NRS Hydroskin for Christmas!

Santa knows me so well.

My Favorite Piece of Gear - NRS Hydroskin Review

This past weekend, I went on a really fun paddle down Walker Creek and Tomales Bay with a friend of mine (Matt P who also has a blog).  We were talking about how we need to be more active with our blogs and started talking about ideas for a blog post.  I immediately thought of a "favorite piece of gear" post.  The moment I thought of that, I knew that I would have write a little about my beloved NRS HydroSkin shirt.  This is my favorite piece of gear.  Why is it my favorite?  Keep reading.

When I first started getting into SUP, I knew I would have to get a wetsuit.  In the bay area, the water rarely gets over 60 degrees.  For most of the year, it's in the low 50s.  This means, you have to have a wetsuit if you are going to spend any time in the water.  My first suit was a farmer john style that I picked from the boys down at  Clavey.  The suit by itself was not quite enough, so I got the HydroSskin shirt to go with it (also from Clavey).  I figured this would give me the most versatility for the least amount of money.  Here's what usually works for me:

• Cold Day/Cold Water = Wetsuit and HydroSkin
• Warm Day/Cold Water = Wetsuit and rash guard
• Warm Day/Warm Water = Hydroskin and board shorts

I have used this shirt while touring, teaching, surfing, downwinding, racing, even snorkeling in Hawaii.  When I'm not wearing it, I usually keep it in my drybag in case I need it.  It is compressable, and doesn't take up much room.  Last Spring, after reaching the end of my run, I gave my wife a call for a pick up and within minutes, the temperature started to drop as the sun went down behind Inverness Ridge.  I was tired, wet, and hungry and started to shiver.  I reached in my bag, ate a Cliff Bar and put on my HydroSkin.  I warmed right up.  I had to wait an hour or so for my wife.  I was happy to have that very dry and very warm shirt!  It's only .5mm but feels a lot warmer than that due to the construction.  Go to the NRS site to learn more about this amazing material.

I like Pros and Cons lists, so here goes:

PROS

• Simple - It's just a shirt.  No zipper, no pockets, no weird collar, no buttons, nothing to snagged or caught.
• Versatile - Wear it with farmer john, or by itself.  Wear as an outer layer or as a thermal layer under a rain jacket or paddling jacket.  Great sun protection too.  
• Packable - It's a lot of warmth in small package.  Roll it up and put in a drybag or in your cockpit.
• Warm - It's warmer than you would think.  The neoprene is only .5mm but it's as warm as 2mm in my opinion.
• Flexible - stretchy and fits well.  I am 6'5" 235 and the XXL fits me perfectly. The neck is great, it does a good job of keeping water from flushing but is not too restrictive. See the pictures below.
• Outer Skin Texture - Slick but not grabby like neoprene.  Allows easy entry into my pull-over PFD.  Never had any chafing or blistering. The texture of this material allows my PFD to "float" over it.  It's almost like they were made to work together.  My PFD is an Astral Greenjacket, btw.
• Value - Even at full price ($95), this piece of clothing is a great value.  Often, you can find the long sleeve version on sale for about $60.  

CONS

• Flushing - If you wear it for surfing and you fall often like I do, you will get water up this shirt.  It is a shirt after all.
• Stays Wet - This thing takes forever to dry.  If planning another session for later in the day or first thing the next morning, get two shirts so you always have a dry one.  
• Honestly can't think of anything else to say.

So yes, the NRS HydroSkin shirt is my favorite piece of gear, EVER.  There, I said it!  NRS is having a sale right now so I might buy myself a Christmas present.  Oh, I'm not affiliated with NRS in any way and I get no discounts or special considerations from them.  I pay full price or look for sales like everyone else.  I have the blue and gray already, but I like the red and gray too.  Get one.

BAM! - My favorite piece of the gear, the NRS HydroSkin shirt.

Holds up to abuse.  No torn seams or holes.  The center piece of fabric in the collar is very thin and flexible.

Form fitting but not too tight and offers good sun protection.

As you can see here, extremely flexible, more than any wetsuit.

You can see texture of the inside, comfortable, not itchy.

Here is the main material.  I am using my LED flashlight to try to show the thickness of this material.

Here is the thin material (HydroSilk?) under the arm to add in comfort and flexibility.

All About SUP Fins!

This is the best article/blog that I have seen on the subject of SUP fins.  Picking the right fin for you, your board, and the conditions is a bit of a black art.  A lot of it is based on feel.  Nothing changes the feel of your board like the right fin.  So how do you pick the right fin?  The best thing you can do is find a more experienced person with the same board.  If you are lucky like me to have some good SUP shops nearby that know their stuff, get them to make some recommendations to you.  Don't go by looks or shape.  Read on to learn about picking the right SUP fin for your board.

http://www.supracefins.com/advice/how-to-choose-a-race-fin/

Just for fun, here are the fins I run on my boards:

• Angulo Shaka XLT (14' x 30") downwind board - Allison Ninja works great for me.  A really good downwind fin that also tracks well.  If it's really flat, I will use the Allison Thresher.
• Bark Custom Unlimited (18'6" x 27").  This board is lightning fast but very tippy for me when going slow.  It gets more stable when going fast or with the wind at my back.  Interestingly, it feels very stable when going downwind in light or moderate wind.  I have not had it out in really windy conditions yet.  On this board, I am running a HUGE Jimmy Lewis fin that was modified to fin the small fin box.  This fin helps stability and tracks great.  I also have an Allison Gladiator that I will go back to once I get more water time on this board.  It feels faster and has more rake.  1/7/2014 UPDATE:  I now have an Allison Batwing fin on this board.  This fin is great.  It fits my tiny fin box, has loads of surface area and lots of rake (so it's great for grassy Tomales Bay).  It's not a very "deep" fin though so you can get through some shallow areas without scratching it up.  What I love about fiberglass fins is you can shave off little bits here and there to get a truly custom fit on your board.

Tomales Bay Buoy - A BOON for Downwinders ((Updated - Tomales Bay Buoy Transmitting NOW!))

About a month or so ago I went paddling on Tomales Bay.  South of Hog Island, I noticed a pretty yellow buoy that had not been there just a week prior.  After doing a little research I learned that this was being deployed by the UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab located at Horseshoe Cove on Bodega Head.  They already have a Bodega Buoy (that I use via my Android buoy app) and a Cordell Banks Buoy.  Anyone who spends time on Tomales Bay knows how quickly conditions can change.  Some people say there are three different weather and wind patterns on the bay.  I suspect a lot of this is due to the elevation undulations and wind gaps within the Inverness Ridge that separates Tomales Bay from Pt. Reyes. Keep in mind that Tomales Bay is only about 13 miles long from ocean to marsh so this makes weather and wind prediction very, very tricky.

If you are wanting to do a downwinder on Tomales Bay, you want real-time data from a device on the water.  Not behind a hill, and not a mile inland.  You want to know what the wind and waves are doing on the water where you will be paddling.

Enter, the Tomales Bay Buoy!  It's not online just yet, I think they are still working on it and testing/calibrating but I suspect it will be functional soon.  I hope it will be linked in with the various buoy apps that are out there.  When the winds really crank up this Spring, we will be able to get real-time wind speed, direction, air and water temp, and current.  YES!

Keep an eye on this page.

The UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab, Bodega Observation Node (BOON) is part of CeNCOOS.

Tomales Bay Buoy
Deployed August 2013.An oceanographic buoy is deployed in Tomales Bay, just south of Hog Island. It is a cooperative project between the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS/NPS), and the National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS/NOAA). The purpose of this buoy is to measure oceanographic data that will help researchers answer various ecological and oceanographic questions, as well as provide the public with real time data related to sea conditions within the bay. Researchers will use the data to study, among other things, marine life populations, water quality, how water moves through and around the bay, and climate change. Data may include: wind, ocean current speed and direction, salinity, temperature, chlorophyll fluorescence, turbidity, pH, and CO2 (the partial pressure of carbon dioxide).Please check back for more information (sensors/data), coming soon.

Tomales Bay Buoy - View is roughly NNW with  Hog and Duck Islands in the background.

10/26/2013 Update - I checked the site this morning and noticed that the Tomales Bay buoy is now online and transmitting data!  Exciting news.  We can now get real-time wind data from the middle of Tomales Bay!  As of today, I do not see this buoy listed in the iWindsurf, WindfinderPro or BuoysPro mobile apps.

Make sure to bookmark this page:  http://bml.ucdavis.edu/boon/tomales_bay_buoy.html

Tomales Bay Observations
Seawater Temperature (deg F)	55.0
Seawater Temperature (deg C)	12.8
Seawater Salinity (PSU)	33.738
Seawater Fluorescence (ug/l)	3.750
Seawater Conductivity (S/m)	3.9404
Seawater Density (sigma-t kg/m3-1000)	25.467
Seawater Turbidity	2.760
Wind Direction (deg N)	324
Wind Speed (mph)	8.95
Last update: Sat Oct 26 11:30:00 2013 PDT

Introduction to Marine Radios

VHF (Very High Frequency) marine radios are a really good back-up communication device. In many places we paddle, cell coverage is spotty at best. Radios can be used to call for help in case of emergency or can be used for general communication among the group, the guide boat, or even with other boaters in the area. 

Keep mind that using a radio is not like using a phone. Everyone on same channel can hear your transmission. Therefore, always speak clearly and concisely. Be sure to pause and allow time for others to answer. Remember, they have to first hear you and then key their radio to speak. Never use your radio on land they are meant to be used on the water only. Like other radios, range is line-of-sight, and rather limited compared to a phone. A handheld VHF will have a range of about 2 to 4 miles depending on the geographic configuration.

Here are the channels used in this area:

9 Boater Calling. Commercial and Non-Commercial.

14 Vessel Traffic - You will often hear commercial vehicles like ferries on this channel.

16 This is the most important channel. Use channel 16 for Distress, Safety and Calling. You may use this channel for hailing another craft i.e., asking that vessel to switch to a particular channel for general communication. The U.S. Coast Guard monitors channel 16 for emergency calls. Ships required to carry radio, USCG, and most coast stations maintain a listening watch on this channel. 

68, 69, 71, 72, & 78 General Comms - 68 and 72 are for recreational use.

Go here for a complete list of channels.

A cell phone has limited use out on the water compared to a radio. A VHF radio is rugged, waterproof, floats, is easy to hear, allows you to be heard by anyone on the same channel, and can give you real-time weather updates and forecasts. Compared to a modern smartphone, the VHF radio has tremendous battery life, and at less than $150 for many models, is a great low-cost piece of gear. It may just save someone's life.

For more information on VHF radios, including marine radio etiquette, check out this article.

Standard Horizon HX300 Compact Floating VHF Marine Radio

If You're Going to San Francisco | SUP Magazine

A Good video showing just how fun downwinding can be.  San Francisco Bay can get BIIIIG!


If You're Going to San Francisco | SUP Magazine

NICE paddling: Yellow Bluff SUP

NICE paddling: Yellow Bluff SUP: Here in the Bay Area we have a little tidal race called "yellow bluff" that creates a fun play spot during a strong ebb.  I've...