Force 6 winds & a kite boarder

I had every intention of working through a long list of projects today until I heard the wind howling through the trees. A quick look at my weather console confirmed what I heard, winds of 24 knots; throw in the beautifully sunny day and it was just too much temptation not to be on the water practicing heavy weather paddling.

On the drive to the local put-in at Chambers Creek, I could see that Puget Sound was blanketed with white caps for as far as you could see, and not just white caps but white caps with the tops being blown off. Even at Chamber Creek, which is usually so sheltered, I watched as small wind vortexes danced across the surf. I quickly stowed my gear and headed for the entrance to the sound which is protected by the pillars of a railway bridge that spans the creek. I spent the afternoon poking out into the exposed weather practicing my turns, braces, rolls and occasionally surfing a wave. It was a great way to practice safely.

I came back to the leeward side of the train embankment to take a break, and while unpacking my lunch and thermos, I spotted a man on top of the embankment dressed very similarly to myself. He was in a wet suit, helmet and appeared to have a bogie-board in his hand. It took some shouting to communicate over the wind, but turns out he’s a kite boarder who was walking back to his car. However, it wasn't till I was packing my boat that I realized that instead of walking his way around Chambers, he was attempting to swim across, and although it was much calmer on the lee side of the embankment, there was still enough head wind to hamper his progress.

I made my way next to him and asked if I could lend a hand. After passing me his board, which I attached to my tow system, he started to make good progress.

Over the years I’ve towed sailboats back to their moorings, held conked outed power boats off the rocks, but this was the first time towing a kite board; another reinforcement to always back a full kit, even when paddling alone.