Just a number...

Here's an editorial cartoon from today's "Daily Press" that I think fits pretty well with my previous post.

Still smiling...

"US President George W. Bush poses with an injured soldier at the Center for the Intrepid, Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio November 2007. The death toll of US soldiers in the five-year Iraq conflict has hit 4,000 in what the US military said Monday was a 'tragic' loss of lives after four troops were killed in a Baghdad bombing." (AFP/File/Jim Watson)

This is what 4000; just the number; looks like:

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1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
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1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111

This is how many of those brave lives I think our heartless joker of a president is worth:

0

Virginia Weather; Manic Depressive

We just had three days of perfect weather here in Virginia, with highs in the 70s and ample, albeit gusty, SW winds. After five months of windsurfing in a thick scuba wetsuit it felt immensely liberating to wear only a thin, shortsleeve suit; to feel the warm wind and the cool water splashing on my skin. Then the weekend started...



I suppose it's just as well, in light of the real-life obligations I need to catch up on. But here are some pictures and video to recapture the glory of the past week.

This first one was taken yesterday afternoon after the wind had died down quite a bit but it was still warm. Beginner windsurfer Heather Wiseman was cruising around on my Kona with a small sail. I told her to come up to the end of the pier at York River Seafood and do a jibe at the last minute, but she started to do a tack and got REALLY close to the pier before she remembered the difference between a tack and a jibe. So the jibe was a lot closer to the pier than intended. She made it, though.



Next are some pictures of some new (to me) gear that I got to use this week. The first is a 25 cm weed-wave fin designed by a guy in California who goes by the handle "Wardog". The cool thing about this fin is that it has lots of surface area so you can use it with a big sail, but it's short and curved so you can use it in shallow, weedy water. I love it.



The second picture is my new medium-sized sail; a 6.6 meter squared 2005 Aerotech Charge. I like it because it's manouverable, powerful in light winds, and stable in high winds, whereas my previous medium-sized sails never had more than 2 out of those 3 qualities.



The final picture was actually taken before the 3-day run of warm weather. It's ODU student John Gelinne standing by my car last Sunday at "Canadian Hole" in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We had just finished up an intense weekend of windsurfing with a group from the VIMS Sail and Paddle club, led by kiteboarder Sam Lake.

Longboard Windsurfing is SO Lame...

Some people think you need a shortboard to windsurf fast. This is not the case, as demonstrated by these Polish windsurfers riding the Mistral One-Design longboard. This is the board that they used in the last 3 Olympics, before they switched to the shorter, wider RSX board.



If you notice, they are riding the board in two ways. When they are really ripping and jumping they are in the back footstraps with the daggerboard folded up inside the board. However, you also see them sometimes going quite fast with the daggerboard down and their feet in the "railing straps" further forward on the board. The high level of performance possible in daggerboard-down mode on a longboard is often overlooked, but you can see it illustrated even better in the next video.



Cool, huh? Now get back to work.

Amateur Stoke for SUP and Longboard Windsurfing

In beach jive, "getting skunked" means going to the shore with intentions to surf or windsurf, but finding the wind and / or waves inadequate for proper use of one's toys. Skunking is a common occurrence for "wind snobs" and "wave snobs"; those who only own equipment for ideal conditions. Fortunately, with the right tools and an un-snobby attitude, one can beat the skunk almost every time.

In the video below, some South Carolinians dramatize the "Slaying of the Skunk" with their new longboard / stand-up-paddleboard toys. These versatile watercraft can be used for windsurfing in flat water or waves, in light winds or strong, and can also be rowed across flatwater or surfed in waves by a standing rider with a long-handled paddle. Compared to regular surfing, S.U.P'ing is easier because the boards are bigger, you're already standing up when you start, and you can catch smaller waves. The boards featured in the video are the Kona ONE (the same model I have), and the Mistral Pacifico.

Frisco Woods Windfest is Coming; 4/17 - 4/20

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! We're only a month away from Frisco Woods Windfest in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Windfest is the most WONDERFUL extended weekend of the year. It's so many things: windsurfing, camping, the beginning of summery southern weather, friends old and new, free beer, barbecues, bonfires, pizza, my birthday... Did I mention windsurfing?



Here's the deal: Every year in late April, a bunch of windsurfers from all over the Eastern US and Canada pack up their vans and trailers and migrate to Frisco Woods Campground for an epic, 4 day gathering. Equipment manufacturers like Starboard send representatives to the event with giant u-haul trailers full of the lastest model-year windsurfing toys, which they let you SAIL FOR FREE! They even have lessons for kids, significant others, etc. Note- pictures swiped from someone else.



They also have a sports video company come and shoot pictures and video of everybody from a little boat, then they play the video on a big screen at night so you can stoke your ego by watching yourself whiz by the camera again and again, all while warming your buns around a campfire and drinking free budweiser.



Last year I had a blast riding the Starboard Serenity and Apollo and the Exocet Kona and I actually bought a Kona on the way home. Score!

If you're an East-Coast windsurfer and you haven't made windfest plans yet, get on the ball! It's a ridiculous deal because you get all the windsurfing toys and beer for free and you only have to pay for the camping. As an added bonus, all the east-coast windsurfing bloggers are going to be there this year for an in-real-life sailing and bullshitting session. Sweet!

Family News

My little sister Anna and her husband Joonas just had a baby girl, Ayla Ojanen, the first of the generation in our family. Woo hoo! I love my sister and brother-in-law and I look forward to meeting my new niece sometime soon. When she gets older I'll make sure she learns all about windsurfing and marine biology. Yay! :)

It's okay to be A

**WARNING- This post was written in 2008. While my views haven't really changed since then, I think I would now call myself a skeptical-but-spiritually-open agnostic as opposed to just a plain old atheist**

*Begin Original Post*

The fact that the majority of people in the world believe, without evidence or critical analysis, in some very unlikely things, has me worried. Most say that (religious) faith is a virtue, but I think it's a liability.

So, with apologies to conservative friends and relatives, and some trepidation about over-sharing personal information on the Internet, I've decided to come out as an atheist. Unfortunately, this makes me an official member of the most distrusted minority in America. Yet by coming out I may change, in some small way, the negative attitude against atheists, if only by showing that we don't all have horns and tails.

Anyway, if you've got some time and a curious mind, check out this British documentary on the dangers of taking religion too seriously. It's hosted by biologist Richard Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion" and "The Selfish Gene" (both excellent books). Dawkins is a touch arrogant on camera, and definitely not as lovable as Carl Sagan or David Attenborough, but he does pretty well for a scientist. The videos are too long to watch at work so you better wait until you get home and get cozy.

Part 1 (45 minutes)


Part 2 (45 minutes)

It's Thermal Time!

Yay! It's that time of spring when the water is cold but the land warms during the long days, creating "thermal" winds in coastal areas. These thermals are especially strong where they are funneled into narrow bays or gorges. San Francisco and the Columbia River Gorge are the ultimate examples, but the effect occurs in the lil' ol' York River, too. In fact, when the thermal effect is happening, it's often windier here in my little spot than it is anywhere else in the Tidewater Virginia region. Observe the current readings from the iwindsurf.com sensors...



The York and James River entrances (circled in red) have pretty good wind because of the thermal funnel effect, while the rest of the region is bleah.

Party at York River Seafood

Wow, this is the second week in a row we've had an epic windsurfing / kiteboarding bash on a Saturday. Today, York River Seafood was the venue, and EVERYBODY was there.



The wind and rain were blasting when Farrah Hall, Paul Richardson and I first arrived. I helped Paul rig a 3.7 m sail borrowed from the VIMS Sail and Paddle Club, and rigged a 4.25 for myself. Farrah went for a 4.0 (she has nice, Sailworks brand sails that she uses when not training for the Olympics with the official RS:X sail). Ironically, the wind died down shortly after we got on the water, so Farrah and I re-rigged to 5.4 / 5.2 sails. It was pretty good for a while, but then it got a little too light and quirky. Around then the kiters showed up, so we windsurfers took a time-out to socialize with them and wait for the wind to improve a little. We observed that of the 7 riders in attendance, 6 of us could be matched up with another rider who had an identical wetsuit or drysuit. We could have had a tag-team wrestling match or something.





Anyway, after a while the wind picked up. A lot.



I had convinced Paul to go for a 4.5 for his second round, given the earlier downward trend of the wind. But when he actually got in the water with it, it was pretty darn windy.



Wind was just what Paul needed, though, and he showed everyone how ridiculously fast he could go, even without using the footstraps on his old longboard.



While Paul was out there, the kiters on their 9 m kites started to get way overpowered. There were a couple near-disasters when kites warped out of shape and snapped around in the sky, but everyone made it to shore alive. Farrah and I switched back to our 4.x sails, which were able to handle the conditions pretty well for about half an hour.



After that, though, it got REAL hairy, like significantly more than 30 knots. We ended up in the water waiting for lulls just we could waterstart. At various points, each of us had the entire rig and board ripped out of our hands and thrown end over end through the air. Yikes! We called it quits when we made it back to shore. It was warm and sunny by then, but the wind was just TOO much, and I didn't even bother rigging my 3.5.



Brian, the most agro kiter, tried to go out on a 6 m kite, but that didn't work AT ALL. When I left, Paul Dovel was rigging up a 3 m and a 4 m kite, but I have no idea whether or not he was able to actually ride them.

Lil' Bush Evolution Cartoon

Just a little time-waster for all the "evilutionists" out there...

Lil Bush and Evolution

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Party At Carmines Island

March came in like a lion today at Carmines Island. Fifty degrees F and about 25 knots from the West. I'm sure we set a site record for number of riders in attendance; 4 windsurfers and 3 kiters, plus Chris Coyne taking pictures and a bunch of local lookers-on. Not bad for a dead-end road in a piddling rural county in the middle of winter. Representing the windsurfers were Glenn Woodell (left), Keith Knight (middle), and me (right). Jeff Shipman showed up later when the wind died.



Glenn Woodell is SO the man.



Keith Knight was cool for driving all the way up from Hampton to sail at our little spot. He was killing it out there with his 5.0 sail and Starboard Carve 80l. His blue nitrile gloves even matched his board. This duck jibe didn't go quite as he planned, though.



I had a good time with a 4.25 sail on my F2 Style 250. And I totally planed out of this jibe... NOT.



The kiters there were Paul Dovel (the guy with the orange volvo), Macke (pictured, can't remember his first name), and another guy from Richmond (can't remember first OR last name).



The kite guys were riding 9 meter kites at the very edge of control when they started, but then the wind died down a lot and they got dialed in better. When I left they were hooting and hollering in perfect kite conditions.



I'm aspiring to get lots of dissertation work done tomorrow and Monday, but I have my eye on Tuesday for a big Southeast Wind "party" at the York River Seafood launch.