If the wind is East and you want to go wavesailing, the Cove is the place to be!! This place can be completely epic when it all lines up!! The perfect situation is a long period S or SE swell and East winds. These are pretty rare things… So the Cove only goes off a few times a year, and it only gets truly epic once every few years. But it’s always fun, even if it’s less than epic.
The wave tends to be pretty crumbly in the Cove, so big conditions usually aren’t as hair raising as similar size waves on our other beaches. The truly spectacular thing about the Cove is how the wave peels down the point, setting up seemingly endless lefthanders…. it’s something you’ve got to see to believe, and if you get the conditions while you’re here, you HAVE TO GO, because it might not happen for another 5 years!!
Helpful HInts:
- Use a bigger board and fin than you think you need to help deal with the current and sometimes fluky wind inside.
- Don’t be afraid to bear way off the wind on your way out to help you get moving and dodge some of those piles of whitewater. If you have decent power, it’s easy to make it back upwind on the outside where there’s less current and fewer bombs to dodge.
- Explore- Sometimes you catch that magic 200 yard wave that spits you out way downwind. Hang out down there for awhile and see what the sets look like. It’ll get you away from the crowds up at the point, and who knows, it may even be better down there!
Getting There: Use Ramp 44 in Buxton and drive to the Point. 4×4 Only! Launch on the inside of the hook, off of the beaches facing more westerly/southerly. Adhere to all postings/closures/laws!! If access is closed down via 4×4/pedestrian use due to bird enclosures, or if you don’t have 4×4, it is possible to sail into The Cove from the Old Lifeguard Beach Parking Lot, but it is very dangerous and should not be attempted alone/without a plan/without support of some sort/without consulting someone with experience first!!! Basically, don’t do it, because you’ll probably die trying to get around the point and through the shoals. Here is the Ramp 44 entrance and Old Lifeguard Beach Parking Lot: Scroll south to see the Point and the Cove.
Here are some videos shot in The Cove:
Windsurfing 30+mph Winds in The Cove from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.
Fun Day at The Cove from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.