the Atlanta Boardsailing Club
windsurfing, kiteboarding and wingsurfing in the Southeast

Addiction can be a brutal and ugly thing. We doubt that some teenage at a party, when offered an illicit substance for the first time, says, "Why yes, I'd love to do degrading things in back alleys someday. Let's see where this leads us."

No, the lure is pleasure, comfort and a bit of a thrill. It's only later, when the cravings won't stop that even the most impossible idea seems not only plausible but perfectly sensible.

Most of us started windsurfing on a pleasant, warm and gentle day. A caressing breeze filled the sail and momentary lapses of balance only meant a swim in refreshing if not warm water. It was all so fun. So innocent.

Soon equipment was bought. And then more equipment. You maybe had to bargain with the spouse to justify a new (to you, at least) piece of equipment. Maybe you didn't reveal how much that sail cost after shipping and taxes. But, you were really beginning to enjoy the sport and a mast here and fin there didn't seem like a big deal.

If you are like us, every time you see pics of Hatteras/OBX you wish that you could have been there. Wish no more next spring, our good friend. Barrett Walker has had some rooms open up in his usually quick to fill house.

If you aren't familiar with one of Barrett's Hatteras trips, take a tip-toe through his photo album from his most recent trip: Outer Banks Trip - Fall 2015

Okay, now the details -

Outer Banks Spring 2016:
Again this Spring we’ve rented a 5-bedroom house at the same great waterfront location.

Reservations:
The price per week is - $400 single and $450 per couple. Call either Barrett or Peggy with questions. To reserve please send your check to Barrett & Peggy Walker. Our contact and address information is listed at the bottom of the flyer.

This Fall Randy joined the Outer Banks Trip and brought along a paddle board. He’s typically the first windsurfer out on the water, but when the wind was light, he headed out on his paddle board with a kite folded up that he deployed once off shore.

When he wasn’t windsurfing or kiting, he headed out in his car, returned with shopping bags that he carried up to his room & closed the door.

Of course we were curious, and asked Randy what he was up to. He responded “I’m advancing the science of kiting”. It was all very mysterious.

The mystery deepened when Randy sought out advice from Ted’s wife, Ruth, about sewing technical stitches that shape fabric with complex curves. He also spent a lot of time on his cell phone and said that he was in contact with a designer in Denmark - very strange. We suspended disbelief when we saw Randy trying out the kite that he put together after a trip to the Dollar Tree where he bought water-resistant fabric stitched together with Ruth’s sewing advice. Note the Go Pro helmet camera documenting his scientific advancements. It was all starting to make some sense.

We like to think we are doing good. But face it, driving to Lake Lanier in our vintage Hummer while snacking on chicken raised on Monsanto corn and tons of drugs while gripping our steering wheel wrapped in luxurious baby seal fur probably isn't doing the good we had hoped.

Many of you have met and know the work that Barrett Walker does regarding climate change. Another local windsurfer, Rhett Turner, has devoted an amazing amount of time to environmental awareness. He's just finished his third documentary, Secrets of the Long Leaf Pine, which will be broadcast on Georgia Public Broadcasting on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m.

Rhett and his partner, Greg Pope, spent two years on this project which focuses on the long leaf pine forests of the coastal Southeast. Once, a dominant ecosystem, it is just 3% of its original size. It's an incredibly diverse ecosystem, the most diverse in the northern hemisphere and only rivalled by the Amazon.

We were lucky enough to see an advanced screening. It's an incredible piece of work. It gave us a great appreciation for these forests and those working to protect these habitats. And, as Rhett jokes, "it has snakes!" It really does, the Eastern indigo snake, the largest indigenous American snake. It's a treat to watch and it will make up just a little bit for all those Keeping up with the Kardashians episodes you watched (we know you did, don't deny it).

It's also being aired in our surrounding states:

Alabama Public Television (APT) Wednesday, October 21, 2015 8pm CST
South Carolina Educational TV (SCETV) Wednesday, October 21, 2015 7pm EST
WFSU Tallahassee, Florida Monday. November 16, 2015 at 10pm EST
WFSU Tallahassee, Florida Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 2pm EST

For more info: http://longleafpine.org/