Dancing with Diamonds: Windsurfing North Carolina's Sounds - Kitty Hawk NC Weekend Getaway

Preview: The first time windsurfing crossed my radar screen, I was standing beside the Columbia River, not far from Portland, Oregon. “You’re not going to be believe what you see,” my friends Becky and Bob promised me. In the river gorge, with majestic, snow-covered Mt. Hood standing tall in the background, were dozens, if not hundreds, of people windsurfing. Sails of every color—yellow, green, orange, purple—skipped along the water’s surface as the afternoon sun shone brightly on the river. It was a picture of neon-colored, one-winged butterflies dancing atop liquid diamonds. The men and women who had mastered the art sailed along the top of the sparkling water as if they hadn’t a care in the world. Had they found ultimate freedom? It surely appeared so. Those who hadn’t mastered the art—and there were a lot more of them scattered about—were either standing in the water attempting to mount their boards, resting from the exertion, or somewhere in the process of falling down. I was immediately intrigued and, upon arriving home, sought an opportunity to sample this sport. Not too long after the trip to Portland, I discovered that my family doctor, Patsy Daniels, is an avid windsurfer. She is passionate about windsurfing, and over the last seven years, she has honed her skills as well as introduced her husband and several friends to the sport. When I peppered her with questions about how hard it is to windsurf and where you go to learn, she offered to be my teacher. “Do you know what you’re getting into Patsy?” I asked. She assured me she did. “Ok,” I replied, “you’re on.”
© Copyright Lynn Setzer published by Menasha Ridge Press all rights reserved.


Best Time to Go: April through mid-October
This travel guide comes from:
Great Adventures in North Carolina Guide Book