Our home is Earth with its spacious land and life giving waters. What a great day to celebrate all the Earth offers and to remember our personal part in keeping Mother Earth healthy and vibrant.
One thing we all can do is be vocal, show by example and inspire others through our Earth Day (and every day) habits. For me as a writer, I shared in one way by creating the BLUE LIFE JOURNAL FOR KIDS.
But more importantly – my actions out in the world create a more powerful life trend toward respect and care to the Earth on Earth Day – and every day.
I am grateful for the initiatives offered by the Blue Tiki Community to keep the inspiration fired up.
Fun on Earth Day: I decided to share a super easy way to reduce the amount of electricity or propane you use to heat your home. In Oregon we get chilly nights from 30-50 almost all year long being in the high desert.
One easy habit is to warm up yourself instead of the entire house. Put on socks and a sweater or hoody. That way you can lower the thermostat and still be cozy.
Don’t forget Earth Day habits outside as well. Use our mighty sun to fuel your outdoor lighting. Solar is easy on Mother Earth. While you are at it, think of saving water with low maintenance planting native to your area – rocks and such, rather than hydration hungry lawns.
We returned to snowy and cold Oregon after spending a part of winter down in Florida paddling among the mangroves surrounding Tampa Bay. With bare feet happily on my Starboard 4-in-1 board (great for winging and paddling)
Back here in Oregon there is plenty I can do to keep our rivers and coastal areas clear of plastic waste by collecting each time I am out on the water. But I can also plant a mangrove.
The joy of the Starboard 4-in-1 inflatable during my winter on the west coast (of Florida, not Oregon) was endless. From the ease of packing it into its bag for the flight south, to its versatility with both wing and paddle – I had a blast!
Thanks to the advisement of Britt at North Beach Windsurfing I visited two great winging spots down by the iconic Skyway Bridge. The wide open waters at the Scenic View spot provided an amazing playground. This particular day began with super light wind and then – right on schedule – a steady breeze picked up about 1:00. Rather than the fluky Central Oregon lake winds – this winging was a treasure!
A few weeks later my windy app predicted winds 15-25 from the southwest just off I 275 Blue sky, warm water, enough wind for everyone to have fun was located just across the street from Scenic View. The wind direction was perfect for zooming great reaches out across the bay and back to shore. What a super day to practice tacks and gibes dancing among dozens of kiters and wingers!
Alternately, when the wind was non existent and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico settled into a glassy mirror it was time to paddle out and mingle with the dolphin. Pods of 4-8 of the playful little buggers surrounded me then followed in parallel up and down the coast. Their curiosity is refreshing and is a powerful reminder to keep a “sense of wonder” on the water.
I have been happily visiting the Clearwater/St Petersburg area of Florida this winter having a winging/SUP change of scenery from my usual winter ski fun.
There have been plenty of days with perfect breezes – and some days when I was a little freaked before heading out. The last time I was down in Tampa Bay on the west side of the road leading to the iconic Skyway Bridge plenty of kiters and wingers were all zooming about. My upwind skills had gotten way better these last months – BUT I am still having a bit of a chore tacking a 10′ board.
Thinking that a deeper center fin might help I sent off an email asking about that to TJ at Big Winds. Even though TJ was off for the weekend, he got back to me copying in another member of the team, Mark. Mark was also off but took the time to reply, with great suggestions. This is the Big Winds culture – customer service! I am likely one of their smallest customers but their generous sharing of expertise is HUGE!
Winter days along the west coast of Florida can be exquisite – and this morning dawned high overcast, barely a breeze and the wide open Gulf of Mexico beckoning me to take a paddle from the Clearwater Pier. After walking my Starboard 4 in 1 Wingboard to the water I did wish that i could have been soaring along with my FreeWing – but 5 minutes into the paddle I fell into a sweet rhythm just enjoying the sights.
Heading north, a series of pilings lined the boundary line keeping power boats away from swimmers, but to the local pelicans the pilings were the perfect vantage point for looking for schools of bait fish which were abundant.
The water was so calm and what little breeze there was pushed me gently northward. There was no better time to make my way the 4 miles to Caladesi Island. I heard there was an inlet that would allow me to leave the Gulf and return via the Intracoastal Waterway.
Caladesi Island is generally accessed by boat. Most often, paddlers drive to Dunedin (about 4 miles north of Clearwater) then drive the causeway out to Honeymoon Island. From “Pet Beach” one can negotiate the inlet that separates Caladesi from Honeymoon Island – but beware of weekends and power boat traffic. Alternately, there is a ferry that will take beachgoers to Caladesi. For me, I liked the idea of accessing this gem of a beach with abundant mangroves to explore from Clearwater Beach.
It took about an hour of easy paddling to get to the south end of the park. I explored a bit further north of where the inlet showed on the map – but there was no inlet. Recent storms and silting had filled it in and small pines and mangroves had already taken over.
Just as I was about to return down the beach in a southward direction, amazingly the breeze picked up a bit AND SHIFTED 180 DEGREES!!!! How lucky was I. For the 4 mile return trip I had a gentle downwinder. It was a very special morning.
About 10 days ago I saw the movie Where the Crawdads Sing. I think the film brought out my inner “marsh girl” and inspired a paddle far different than my usual SUP time when I head out for training, distance, intervals or speed. A week ago that sort of paddling time paid off during 5-mile upwind race across beautiful Odell Lake during the 41st Pioneer cup. (Yup, someone had to be the oldest person out on the water lol. I was also the oldest in 2013 – STORY HERE)
Two days after I paddled hard, fast and furious at the Odell Pioneer Cup (pic to the left) the day dawned wind-less and absolutely perfect for a paddle. The section of river in town would be crowded with paddlers and floaters so i drove deep into the Deschutes National Forest and put in at a section of river I love. At 7 am no one was there but me.
I didn’t hear the crawdads sing but I was treated to watching the beavers play. My usual journey is about 2 miles upriver to the base of a tumbling falls and return. About a mile into the paddle for some reason I ventured off the main river and meandered into a slough (pronounced “slew”). It’s a body of water along a river’s edge that formed from an old channel of the river. While much of this slough is 1-3 feet deep, there are some ancient water filled lava tubes that dive into bottomless depths. Something about the day slowed my agenda and I savored a rich and rare experience of solitude amidst the beauty.
This was a day that my Starboard 4 in 1 board was not driven by the wind – my sails and wings stayed home. I love the versatility of my inflatable – it easily transitions from sport to sport.
How wonderful is it? Well. I only thought I knew until last Friday. That’s the first day of my wing journey where I had consistent strong breezes and wonderful gusts up at Elk Lake. Yes, the wind came from the east and the north, and sometimes from the south – that’s just Elk Lake. But is was steady enough that I FINALLY felt the loft and flight of my 5m wing.
But best of all – I felt where I should be standing on the 4 in 1 board. I was carving turns and making tacks like a rock star. Jibes were serious good fun! I am so hooked now there is no going back.
But is there “going forward” to a foil? Maybe. But not necessarily. This Freewing flyer is very -very happy on a super wing board and a quiver of great Freewing AIR V2s. Don’t judge me if I stay on the water rather than foil-flying. Just know that I feel no less the “eagle soaring.” What an amazing sport for any and all ages.
Feeling where the wind is coming from while winging is a skill that can be practiced anywhere – on or off the water. During my lesson with Jonathan from Cascade Kiteboarding we spent about an hour on land. Sure I was hankering to get in the water – but the fundamentals that he was sharing were crucial. I had no idea how much I didn’t know.
Windsurfing and sailing had been my wind-driven experience for many decades. Wind fueling and driving a wing is a different experience in many ways. First of all I needed to realize that I WAS THE MAST! If any power would be generated from the wing to move the board, the “mast” or my strong upright posture and core was the vehicle.
Additionally, if the mast was going to remain upright, I needed to keep my feet FLAT – and keep the board balanced. This is a key technique if you ever plan to move on to a foil board. Once we got some balance going on, I picked up my Freewing AIR V2 and moved it to the luff, or pointing toward the 12 o’clock position. It soared quietly and easily perpendicular to the wind when I put it in position while holding the front handle – creating a neutral point.
It is a no-brainer that we want to have the wing on the downwind side when we start. This is the starting position for land drills and also for when we move to the water before we power up for our “pop-ups”. There are other ways to imagine the “wind clock.” Kiters often use a vertical image.
Johnathan drew a line on the ground that would serve as my imaginary board during the land drills. We worked on where my feet should be placed – and most importantly, he explained ‘Why” my feet should be there.
I learned that there was no need to fight the wing when it was in the 12 o’clock position. Being at 12 o’clock would allow me to control movement during gusts or any time I needed to control my speed or re-group. From this position I learned the best way to flip the wing and prepare to sail it
I was amazed how much I learned about keeping my elbows in, using my back hand for steering the wing and allowing my forward hand to steady things. Moving from the 3 o’clock to the 9 o’clock positions I began to get the feel for what going upwind or downwind was like. Yes, I came into this lesson with some skills. But I left the lesson with a much greater appreciation of the windy wonderful flight across water that the wing can offer.
I experienced what it felt like putting myself in a no-go (literally) spot. Being in irons with a wing is no fun. Being able to maintain power while making your way upwind is a beautifully nuanced skill – but also a necessity.
It’s a tired and trite saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But if the old dog is inspired, curious, open-minded and finds the right team for learning – then “new tricks” are fully accessible.
15 years of SUP have kept me strong and with an innate sense of balance (along a LOT of yoga). Throw in a re-kindling of my love for windsurfing back in the spring of 2019 and I was finally ready to explore winging this past May. I headed straight to Starboard for my quiver of Freewing AIR V2 wings (3m, 4m and 5m) and the sweet Starboard 4 in 1 inflatable 10’4″. (click for video)Talk about a stable and forgiving vehicle for my learning! And it paddles like a dream for those less than windy days.
For about 6 weeks I dabbled around on our local lakes in 6-15 kn winds using what I had gathered from watching training videos. I was unaware of how different “sailing” a wing was from using a windsurfing sail. That is – until I met up with the team at Cascade Kiteboarding yesterday. My experience from the first website contact form I filled out through my 3 hour lesson was 5-star plus!
Katie responded to my many questions quickly and completely. She set me up for a lesson with instructor Jonathan. Talk about professional in every way. Jonathan took plenty of time to HEAR what I wanted to learn and why. He listened to me talk about my past experience and concerns – it was a super gusty-windy day in the Columbia Gorge. Gusts to 30kn!!!!!
I needn’t have worried. Within minutes I was suited up with a radio-contact helmet. On and off the water Jonathon could coach my every move. Secondly, we were going to begin my lesson on land – experiencing the wind, laying down the fundamentals, discussing, having plenty of Q&A – before heading into the more protected bay just beyond the learning center site. For more about what I learned from Jonathon – CLICK HERE for Part 2 of this 3-part article series.
Summer finally arrived here in Central Oregon but steady breezes are still being elusive. I have yet to be patient enough to wait to get out on the water after 3 PM when the wind is more dependable. By 3:00 I have already had a paddle and enough tries at winging to get my oldish bod pretty darn tired.
Just the same when the gusts arrive and my wing dances along impatiently I know that I am hooked on the Freewing Life (yay Starboard). The snow topped mountain in the background contrasts with the wonderful 88 degree temp in the air! Looking forward to my lesson with Cascade Kiteboarding in Hood River this coming Tuesday.
Elder SUP 