Spring with Davven

I was supposed to go surfing yesterday but when you're a Dad life sometimes has a way of letting you know that being a Dad can be better than any wave.

 My wife Nathalie had to work on Saturday so my surfing was put on hold and at first I was a little annoyed. But as the day unfolded i realized things can happen for a reason. After breakfast my son and I got dressed and headed outside for some fresh air and some morning sun. The day warmed up and warmed up and we rode our bikes, played on the swing and went for a walk. And honestly we had one of those days that I dreamed about when we found out we were pregnant.  I could write novel about how the day made me feel but I won't bore you with the details. Just know being a Dad is a great feeling. Especially when at the end of the day Davven turns to me and said " I love you Daddy". What a day

Pow...

Hey All,

  I know I posted already today but I wanted to show you a pic that Corran took a few days before we left for Hampton...Who says you can't boost an air on a river wave?...Guillaume Larouche...Gettin er done

Hampton in Spring 09

Day 1

Well Corran and I made the drive down to Hampton for a Spring swell, the swell models were saying 10 to 12 feet plus but when we got there it was really coming in from the North. So it was doing this wierd close-out thing at the wall so we headed a bit North to check out Rye on the Rocks. ROR was pumping and sucking up big time so we suited up and headed out, it was crowded on the outside so Corran and I picked off a few on the inside. This spot was really hard for me as it would seem like the wave was unrideable then it would jack up at the last second and I miss another one...Getting frustrated and always missing the big ones on the outside, I decided to paddle out deeper and sit just inside the longboarder wait for a bomb set, let the longboarder grab the first one and pick off a nice one after. My plan was perfect, except the next set was a clean up set, and as I paddled for my life as I tried not to get, well, cleaned.. but I didn't make it over the last giant which was at least 12 to 14 feet. I went over the falls backwards on my 6'8" and just GOT BEATEN, and I mean BEATEN...I took at least 3 on the head and where I ended up was very dark, very cold, my ears where ringing, I had an ice-cream headache like no other icecream headache, oh and I was running out of air. So I pulled on my leash till my board reached me, way down in Davey Jones' locker and I rocketed to the surface got a great great breathe of air then took another one on the head(lol). But this one more or less just slammed me around and ripped my mitts off, and pushed me towards the beach/rocks. So i walked back to the car beaten battered nd bruised and of course got no sympathy from Corran who laughed at me cause I looked like hell.  We got a room at a fleabag motel ate and went to bed...

Day 2

We were supposed to meet Jimmy today but with a brand spanking new baby he just couldn't get away. The waves were closing out again at The Wall so we headed to Jennesse Beach to check it out and to our surprise the waves were rolling in so nicely, not as big as the day before but much much cleaner. The waves were jacking up to about 6 to 8 feet. Corran and I went out but as I made it through the inside the toggle draw string on my hoodie(which I hadnt pulled tight) fell off and I got a head full of cold water which went down my back. So I boogied to the beach and decided to give the SUP a try, which will keep me out of the water a bit more and I could get some practice in. I made my way through the inside on my knees and paddle  and paddles trying to make it outside...after about 45 min of struggle I finally made it outside and took another hour of practice before I statred to get a feel for it. I chit chatted with some longboarders who were awesome and started to catch some outside waves then i'd back off  and try again. I was sitting way way outside when all the longboarders started whislting and yelling, which meant a big set was coming through.  So I turned the SUP put the paddle in and paddled hard, while the longboarders hooted and hollered.  And I dropped in to the biggest wave I've ever surfed on the east coast. It was at least 4 or 5 feet over-head and the SUP heald great as it peeled behing me, it was a left so I switched hands with the paddle and dropped my knee and rode it for about 100 yards it was so awesome. After that wave at about noon I walked to the car got changed and sat on the beach reliving that great wave. That wave made the trip...

Last thing I took some pics of a local surfer we met, Dan, dropping into a nice wave at The Wall.

D

Spring Swell

Well a Spring storm in the Atlantic and praying to the wave gods has brought a swell our way. Corran and I are packing the truck and heading to the east coast for some much needed ocean time. Should be a good swell coming in around 10ft+, we'll hopeful remember to charge the cameras take some pics and video which I'll either post here or post a link to it...SO I be gone for a few days I check in when I can...

Have fun at work...

It's ok to hate me..

See ya

Darren

What do We do All Winter???

One of the students from last year just sent me an email asking me what we do all winter...

Well we usually head south for some sun, sand and surf, sometimes we hit the east coast for a winter swell, we do lots and lots of R&D on new boards, shapes and designs for the following year, and lots and lots of Snowkiting. Individually Corran and I have our own side projects that we work on all winter. Corran designs for Dragorossi (a Kayak company in Italy) and I work for a KiteSurfing website(KiteRoam) so it's not like we sit on our asses and drink Pina Coladas.. I have a son who's almost 4 and we had a great time this winter building forts in the snow and playing. I also work on my house with my wife Nathalie cause I don't have time in the summer. But don't get me wrong we do play alot in the winter, and I do mean ALOT. 

Here's the winter summary.....Ready....Shop closed in Oct, Halloween with my son, November swell with Jules and Corran, X-mas, New Years at the cottage with(JD,Tami, Jeremy, Olga, Brad, Jamie, 3 dogs and of course Davven) Snowkiting, snowkiting, snowkiting, snowkiting pretty much 3 to 4 days a week. Corran leaves for Germany, Corran gets back from Germany, R&D SUP, R&D R&D...Corran "surprise" B-day party at Tremblent with (Christine, Nathalie, Annick, Yannick, Giuallme, Corran, Me)Tremblent, Backcountry, Snowkiting, winter SUP at Habitat, Corran and Jimmy hit biggest swell on the east coast in a long time (f*ck i missed that one), Corran and Andreanne paddle from Dorval to Verdun on an SUP trainers. Chambly levels perfect. 

Ok so that's it in a nut shell.. There's stuff I left out of course but that's just an overview...Weather looks good o the weekend Chambly is in..be carefull see you out there.

D

Remembering Warmer Days

On this crappy raining and cold day I though I'd post a video from last year as inspiration for the upcoming summer. A day of boardshorts and a rashguard to keep cool in the summer sun.

It's a short one of me on Big Joe in the Lachine Rapids and you can see Mavericks in the backround being all nasty , with Corran on the jetski filming. Enjoy. Be Inspired. Can you tell I'm jonesing for summer... 

Spring

Just a short post today cause I'm Tweeking big time, Corran went for a surf at Chambly without me, cause I couldn't get free from the renos I have to finish before the season starts. But Spring is definitly here... I really really really need to go surfing or kiting soon, before I go mad.

Cheers

D

Press

Over the winter I had some exposure in the press, the Mirror, Meteo Media and a few paddling websites. Thought i'd post the Mirror cover shot that Corran and I got...My first cover haha.. And some link's to other websites and photos of me on my SUP.(Imagine, Search Magazine, and CanoeKayak.) 

D

First Blog

So today is one of those in between days, a day of no car to get out surfing cause my wife has it, but tomorrows weather looks great. Lots of people were out at the wave yesterday, surfing and getting the cobwebs out(Corran, Christine and friends) Spring is almost here and the season is about to start. The shop is a mess from all the winters R&D shaping of boards but we have a few weeks to get that sorted out. Here's a feww pics from the winter season, I got out on an SUP for the first time and loved it....