D@mn - What a Buzz Kill

ron.c · Joined: 30 Oct 2004 Posts: 1460

I know, I know, I’ve been shooting my mouth of about skipping out work to surf or sail. Every now and then, I actually do it. At 1, it looked good, so I jumped and planned to race up to Kalmus, to hopefully catch Boardsurfr. Great luck happened when Hardie texted me and said 3 of the solid Kalmus crew - Peter, Martin and Drew were on their way to my home town beach Skaket. How cool was that, 4 guys that I’ve sailed with over the years, come’n for a party.

After watching a little too much slogging, I rigged a 6 and seemed to be the most powered up. When the wind was up it was great, full-on, slightly over powered and loving the company in my backyard!

Towards the session’s tail end and on an outbound tack, into the chop and the sun’s glare, everything was a little crazy except for one thing running at periscope depth. It was so subtle and brief, I dismissed it as shark hysteria.

Haul’n @ss, I kept on going. The next lap out, slightly underpowered, was no sharking siting. It was a full blown shark interface. It vectored my approach and swam right under my board. The back fin and tail fin were fully exposed and its body was just below the water line. It was wiggling just like in Jerry’s boat siting video. I’m surprised that I didn’t feel it, it was that close. H0Ly Sh!t, what a fine time to start sloggin!. I got out of the straps and pumped and pumped, trying to get back on a plane. After a ¼ mile, I dumped a light wind turn. I impressed myself with a lightning fast water start. On the way back in, the wind had dropped enough that I couldn’t get strapped in. I just ran with the wind and ended up in the mouth of little Namskaket.

WTF!!

Thanks for coming guys.

Hey Sinbad, can you proof read this?

RC

outcast · Joined: 04 May 2004 Posts: 2724

very cool...
how many people can say that?
Tell them it was at Skaket, and they will think you a nut job

Now you have nothing left to worry about!! you have passed the sniff test!

jpeter · Joined: 18 Oct 2009 Posts: 353

The frequency of sightings lately is incredible. Seems the pied piper led all the sharks up the coast this fall.

I plan on zebra striping my paddle board using a wide sharpie marker. Can't hurt, maybe make me feel better. For now I feel better because my last dozen outings have been in RI, where things seem less sharky.

Jay

ron.c · Joined: 30 Oct 2004 Posts: 1460

Slept well, but still feel'n the chill

Trust me, it was the real deal!

RC

WaterKook · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2014 4:58 am Post subject:

Oh I trust you Ron C. Gregg Skomal the shark expert emailed me yesterday and said they were out at the new inlet(inside) Tuesday and that two GWs are still stuck inside one tagged one not.
I am amazed how stealthy they are. When I was in my boat in about 10 ft of water you really had to look for them to see them and that day there were three stuck inside. Really makes me wonder how many times they have been right there and we never knew it.
Don't think of it as a buzz kill though you just saw one of the most amazing creatures on the planet in its natural environment.
How effing cool is that.

mat-ty · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 7850

I was at Mayflower sunday and when I was coming in another rider was right behind me trying to get my attention. I went over and he told me there was a large shark right offshore and he wanted to let people know. I spoke with him in the parking lot afterwards and he said it was about ten feet and with out question a shark, not a sunfish. Chatham has the highest concentration, but they can be anywhere. Its their playground , not ours..

dcharlton · Joined: 24 Apr 2002 Posts: 414

WOW! How big was it?

mat-ty · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 7850

We may need to start riding with a WASP in hand if these shark sitings get any worse..haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMvpmGb0Fcs

mat-ty · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 7850

Two weeks ago.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/14/photographer-captures-picture-shark-near-paddleboarder-surfer-off-cape-beach/j3v6hkkSsd3BxC7WXFMiMO/story.html

outcast · Joined: 04 May 2004 Posts: 2724

honestly, that Globe thing ain't nothing
It's been like that Buffet song around here...."Fins to the left, fins to the right"

Cruising thru the line up. etc. almost daily sightings....seal hits....bright days etc.

Hasn't changed behavior. Hard to tell if it's keeping peeps out of the water, as the townies still out there, but peeeps is thinkin twice