Back To Reality

Well, we have a tropical storm brewing off the coast, all kinds of wind and plenty of reasons to think that this 4th of July will not be spent on the water, but I think we will find a way. Less than two weeks ago, I was out in this water near the Sunglow pier in South Daytona Beach, FL, surrounded by dolphins and beautiful light green water. It's a short work week and somehow I think I will be soon finding my way back to that reality...

We Will Be Back

It was hard to say goodbye to South Daytona Beach, but I knew that we'd be back soon. Sometimes you have to go back to work just to give your body a chance to rest up from all of the fun. There are so many exotic places to go in this world and I realized that to some of our fellow visitors, this was an exotic vacation. I had more than a few people ask me about the paddleboard and what I was doing out there on the waves. I'd like think that I inspired at least a few people to get out there on the water and have some fun. One thing that is still new to me after all these years living an hour's drive from the ocean, is night walks on the beach. About the time I'm normally heading for the couch and a TV set, the beach is full of people in groups just walking up and down the sand. It was about as peaceful as you could imagine.
It's Friday now, and I'm rested up and ready for more....

Sunglow Pier - even when there are no waves...

This is from Saturday June 21, 2014...a day of strong offshore wind and small waves. I got a workout trying to catch the waves and another workout paddling back to the truck when the wind shifted to NW and gave the biggest headwind I'd seen all week. I broke my carbon fiber paddle the day before and was feeling very fortunate when Sandy Point Progressive Sports took pity on me and gave me a hefty discount on a new one...take good care of those things! Mine snapped like a twig in my hands while I was paddling in one foot chop!

Ponce Inlet: The Inlet Harbor Restaurant

A day at the beach and we start looking for good places to eat. I love going to South Daytona and the Sunglow pier area. It's close and easy access for me. When we stay at the beach, we expand the search for food down to Ponce Inlet and one well-known spot is the Inlet Harbor Restaurant. You have to hit this place at the right time or you will have a long wait for a table. We tend to go at 5pm to miss the crowds. This place has live music, an outdoor covered bar and air-conditioned dining on the riverfront. The food and service are very good. From the food I see going out to the tables, it seems like everyone but us is splurging. We tend to get fish sandwiches while others are getting giant seafood dinners. I can say that even the less expensive fare is worth the trip. One thing special is their keylime butter for the rolls. The bread was just average, not what I remember from the past. If you are seeking something different, I would recommend visiting Ponce Inlet and stopping in for a bite.

South Daytona - The Boondocks

There is no better way to end a day at the beach than going to a good Mom and Pop place to eat. I saw quite a few local ads for the Boondocks and thought that it has to be an overpriced tourist spot selling frozen fish sandwiches, but I was wrong. During our week stay, we went there two times and on both occasions the food was excellent. Pam got the buffalo chicken tenders (hot) and I went for the burger. We also tried the fish. The food was great and the ambience is just what we wanted, unless it is really hot with no wind. It is semi outdoors, right at a marina on the river. Lots of ceiling fans and picnic tables. My recommendation is to hit the place at off hours. We tend to go to places frequented by tourists EARLIER. For example, going to eat at 5pm might mean no wait where going at 6pm could mean an hour wait. It seems like everybody but us had the crablegs...

The Local Surf Shop

While I'm not the one to avoid the big corporate stores in favor of more expensive Mom and Pop shops, The Core Surf Shop in Cape Canaveral, FL is an exception. This is a place that I look for reasons to spend money there to make sure they stay in business. I have personally witnessed the owner trying to talk a customer into a larger board that was more fitting for his size and ability...in a surf shop? Usually, all I hear is about the salesman was getting barrelled yesterday on a toothpick board, while I'm remembering it being 2 foot mush and he's looking like he never surfs at all.
Core surf seems more about making good relationships with their clientele than making a quick buck. Next time you are heading down A1A in Cocoa Beach, look for the Silver Surfer statue out front and make sure you stop in there. If you're like me, you'll want to spend some money if for no other reason than to make sure places like this are still around! http://thecoresurfshop.com/

I recently picked up a used Tower FIT paddleboard on Craigslist and the board is amazing. I was pretty skeptical at first, since my past experience tells me that anything that is short, fat, and wide will not go forward very fast. Somehow this board manages to do well with me at 195 lbs riding on it. At 5 1/2" thick, it is very thick, even for a paddleboard. The polyester construction seems odd as well in this day of epoxy boards cranked out from forms in factories. It actually reminds me of an old windsurf board from back in the 1980's only wider and thicker. The board has a Futures fin system, which is five boxes and I was excited to try that out. I ordered a nice set of set of medium-sized fins for a 3 fin setup and immediately found that the center needed a larger fin. I traded the center for a 7" fin and then the board really started to work. I have been out on a couple of not-so-glassy days and was still able to paddle and catch waves. The only downsides I can find are that this board is probably more like 31 lbs than 25....it could be that it's not new, who knows, but a giant polyester board does not even sound like something that would be light anyway. The other downside is trying to go upwind, and even getting out past the break with an onshore wind. You can catch waves, but what I do see missing that you would have on a longer board is glide. This board does not glide...but boy does she turn and go...I can paddle for almost any wave I want now, and you can believe that when I get out of the water, I am dog tired...one great board for a surfer!

Check out my video review of this board