Summer water sports/hobbies

[Jilly]

Well, I mean, why mountain bike when you can dirt bike?

Me, the concept of getting submerged in a kayak and trying flip it back around or escape terrifies me. SUPs seem less scary. And probably easier to get back onto (into).

Which is why I took a lesson on that. Specifically that! I love the SUP. I get uncomfortable in the seated position with my legs out front and encased in fiberglass. Also it's too hard to launch off our dock. No shallow sand beach. Canadian shield granite! I just put the SUP beside the dock and step on.

 

[kimmyt]

SUP doesn't seem that appealing to me compared to kayacking. Why stand up to do something that is easier to do sitting down? Now, a windsurfer set up with a convertible option to fold up the mast and unsnap an attached paddle when you get too far up or down wind to use the sail to get back.. or just to double as a SUP or windsurfer rig depending on your preference for the day sounds like a lot more all around fun to me..

I actually enjoy SUP much more than kayaking. At least, flatwater kayaking, which for some reason I find ridiculously boring. SUP required more attention to detail for me, it was a little more meditative, where flatwater kayaking just felt like I was trying not to fall asleep the whole time. I did take a ww kayaking course in college, and damn that was fun. In a pool. In a real ww situation, even the shitty beginner rapids they took us on at the end of class, it was terrifying. I had a pretty damn good roll, in a pool, but when I went out into that creek at the end of class it was like a whole new world.

 

[Wendy]

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My family has two islands in a sheltered bay by the sea. 30km from home. (Pic from hot tub, and sauna).

We have a small sailing boat, a windsurfing board, a canoe and a some small boats. Nothing tastes better than fresh smoked bass.

That's beautiful! I've heard Sweden in the summer is lovely.

 

[Wendy]

SUP doesn't seem that appealing to me compared to kayacking. Why stand up to do something that is easier to do sitting down? Now, a windsurfer set up with a convertible option to fold up the mast and unsnap an attached paddle when you get too far up or down wind to use the sail to get back.. or just to double as a SUP or windsurfer rig depending on your preference for the day sounds like a lot more all around fun to me..

SUP is a full-body workout, whereas kayaking ignores the legs (in whitewater kayaking, use of the hip flexors is very important, though). As someone who was formerly a rabid whitewater girl, I love SUP more because of the workout it gives, its meditative nature (on flatwater), and the ability to jump in for a swim or just lie down on the board and chill out. Rolling a whitewater boat is fun, once you get comfortable with it, but there is a constant risk on the river that requires always paddling in groups. In contrast, I can paddle out on my SUP by myself for miles without worrying about safety issues.

 

[crgildart]

SUP is a full-body workout, whereas kayaking ignores the legs (in whitewater kayaking, use of the hip flexors is very important, though). As someone who was formerly a rabid whitewater girl, I love SUP more because of the workout it gives, its meditative nature (on flatwater), and the ability to jump in for a swim or just lie down on the board and chill out. Rolling a whitewater boat is fun, once you get comfortable with it, but there is a constant risk on the river that requires always paddling in groups. In contrast, I can paddle out on my SUP by myself for miles without worrying about safety issues.

My boarding is done in ocean waves. I wouldn't recommend paddling around too far off shore alone. Surfing is a pretty good full body workout. If I was on something big enough to stand and use a paddle I'd also like the option to hoist a sail... which is also a good full body workout. I just don't see the point of standing on a fatter surfboard paddling when there are so many more efficient ways to get around on the water on a board, standing or not. I predict SUP won't be a think anymore in a year or two... just like fat skis bwahahahaha..

 

[Olesya C]

To each their own. I don't think I would try surfing or even SUP in the ocean - have to be a great swimmer for that and the potential for injury is much higher. I already do one risky sport - skiing - for me that is enough risk. I don't know much about sailing. Sailing looks cool but seems to me like it's a pretty involved sport - equipment, skill required etc. I actually doubt SUP is going away, I think it will grow - a few of my friends from Baltimore area recently tried it and love it, seem like a lot of people who try it enjoy it. From what I understand SUP exploded in the past few years. I like SUP way more than kayaking for the same reasons people mentioned above, it's a full body workout, more meditative, I can do yoga on the board, I can even sit down and paddle if I want to. I can also lay down on the board and chill, take in nature and all.

 

[Doug Briggs]

The best way to sail is on someone else's boat. It isn't very hard, although it can be tiring depending on weather. It also has its risks like falling overboard, being struck by the boom and such shenanigans. Cruising is where it's really at, though. You go where you want, stop when you want and always have a fine water view.

 

[Olesya C]

The best way to sail is on someone else's boat. It isn't very hard, although it can be tiring depending on weather. It also has its risks like falling overboard, being struck by the boom and such shenanigans. Cruising is where it's really at, though. You go where you want, stop when you want and always have a fine water view.

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That sunset is breathtaking!

 

[Doug Briggs]

The sunset is Cocktail Cove in Maine off of Portland. It is always like that at least once per voyage.

 

[Eleeski]

I want a foil sailboat. Like the Americas Cup boats but smaller. A Moth? Sailing is a contact sport.

Loved our 420. It's now teaching kids to sail. Sank our FJ to the bottom but we salvaged it. I'm a good enough sailor (?) that it was a close race when my Olympic hopeful buddy let me sail his 470 and he skippered my ratty FJ (a long time ago). Fun times. Somebody else's boat!

Eric

 

[mdf]

I am in the middle of our annual week in a rental cottage on a lake (Wequaquatt, spellimg?) on Cape Cod. I'm too chicken for the ocean (and it is too cold). We have 4 kayaks and a windsurfer. We rented a SUP last night, going to try it out this morning since there is little wind.

Windsurfing is a lot of work when there is enough wind to make it interesting. And it is very much an equipment-intensive sport if you are serious about it -- different size sails, with the masts and booms to go with them. Maybe even different size boards. I only have two sails, a 7 sq. meter and a 9.5 sq m. one. But there is something wrong with how I have the smaller one set up; a lot of the time it feels like the wind is pulling really hard but I'm going nowhere. The big one is harder to get out of the water, but much easier to sail.

 

[Jilly]

I have fond memories of Flying Juniors and Flying Dutchmen's in my teen years, learning to sail. Got my CYA - Canadian Yachting Associaton first star too! Means I can crew, that's all.

 

[Crank]

I live, part time, on my 41' sailboat. Love cruising around on it. We kayak mostly flat and what I call bouncy water... bouncy water being Long Island Sound. SUP doesn't appeal to me. I also do a lot of mountain biking so the legs get plenty of workout time and it is nice to sit and paddle.

I have rented sit on top kayaks and played in the surf with them. Would be fun to try SUP in the surf. I used to surf a little and used to do a lot of boogie boarding.

Sunset and a lot of boats anchored at New Harbor, Block Island, RI.

Here's Jenny at a dock somewhere in MD while I was bringing her home from the Chesapeake Bay where I found her.

 

[crgildart]

The only thing better than owning a nice boat is having a friend that owns a nice boat!

 

[Monique]

I am in the middle of our annual week in a rental cottage on a lake (Wequaquatt, spellimg?) on Cape Cod. I'm too chicken for the ocean (and it is too cold).

My husband grew up in Boston, so they always went to Cape Cod for summer vacations; I grew up in Virginia, so we always went somewhere between NC and Delaware. A few years ago, we joined his extended family at Cape Cod. BRRRRRR. It's an entirely different experience. It was blazing hot, though, so I did spend some time in the water. You know, after a while you go numb and it's fine ;-) But now my parents live on the coast of North Carolina, and they have friends with access to a private beach, so I've gotten pretty spoiled by warm water and relatively uncrowded beaches. (Which is how that entire island was before that area was discovered ... so it goes.)

Cape Cod was very dangerous to me due to a local chain called Chocolate Sparrow. It was open late into the night and did made to order chocolate espresso milk shakes. I would imagine I consumed about 3k calories a day in milk shakes alone while there.

Here's Jenny at a dock somewhere in MD while I was bringing her home from the Chesapeake Bay where I found her.

I'll admit I spent about half a minute searching for a woman in the photo before realizing ...

 

[mdf]

Cape Cod was very dangerous to me due to a local chain called Chocolate Sparrow. It was open late into the night and did made to order chocolate espresso milk shakes. I would imagine I consumed about 3k calories a day in milk shakes alone while there,

We have been going to Four Seas for an ice cream cone lunch. My brother in law has been getting a chocolate frappe (milkshake to most of the country) every day. He wasn't able to stay all week so he got an extra for the freezer to eat in the car on the way to the airport.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Cape Cod water is cold. NOT! Clearly you haven't been Down East.

https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/natl.html

 

[crgildart]

I'm spoiled with the ocean temps here along the NC coast. I've only worn a wet suit once since moving here in 99 and that was during April.

 

[Monique]

Cape Cod water is cold. NOT! Clearly you haven't been Down East.

https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/natl.html

What part of 55* isn't cold?

 

[mdf]

Only made it through 2 bottles of red (rhe full case) and 2 of white (the half case). A lot of work to do.