Town Beach, Narragansett RI

I paddled out yesterday at Town Beach in Narragansett. The weather was pretty decent, sunny with highs right around 50. The wind was offshore and pretty strong, probably blowing about 15-25 knots out of the west north-west. I parked in the second parking lot, just north of the main lot by the intersection. Right out front of the beach club there is a sunken barge so I ended up just right of it (to the south). The set waves were rolling through at about waist to chest high, although only a few reached that height. It seems that once the waves get any bigger than this everything starts closing out and narragansett is home of the 2 second right (bottom turn and eat the lip). Luckily (and surprisingly) the shoulders were holding up and I found a little right about 100 feet south of the barge that peeled up and past it so there was no real danger of hitting it or getting entangled in whatever the hell surrounds it. Overall it was fun to just be out there (the last time I was out was in Daytona) and it was hard to complain about the weather or the air temperature.
BB1

Xcel Infiniti 5/4/3 wetsuit

The XCel Infiniti 5/4/3 mm fullsuit is one of the best wetsuits I've ever owned. I remember I first used it the week after Christmas a couple of years ago and just about broke a sweat. I think I've only once been cold when I was in this suit, and that was when the wind was howling offshore at about 20 knots and the temps were in the high 20's. The freedom of motion is impressive as well, paddling is relatively easy when you take into account how much rubber you're wearing. Considering that I paid $300 for it, it really better perform the best out of any wetsuit I've ever used. For the money you can expect one of the best suits out there. Xcel's website is here: www.xcelwetsuits.com.

BB1

Matt Kechele 7'2" Pug Performer

When I graduated high school I got to pick out my graduation present. After going to a local surf shop and looking at nearly every board they had, I decided on the Matt Kechele Pug Performer. The overall shape is a hybrid, with a rounded nose, moderately wide mid-section fading down into a swallow tail. At 7'2", the board is a great compromise between paddling, maneuverability and speed. Out of those three, the most noticeable is the way the board paddles. It can catch just about any wave that a longboard can, provided that when you're paddling you're far enough up on the board. It took a little while to get used to the paddling trim, especially when I was used to riding a 9' Robert August. Once the wave is caught and the rider is up, the board is fairly stable for its size. What's surprising is the speed you can develop by doing a few pumps down the line. Even at high speed, the board is still very responsive and is just a joy to ride. If you're looking for a great board that handles well in nearly any surf conditions you should consider looking at this one. Matt Kechele has a shop down in Cocoa Beach, FL so if you're interested in supporting an east coast shaper he would definitely be a good choice. Mr. Kechele's website is here: www.kechelesurfboards.com/home.html

BB1