Boardsports School & Shop Blog

Road trip to Santa Cruz to scope out our new SUP boards

2011-04-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

Kipps and I hit the road last week for another "tough day on the job" to demo new stand up paddle boards in Santa Cruz. Our first stop was to the Surf Tech warehouse to pick up all of our new Bark Stand Up Paddle race boards we are adding to our retail and demo fleet.

Surf Tech is the distributor for a bunch of boards that we are adding to our line, including the Barks (fancy race boards, if you have to ask the price you may not have the dough for these puppies at over $2,000), Randy French soft top (retail $999), and Surf Tech Lahui Kai Bamboo ($1399). We now can get any boards in the Surf Tech line including Laird Hamilton, Robert August, Mickey Munoz, Gerry Lopez, Marisa Miller ladies specific SUPs, and Takayama. The guys at Surf Tech were super cool (isn't everyone in Santa Cruz super cool!?) and helped us gather up our order and strap all those huge boards onto our roof racks.

Our next stop was to visit Bob Miller and the Blue Coil Surf Shop.

Bob is John Miller's brother, and John and Bob owned and operated the ASD Windsurfing Shop that we took over at Coyote Point Park in San Mateo in 2007.

Bob has continued to shape surf boards and is now shaping stand up paddle boards. It was my first time meeting Bob (I see John all the time as he stops in to hang out and does board repair for our customers). Bob is handsome and super nice (just like John!). He spent time with Kipps and I reviewing their board line up.

We are looking at placing a custom board order with them for stand up paddle boards. They are famous for their shapes (Bob is an awesome board shaper) and their street cred (a.k.a. how cool the boards look) is off the charts. These boards will be priced very competitively and will be gorgeous to stare at (and 90% of most sports is about looking good, right?).

Once we had our Blue Coil SUP in tow, Kipps and I drove over to Santa Cruz harbor to demo both the brand new Bark 12'6" Competitor race board, and the 11' Blue Coil SUP. We unpacked the Bark board and just stared at it for a while. It comes with a carbon fin and the deck is so damn pretty that we sat in silence for a moment.

We grabbed our paddles and headed for the boat ramp. Once in the water, I was amazed at how stable the Bark board was. And despite my endless teaching of students to not stare down (look up! look where you are going!), I simply could not keep my eyes off the new beautiful Bark race board. Not only was it super stable and gorgeous, it also glides through the water like a ginsu knife!

Kipps did a good job keeping up on the very different 11' Blue Coil. This board has great glide as well for it's size, and has impressive rocker (curve like a surf board) so we know it will handle the waves like a charm.

We paddled out into the harbor and saw lots of cool birds, a sea otter (so cute!), kayakers, and a few other SUPers.

After our tough day, I think we both decided that the Bark board is our new favorite for speed and glide. This is a race board in its' own class. If you are interested in recreational or competitive racing, this is the board for you! We have demos at both Alameda and San Mateo, and they are offered on a demo to buy for racers or advanced SUP paddlers. Come try one and fall in love!

Bonaire: An Island Watersports Playground!

2011-02-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking for a warm-water destination in the winter – particularly in the months of January-March, look no further than Bonaire. We just got back from a 9-day trip to this small, Caribbean island just off the coast of Venezuela and we wanted to share our experience.

Ultimately, this a great island to escape to if you’re looking for a diversity of things to do in the water. This island is mainly renowned for two thing: sensational SCUBA as the island is surrounded by a coral reef and a place called Lac Bay, an intermediate and freestyle windsurfer’s dream. However, there is a kite boarding beach, amazing snorkeling, powerboat rentals, wakeboarding/waterskiing and sailboat excursions.

Let’s start with Lac Bay, the windsurfing area.

The winds speeds in Lac Bay were fairly light compared to our wind conditions. The average wind speed was probably about 14-16 knots but we had some lighter and some strong wind days.

The bay is divided into two sections. One section is a huge area of thigh-high, flattish water. This area is amazing for intermediates to practice all of their skills and a great place to work on freestyle moves because if you mess up you can easily just hop right back onto the board. This is a perfect place to work on any intermediate skills or non-looping freestyle moves.

If you do want to practice looping or go for longer runs or even get into less crowded deeper blue waters, just sail a longer distance into the deeper section of the bay. You may even see lots of sea turtles and other fish (there are flying fish all around the island).

Just as fun, and sometime more fun than sailing, is watching the unbelievable freestylers on the island. 3 of the world’s top 5 windsurfing freestyle champions are from Bonaire. The moves these guys can pull will blow your mind. Even the light wind freestylers are hard to take your eyes off.

Caesar Finies is just ridiculous in light winds. If you think light winds are boring, let’s see if you can do some of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYLUBr4tzq4&feature=related Do not miss the end of this video for him taking the sail off, throwing it into the air and catching it to sail back onto the beach. This is him below.

For rentals and/or lessons there are two beach side equipment rental concessions to help you out: Jibe City and Bonaire.

Jibe City rentals are very nice and consist of mostly new JP and Neil Pryde equipment.

Bonaire Windsurfing Place has a stellar selection of Starboard, RRD and some Naish Boards. They also carry a full spectrum of Hot Sails Maui Sails including the DD for those who want the lightest weight rig possible.

Both locations also have restaurants and bars right on the beach so you can eat, drink and watch the action – or have a place to relax after a long session.

On the kiteboarding front, there is a smaller, offshore wind beach about 10 minutes away from Lac Bay. If you’re an experienced kiter confidently going up wind, you’ll do just fine. The local kiteboarding school has rescue boats and for $20 you can catch a ride back home if you get stranded down wind. As this site is on the ocean side, you can see lots of flying fish in this area. There is really nice swell on the outside and the area closer to the launch can be relatively flat.

We did take some down time from all of the windsurfing and kiteboarding to rent a powerboat and cruise around Klein Bonaire, a little islet about a half mile off the western side of the island. The snorkeling and diving there are absolutely amazing: Lots of coral, fish, crabs and things to see.

Bonaire is a little quite on the nightlife side, but the food on the island is the best that we have had in the Caribbean. Try the ceviche at New Peruvian Restaurant, the mussels with spinach and gouda at It Rains Fishes, the grilled shrimp and Mona Lisa and just about anything at Unbelievable Restaurant.

For accommodations, I’d recommend contacting Ann Phelan the master of Bonaire travel info: ann@bonairecaribbean.com

HOT new 2011 NORTH kites rolled out at Sherman Island Sun Sept 5th

2010-09-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Zoe and I ventured up to Sherman Island, a.k.a. "The Delta", yesterday to join the North crew of Dan and his family. His brother Brian was out on the new kites, and later I got to meet his parents. For the day my family was made up of me and the pooch. Rebecca stayed back at the shop to help all the customers get their season end smokin' deals. Zoe and I got a hall pass for the North Demo.

Zoe loves the Detla, with fresh water swimming, sand boxes to eat, and people to bark at with the hope of picking up some extra food. I have to keep her on a leash nowadays, as all of the temptations are overwhelming for a nearly 14 year old golden retriever.
Dan (North rep), Molly (his wife) and Dane (there little munchkin) had made the drive down for Hood River to roll out the 2011 kites and give us a chance to test them. Nice sunny warm weather and early burn off the marine layer meant very light winds in the Delta yesterday. But I headed up anyway, as I was excited to check out all of the new kites and hang with Dan and his family.
Dan rigged up a full quiver of 2011 Rebels and Vegas's.

The Rebel as a few cool new improvements:

double thickness canopy that North designed and has the exclusive on for 2 years. So an already super durable well made brand sets the bar higher with stronger canopy design.
the inflate valve is one way and has a cool close valve system that will prevent leakage. i never saw leakage issues on the current one, but the new design is pretty cool.
the sections of the leading edge have been refined to add even more stability to this truly awesome kite. the 2011 north rebel is incredibly stable. i noticed improved low end in the 12m as the kite turns fast and locks in to really nice low end power
i noticed the 2011 turns faster than the 2010. i hesitated to ride any 12m as i like faster turning kites. the 2011 rebel turns fast and is truly enjoyable to ride. i can't wait to try the 11, 10 and below.
cool new colors - 3 to choose from. black w/ red, turquoise blue w/lighter blue, and bright light green/purple/red

Here is the 12m Rebel (pictured below) that i got to try. The bar has new graphics but is essentially the same as the 2010 bar. At first i wasn't keen on the black kite (i am a fan of bright visible colors). but the black rebel grew on me as it looks pretty damn cool. It will probably be the most popular color in the line for all the cool rebels out there!

For a 3rd party review on the 2011 North Rebel, check out: kiteboardingreview.com. My summation of the north rebel is as follows: direct feel, incredibly stable, smooth power delivery, and lively turning machine!

Here is the 11m in the turquoise blue/light blue/red. All the design influence on color palette is driven by European sport fashion trends.

Dan needs no leap of faith to love the 70s disco palette on the 10m below. Again, at first I was reminded of bad ski clothing of the 70s (and singer Sheena Easton). In person, the bright green/purple/red is really cool looking. I may have to join Dan with his impeccably bad taste on this one, and get myself a neon green ION wetsuit and neon green ION harness to match. Remember, 80% of participating in most sports is all about looking cool (or thinking that you look cool at least).

Should I go for the disco green rebel? What will I use for a board to match?The Vegas has been improved slightly from 2010...and is best summed up here on powerkiteshop.com:

"The most important and most challenging innovation is the new Technoforce D2 material. This especially for North Kiteboarding developed double rip stop material was introduced with the Fuse and is now used in any kites of North Kiteboarding. Flying and handling characteristics are changed a lot so the kites have been finetuned a lot to fulfil the expectations of the test crews.

The stiffness of the D2 is way higher then at common materials and tensions in the kite can be used to improve the handling and the performance of a kite. This was a main reason for being able to change the profile in the centre and the tension on the trailing edge. The result is a more powerful and more constant pop.

Unhooked tricks can be done easier because the kite offers a more constant line tension. Handling and feedback of the kite are finetuned and enables to have enormous control of your kite.

The sizes 5, 7 and 9 offer a second brake line attachment, which is slowing down the turning speed of the kite."

As the sun started to set, Chris announced the BBQ/Pig Roast was under way down by the boat ramp picnic tables. We all migrated down to the food, and enjoyed the warm sunny 85 degree weather. I had about an hour of riding on the 12m rebel before beer thirty rolled around. I was able to stay upwind with my 132 North Select twin tip. That is a major advantage of being a chic (even though I am not a small petite flower like Rebecca!). I can stay upwind on a 12m and small board in very little wind (and I have all that light wind efficient riding practice in Alameda).

Zoe joined me at the BBQ for a while, until she finally managed to get to my leftovers on my plate, including her favorite delicacy, napkins. I tied her up by the car for a break, and returned to the BBQ for some of Maui Mike's famous bbq'd chicken.

Maui Mike and his crew apparently do this season end BBQ every year. It was a very tasty and impressive spread, including an entire roast pork (yep, head and all), some yummy mango salad/salsa, rice, and bbq'd chicken. Here is the pic of my dinner plate before Zoe got to it.
The warm weather at sunset in the Delta was gorgeous. I did not need a sweatshirt, despite my San Francisco instincts to bring one along. The party crew included many of the Delta regulars, who all greatly appreciate the hospitality of Maui Mike. I am not sure if this is the same guy, but I found a website in Hawaii that may be behind the culinary genius of this very warm and welcoming host, Maui Mike.
Dan was overwhelmed with the local vibe, and sprung up to offer Maui Mike any 2011 kite he wanted. This was his gesture of appreciation for throwing such and awesome and generous bbq for all of us to enjoy. Thanks Dan!!
Of course Mike picked the 12m Rebel that I got to ride this afternoon. Damn, I guess I'll have to put in my order for one now!!

Here is Dan (with no flash on my iphone and digital cam battery gone dead), offering Mike "any kite you want man, you da best!"
While enjoying the food and pondering the gorgeous, warm, but windless night, I asked Donny of Kitopia when he thought we would get some good wind in the Delta again (and I was looking for my excuse to pitch my tent in the bushes so I could have a breakfast session on Labor Day). Donny looked me right in the eye, and replied "I am hoping by June of 2011". The black birds then swooped over our heads, and flew off into the sunset beyond the boat ramp. Danny then noted, "the arriving black birds are the sign of death.... the death of the wind for the season".

I am hoping Donny is dead wrong. There is marine layer in tomorrow's forecast, so I am headed back to the Delta if there is any hope for wind!

Jane

Kiteboarding 4 Girls Clinic at Sherman Island 6/18-6/20

2010-07-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

I had a blast at the recent Kiteboarding 4 Girls Clinic up at Rio Vista. Kristin Boese (9x world champion pro kiter) and Sandy Parker (pro rider and owner of Kitopia kite school based in the delta) produced the event. I got to actually attend the event and sponsor the food and wine (cha!). The SFBA / San Francisco Boarding Association and North Kiteboarding also helped me to sponsor the food, and thanks to Lee Ann we were all well fed.

The clinic lasted for 2 days. Day 1 was our day to meet and greet, head up to Kitopia Island, get some trick demos, and ride for a few hours to practice our stuff. Day 2 was a simulator demo (no wind) and then many of the ladies took off for a sesh at Crissy.

Kristin (on left) and Sandy (on right) greeting our crew of 30+ women KB4 Girls participants.

Lunch break up at the island and introductions. We had a diverse group of girls from around the country, including a teen aged 17 all the way up to a lady in her 50s. Experience ranged from 1 year kiting to 11+ years of kiting. Everyone went around the circle to share where they were from and what they whated to achieve in the 2 day clinic.

We all gathered for a self rescue demonstration, led by Kristin, to make sure everyone could get back to the beach in case of any issues.
Nice self rescue! Kristin wore a permanent (and contagious!) smile all weekend.

Time to pump up 30 kites! I went old school with a hand pump, despite the available generator.

Everyone then went into the water so Kristin could demonstrate a bunch of tricks (and shred) in super light winds (10-12). It was chilly for the Delta (70s) but I stayed toastie in my Hyperflex wetsuit jacket.

Kristin demonstrates a chop hop into our faces.
How Kristin busted jumps in 10mph winds was impressive.

Nice! She went through jumping, back rolls, front rolls, unhooked riding, raileys, and a handle pass.
Many of the ladies totally ripped in the clinic. It was totally inspirational to all kite together up at Kitopia island and see a bunch of girls shredding!
Good thing we got some nice winds Saturday (I was on my 7m North Rebel later that afternoon) as Sunday was a warm and windless morning. We gathered for a bar simulator and learned some new tricks.
My first back roll. I will get one on the water once I try one! :)
This is just plain dangling.
And then there's Kristin....is that a backwards upside down dead lady? I wish I even knew the names of all the tricks she can do!
Group shot to end the wonderful weekend.
Thanks to all the sponsors of the KB4Girls tour and to Kristin and Sandy for making it all happen. What a blast. Hope you can join us next year!
Jane

Naish / North Kite Demo Tour 5/6-5/9

2010-05-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

We had an extremely successful kiteboarding demo weekend with Nick Stuart from Naish and Dan Schwarz from North. We started the tour at Crissy on Thursday night. It was sunny, warm, and beautiful at Crissy.
We got a few people out on kites and then all got a chance to ride. The wind was light and it was flooding, but it was great for light wind kiting. Dan and Jeremy had the guts to go way across the bay (despite the light winds and flood)...but the wind shut down quickly and we all had to swim/self rescue back to the beach. Dan and Jeremy did their best, but with SW ultra light winds, their self rescue was only going to get them to Alcatraz. We called the coast guard and made sure they got in safely.

I got to practice my back stroke back into the beach, so in the end I got a fantastic work out (sheesh dat water is cold!).

We ended up barbecuing at Crissy and watching the gorgeous sunset.
We hung out with a bunch of the Crissy regulars way past dark...Steve, Chip, Greg, and our demo crew. The brats and beer went down smoothly after a long swim. The match light kept us warm til late.

Friday we headed over to Alameda and the wind came up late but was great. We got to demo and ride. Nick tore it up on the 12m Naish Torch.

Apres surf was hangin at "the shack" and enjoying some more bbqing.

On Saturday we headed to 3rd Avenue in Foster City. The conditions ended up being quite nice (although Alameda was the windier spot Saturday with gusts into the low 30s).

We ended up getting lots of people out on the 2010 North and Naish lineup, including all the directionals, the Naish Torch, Cult and Helix, and the North Rebel, Fuse, and Vegas.

The tide was low so there was plenty of room for all the demo gear. Thank you Shane for helping Dan inflate all of those kites!

3rd Ave kiter and Naish Team Rider Fred with Nick from Naish.
We had to schlep the gear from the golf parking lot so we were good and hungry at the end of the day.

Sunday in Alameda was probably the best wind conditions of the 4 day tour with west winds 18-23 and smooth water.

We had a host of very good riders show up and show off. The spectator scene was lots of fun with a line of people on the sand bank checking out the tricksters.

I had a blast trying out the North Vegas (I think I am in love with C kites again!), the North Rebel (perfection!), the North Fuse (4 line version of the Rebel and super powerful with lots of grunt), the Naish Helix (super fast kite!), the Naish Cult (perfection!), and the Naish Torch (C kites are back in fashion!).

For boards I got to try the Naish Momentum (super smooth with great pop), the Naish Thorn (stiffer and great for boosting big air), Naish Haze (great all around freeride twin tip), North Jaime (stiff with pop but smooth in the chop), North Xride (my favorite and super smooth and fun to carve). We have every board and kite available for demo if you missed our weekend's festivities. Just give us a call to arrange and you can even take the gear to your local riding spot.

Thanks to Nick, Dan, and Shane for all of the support and fun over the weekend!

Jane

F-One Kiteboarding Demo Sat/Sun 4/28-29 @ 3rd Ave

2010-04-19T17:00:00.001-07:00

We will be out at 3rd Avenue this coming weekend to demo all the 2010 F-One Bandit III kites and F-One Boards. Come ride some new stuff and check it out!

Adding Jetskis to our fleet for 2010....kite lessons in San Mateo

2010-04-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

I had some fun going jetski shopping today. We are adding 2 jetskis to our fleet for our kiteboarding lesson program in San Mateo. We will continue to offer our full kiteboarding lesson program from both our Alameda and our San Mateo facilities. Come learn how to kiteboard with us!

Spring has sprung, OPENING day in Alameda this weekend with great wind!

2010-03-08T12:53:00.001-08:00

Rebecca and I headed over to Alameda on Saturday for some Spring cleaning and enjoyed a gorgeous, warm day. Temps were in the high 60s, and the consistent, gentle breeze beckoned me onto the water on the 14' Naish Glide Sup and 5.5 Naish Session. I couldn't quite bring myself to put on a full wetsuit (yes, Barbados and St. Lucia totally spoiled me this winter), so I opted for my 2mil top and shorts...and was plenty warm enough. I cruised around for a while, enjoying the relatively warm water for this time of year. The water was crystal clear as well...perfect for shallow water stand up paddling.

After enjoying my leisurely sail, I was happy to be surprised by our kite instructor Benjamin. He dropped in for a visit while in town, and it was just like the old days hanging out at "The Shack".
Rebecca and I decided to open up officially on Sunday...as the forecast predicted good north west winds. We had a beginner windsurf renter come out. He almost got planing on the 12'6 Starboard SUP and 4.5 Hot Sails Maui sail...so once I saw him jamming along, I knew there was hope for some good wind. Around 3:30pm it picked up nicely, and before I knew it there were 25 kites on the water. Wind was averaging around 19 by 4:30pm...and later was gusting into the mid 20s.

Jesse headed out to teach our first Intro To Kiteboarding Clinic, and I pumped up my 12m Naish Cult and grabbed my 137 Nobile 555 board. Somehow I ended up putting my 3/2 wetsuit on (not knowing it wasn't my 4/3) and realized it out on the water. I was actually warm enough...which is a miracle for this time of year. When the Tahoe snow starts to melt, I imagine the water will get chilly, but for now it's blissfully warm for March.

All the usual suspects came out to grab the first great Spring winds. Arde was on his 19m Naish Raven all day and managed to hold it down. Tim was out riding on his 15m Naish Boxer, enjoying some solitude upwind by Ballena Isle. Sven, Tomomi, and Scott came out (Happy Birthday Scott!!!) to ride. Loud Mouth Charlie was out and was hoping his new puppy didn't eat his car while he was on the water. Thor was out on his new 12m North Rebel (nice kite Thor!!). Kevin came out later and rode his 8m North Rebel and was powered enough. That made me feel silly for riding my 12m. I am just so used to a big kite!

All of us are happy to be back out on the water to greet the Spring winds. Let's keep our fingers crossed that our good fortune continues.
Jane

SUP, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding in November!

2009-11-19T10:03:00.001-08:00

After 18 years of living in San Francisco, I still feel extremely grateful for our weather. The picture above was taken this past Saturday, November 14th! What a great day to be in Alameda.
As you may recall, Saturday morning was gloomy! I woke up to cold, dreary skies and rain. My first thought, "The weatherman sure missed the mark." The forecast was for sun, but I had serious doubts about seeing sun that day. Fortunately, about 1 hour later, blue skies were on the horizon and the next thing I knew, there wasn't a cloud to be seen!!

I drove to Alameda and set up for our SUP tour/BBQ and windsurfing lessons. Four of us, hit the water for a Balina Isle paddle at 11:30. The conditions were ideal. Amazing flat water, blues skies and lots of pelicans diving for their lunch. The tide was ebbing so the paddle out was also easy.
Once in side the lagoon area, I could feel the wind picking up. Perfect for our two beginner windsurfing students, Ed and Ben. It was also perfect to have tail winds come back around the other side of the Isle.
Ed and Ben were able to sail around as the wind picked up to a steady 8-10mph and stayed there all afternoon. Even Jesse was able to get out kiting on his 19m Flysurfer and Litewave 161 Wing!

At the end of the day, a few of us sat on the lawn chairs and watch the sun start to set. How lucky we are to live in the Bay Area!

2009-09-14T17:48:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Boardsports SUP Team Rider Susan Barber (seated foreground left) for her stellar finish at the Naish National Championship Race in San Diego yesterday. Susan finished in the top 10, and drove all the way there on Saturday and back on Sunday (8 hrs each way). She even made it onto the local news! You rock Susan!!

Shana Kaplan (SF Series top 3 finisher) also drove down for the event and finished 3rd place! Great job ladies and hope to see you paddling locally very soon. Check out pics and video here.

Jane

Stellar wind in Alameda this weekend...and traveling to Crown Beach by Ferry

2009-09-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

I went to Alameda by ferry yesterday, cruising down Nob Hill on one of our new Ultramotor Electric A2B Bicycles. The whole SF to Alameda bike/ferry trip takes about 35 minutes.

We are now a dealer of these cool electric bikes. Come by or call us for a free demo ride anytime.

I am totally addicted to riding around town on them. They go up to 20mph, have a range of 20 miles on one charge, and can fully charge (by basic power outlet) in 3 hours. You can pedal while you motor, gaining great speed and getting everywhere in a flash. They are technically a bicycle, so NO registration or motorcycle license is required, and you can take them on Bart and all the local ferries. Saturday Marie and I cruised down to Coyote by Bart and bike and I had so much fun that I decided with the Bay Bridge closed for the weekend, this was the most elegant option for getting to Alameda on Sunday.

The ferry leaves from the Ferry Building in SF, and drops off right by Rosenblum Winery in Alameda. From the winery, it's about a 6 minute pedal to the shack.

It's a gorgeous ferry ride and it was a beautiful day to travel by boat.

I got a nice view of the Bay Bridge Construction Project.

Alameda was warm and mellow when I arrived at the shack. Around 2:30pm, the wind came up nicely, blowing a steady 18+.

Arde was overpowered (I mean totally lit!) on his 19m Raven. I went out on the 10.5 Cult and had a blast. We have just received our 2010 kites so if you would like to demo the new Cult, give us a call. It is sweet!
The beach was less crowded than usual, with lots of people out of town for Labor Day Weekend.

On my return trip to SF, the Bay was lit up by an almost full moon.
What a nice way to spend the day, and a what a relaxing, fun way to travel the Bay. Thanks to the wind Gods for a very nice windy September weekend in Alameda!

Jane

SUP Race Winners Invited to San Diego Sept 13 for Naish Championship Race

2009-08-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

Our final 4th race was held at Crissy this past Saturday. For a change, the weather was hot and gorgeous (no fog, just sunshine and clear skies). The beach was packed with families and dogs.
Heat wave in San Francisco at Crissy Field, watch out for babies everywhere!
The 505 World Championship Sailboat Race was also going on. Here they are entering the water about the same time as our start. Their race did not start until noon, so they didn't mind all of us SUPpers paddling about while they launched into the bay.

All provided a stellar backdrop for our Naish SUP Recreational Race Finals. We had lots of new attendess...and over 20 racers for our final event!
Jesse prepares the start line.

Ready, Get Set, GO!

This week's course was 2 counter clockwise laps around Anita Rock and 2 buoys down by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Here are our top 3 Racers coming paddling to the last mark before the finish, Anita Rock.

For the final stretch, there was tension in the air. Jean, Joe, and Darcy were all very close together. They rounded the Anita Rock mark in near unison, then power paddled to the small swell on the inside near shore. When they were almost to shore, Joe had the lead and seemed to have it all wrapped up. But then Joe fell in! He popped up on his board so quickly, we don't think he even got wet. He madly paddled in, adrenaline pumping to help him sprint to shore.

Joe ran so fast past the finish line, I could not catch his picture. He got his very first first place finish for this 4th and final race of the 4 week series. Congratulations Joe! Here he is below, pictured with Jean. The two of them were the only top 3 finishers to attend every race in the series. These are true waterman. Thanks for the extra devotion, Jean and Joe! They seemed to have some serious fun at these races.

Jean also ran into a 2nd place finish for Saturday to secure his win over Darcy. With such a stellar and consistent performance, Jean finished 1st place overall. Congrats to Jean for wining the series!

Darcy Doyle coming in 3rd for Saturday and for the series. Joe copied his paddle stroke technique, and ended up winning this past Saturday. Thanks for the race tips last week Darcy!
New attendee Vijay took 4th place. Where did this guy come from? He is good! And yes, another Naish paddler on my favorite board, the 11'4. He came in 4th despite having his thruster fins on. Oops!

Jonathan's first SUP race, and he finished 5th out of over 20 racers. Pretty impressive. He said it was a great workout. I think he'll be coming back for more.
Group shots at the end of the race.

Thank you cheer leading squad! They helped motivate everyone to really run to the finish line.

Thank you to our Race Committee Chair Jesse Stewart. You rock Jesse!

Jesse (pictured below with me)

The top 3 men and women from our race series are invited to compete in Naish SUP Championships in San Diego on Sept 13. There they will get a chance to win a 14' Naish Glide and a trip to Maui to compete in another SUP race! There is also an Open Race Class in San Diego, so all SUP paddlers are welcome to compete.

Crissy Naish & Boardsports Recreational Race Series Final Rusults, August 2009

Men's Division
1st Place - Jean Rathle (pictured below left)
2nd Place - Joe Miller (pictured below right)
3rd Place - Darcy Doyle (pictured below middle)

Women' Division
1st Place - Karen VanPutten, pictured below with her daughter

2nd Place - Susan Barber (our local SUP champ, go Susan!)

3rd Place - Shana Kaplan (new attendee and makes top 3!)
We also could not help creating a junior race series. Shane Rathle did some serious paddling to win the juniors. Congrats Shane on going the full course on the final day!

We'll be announcing some more recreational races soon. This was too much fun not to keep it going. Thank you to Naish for promoting the 15 city national race series. Good luck to everyone going to San Diego for the big final!

Jane
Boardsports School & Shop

SUP Race Week 2 and 3 Pictures....Final Race this Saturday 10am

2009-08-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from the last 2 weekends of SUP races at Crissy. Our FINAL RACE and BBQ is this Saturday, 8/29 at 10am, Crissy Field. This recreational race is OPEN TO BEGINNERS some come out to paddle, watch, or join the bbq this weekend!! Race results are posted on our website.

WEEK 2 GROUP SHOT with the little kids coming to help chear everyone on!
lots of new faces at the starting line for week 2...and sunny conditions with a 12 mph breeze. Ready, set, go!

Darcy and Jean nailed the start by starting a little west to compensate for the flood on the inside...and the 20 mph winds.Darcy Doyle coming in 1st for the week 2 race...

Joe coming in 2nd right behind Darcy.
Michelle with her new Naish Glide 12'. She decided last minute to join the race, and ended up coming in 2nd place! Must be that super fast new board :)

Daniel on his new Naish 11'4...another beginner SUPper taking it to the races.
Jean's son Shane joined us...our first junior racer...and he came in 6th place!
Group finish photo. Good fun had by all.
After the race I rigged up my 5.0 and played in the small surf and the 12'6 SUPer SUP (SUP with centerboard). I went out fully clothed, and luckily did not fall in.

WEEK 3 RACE, featuring COLD temps, STRONG WINDS, and a STRONG FLOOD tide. Yikes!
Check out the fog and chilly looking weather.

The flood tide really pushed everyone down the beach at the start. Our 2 rookie paddlers Chris and Jessica (just learned last weekend) looked like they were being swept away to Alcatraz...but both ended up finishing strong once they beat the flood.
Some competition from outriggers at the finish...
Jean looks a little tired after this one...he said it was the toughest race so far...I guess because he kicked some booty and came in first place!
Darcy had to live with second place this week. Rumor had it he was overtaken at the 3rd mark.

Joe comes in 3rd...and also let's us know it was a tough one!

Jesse kept everyone's times so they could see how they progressed over the series. Times have been varying from 23 minutes to 43 minutes for the race course.
Fred comes in just in time to get out of the way of this big tanker.
Chris decided to loop Alcatraz (almost) and still came in first for the ladies!

Jessica finished 2nd. We were super proud of the rookies - 2nd time ever paddling and they raced Crissy Field!

It was too chilly for a group photo. Stay tuned for next week's FINAL RACE!
Jane

August Naish SUP Race Series August 8, 15, 22, 29

2009-08-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

BOARDSPORTS SCHOOL & SHOP LAUNCHES THE FIRST OF FOUR AUGUST STAND UP PADDLE RACES AT CRISSY FIELD.

The race course was a trip to the yellow buoy shy of the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, around Blackaller buoy, around Anita Rock buoy, and back to the beach. We had 10 racers in all, paddling on everything from an 11' Uli inflatable SUP (Michael came in 4th!) to the Laird 12' (Jean came in 1st!). The weather was gorgeous - sunshine and warm. No wetsuits needed! See videos and pics below. Race results are noW posted on our Boardsports School & Shop website.

Jesse from the Coast Guard and our beloved staff member, knows racing logistics so he helped plan the event.

Pre-race group shot. Tried to get the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, fog interfering...

The START!

The dog definately wanted to join the race...next time!

Jean approaching the beach finish in a time of approximately 25 minutes....riding a Laird 12' and using a Powerex Sean Ordonex Paddle (visit our gear page to check it out and buy one!)

Jean, leisurely walking across the finish line...he had a significant lead.

Jean is no stranger to wining...check out his US Windsurfing National Championships race results from last week!

Joe was not too far behind...congrats to our Boardsports Team Member for finishing 2nd!! He paddled the Naish 12' Glide (winner of the final of the race series wins a 14' Naish Glide and trip to Maui) and the Powerex Sean Ordonez Carbon Paddle. We have both in stock at our retail shops if you want to come demo or purchase them!

Fred and Jesse at the finish.

Congrats to the TOP 3 Finishers...Jean Rathle (Laird 12'), Joe Miller (Naish Glide 12'), Fred Anderson (Jimmy Lewis 11').

4th place to Mike Acquino on the inflatable Uli 11'In 5th place, Joe's friend Jesse from out of town...he had paddled just a couple of times before today.

After the race they were going to head up to Bolinas and paddle the waves on their SUP boards.

AJ, way to bring it up from the rear to finish 6th..and you didn't even fall in! He said that he had only paddled once before today.

Dean on his nice 11'2 Starboard.

Karen from San Diego, on a Naish 12' Glide...and super cool adjustable telescoping Sawyer paddle.

Looking cool, calm and collect after about a 2 mile race...good job Sam!

And Allen with a big smile...glad to be in to the finish line and ready for the next race.

All in all a great time and lots of fun. Can't wait for next week!!

Call 415.385.1224 or visit our website to sign up.

Jane

Naish Crissy SUP Rec Race Series Saturdays in August, 10am

2009-07-21T12:38:00.001-07:00

NAISH 2009 SUP CHAMPIONSHIPS for AUGUST Every Saturday (Aug 8 start) 10am at Crissy Field
(in photo, MJ from Pacific Boardsports (Naish), Rebecca (Boardsports Owner), Nick (Naish)

Naish is pleased to introduce a weekly Recreational Race Series that will be held in 10 to 15 Cities across the US and Canada between now and August 31st. The series will include both men’s and women’s classes, and boards will be restricted to 12’6” and under to provide a level playing field, and keep the event centered around the surf culture. Boardsports School & Shop will be hosting the San Francisco Series every Saturday morning at Crissy Field.

The top 3 men and women from each city will be invited to compete with racers from across North America for the Championship race in San Diego, CA on September 13th, 2009.

The races are designed to be fun for paddlers of all levels, with the goal of increasing the visibility of the sport. The general format is as follows:

Series Length: 4 Weeks total duration, Every Sat (Aug 8 start) in August 10am at Crissy
Course: Course Race around Anita Rock and western buoy
Length: Races will typically last 30 to 45 Minutes
Divisions: Men, Women
Entry Fee: $20 Series, $5 Race
Equipment: Race entrants bring their own SUP boards. Board rentals are available with advance reservation from Boardsports School & Shop.

Contact info below to sign up.

Jane

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Boardsports School & Shop
Alameda - San Mateo - San Francisco
Voted "Best of the Bay"
http://www.BoardsportsSchool.com
415.385.1224

10 Instructors Certified in IKO Course May 17th

2009-06-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy teaching kite lessons that I am late in posting this blog entry on our great IKO instructor certification we hosted and completed May 17th. David Dorn and his wife Susie flew over from Maui to run the course at both our Alameda and San Mateo facilities. IKO stands for the International Kiteboarding Organization and is the main international outfit that certifies instructors around the world. This will allow a lot of our team to travel internationally over the winter and share their passion for kiteboarding by teaching globally!

We had a great 5 days together learning lots of new teaching techniques that we have already implemented into our beginner program. Here is the crew on the first day in Alameda, ready to soak up some new teaching techniques for our beginner kiting school.
Here are some of the pics Susie took over the 5 days. Thanks to Susie and David of Action Sports Maui for coming over to teach the course!

First day ride test in Alameda...wind was sweet!

Bruce ripping it up on his bamboo surfboard.
David braving the 70 degree Alameda water in a wetsuit (he used to Maui but braved our local site anyway!), on a 15m Naish Boxer, and a Litewave Wing. Go boy go!
Back to work reviewing all of the different safety systems on the bars....
Lots of Naish kites on the beach in Alameda...David's favorite brand so he felt right at home.

After riding for a while we were hungry. Susie helped out on the grill with some yummy sausages. Thanks Susie!!

The next day it was back to work and reviewing self rescue teaching techniques. David gettin' down and dirty in the sand at Crown Beach Alameda...
Andy, Matt, and Kirsten practicing self rescue teaching techniques in the water.
The third day we moved over to Coyote Point in San Mateo to do some boat training.
Water lesson training at Coyote Point at low tide on short lines.
Then on to the boat for launching and landing training....
On day 4 we brought in some "dummy" students for practicing our teaching techniques. Jason had a blast learning from Kirsten!

And the newbies got to go in the water in San Mateo and get free lessons :)
We look forward to hosting an IKO course every Spring as we had a great time and learned some really cool stuff.

Congratulations to all 10 of our Boardsports School instructors who got certified with IKO including from left to right - Kirsten Doerre, Andy Crafts, Michael Mirisciotta, Jonathan Busby, David Dorn (Action Sports Maui and IKO Instructor Trainer), Martin Stokl, Bruce Johnson, Martin Loeffler, Jane Cormier (me), Matt Johnson, Tim Watterman.

Jane

Test Ride on the Tandem Windsurf Board at Alameda Sunday Evening

2009-05-11T12:13:00.001-07:00

Susan and I got a chance to take out our brand new 2009 Starboard Gemini Sunday evening at the "Shack" in Alameda. We had been hopeful of potentially getting the board up on a plane together, but by the time we got our sails ready and the board down to the water, the wind had backed off. We were looking forward to a tandem ride just the same, and the weather was gorgeous. The sun was setting over San Francisco, and the water was warm and mellow. A small crowd had gathered just to observe the launching of this veritable ginormous boat.

The Shack is an ideal place to keep this tandem Starboard windsurf board. It is quite heavy, and quite large. If you live on the water then it works great. I am not sure how anyone would get it on top of a car, although Jonathan managed to transport it to Alameda on the top of our Jetta. It takes 2 people to move it around, and carrying it around is not a frivolous task. The board has 370 liters of volume, is 12 feet long (367 cm), and weighs about 50 lbs. The fin comes up to my mid section (a.k.a. rear end) and is over 2 1/2 feet long (70cm) , so we turned the board on its' side in order to bring it down to water's edge.

We used mechanical universal joints so we didn't have to turn the board on it's side to put the sails on. They proved to be quite useful later when taking the sails off in the water.
We executed our double launch procedure with relative ease. I managed not to chop Susan in half despite her precarious position in between the two sails.
We had to schlepp the rig out a bit due to the low tide and absolutely ginormous fin. Once we got out far enough to clear the fin, we climbed onto the board and both started to uphaul. The board was EXTREMELY stable and even if we were hoola dancing on the deck, we would not have fallen in. I guess that is what you get when you have 370 liters of volume!!! We got into a rythym quickly and easily. I ended up giving Susan a stance and fast tack lesson, and it was an ideal platform for teaching. I could stand right next to her (sail right next to her I mean), watch her sailing technique, and give her feedback and watch her make small adjustments. This is incredible teaching tool and I can't wait to schedule some lessons on the Gemini.
Susan and I chatted the whole time, and it was really nice experiencing windsurfing with a companion. We swapped positions while on the board (easy due to how stable it is) by setting our sails in the water and crawling alongside eachother to swicth between the front and back positions. Theoretically the more experienced rider goes in back, but we had fun trying it on the front and back. Tacking is a bit of a challenge as the front sailor needs to really duck when the back person flips their sail to the other side of the board. Susan pulled that off with ease and I don't have a single bruise from the experience (nor does she, thank God!). We wished we had brought along some wine and cheese so we could stop for a picnic while sailing. That will have to wait til next time.

The sunset proved to be an ideal setting for our first Gemini ride. I can't wait to get back on! Come rent it anytime for the ultimate social windsurfing experience, or schedule a lesson and have your instructor right next to you while you learn to plane and go really fast! By the way, the speed record on the Gemini is 29 knots (33 mph)! And if you think 2 people can have 2x as much fun, check out this Mistral clip from Europe where 9 people get on a tandem board and pull a waterskiier behind them!

Here is what Starboard has to say about the Gemini on their website:

A wide-style tandem board changes everything about the windsurfing experience.

For advanced windsurfers: the Gemini reveals more performance and brings more fun than you can imagine. Guaranteed to make you laugh and enjoy the most unique ride of your life, the Gemini also unlocks amazing speed and power that will see you overtake the solo windsurfers on the water. For the most social windsurfers out there, the Gemini is the ultimate date.

For beginners: feel the rush of planing and experience the basics of high-performance windsurfing from the first minute onboard. Simply get in the front with a smaller sail, and partner yourself with an experienced sailor in the back.

For schools and centers: the Gemini is a wide, stable shape that offers a platform for both the coach and the learner to sail together. The beginner can also learn solo sailing with the coach sitting on the board. As a tool, it's a must and a fantastic way to start windsurfing.

Summary:
The World's only widestyle tandem board
For advanced windsurfers and for social windsurfers
For schools, centers and beginners
The current Gemini World Speed Record: 29.2 knots

Bye for now,
Jane

Rent the 09 Starboard TANDEM Windsurf Board in Alameda

2009-05-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

Windsurfing just got to be twice as much fun! Come out to our Alameda facility and rent the 2009 Starboard Gemini. This is a wide style tandem board that allows you to have twice the fun! Now you can have those conversations with someone else while sailing (as opposed to talking to yourself all day!). Rebecca and I tried sailing tandem while down in Mexico, and had a blast. Jibing is a trip without luggage! This is great form of entertainment for beginners, advanced sailors, and families with kids. I plan to sail it with Rebecca and my dog Zoe! I get the back seat Rebecca!!! (we recommend you put the shorter more durable sailor in front).

Here is the review from Windsurfing Magazine>

Test date: 9/18
Location: Merritt Island, Florida
Wind: 4-9 mph, 8-14 mph
Water conditions: Mild wind chop
Tester(s): Josh Sampiero, with Eddy Patricelli and Sean Sullivan
Level: Advanced, expert, advanced
Weights: 220 lbs., 180 lbs., 140 lbs.
Yes, it really is that big - the
Starboard Gemini tandem board.

Starboard Gemini
Volume: 350 liters
Length: 372 cm
Width: 101 cm
Fin: 70 cm
Sail size: 2.0-10.0 m
star-board.com

First take
• It's big. Real big. It dwarfs any other windsurfing board I've ever seen – and takes up as much floor space as a small sailboat. There's no question it's going to be stable – but can something that big actually be fun to sail?

• It's a good thing the board is designed for two people – because it almost takes two people just to carry the thing.

• Long Formula-type fin, with a relatively normal-size centerboard. The Gemini has three mast tracks – two for tandem and one in the middle for solo sailors. Full EVA deck is soft and easy on the feet or knees – good for beginners.

First sesh – light winds
I climbed on for my first tandem experience with veteran tandem windsurfer Eddy Patricelli. The first rule of tandem sailing is that the heavier guy always goes in back, so I got in the pilot's position and Eddy took shotgun. The 70 cm fin made getting away from shore a little tricky, but once we were going, it was easy sailing.

• The board floated our combined 400 pounds of weight with ease – I'm betting it could take more if needed. If there was ever a board made for an NFL offensive lineman, this is it.

• Sailing – In light winds it's stable, but not a particularly fast light-air cruiser. Just sailing along is no difficult feat, but synchronized pumping definitely requires some practice. We tried kicking the centerboard up to get planing but no luck – there just wasn't enough wind.

• Headed upwind, then downwind, with no problem. The board turns slowly, as expected, but steering is fairly intuitive – it works just like any other board you've ever sailed. Tacking and jibing is a dance that requires communication and timing. The sailor in front leads, and the sailor in back follows. It's a little tricky at first, but once you've got the timing down, it's a breeze. Remember to duck!

Second sesh – more wind, less weight
When the wind came up later in the afternoon, I grabbed WindSurfing's featherweight board tester Sean Sullivan to introduce him to the thrills of tandem sailing. With some bigger sails and our reduced combined weight, would we get the big board on a plane? You bet!

• Getting onto a plane is fairly simple. Bear off, kick up the centerboard and away you go. Though the Gemini has Formula board width, its length means it slowly climbs onto a plane, rather than popping up quickly like a shortboard.

• As far as I know, there's no tonnage rule in windsurfing – but this board might inspire one. Once you're up and planing, steering is certainly possible, but it didn't happen fast. Fortunately, other sailors tended to give the Gemini a pretty wide berth.

• After a few runs, Sean and I are in perfect harmony. We bear off onto a plane, then move into the straps at the same time. Transitions are initiated with a simple "1, 2, 3" countdown. Since I'm using a 10-meter sail in the back, we stick mostly to tacks, though jibes – slow, not planing - were possible, too. We'd definitely want some more time sailing the board, preferably with smaller sails, before going for a full-speed jibe. Although I didn't have a GPS, we were able to attain some pretty impressive speeds, almost keeping up with other sailors on normal windsurfing gear.

Boujmaa Guillol (front) and Eric Girard enjoy having room for two on the Starboard Gemini.

Conclusions
This is serious fun! The best part of sailing a tandem isn't the actual windsurfing – it's having company while you're doing it. Windsurfing can be such a lonely sport when you're out on the water, you forget how much fun it is to enjoy the company of others. Plus, there's a thrill to working in concert with another windsurfer – and getting the massive board powered up on a plane is a blast.
Starboard is marketing the Gemini as bringing a wide-board, early planing shape to tandem windsurfing boards – and I think it's succeeded. With enough sail power and moderately skilled riders, the Gemini will get going in a relatively light breeze – it had Sean and me planing in 10-14 knots.

The biggest drawback to the Gemini is that its sheer size isn't very practical – it's not going to fit in most vans, and probably isn't very easy to get on the roof racks, so it's not something you just bring along for a day at the beach. Its long fin might be limiting for some locations, but it is offered with a shallow-water fin (we did not have a chance to test the board with it). But as a board for windsurfing schools, or as something to keep at the family lake house, it's pretty tough to beat – a tandem board will provide hours of endless fun no matter the wind conditions.

The coolest aspect of the Gemini? How quickly it will create new windsurfers. A tandem board allows complete newbies to experience the thrill of sailing without the common frustrations of learning. They can watch and imitate you while getting instant feedback from the board – minus the shouting.

Great wind for North Kite Demo 4/25 in Alameda

2009-04-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Dan Schwarz (new North rep as of this Spring) and the North pro team rider John Van Malsen paid us a visit on their West Coast North Kiteboarding Tour this past weekend.

We got very lucky with the wind Saturday in Alameda. Around 4pm, the winds kicked up to 25+ and we got a lot of people out on the new 2009 line of North kites and boards.

Dan said it was his most successful demo over the two week tour - with lots of riders hungry to try all of the North goodies. With such a nice setup in Alameda - good wind, sunshine, and a great crowd, we were pleased to have another successful demo event.

The highlight of the demo was of course the 2009 North Rebel. The kites were great last year, but have some significant improvements in 09. We're not sure what else they can do to this kite as it seems to be near perfect. Here is a description of its' riding characteristics>

"The 2009 Rebel is bashing down the barriers of free-riding and surfing! The clean, simple 5 line design delivers smooth, reactive steering, extreme resistance to back-stalling when over-sheeted and the most direct bar feedback yet. Our unique quad strut configuration produces a light weight kite with quick turning and a snappy feel which makes the bigger sizes feel more crispy and lively than ever! The quad strut also helps create a very clean center profile that delivers constant, predictable power for free-ride comfort. The Rebel is heavily reinforced with Dacron to take some severe thrashings in the surf and come out in one piece. The combination of decreased weight and a rounder arch helps prevent the Rebel from falling quickly when the lines go slack while surfing making it easier to recover from steering errors. One pump inflation for added simplicity."

I got a chance to ride the 10m Rebel last week in Alameda...and was very impressed by the "snappy feel" and stability of the canopy through turns. The 10m had quite a bit of power, and I was able to crank upwind on a light day. The massive depower also makes it a very forgiving kite that will please beginners...just sheet out when that gust comes and the kite lets go of the power. I have been watching Yuri play on his Rebel in Alameda for some time...now I can see why looping the kite is so easy on a Rebel. Lots of response, quick turning, and a steady smooth ride. We have the 09 Rebels available for demo (and new ones in stock if you know you already want one) at Alameda and San Mateo. Come by anytime to try one out if you are in the market for a great new kite!

Dan invited me out with his crazy buddies Saturday night as well. Even though Dan is now 30 something...I am guessing his very cute and lively friends were in their 20s.

I was hoping I could keep up with them and I did my best for a few rounds at Mas Sake on Lombard. I had my first experience with Sake Bombs...where you fill a glass with beer, place 2 chopsticks on top of the glass, rest your sake on the chopsticks, bang on the table to drop the sake into the beer, and shoot it back pronto!
Drinking with the boys reminded me of my days back on the east coast with my financial buddies at Merrill Lynch...taking me to crazy clubs in Manhattan and trying new fangled concoctions. Oh to be young again! I had to head home early Saturday night so I could wake up Sunday morning and teach the stand up paddle clinic in San Mateo at 9am. That is what saved me in the end...

After teaching a great SUP clinic in San Mateo with sunshine and perfect flat water conditions, I made my way to Crissy for some more North demos and / or sailing. We got a few more people to try out the Rebels...but it was a bit holey and gusty, so I opted to take a maiden voyage on my new windsurf board and sail...the Tabou 76 3S and bright orange Hot Super Freak.

I had a total blast and got to sail with Abigail, Rigapasta, Mary, and the regular Crissy crew. I miss hanging out there and will make time this year to get in some great sessions there.

We have some more great demo weekends coming ahead over the next month. Stay tuned on our website for dates/times/locations.

Bye for now.
Jane

Hot Sunny Weather for the Crissy Swap and SUPing at Half Moon Bay

2009-04-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

The weather was GORGEOUS on Saturday for this season's annual SWAP MEET at Crissy Field in San Francisco. The swap meet was packed! Many people commented that it was the busiest swap they had seen in years. Lots of people were buying and selling their used gear. I had fun socializing with everyone and checking out the gear.

Abigail (one of our Crissy team riders) helped me to promote our school and shop by passing out brochures and showing off our new '09 Naish SUP boards. They got a lot of ooos and aaahs with their irresistibly beautiful wood veneer construction.

I also brought our newly arrived Powerex Sean Ordonez 100% Carbon SUP paddles. Here is what Lightning Bolt Maui said about the SO Powerex carbon paddle on a recent forum post:

"In my eyes, the Powerex paddle is the best built paddle out there. I have been testing them for about 10 months now. I find the paddle to be my favorite paddle to date. I have left all my other paddles for this paddle. The paddle is very light yet very strong. Cort the manufacturer stated on a video if you break this paddle he will buy it back unless there are tire tracks across it. Thats a great warranty. I have been testing the hell out of this paddle, surfing big waves and doing down winders and letting beginners beat it up also. The paddle is stiff but flexes enough for my liking. The blade is bigger then most blades but it is not so big that you feel it right away... fast and powerful. Enters the water and exits well and plenty of torque."

Watch The Video of Cort Larned's overview of the new Powerex 100% Carbon Paddle and how strong it is. We have them in stock and they retail for $349.

With hot sunny weather and no wind all weekend, I also got a chance to join Kathryn Martin and her husband Jeff on a surf adventure south of the bay. Our kite instructor Mike joined me on the road trip, and we all headed to Half Moon Bay. The surf break south of Half Moon Bay Harbor is one of the coldest spots on the coast, as the tides are strong and upwell some mightly chilly h20. I am spoiled with some of the warmest water in the bay at Alameda and San Mateo (right now about 63 degrees), but I figured my 4/3 Xcel wetsuit would do the trick. We entered into the 48 degree water unknowingly (and without booties), and our eye balls almost popped out upon the sensation of ice cold water enveloping our vulnerable bare feet. Kathryn (apparently some type of alien in terms of cold water tolerance) was only wearing a 1 mil shortie, and doing just fine! She is my new cold water heroine...her bravery was quite impressive.

Paddling around helped warm me up. Before I new it, I caught a great big (for me as a novice at surfing) 3 foot wave! I shot down the face and was excited to feel the smooth glide of the board under my feet. Closer to shore, I managed to fall into the white water for a cold water full body plunge. By some miracle, the freezing cold water was not as bad as I thought it would be through my warm wetsuit. With the adrenaline rushing through my veins, cold water was no bother to me now, and with wet hair, now I could actually see where I was going.

After about an hour of paddling into the waves, we decided it was "beer thirty". We drove to the nearby Half Moon Bay Brewing Company to take in the warm glow of the sun and some much needed salty Cazadores margaritas. This is an ideal place to stop for apres surf. They have great food, great drinks, and dogs are allowed on the patio (Zoe was psyched!).

Mike and I decided that the next time we go, we'll have to hit a warmer spot (any spot is warmer than this one)... perhaps Pacifica, Bolinas, or Maui! Until then, I will savor my big 3 foot wave.

Jane

Boardsports nominated "BEST OF BAY" by SF Chronicle, VOTE April 7th!

2009-04-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Boardsports School & Shop has been nominated by the SF Chronicle for the "Best of Bay List" for 2009. Click on the banner below to place your vote - voting starts April 7th!

Boardsports School & Shop

Maui Feb trip testing 09 windsurf and sup gear

2009-03-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Rebecca and I are lucky enough to be able to travel to Maui and call it a "business trip". This year's trip was designed for some typical fun in the sun, including trying out a bunch of new stuff from all of our wonderful "dealers". We are addicted to the wind for all the right reasons!

We arrived into Kahului airport in Maui on February 5th. From SFO, it's a non-stop flight where you arrive around lunch time...just enough time to make it to the best windsurfing and kiting spot, a short 10 minute drive from the airport. We looked a little funny at the beach in our long blue jean pants, pale skin, and admiring glances. After casing out the wind at the beach (it looked nice), we decided to tour the local shops and visit with our dealers and friends.

There are 2 great places, both very close to the beach, where you can rent all the windsurfing gear you need. The first is the Naish Maui Pro Center where "Coach" and his crew will take great care of you. They have all the latest and greatest Naish windsurf, kiteboard, and SUP gear for rent and for sale.

The other great place is Kanaha Kai Maui where you can rent all the best Hot Sail Maui sails, as well as Starboard, Tabou, and Realwind boards.

If you are going to kite, bring your gear with you, and/or take lessons with Action Sports Maui in order to use their kite gear.

We were in Maui for 10 days total, and there are 1000 reasons why this is on of our top favorite vacation spots. First off (I won't list all 1000 reasons here, I promise!), Maui is easy to get to from SF (one non-stop flight on United). Secondly, it's AMERICA (sung to the tune of Team America World Police please), so we pick up our rental car with ease, have all of the modern conveniences at our finger tips, and find everyone super welcoming and friendly every where we go.

The food is fantastic (sushi and fresh fish to die for, as well as some killer pulled pork), and there are 1 billion things to do on this gorgeous tropical paradise island. If we don't get wind, no problem. There is great surfing, stand up paddling, snorkeling, boogie boarding, hiking, road biking, mountain biking, sunset watching, mai tai drinking, and did I mention the best ever windsurfing and kiteboarding? Of course you can also sit on a beach and read a book if that floats your boat (never works for me some how).

We taught our friend's daughter Sasha and her friend Alicia how to windsurf while we were in Maui. Another day at the office while on vacation!

They both picked it up with ease! When the wind died we taught them how to Stand Up Paddle!

The first few days of our trip proved to be ideal for Stand Up Paddling in the waves.

The wind was light and the waves were perfect for us (1-3 feet). We had done plenty of SUPing back home, but had yet to hit the waves, so this was our chance to try it in beautiful warm water with sea turtles poking their heads up to monitor our progress. There are many spots to SUP in Maui, but we chose Kihei, as it's a great beginner surf spot. SUPing is everywhere in Maui, and all the surf spots we went to seemed to be about 50% regular surfers and 50% stand up surfers. The groups co-exist quite nicely, often separating in to two adjacent areas. We felt welcome as new comers and didn't feel worried that we would take someone out with our boards. If you do head out into waves for the first time, don't forget to brush up on surf etiquette so you don't make any new furious friends.

The crew at the Naish Maui Pro Center in Kahului set us up to try the full line of Naish Stand Up Paddle boards. We got to try the 11'6, the 11'4, the 10'6, and the new smaller 9'6. The 11'6 is a great big boat that will catch any wave with ease, but does not maneuver that well unless you are a big guy. It is a great board for first time SUPers in the waves, or bigger guys over 200 lbs who want to catch any and every small wave to be found. This board does have the best glide in flat water, as we have found in all of our paddling in the calm waters in Alameda and San Mateo back home.

The 11'4 (my favorite board at home) was much more maneuverable on the waves. It still had tons of stability, but was much easier to turn. The 10'6 (Rebecca's favorite at home) was a dream in the waves and ideal for smaller riders or bigger riders on bigger waves up to 6'. Rebecca's favorite test board while we were in Maui was the Naish 9'6.

This board is 30 inches wide so it still had stability (for experienced SUPers anyway) but handles really well on waves and is a ton of fun. I preferred th 10'6 and 11'4 as I am bigger than Rebecca, and found the 9'6 to be a little too challenging for where I am at on the waves. We had a blast riding the waves, and especially loved viewing the sea turtles and fishies from the vantage point of the SUPs.

As the week progressed, the wind forecast got better and better. After improving on the waves with the SUP boards, we were ready to get back into harnesses and head out into the wind. When the wind came back, it came back strong.

It blew from the east (side shore and gusty), so we made due with the conditions and were happy to have any wind at all for this time of year. The more consistent wind season in Maui is similar to ours, going from March to October.

With our duty and responsibility to our business holding strong and true, we hooked up with our dealers to try out a bunch of new 2009 windsurf boards and sails. By some small miracle, our Hertz rental car pulled off the task with ease. We were able to fit 4 boards, 4 masts, 3 booms, and 4 sails all inside of the car! If you are looking for a great windsurf gear car that can make it into the snow, we highly recommend the Nissan Murano!

We met up first with Rebecca, who hooked us up with Tabou boards in Matt Pritchard's absence. He was off teaching a clinic down in Baja, and was so kind to set us with her for our visit to Maui. She met up with us at Kanaha and set us up to test 3 09 Tabou boards: the Pocket 69 and 80 (wave style boards), and the new 76 3S (wave, bump and jump, and freestyle blend).

We had a blast on all 3 Tabou test boards. The Pocket is super turny and really fun to ride in wave conditions. Both the 69 and 80 boards planed up quickly, and were fun to jibe as they turned on a dime. I would recommend the Pockets for anyone hitting the coast back home. Their rocker line and rails are a dream for jibing and wave riding.

The 76 3s (new smaller size for 09 in orange in photo above, and in addition to the 86, 97, and 107) was truly amazing. This board planed up with ease, cut through chop like a knife, and was very lively, fast, and fun to ride. The board felt super stable as it has decent width (hence will work great for freestyle too), but the stability did not compromise the ride through bumpy chop as the rails cut right through it. Overall this was my favorite ride of the 3, and definitely an awesome board for the conditions in the SF Bay Area where we get lots of chop.

Next on the test list was one of our best selling board lines for 08, the Quatro boards. We took the time to go visit the board production room up in Haiku.

Jake Miller at Quatro gave us a full tour, and we met on of the board makers and learned first hand what goes into making a board from start to finish. Quatro makes a ton of custom boards (on Maui) as well as production boards off island.

For the price, the Quatro production boards are truly amazing and feel as close as you can get to a custom board. If you spend the extra money for a custom board, you can adjust the rocker line, rails, or footstrap placement to perfectly match your riding style, size, and local riding conditions.

We couldn't keep the boards in stock last year, as people would buy them the minute they tried them!

We got to ride 2 Quatro boards while in Maui, the Freestyle Wave 75 and the Wave 72.

The FSW 75 was very lively to ride, cut through chop with ease, and popped up off the swell like popcorn! This is a fantastic bump and jump board, well suited for both chop and swell (great for Crissy Field or the coast). It planed up super fast, jibed easily, and felt super light under my feet. The 09 board is slightly more compact, which may add stability in freestyle moves on the waves. It is also faster than the 08, making it fun to blast around and pop off jumps. The Wave 72 is an ideal pure wave board, but also kept up wind with ease. It would be great for the coast or for rippin' days at Crissy on an ebb tide. The 72 was more turny than the FSW, but also super fast! We can see why Quatro boards have been so popular in our shop, and the 09s will be even more popular!

Next on our test schedule was the new Naish Global Wave 70.

This board is best described as a Porsche and Cadillac rolled into one. It was smooth like a Cadillac, but fast and sporty like a Porsche. The board planed up like a rocket, but cut through chop and was extremely smooth to ride. The rails felt tight and stable, so the board goes up wind with ease but takes a little more skill to jibe. Overall the Global Wave 70 is an ideal board for the bay area as it will go fast, get you up wind, and cut through the chop.

For sails we tested the new 09 Hot Sails and Naish Sails. Our favorite sails were the Hot Sails Superfreak, the new Hot Sails DD (replaces the Hot Diva), the Naish Session, and the Naish All Terrain. They are all great for different riding conditions. The Hot Superfreak is ideal for strong, gusty conditions as the smooth quiet feel absorbs the wind.

The Hot Diva is great for lighter riders looking for the lightest sail on the market wtih both low end and top end range. The Naish Sessions were full of power and very maneuverable, great bump and jump sails with early planing power.

The Naish All Terrain is a great all around sail that can be used for bump and jump, freestyle, or wave riding. It offers plenty of power and ease of handling.

Testing all of this gear was a total blast. We came home and ordered all of the above mentioned gear for our shop. We will have all of these boards and sails in our demo fleet so come try them for yourselves!

Our last night on Maui was Valentine's Day, so we rewarded ourselves with a Mai Tai at Mama's Fish House on the north shore.

We bumped into Whit Poor who is working at Mama's! Windsurfers are everywhere on Maui...we also bumped into our instructor Jack in Paia. He never left Maui after going there for a month long vacation a few years ago.

After taking in the sunset at Mama's, we headed back to Kahului to try out a highly recommended local's favorite restaurant, "Da Kitchen" (the best pork on Maui according to the lady at the Xcel Wetsuit shop in Lahaina). We sat down for dinner and realized they didn't serve booze (how could we not drink on Valentine's Day?). I ran out to get a bottle of wine while Rebecca chatted with our table neighbors. I was back in a flash with a nice California Cabernet, just in time for our pulled pork dinner to arrive. We ordered th Kalua Pork dinner which is slow cooked pork "shredded from da bone". It was so much yummy pork that we had to take some home and eat it the next day. Our Da Kitchen dinner was a great way to end our trip, and allowed us to revel in the sunshine and wind fests that we were able to gobble up during our 10 day visit. Aloha Maui, we'll be back next year!

Jane and the boys! SUPper Club Tour 1/17/09

2009-01-18T11:25:00.000-08:00

Jane and the boys - Brad, Tony, John, Derick, Jane, and Peter. Kurt joined in too...and he and Peter were the only two that had gone stand up paddling before yesterday's tour. Our paddle spanned 5 miles to and fro the southern end of Crown Beach and the Elsie Roemer Bird Santuary.
We turned around at the Bay Farm Island Bridge, the longest drawbridge in the country.
The weather was ideal with temperatures in the 70s and clear blue sunny skies. With the warm weather, all the first time SUPpers went sans wetsuit, and they were glad they did as they all had to take their shirts off to stay cool!
We spotted 2 leopard sharks on the tour. They are harmless and gorgeous as they swim along in the shallow water. Brad said the one he spotted was nearly 6 feet long. Yikes!

More SUPper Club tours to come...be sure to join our SUPper Club on Facebook.
Jane

SUPper Club Tour Sat 1/17 2 hour paddle south end Crown Beach

2009-01-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

This weekend's SUPper Club Tour is down the south end of Crown Beach Alameda to the Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary and back.
The paddle takes about 2 hours and is from 1pm-3pm. This tour is open to all and does not require SUP experience. The cost is $39 and sign ups are recommended. Call or email us.
Jane & Rebecca

Perfect Conditions for our 1st SUPper Club Tour

2009-01-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

Our 1st "SUPper Club" Tour was a total blast this past Saturday in Alameda! We had perfect weather...clear blue skies and temps in the mid 60s.

Here are some of the highlights>

The day started out with a private lesson for Sabastian and his dad George. They were going to join the tour, but his dad wanted to try stand up paddling before making a commitment to paddle for the tour route of 2 1/2 miles. Since George has taught downhill skiing, he was being quite modest as he picked stand up paddling up quickly and kept his hair dry! We paddled down to Crab Cove and back and they both got a great workout. Good job George! I think Sabastian is hooked too - he really liked the vantage point of standing up on the board so he could view the gorgeous beach, the East Bay hills, and see deeper into the water.
We then pulled out all of our stand up paddle (a.k.a. SUP) boards to prepare for the crew departing at 12:30. This was our co-ed crew and included 12 of us in total. Mike and Sally joined in on their own SUP boards, and we had a few join by kayak as well. Jesse brought along his GPS so he tracked our paddle tour at 2.3 miles. The tide was ebbing so we got a nice pull through the canal...then had to paddle against the wind and tide to make it back to the beach. That was the section that kicked in the core workout! My arms and legs felt it that night!!
Group photo opp before we depart....many in the group were first time SUPpers so we included an intro lesson on paddle stroke technique and body stance. Despite a bunch of newbie rookies, the group stayed dry the entire way!
Crab Cove in the backdrop. Crab Cove was a major beach amusement area from the 1880s through the 1930s (called Neptune Beach and thought of as the Coney Island of the west). It included a roller coaster, salt water spa baths, baseball competitions, and the invention of the snow cone! Once WWII rolled around, the military took over the land for training purposes (the current Crab Cove visitor's center was the infirmary). After being turned into a state beach in the 60s, it's now a marine sanctuary and there is some fine bird watching. Two of our tour paddlers, Bob and Mike, were able to point out some Grebes, Buffleheads, Sandpipers, and Oyster Diggers. The Oyster Digger is my favorite - please dig some oysters up for us!
Oyster Digger
Bufflehead.
Very adorable! I wish I could take this little one home! Is my bathtub big enough?

You know you are getting old when bird watching starts to get really appealing!
Here is a site for identifying some of the birds you can spot in and around Crab Cove.

Making our way into Ballena Isle Marina...sun is shining, the weather is sweet!!
The boats and houses along the canal are pretty lux. How about walking out your back door and jumping onto your SUP board...or better yet your 30 ft sailboat! Check out this condo for sale...one of the homes we passed on our paddle.

At high tide, we have to duck under this bridge to make it through. The tide has a 10 foot range...going from a negative 2 ft low tide up to a postitive 8 ft high tide.
We had the ebb tide pulling us out of the canal...making for an easy glide...we didn't even need to paddle through this part!
San Francisco in the backdrop...and Tim as our tour SAG (support and gear) paddling in a kayak at the rear to make sure everyone was safe and sound!Thanks again Tim! He was even giving out paddle tips when needed :)

Will and Aliza pausing for a photo opp...is this January in California?

We're rounding the bend and paddling back to the shack, against the tide....just before the wind kicked up and gave us a run for our money! That is where most of our calories were earned! Good thing we had the bbq to return to...I was ready for that cheeseburger in paradise!

Our 2pm tour was SOLD OUT and turned out to be all LADIES! Are those bikinis?

Jesse helps all of the ladies launch their boards. Rebecca (far left) guided the ladie's tour. Aparently this group was not really into the bird watching...they were all a bit younger!
Hey, which way is the canal?
Carrying the board is really easy alone, but effortless with an inchworm troop!
Rebecca and Susan basking in the sun at dusk....returning just in time for our summer in January BBQ complete with burgers, dogs, veggie burgers, and chicken. We can't wait til our next SUP tour...stay tuned for dates and times.

Join our "SUPper Club" on facebook

Jane

SUPper Club Launch Tour & BBQ - Ballena Isle

2009-01-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

We are launching our "SUPper Club" with a tour of Ballena Isle in Alameda this Saturday, January 10th. Our paddle tour will depart from our "Shack" on Crown Beach in Alameda. This is a great first time paddle adventure as it's only about 1 1/2 miles and takes about 45 minutes to complete. We will pass by Crab Cove, a nice sanctuary offering many differnt species of pretty birds. Will make our way into the marina and pass through the canal up through to the north side of Ballena Isle and back around to the beach.

We will have 2 tour departures, one at 12:30 and one at 2pm. Sign ups required so send us an email or call to sign up. The cost is $29 which includes SUP rental and bbq. If you have your own board, the tour is free and you can join the optional bbq for $10.

We hope you can join us!

Jane & Rebecca

Join our new Stand Up Paddle a.k.a. "SUPper" Club

2009-01-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

We have set up a new "SUPper" Club on Facebook to connect SF Bay Area Stand Up Paddle enthusiasts. Local SUP members can post their favorite paddle sites, their unique paddle stories, or plan group SUP events. Stay tuned on Facebook for our upcoming Stand Up Paddle tours (you can bring your own board or rent one from us) or simply join to keep current on a fun and rapidly growing new sport!

Jane & Rebecca

Winter Stand Up Paddling at Pt Reyes

2008-12-15T21:47:00.000-08:00

Rebecca and I got a big treat last week - we headed up to Pt Reyes (25 miles north of SF) for a gettaway before the rainy season finally kicked in. We rented a great secluded cottage with a hot tub and fireplace in Inverness. In addition to some great r&r, we got out to enjoy gorgeous Pt Reyes National Seashore. We were lucky with the weather. It was sunny every day and the temps were in the mid 60s. We couldn't believe we got to enjoy summer like weather on our little December break!
Pt Reyes is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. There is gorgeous, diverse terrain, beautiful sea scapes, and wildlife everywhere. We brought the stand up paddle boards to take in the scenery from the water. I had just seen a Bay Area Backroads episode featuring paddling on Drakes Estero. Drakes is the 2nd largest body of inland water (2nd to Tomales Bay), and leads out to Drake's beach (where Sir Frances Drake was rumored to have landed in 1579 on his worldwind tour). We started our paddle at the Drake's Bay Oyster Company near the closed inland end of the estero.

We paddled out from there...taking a platypus backpack with water and food, ready to be out for hours and hoping to make it all the way to the mouth of the estero.
Rebecca paddled out on the Naish 10'6" and I was on my new Naish 11'4". These boards are so light - it makes it so easy to get them on and off the car!

The scenery was truly awesome. Soon after the start of our paddle, we were gliding over lots of eel grass, and I saw lots of sleek leopard sharks. They are about 2-3 feet long, and harmless. It's nice to see sharks knowing they won't hurt you.

The color of the water was a beautiful emerald green, and you could see to the bottom every where. The depth ranged from a few inches to a few feet for most of our paddle.
We saw lots of clam shells, starfish, leopard sharks, birds, ducks, harbor seals, and.....
what appeared to be a great white shark...
It turned out to be just a buoy covered with eel grass...not a great white with a seaweed covered dorsal fin. Doesn't it look like it's swimming? That's the illusion of a strong tide...it fooled us!
I guess we watch too many movies and have active imaginations. Drakes beach is great white territory so we had to have some fear and optical illusions. I am guessing (and hoping) they don't come into the estero as it's too shallow.

Due to the nice strong tide, we made it out to the mouth of the estero in 1 1/2 hours.
We took a break out at the tidal flats at Drake's beach. We got to see lots of white pelicans basking in the sun.
After a brief break, we paddled against a strong tide to return to our starting point. The tide was so strong at one point, we had to go onto the flats and walk our boards for a while! The harbor seals that were napping on the sand bars joined us in the water and started to follow us. There were about 20 of them who joined our paddle journey back into the estero. Drake's estero is one of the main breeding grounds for harbor seals and paddling is forbidden there from March - June.
The highlight of our return paddle was checking out the oyster farming at low tide. Oysters take about 18 months to raise. First they grow the oyster from a seed to a "spat" that attaches onto something. Then they hang the oysters on racks for them to mature in the waters of Drake's Bay. We got back after the oyster company had closed...but if you make it back there before 4pm, you can buy oysters right at the beach and eat them fresh. We had to wait til that evening to order them at the local oyster bar.
All in all, it was easily the best paddling session we have enjoyed to date. Perfect weather, incredible scenery, and awesome flat water conditions for SUP touring. Zoe had to wait back at the oyster company for our return, so we took her to the beach to make sure she got her fix of the beauty of Pt Reyes too!

We'll be planning some more fun winter paddling escapades...stay tuned.
Jane & Rebecca

No wind? No problem!

2008-11-30T22:38:00.001-08:00

What a great way to end November. It was in the 70s at Alameda this afternoon, and we opened for a day of Stand Up Paddle boarding and kayaking. After the Stand Up Paddle Boarding class, we pulled out the boat and decided to go wakeboarding.

Since not everyone had wakeboard/ski experience, we thought, "Let's see what we can do with a stand up paddle board. Susan started off knee surfing and quickly got the hang of it.

Jessie and Jane were next on the boards. They did discover that it definitely necessary to start off standing :-) They also moved down in size to a Naish 10'6" board.

Of course some people just preferred to Stand Up Paddle and others just enjoyed another glorious day at the beach.

Giving back to the community

2008-10-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

On Sept. 14, we sponsored a free learn to windsurf day event for Project AVARY (Alternate Ventures for At-Risk Youth) at our facility at Crown Beach in Alameda. Project AVARY is a bay area non profit that helps children & youth with incarcerated parents. Their mission is to help these children develop the skills, confidence and positive life views that promote healthy personal development and responsibility to the community.

In addition to our staff, we had 5 wonderful community volunteers come to help us teach 15 teens how to windsurf. (THANKS! to all of the volunteers!). We all loved working with the kids, but more importantly the kids loved it. Here's what one of the children had to say in the Project Avary monthly newsletter:

"In October the teens all got together and went to a Windsurfing Adventure Day. We met up with the Windsurfing instructors at the Boardsports School. They set us up with wetsuits, we had to wear them because the water is so cold. The wetsuits were so tight I couldn't stand it. After we suited up the teachers showed us how to windsurf. The broke it down, how to do it, and set us up on practice boards on the sand. They explained how to properly get the sail up, and how to get up on the board. After that we split up into groups, two teens per guide. they gave us more instruction in the water. It was hard. The sail felt like it weighted a million pounds, because I couldn't put it up. After about 20 minutes, it seemed like everybody got the hang of it! For some reason me and Jovon got the hang of it a lot quicker. Our teacher said that was because windsurfing is a lot like skateboarding. Overall the day was a lot of fun. A big thank you to Boardsports School in Alameda. We all want to come back because it was very exciting, I hope we get to do it again!"

To learn more about Project AVARY, please go to: www.ProjectAVARY.org. If you would like to volunteer for next year's event, please email us at info@boardsportsschool.com

Full Moon Stand Up Paddle at Crissy Field

2008-10-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Weather conditions were absolutely perfect for our full moon paddle and bbq at Crissy last night. We arrived at the beach around 5pm to clear blue skies, calm winds, and warm temperatures in the high 60s. I tested my new waterproof, shockproof, tiny little Olympus camera out by taking a quick panoramic shot of the beach. A picture perfect evening indeed!
We debated taking 2 cars to get the boards down to the beach, but in the end we went for the 5 boards on 1 car challenge. Since we are only a 5 minute drive away from Crissy Field, we decided to go for it and got the boards on the car and down to the beach, no problema! Larry greeted us at Crissy and was envious of our crazy pile of SUP boards.

Abigail inspired the plans for the full moon evening. She had wanted to do her annual full moon hike, but with the popularity of (and our recent addiction to) stand up paddling a.k.a. SUP, we ended up hijacking her event. Thanks to Abigail for the full moon inspiration!

Abigail, Rebecca, and Jamie commenced the paddle right around 6:15. They were just in time to paddle towards the bridge and watch the sunset from the water. Kirsten arrived from work and quickly joined them, while I diligently worked on more important things, like cooking the yummy chicken on the bbq.

Once Susan arrived and took over on the bbq, I went down to catch the crew coming in off the water. They had paddled up and along the beach towards the Golden Gate bridge. All the windsurfers and kiters had come back before sunset...with the wind abating for good.

The serenity of flat water stand up paddling with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop, a tough to beat bay outing indeed.

Here a classic view of a moon framed by 2 Naish stand up paddle boards...with Rebecca and Kirsten both beaming in step with the full moon.

The outrigger paddlers were out enjoying the full moon as well.

I waited to head out once the moon had risen and the water was shimmering with bright light. Jamie and I paddled over to the St. Francis Yacht Club. With the stability of the 12' Starboard, I was able to paddle fully clothed in blue jeans and a jacket!

We hung out by the charcoal bonfire till dark...then headed home after a perfect evening. Thanks to all who joined us for what I hope will become a regular outing!

Jane

Stand Up Paddle Clinics now available in SF, Alameda, and San Mateo

2008-09-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

After observing many new renters try the fun new sport of Stand Up Paddle boarding, Rebecca and I saw the need for an intro clinic to help accelerate everyone's learning curve. Although SUPing is quite easy to pick up, there are some helpful instructional tips that assist with better stance and balance, more efficient paddling strokes, and techniques for steering and turning.

We launched our first SUP clinic at Crissy Field this past Friday. We had a fun group of 5 participants which included a very fit surfer named Andre, and 4 active ladies. They all had tons of fun, and with the local heat wave, conditions were ideal. Thanks to Pam, Susan, Martha, Helene, and Andre for coming out to join us!!

Here is a picture tour of our clinic>

First we went over the different types of boards, paddles, and accessories for Stand Up Paddling. Our SF clinics feature all 2009 Naish SUP boards in sizes 11'6", 11'4", and 10'6". Naish makes the lightest boards we've tested (the 10'6" is a mere 17 lbs, ideal for transporting with a carry handle... and feather light!). Everyone gave "oooohs" and "ahhhs" at the Sawyer wood/carbon paddle we brought out.

Next we showed everyone how to carry the boards down to the beach. The ladies were especially pleased at how light the boards were. We made Andre carry the biggest one, but still the 11'6" AST only weighs in at around 27 lbs, so that was easy for him!

We then had everyone learn how to get on the board (kneel first) and start paddling while kneeling.

The group was ready to STAND UP! Paddling techniques were demonstrated...including how not to ding up your board with the paddle, how to keep going in a straight line, how to steer, and how to turn around.

Rebecca and I got into the water to give everyone a quick demonstration on how to get on the board, stand up , and paddle away! The water at Crissy was warm enough not to need a wetsuit. We provided wetsuits for the lesson, but once you get the hang of SUPing, no wetsuits are required.
Our group did really well...everyone got going in no time. There was enough small swell to challenge everyone's balance (especially when Andre challenged himself on the 10'6"). All the ladies did exceptionally well (women have the advantage of having a lower center of gravity, hence easier balance on the water).

Go Andre go! Helene cheers her classmate on for his first foray into SUPing.
I kept getting Pam and Susan mixed up as they were wearing the same hat!

Rebecca was wondering if our students were going to escape to Alcatraz!
After class, Rebecca and I got to play in the small waves at Crissy. SUPing is much easier on the waves as the paddle gets you into the wave so much faster. Riding waves is very similar to surfing...you switch your feet to a surf stance once you are on the wave. I could not believe how much fun I had in tiny mushy waves.

Thanks to Gail and Sue Ann for coming to cheer us on for our first SF clinic and for taking all of the great pictures!

We can't wait for our next clinic...this SUP thing is addicting!

Jane & Rebecca

Trip to Oregon to test '09 Kite, Wind, and SUP Gear

2008-08-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

Rebecca and I spent last week up in Oregon to test out some '09 gear and have some fun on the river and at the coast. We had a blast of a week - and got very lucky with the conditions. Here is a bit about our trip...

Friday, August 8 - fly to Portland from SFO and drive 1 1/2 hrs to Hood River, OR

We drove straight to Pacific Boardsports (north american distributors for Naish) to meet up with Charlie, Nick and MJ. The crew was unloading a container of '09 goodies, but had time to stoke us out with windsurf and kite gear, and got us on our way to get a session on the river.

Rebecca and I dropped by Big Winds to say hi and get the scoop on the forecast. They pointed us slightly east for the best wind, so we hit Doug's Beach and they were spot on! The wind was pretty gusty and in the high 20s, but it was a perfect warm up session for sailing in the gorge. I was on a 75 ltr Naish Pro Wave and 4.2 Force and Rebecca was on a 65 ltr Naish Pro Wave and 3.7 Session. The gear was sweet and we got it dialed in for the weekend.

Saturday Aug 9 - get up and go sailing!

Saturday the forecast dictated we hit the road for Roosevelt (the delta of the gorge - 1 1/2 hrs drive east of Hood River). The drive along the Columbia River was gorgeous. As we got further east, we saw the wind continue to build. By the time we got there, it was gusting into the low 40s and we were wondering if we were going to be able to hang on to our 4.2/3.7 sails. We rigged up, hit the water, and lasted about 45 minutes. It was too windy and super gusty. That day got chalked up to a nice drive along the river. Here is a video clip of the conditions (notice the inside is light so winds were NW and GUSTY at Roosevelt). The little 4 year old had no trouble with his fast tack!!

Sunday, Aug 10, get up late and go sailing!

We slept in Sunday and had a big breakfast in our awesome Skamania Lodge room. We once again hit the road and headed to our new gorge favorite spot, Doug's Beach. Although the launch can be a bit of work (you have to drop your gear at an opening/crossing in the rail tracks, carry it down a hill, walk back up and then go move your car). The sailing spot is sweet and worth the effort with great wind, nice ramps for jumping, and some of the smoothest swell around.

Once we dropped off and walked down our gear, we went back to move the car and change into our wetsuits. The string of parked cars went back about 20 cars, so we pulled in and gave ourselves several car lengths of space so we could get half naked and change into our suits without being right next to our parked neighbor (who was also changing). While I was half exposed and in the process of pulling on my wetsuit, I started to hear a train approaching behind us (we were in between the road and the rail tracks). With the train approaching and the tracks just adjacent to my half naked state, I was about to be exposed to the driver. I screamed to Rebecca to quickly pass me a towel. I avoided a full flash, but the driver could not resist blowing the horn "whuuuuhhhh wooooooo". I did not know train horns could do that. Ah, the efforts and adventures we go through to windsurf!

Here is Rebecca enjoying our favorite session of the trip - 3 hours of solid sailing on Sunday afternoon in 28mph winds that were relatively steady.

Monday, Aug 11, get a quick ride on the '09 Naish Cult, then head to the coast

Monday the forecast was for light winds, so we decided to test out the '09 Naish Cult and then head to the Coast for our Starboard dealer meeting. We went to the Event Site and rigged up a 10.5m and a 12m. Kiting at the Gorge is a bit intimidating, especially with the crowds and the normally gusty high winds. The Event Site proved to be quite welcoming and friendly, and due to the light winds, we managed to enjoy a nice session before heading out. The new kites turned super fast and are even easier to water relaunch, so we know the "Cult" will continue to be an easy kite to love.

We picked up Kipps, one of our windsurfing instructors, at the Portland airport Monday evening, and headed west of Portland 1 1/2 hrs. to the little town of Netart's Bay. After a gorgeous drive, we arrived in time to catch sunset and dinner at the local Schooner Restaurant.

Tuesday, Aug 12 thur Friday Aug 15 Staboard Dealer Meeting and Product Demos

The rest of the week was made up product meetings and demos. The crew at Trident Sports hosted a top notch week of fun and our hosts included Declan and Tracy (organizers extrodornaire), Scott Mckercher (2004 World Wavesailing Champion), Svein Rasmussen (owner of Starboard),

Ekolu Kalama (3x champion of Molokai to Oahu SUP race),

and Jim Drake (inventor of windsurfing).

We all stayed in a cozy little cabins and condos at the Edgewater Inn, complete with a wood burning fireplaces and views of the breathtakingly beautiful Oregon coast. We didn't have to get in the car all week so we got much needed respite from the trappings of city life.

The most exciting stuff we heard at the meetings was about Stand Up Paddle boarding's new explosive growth around the world. The SUP growth is bringing many of our memories back to the early days of windsurfing... when everyone was getting into it and you could see it everywhere (1 in 3 Europeans owned a windsurfer in the 80s). The promise of this new craze is to bring lots of newbies into a very easy to access sport. SUP has many cool features including a built-in awesome core workout, super easy for anyone to learn, tons of fun to cruise/tour on flat water/lakes/bays/open ocean, and easier to catch waves than regular surfing as you have that nice big paddle to help out.

The new '09 12'6" Starboard SUP ("The Cruiser and fastest, nicest one to take out with a windsurf sail) features an optional retractable centerboard - so we can help beginner windsurfers easily make the crossover....as well as easliy get SUP entrants into windsurfing.

Netart's Bay was a perfect setting for for testing all the Starboard SUPs. I woke up early one morning, and caught a nice paddle all through the bay, complete with views of bright orange starfish and sensational bird watching (oh golly, I am getting old!).

The best part of our coastal stint was catching up with other schools and shops around the country and sharing ideas for promoting windsurfing and SUP. We had a lot of fun hanging with Mark from "East of Maui" in Annapolis, MD, Mark & Steve from Big Winds, Captain Kirk from LA and Baja, Jim Ballantyne from Sailworld Cape Cod, Randy & Angela from Worldwinds Corpus Christi, TX, Simon from Toronto, Wardog from Santa Barbara/surfingsports, Pete DeKay from Windport Mag....and many others!

Thanks to Naish and Starboard for such an awesome week! We'll be back next year :)
Jane

Matt P Windsurfing Clinic a great success...thanks Matt!!!

2008-08-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

Matt gave us an overview of the Tabou 87 and 97 3S boards that we had everyone demo out at the event. The boards are great all around freeride shapes, super smooth in chop, and great for bump and jump. If you didn't get to demo on at the event, stop by any time and we'll get you out on one!

We had a great turnout for Matt Pritchard's Tips & Tricks Clinic. Thanks to

Matt for coming out to Coyote and teaching us some new moves! Matt covered everything from fast tacks, haas tacks, carving jibes, duck jibes, looping, and wave sailing. The wind and weather were awesome both days - WNW 18-25... and Coyote was so crowded Saturday that it looked like the 80s again! The parking lot was full and the clinic was standing room only.

Matt takes to the water at Coyote and busts a nice jump!

Rebecca and I loved the whole weekend and hope everyone had a great time.

Jane & Rebecca

Matt Pritchard Clinic / Demo / BBQ Aug 2-3

2008-07-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Pro Windsurfer Matt Pritchard is coming to town! Come join us at Boardsports School & Shop @ Coyote Point, San Mateo on August 2-3 from 1pm-6pm. Matt will host a FREE Tips & Tricks Clinic, Tabou 3S DEMO, and Happy Hour BBQ. Matt can help you with your jibes, loops, wave riding, and other freestyle moves.

Jane & Rebecca

Boardsports School & Shop

Best wind season in years in Alameda!

2008-07-03T16:06:00.001-07:00

We have had one of the best seasons ever for wind this year. We have seen more solid wind days than in any year since we started managing the school (2002). This has helped us get more beginners up and riding and stoked on their new gear!

Come out and get some of the good wind. The forecast for the 4th of July weekend is more of the same...and we are open all weekend (including the holiday tomorrow).

The NEW NEW THING in WINDSURFING instruction...

2008-07-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

We had a sold out US Sailing Instructor Certification class this past weekend. Tinho Dornellas (owner of Calema Windsurfing in Merritt Island Florida) flew out to lead our class and certify 12 windsurfing instructors. For 4 full days (9am-6pm) we went through many hands on training exercises, including many new presentation techniques to help us teach beginners more quickly.

The best way to sum up the NEW NEW technology we learned is that we applied shortboard efficient planing techniques to longboard beginner instruction. These new techniques can help avoid the pitfalls of unbalanced sailing, such as beginning intermediate catapults, and get beginners progressing more quickly.

Come down to the beach and we'll show you some new stuff!!

Jane

TV Crews in Alameda, wassup?

2008-06-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

On May 21st and June 3rd, TV crews from KTVU Channel 2 News and KRON Channel 4 Bay Area Backroads visited Crown Beach Alameda to report on a couple of cool stories.

May 21st KTVU report: The crew was reporting on water quality improvements in the Bay. Crown Beach Alameda was featured. Footage of kiters were shown on KTVU news that evening, and I got to see myself kiting on the news! The water quality seems to have improved over the 7 years we have been running the school. The water is clearer than ever.

June 3rd Bay Area Backroads report: Dean, the cameraman from Bay Area Backroads, came out to Crown Beach to film Boardsports School for an upcoming feature. They are producing a spot on fun things to do on the Bay. Dean caught some great footage of kiting and windsurfing at Crown Beach. The weather was absolutely perfect - sunshine and wind in the 20s! The show will air in September and we'll post it on the blog so you can catch the Boardsports Alameda action.

This is a great week for wind - come get out on the Bay!!

Jane

Boardsports School & Shop

Welcome to our BLOG!

2008-05-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

We welcome you to the Boardsports School & Shop BLOG...a place where we chronicle events, beach scenes and community fun.