Graham Ezzy from Maui to Princeton and Hatteras

The East Coast calls! About two weeks ago, I left wavy Maui for my final year at rainy Princeton. But where there is rain there is a storm, and storms mean wind. So, I drove down to Hatteras for the Hatteras Wave Jam to catch some of this wind and waves. The Wave Jam is the East Coast’s premiere wave event. The other sailors were very welcoming and hospitable, but the ocean was the exact opposite. The waves were of decent size (logo to mast), the shorebreak was massive, and the current was moving faster than the wind. In these super light-wind, high-waves, strong-current conditions, just catching a wave is enough to be proud. It was some of the most difficult and technical wavesailing I have ever experienced! A floaty Quatro twin fin and my Ezzy 5.0 helped me get out through the light winds and heavy shorebreak, and I managed to ride some waves. The rides were long and fun with a heavy end-bowl perfect for small airs. As the sun set, my ears were full of sand from getting worked so hard, but I was stoked with my session.

The difficult conditions made the competition difficult too. The other sailors were talented (I was really impressed with the up-and-coming Ian Stokes), but I managed to score highly on my waves enough to win the event. Getting first place always feels good, but winning this event felt especially good because the people were so friendly, motivated about windsurfing, and the core of East Coast windsurfing culture.

Here are two video clips, one incredibly-hard-to-catch Hatteras wave and a fun summer swell at Hookipa: