Uncategorized

Yesterday (Saturday, 8/15) we had a nice Demo Day at East Beach in Norfolk, VA.  East Beach is a great community surrounded by water.  Little Creek on one side and the Chesapeake Bay on the other.  They always do an outstanding job when it comes to social events; adding the food, music, and nice people.

We brought some Hobie boats to try out; the Getaway, Wave, Bravo, and Adventure Island.  In addition, we brought some stand-up paddleboards (SUP).  I can tell the SUPs are getting more interest by the amount of questions we get.  Several people tried them and we got a lot of positive feeback with them. 

In the end it was a beautiful day for sailing and a great venue for demos.  Hopefully, we’ll be back next year. 

In other news, we’re relocating our Norfolk Hobie dealership from Dolphin Marine to Little Creek Marina.  Brian Baker, the general manager, is extremely excited to have us in there and we only have to move across the creek to our new site.  I ask that you please bear with us as we make the transition and train new people.

For those of you looking for a deal on a Hobie Cat we are now taking deposits on our renal fleet boats.  Please call for prices and details.  252-441-2756

Be sure to watch the new highlight video I’ve posted on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2tuXW3Y3IU

Some of the shots came out great.  I used the GoPro camera which is incredibly small and comes with a waterproof casing.  Without a zoom lense you have to be right on top of the subject.  Wish I could have gotten more footage but I was just a little impatient and wanted to get something put together.

********************
Pointless thought I:
While driving in to Grandy, NC I see a billboard for Sonic.  At the same time I’m thinking about Hardees because I know there’s one in Grandy and I’ve been salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs for the last 5 miles.  How can Sonic be in business with Hardees just down the street?  That’s like bologna competing with steak.  Notice that in the Sonic commercials they usually advertise desserts.  I guess they’re just an ice cream stand that happens to serve burgers whereas Hardees is a meat lovers burger joint.  Since we don’t have a Hardees on the beach I make it a point to grab lunch or dinner there when I’m on a road trip.  If you haven’t been to a Hardees lately you’ve got to check it out.

Pointless thought II:
A friend of a friend is a commercial fisherman and he hooked me up w/ some fresh caught shrimp for $3/lb.  Took it straight home and grilled it w/ some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Simple and tasty.  Times like that it’s even better to live where we live.

While things were a bit slow this afternoon my manager, Scott Foster, and I decided to go over to the ocean and get some pics of our new SUPs in action.  We hadn’t taken the inflatable SUP in the waves yet so we wanted to see how it would respond.  Scott caught his first wave ever on a SUP using the Starboard Big Easy and did a nice job going down the line, something I haven’t caught on yet.

The on-shore breeze was making it a little bumpy but the water was warm and the waves were fun.  We then ventured out on the Sevylor Samoa.  It was a bit more tippy but we were still able to float on it nicely.  That’s probably because it’s filled with air, duh.  The waves we were trying to ride were probably a little big for the Samoa (waist high) and the board wanted to nosedive a bit.  Next time I’ll try to find a cleaner day with knee high waves and I’m sure I’ll get waaayyy back on the tail to keep the nose up.

It’s always a good day when you get on the water.

We got some new toys in and I was able to test one out today in the ocean.  Starboard makes an SUP called the Big Easy.  It’s 12′ long and designed for big riders who want to easily drop in on some knee high waves.  Describes me to a T.

I had to run some morning errands and on the way home I stopped by MP 5.5, aka, the laundra-mats.  It was pretty flat but I figured that was good to get my sea legs on a new board.  After paddling around for 15′ I decided to try and catch a swell.  I had no idea what to expect and figured I’d wind up in the water.  Talk about truth in advertising, I caught the wave with ease.  Then the next one, and the next one.  It wasn’t an epic day but I couldn’t belived how easy it was to catch a wave and have a lot of fun.  By the way, visibility was great. 

After a little work around the house we took the family to the beach and, of course, I had to try again.  Although the on-shore winds made things a bit choppy I was still able to catch a few waves.  I still need to work on the steering but that should come with more time on the water.  It’s the price I’ll have to pay.

 As we roll in to the peak of the season I think our staff is outstanding.  My emphasis on hiring this winter was based on enthusiasm and we nailed it.  The crew is upbeat with each other as well as the customers.  We’re getting lots of compliments and big tips which tell us we’re doing something right.  We may not always get things right but if you give us a chance to fix it we’ll do our best.

*****************************************

On Tuesday I pulled in to the parking lot around 1:00 pm and saw a 6 point buck running along the highway.  I parked the truck, grabbed the camera, and went towards the road to see if he’d pop out for a photo but I think he ran across the highway and ducked in to an undeveloped lot.  I was pretty surprised because there are not a lot of wooded areas near us.

*****************************************

Fishing has been very good on the Outer Banks lately.  One of our customers from Baltimore rented a kayak and spent the afternoon fishing the islands on the Roanoke Sound.  He came back with two big fish; a drum and a speckled trout.  That same week my friend Chip caught a 27″ drum off of Martin’s Point.  Two weeks ago my friend Daryl Law took his daughter, Lauren, to a kid’s fishing tournament on one of the local piers and she snagged a winner just before time expired.  Finally, a friend of mine helped an older gentleman reel in a Cobia that was at least 50″ on to one of the fishing piers.

Makes me want to wet a hook.

******************************************

We received the coolest skateboards you’ve ever seen.  They’re called Hamboards and their made in Huntington Beach, CA.  These boards are 6’6″ long and are shaped just like a surfboard.  They’re made of bamboo and look great.  I’m not even a big skateboarder and I love cruising around on it.  Everyone that sees it is pretty impressed.  I can’t keep my 10 year-old off of it.

Come by and check it out.  We rent and sell.

Cheers and have a great day.

I’m not the kind of person to toot his own horn but, dog gonnit, we’ve got a great windsurfing location at MP 16 in Nags Head.  Hatteras Island is still the place to go for the hard core windsurfer and understandably so.  It has a little bit of everything.  But here’s what we have at Kitty Hawk Watersports:

• Great access to the sound.  No need to rig or de-rig,  just grab and go.
• Equipment is rigged and ready.  We’ll even carry it to the soundside for you.
• Friendly service.  Our staff possesses enthusiasm and great attitude.
• The shallow water of the Roanoke Sound warms up quickly in the winter and spring when the air temp rises.

In addition, I’ve created a little reputation for fixing old boards and rigs for customers.  Over the years I’ve acquired a lot of old junk I keep for that person who comes in with their 20 year-old board who desperately wants to get back on the water.  Usually, I can help them out and I always enjoy helping people.

Hopefully, the people heading south will slow down long enough to see what we have to offer and decide to stick around for a sail.

Hoping to see you out there.

Several years ago as one of our old aluminum pontoon boats was showing its age I theorized that we’d be better served if we just took a Carolina Skiff and made it nice and cushy like a pontoon boat.  A few of my friends couldn’t visualize it but I was confident we could make it work.  So when the time came to replace one of our old boats I bought a 25′ extra wide Carolina Skiff with a 150 hp outboard.  My manager, Dan McIsaac, then proceeded to place modular pontoon boat seats around the perimeter and added a bimini and stereo.  The end result was a great boat for big families, something we see quite a bit of vacationing on the Outer Banks.  It seats at least 15 people and the big motor gives it plenty of power on the water.  With no carpet to vacuum it’s a lot easier to clean and it’s super tough.  Also, there’s no aluminum to get eaten up by the elements.

It may not be the sexiest boat on the water but it fits the boating conditions and the customers perfectly.

We market the skiff as a pontoon boat which confuses a few people but when they see how much room they have they appreciate all it has to offer.  The Carolina Skiff can be rented out of Nor’banks Sailing located in Duck, NC.

So I’m in the reading room (toilet) browsing through the June issue of Outside when I spot an article on vacation escapes for less than $500.  I always like to see what the magazines say about our local activities and I spot “Kiteboard the Outer Banks”.  As I read on I notice that the “Kittyhawk (sic) Kites Kiteboarding Resort” was an all-inclusive campus in Nags Head.

Really?!  Could someone give me directions because I know this area pretty well and I haven’t seen it on the beach road or the by-pass.

According to the blurb, the student will spend day two “testing out your new skills on 395 square miles of beginner-friendly Atlantic shallows accessible from your doorstep.”

Wait a tick.  The Atlantic has 395 square miles of shallows?  So I’ve been wasting my time placing my kids in water wings?  Then why do they call it the Devil’s Triangle?

Now that I’ve gone totally sarcastic on you let me mention the article’s title was “Get Lost:  For Less Than $500”.  I’m lost alright, and the cost per person for two days, food and lodging included, is $500.  I know that last one is a bit nit-picky but I couldn’t help it.

I think the person who wrote up the synopsis made some calls, talked to the wrong person, and then phoned it in to the editor.

On the flip side they had a do-it-yourself weekend adventure for surfing on Hatteras.  They mention getting a cabin at Frisco Woods, renting surfboards at Natural Art Surf Shop, and eating at The Hatterasman.

I think this guy was actually here.

******************************

The wind is blowing about 15-18 right now and we’re seeing a few windsurfers out between showers.