Tiki Life – Easy and Breezy

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Water Words

The weather report rarely gets it right. That’s fine as long as you have a quiver of options that cross conditions as easily as switching a paddle for a wing. This winter we have been staying at a condo with a weather-report worthy view right from the living room window. From checking the wind on the water, the pace of sailboats in the distance or the rippling roll of dolphin on mirror calm, we predict the day’s weather ourselves. Except for torrential rain or lightning, we always have fun options on the water.

It’s tough to beat a paddle when the glassy calm water is so enticing you could stay out all day. My favorite times include the early morning paddles watching the dolphin feed and play. Other times, crossing a wide bay and coming upon a lonely little island with a lone tree and a sandy beach is the treasure. Discovering a cove sparkling with crystal clear water just a stone’s throw from touristy civilization is serenity at its best.

Then there are those days when you head out for a paddle and the wind is kicking up side chop and gusts that blast forward progress to a slow crawl? Those are the days that eventually inspired me to research the Starboard FreeWing AIR. After consulting with the team at Big Winds in Hood River, I gifted myself a fine trio of wings and opened up a challenging learning situation – and a ton of fun! Now, whether I end up with a paddle in my hand or a wing leashed to my wrist I am ready for good times on the water.

I started out with some instincts about how to move across the water with wind power from various experiences under sail – from big boats to playful little Hobie cats to windsurfing fun. Moving under wing-power is not a direct translation from a sail, but wind awareness does help. When I took my first lesson in Hood River, OR, I wasn’t totally inept.

Over time I have learned to toss more than one wing in the car. It’s brutal to underestimate the wind and head out knowing you’re over powered and in for a killer adventure. If the wind settles more than expected it’s always nice to be able to size up a level and get the speed and ride that’s adrenaline-laced enough. I have a LOT of skill development to go, but that’s half the fun of picking up a new sport.

I am looking my 75th birthday in the eye in a couple of months – maybe this time the gift should be a couple more lessons!

Got AIR? Ride With Precision

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Water Words

On the windier days I find myself trading out my paddle for a FreeWing AIR. No need to fight Mother Nature. And no need to fight with a traditional pump when you can go from deflated to perfectly inflated in a matter of minutes.

Whether it’s time to put 16 lbs of air in your Starboard 12’6″ Inflatable ZEN Touring board or 15 lbs in the sporty little 7’0″ Slingshot, indoors or out, the Air Box: Ride Engine’s rechargeable electric pump is just the ticket. I got mine online at Big Winds – where customer service is top notch.

The technology evolution for kites, wings, and boards has rapidly improved to enhance your experience on the water. However, perhaps the most critical component required to get on the water -the pump- has remained unchanged since the days of flip phones. Not anymore. Gone are the times of struggling with manual pumping, thanks to the Air Box: Ride Engine’s rechargeable electric pump.

Here’s the nitty-gritty: Engineered alongside a top electric pump manufacturer, the Air Box has a powerful two-stage system that automatically switches from low-pressure, high-volume pumping to high-pressure, low-volume delivering the fastest inflation possible. Eliminate the worry of over or under inflating your gear when you set your desired air pressure on the Air Box.

No more guessing – The smart inflation technology has real-time pressure monitoring, ensuring an automatic shut-off once the pump reaches the selected pressure. Powered by a lithium-ion battery cell, it can inflate four to six kites or wings, and three SUPs on a single charge. What are you waiting for – see YOU on the water!

Does MacGyver FreeWing?

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Water Words

Oh yes, a female MacGyver does FreeWing and that’s a good thing! Do you remember watching the MacGyver series in the mid 1980″s? MacGyver was shown to possess a genius-level intellect, proficiency in multiple languages, superb engineering skills, excellent knowledge of applied physics, military training in bomb disposal techniques, and a preference for non-lethal resolutions to conflicts. But this past Sunday, I was the MacGyver and it’s a dran good thing that I was or I would Have missed my last opportunity to zoom around Elk Lake with my Starboard AIR FreeWing V2.

Here’s the situation. In a few days I will be getting a knee replacement. My 74 year old left knee is toast. In order to keep playing hard on and off the water it needs to be replaced! I looked at the Wind App and realized that the only day between Sunday and my surgery that there would be any substantial wind at a local lake was – SUNDAY at Elk Lake.

I packed my gear and headed on up there with a picnic lunch, a sweet beach chair and lots of excitement. A “last day” for anything holds much expectation. Once I got my new knee and rehabbed, it would be winter here in Oregon. So this special day was IT! And beautiful Elk Lake did not disappoint!

By 2:00 the wind had filled in as perfectly as possible, so I got ready to inflate my 5M FreeWing AIR v2. That is when I noticed that the nozzle that I needed for inflation had fallen off (again) from the wing pump. I was left with a notched nozzle that does not fit into the inflation part of the wing. I am now at a sparsely populated beach an hour from my home with no way to inflate my wing.

Telling myself to THINK – I looked around at what I had. And then I saw it. The best waterproof sunscreen EVER comes in a cardboard (not plastic) tube. My AVASOL sunscreen tube fit perfectly over the female inflation part of the wing. The pump’s hose now needed a 1/2″ nozzle to insert for inflation. There was none.

The valve and nozzle I needed is shown above the pump hose I had at the lake. My “MacGyvered” solution is the AVASOL cardboard tube duct-taped to the pump hose. And blissfully the setup worked well enough to fill my wing. Not to ideal inflation, but enough for a couple of great hours zooming around on the lake!

You know, when summer is ending and surgery is looming and you are looking at your 75th birthday, it’s time to grab all the gusto and make the best of every day on the water.

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Even though Avasol has been my face sunscreen of choice since Zane Schweitzer introduced me to it half a decade ago, I am an even greater fan now! The environmentally friendly cardboard tube saved an amazing winging day!

Talk about saving the day! Listen to this podcast about Zane and his ‘ohana – and the work they are doing for their Lahaina community.