the water joins the St. Lawrence River, which eventually drains into the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Greatest Width: 12 miles (19 km).

Greatest Lake Depth: 400 ft. (122 meters). The waters of Lake Champlain reach their greatest depth in the area between Charlotte, Vermont and Essex, New York. Visit the Lake Depths page for more information.

Average Lake Depth: 64 ft. (19.5 meters).

Average Annual Water Level: 95.5 ft. Normal annual variation between high and low average water levels is about six feet (2 meters) in Lake Champlain, but since the early 1870s when daily records began, the maximum range between the high and low average water levels was measured at 9.4 feet (3 meters).

Record High Water Level: 101.89 ft. recorded in 1993 at Rouse's Point.

Record Low Water Level: 92.4 ft. recorded in 1908.

Lake Area: 435 sq. miles (1127 sq. kilometers) of surface water.

Average Volume of Water: 6.8 quadrillion gallons (25.8 trillion cubic meters).

Water Retention Time: Varies by Lake segment. It is longest in the Main Lake, about three years and shortest in the South Lake -- less than two months.

Amount of Shoreline: 587 miles (945 kilometers) of shoreline.

Number of Beaches: There are about 54 public or commercial beaches and 10 private beaches on the Lake's shores. Visit the Beaches page for more information.

Average Lake Freeze Date: The average Lake freeze date (across the Lake's widest part) is February 12th. During the frigid winter of 2003, it froze on February 15th, and during 2004, the Lake froze on January 27th. In 2005, it froze on March 8th. However, the Lake is still freezing less frequently across its widest part than it has in the past. For example, it only froze during three winters between 1990-2000.

Lake Segments: The Lake is divided into five distinct areas, each with different physical and chemical characteristics and water quality. These lake segments include: the South Lake, the Main Lake (or Broad Lake), Malletts Bay, the Inland Sea (or Northeast Arm), and Missisquoi Bay.

Lake Stratification: Lake Champlain stratifies in the spring and summer. The warmer, less dense, upper layer (epilimnion) of the Lake typically extends down about 33 feet (10 meters) in the Main Lake during the summer. Below this layer, there is a sharp transition in temperature called the "metalimnion" or "thermocline," to the much colder waters below, called the "hypolimnion".

Number of Islands in Lake: More than 70.

Area of the Basin: 8,234 sq. miles (21,326 sq. kms). Ninety percent of the water that enters Lake Champlain flows through the Lake's drainage basin before it reaches the Lake.

Land Distribution: Fifty-six percent of the Basin is in Vermont, 37% is in New York, and 7% is in the Province of Quebec.

Area of Wetlands in the Basin: More than 300,000 acres. Visit the Wetlands page for more information.

Valley News - Mascoma Lake

Published 6/9/09
Disease Cluster Found at Lake
Researchers Seek Link Between Mascoma ALS, Algae
By John P. Gregg and John Woodrow Cox
Valley News Staff Writer
Enfield -- Researchers with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center have identified a potentially significant cluster of Lou Gehrig's disease cases around Mascoma Lake.
Working with a team of other researchers, they are trying to determine if the cluster, and smaller ones like it in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, can be linked to certain algae blooms that produce a neurotoxin that may trigger the disease.
They also noted that the link, if one can be found, would likely involve long-term exposure to the neurotoxin by people with a genetic predisposition to the disease, officially known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
Nine people living near Mascoma Lake have been diagnosed with ALS since 1990, all but one between 2000 and 2006. Three of them were in 2006, according to Elijah Stommel, a DHMC neurologist who has been mapping cases of the disease in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
“There's clearly a cluster of ALS around that lake,” Stommel said in a phone interview yesterday. “I want to be really clear that we don't have any strong link at this point … I don't think there’s any cause for alarm.”
ALS is a progressive, often fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness and atrophy, according to the ALS Association.
The incidence of ALS in the United States is about two per 100,000 people. The Dartmouth team has determined that the incidence of ALS cases can double for people living near waterways with cyanobacteria blooms.
The Mascoma Lake prevalence is about 25 times greater than national norms, he said.
Three cases of ALS also were mapped near Kennedy Pond in Windsor, Stommel said.
“We've found a few hotspots in Vermont as well,” he said.
Stommel -- collaborating with researchers from University of New Hampshire, the Wyoming-based Institute for Ethnomedicine and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services -- hopes to determine whether the ALS cases near Mascoma and other smaller clusters are related to outbreaks of cyanobacteria.

See the full story at the Valley News website.

Did anyone sail today????

NOAA forecasted SE 10 to 20 mph for today. The after cast was S 15 to 25. A lake wind advisory for the 11:00 am forecast update.
Here is the graph for Plattsburgh.
Did anyone catch this session?
what a rip off!

5-31-09 Finally, A windy day on Sunapee Lake

Great to have a windy day on Lake Sunapee. Steve and myself sailed 4.8 and 5.0 on our fsw 85 and fsw 78 litter boards over powered most of the time until the very end. West wind at Soo-nipi, so you know what that means. The tops of the swells were getting blown off, so it was between 20- 25 with gust to +- 35, sunny and 65 degrees. Great fun.
Brian

3 Reasons to make the trip to Plattsburgh

1) The fetch is long. All the way from the broad lake into Plattsburgh Bay creates great swell.
2) The number of great sailors ups your game.
3) The wind swell breaking over the front of the ferry will have you so pumped up you will feel sick to your stomach.

3.5 day at White's Beach

Great day at White’s beach yesterday 5-14-09. 4.2 sail w/ 85l board to start off and then things got interesting pretty quickly. I ended up on my 3.5 Ezzy and 78l Maui project.

I’ve been sailing White’s since 1998 and this day had the biggest swell I have seen there.

It was great sailing with the regular crew (Steve, Singe, Justin, Connor and a good sailor from St. Johnsbury). It still amazes me that no one from Burlington was there. Tim made the trek to Plattsburgh and had a great time, but was a little concerned about getting hurt. I think the wind may have been a little stronger and the shore break a lot tougher to get through.

As you can see from the graph, it was gusty but it was a great way to kick off the season.

And for anyone who didn’t sail because of the water temperature, we checked it at the beach and it was 53 degrees. I was hot.

White's Beach Meter update

White's beach meter is up and running. Just in time for sailing season.
Thanks Iwindsurf for repairing the cable.
I wounder how many hits this meter gets on a windy day? If I have to work, I'll refresh it every 10 minutes. 60 min./10 = 6 times an hour x 6 hours = 36 hits just from myself.

Hatteras Trip 2009

4-18-09
4-19-09
4-20-09
4-21-09
4-22-09
4-23-09

A great windsurfing week in Hatteras.
Thanks for all the good times.
Justin, Singe, and Sachy
6.4 thru 4.2 all week and 4.2 to blown off the water