Heat Alert...

Well, I heard today on 680 News that the City of Toronto was under a "Heat Alert", so I dropped everything except my $10 GoPro Camera and rushed down to my nearest "Cooling Center." The heat wasn't that bad, and considering that I grew up in South Africa, I actually found it to be quite pleasant. However, just to be on the safe side, I immersed myself in Lake Ontario for an hour. That did the trick. Got a lot of strange glances from the passers by though. A couple more pics and videos are available here. Honestly, I didn't find it all that hot...

Boom Repairs...

Last week while windsurfing at Frenchman's Bay I managed to break the head of my boom for the second time. This happened about a 1/2 mile out, but luckily it stayed together and in one piece. I managed to gybe and sail back to the shore. As decent carbon booms are now priced at around $700 I decided that a repair was the way to go. Gary had some epoxy. kevlar and carbon fibre at home and repaired the boom the following day. After letting it cure for a week, I tried it out yesterday with a 7.5 in about 16 knots. Everything held together. Thanks Gary, I saved a bundle. Maybe now that new Severne 5.5 will become a reality...

A Day Trip...

After meeting up at Mike's place at 6:00 am, the four of us loaded up the Surf Ontario van and headed north to Lake Huron. Surfed and SUP'ed two great spots, one being a "Secret Spot" and the other being Kincardine. Crystal clear water, good waves, friendly locals, sunshine and great company made it a memorable day. Arrived back home by 10:00 pm, tired and happy. Looking forward to the next trip, gotta get another one in locally before my surprise trip to Cuba...

Three days in a row...

Well, this has been a pleasant surprise, waves on the Lake for three days in a row. This almost never happens, especially in the summer, when the water is warmish. After checking out the Lake this morning I rushed home, grabbed my board and wetsuit and headed back down there. I called Jeff, but he was heading up to Meaford with his family, Gary was out somewhere and Grant was working so I went solo. I was in the water for over 2 1/2 hrs and rode some of the biggest Lake waves I have seen in a while. Took a couple of pics post session which you can see here. Nasty ShoreBreak too! I still can't believe it...

SUP Sunday...

I met Mike and Grant of Surf Ontario early Sunday morning at Ashbridge's Bay. Mike lent me a Coreban SUP to test drive for a couple of hours. Really had a good time playing around with it in the waves. Standing on the board in the waves is a lot harder than it looks, but I managed to catch two waves all the way in to the shore. Of course, Mike and Grant made it look easy. If you are interested in trying out a Stand Up Paddleboard contact Mike. Gotta try this again soon, it's loads of fun...

Surf on Saturday...

I checked out the Cove at 9am. Figured it would work on the easterly swell. There was one guy out and not much going on, so I headed home and cycled down to the break at Port Union Road. There was a small left break that lasted for about 2hrs. The water was warm, no wetsuit needed! My photographer managed to get some shots, as her ankle is on the mend. A couple more pics available here. Now that's dedication...

Summer...

Surfed Saturday morning for a couple of hours at Peacock Point on Lake Erie and windsurfed Monday afternoon at Frenchman's Bay on Lake Ontario. Broke a boom about 1/2 a mile out, but managed to sail back to shore without too many problems. Trunked it both days as the water was surprisingly warm. Gotta make the most of our short summers! No pictures are available, as my photographer sprained her ankle and was not in the best of moods. I'm off to the dentist to have a tooth extracted tomorrow. That'll be fun, but not nearly as painful as the ankle...

The Roof Cam...

Well, as promised, I installed the Rotor and the Roof Cam and it is now able to rotate through 360˚. The best views are as follows:
1. The Pickering Nuke Plant (E)
2. The Original Position (SE)
3. The Gap between the trees. (S)
4. The Village Park. (SE)
Click on the image to see the camera rotate.
The view of the Lake will probably be a lot better during the winter months when all the leaves have fallen from the trees. In the meantime the Cam will be pointed randomly in one of the above 4 directions. Anyway, let me know which direction you prefer...

Congratulations...

Mike and Grant of Surf Ontario completed the 65km Paddle for MS across Lake Ontario in 13 1/2 hours and raised $7000 for MS Research. They arrived at Ashbridge's Bay at 8pm Saturday, were welcomed by a crowd of supporters and interviewed by Global News. Check out the pictures of the finish. Congratulations again on a job well done...

A Rotor at Last...

Last weekend while at Peacock Point I was lucky enough to find a Rotor attached to an old antenna. Then on Monday I found a controller for $20 on Kijiji. Things are definitely looking good. I picked up 60 feet of cable yesterday, so sometime next week I plan to attach the Roof Cam to the Rotor. This will allow me to pan the camera through 360˚ anytime I feel like it, using the controller which will be set up next to the server.
Soon we will be able to see the conditions on Lake Ontario, all the way from the Pickering Nuclear Power Station in the East to the CN Tower in the West, without having to climb up onto the roof to move the camera. Now that's progress...

Surf Ontario's Paddle for MS...

Surf Ontario's SUP Paddle for MS from Hamilton Harbour to Ashbridge's Bay, Toronto will begin early Saturday morning. Mike and Grant are aiming to paddle 65km in 12 hours. Their arrival at Ashbridge's Bay is expected to be between 6:30pm -7:30pm Saturday evening. Follow them on FaceBook and check out the Route Map. So far they have raised close to $6000, so be sure to donate. We hope to see as many of you as possible at the finish...

Peacock Point...

We spent the weekend with Gabe and Nancy at their cottage on Peacock Point, Lake Erie. Relaxing, sailing a Hobie Cat and kayaking. Good times...