Redsky Surf & Snow

Tuesday Ride Night 2013

Mark — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:04:51 +0000

Come and ride with us. Tuesdays we meet up & go kiteboarding & windsurfing (weather & wind permitting). The goal is to go riding & have fun, bring your gear & come riding with us, got questions or just want to watch, come on out! We’ll post here where we’ll be, what its looking like & the biggest, most important thing, ‘IF’ the wind is cooperating & we’re actually going to be able to ride. The usual spots are Maumee Bay State Park & Luna Pier. 4 PM ish is when we arrive. Check back & see whats up!

Waterman Hall of Fame nominee ~ Don Renuart~ the interview!

Mark — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:50:32 +0000

I recently caught up with Don to talk about his recent nomination to the Watermans Hall of Fame. Here is the riveting conversation I had with him covering his windsurf career, his transfer to kiteboarding and other poignant topics. Enjoy!

Red Sky: You windsurfed forever before taking up kiting, what drew you to the water in the first place?

Don: You know, there’s like a boat-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I’m pretty good with a bow staff

Red Sky: ummm, thats great, lets try again, your cousin got you into windsurfing in Florida, lending you gear, correct?

Don: Well, I have all your equipment in my locker. You should probably come get it cause I can’t fit my numchucks in there anymore.

Red Sky: I didn’t lend you any equipment….you started making your own boards down there during the peak of the windsurfing boom, how’d you do it?

Don: I already made like infinity of those at scout camp

Red Sky: all right, moving on, what factor made you switch from windsurfing- where you were considered to be one of the very best to kiteboarding-where you had to start all over & work yourself back to the top-was it the allure of the air?

Don: Last week, Japanese scientists explaced… placed explosive detonators at the bottom of Lake Loch Ness to blow Nessie out of the water. Sir Cort Godfrey of the Nessie Alliance summoned the help of Scotland’s local wizards to cast a protective spell over the lake and its local residents and all those who seek for the peaceful existence of our underwater ally.

Red Sky: Soooooooo Nessie drove you to kiting? OK, lets try & focus- remember when we first met years ago, you had that van with the windsurf mural, all the adventures, those were some fun times, what comes to your mind from those early days?

Don: Well, you had a sweet bike. And you’re really good at hooking up with chicks. Plus you’re like the only guy at school who had a mustache.

Red Sky: we didn’t go to school together….

Don: and I caught you a delicious bass.

Red Sky: well, I can see this is going no where fast! One last easy question, lets get this one right. They used to refer to you as “the panther” during your MCO days, honestly I never saw it, but the question is what is your favorite animal?

Don: A liger.

Red Sky: whats a liger?

Don: It’s pretty much my favorite animal. It’s like a lion and a tiger mixed… bred for its skills in magic.

Red Sky: any thing else to add before the Watermans hall of fame voting takes place?

Don: Just tell them that their wildest dreams will come true if they vote for me.

Snowboard season 2012-13 is here (go on & get some)

Mark — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:26:16 +0000

Well after last season I hope you’ve learned a few things. Don’t ever take what we do for granted, every time you ride is a special day. Ride early, ride often & don’t complain. Have fun even when its not perfect, jump higher, ride faster & as a wise man once told me “point it“. Tell us where you are going, tell us where you where, tell us how it was-spread the stoke. And remember, Red Sky is your friend!

There here…..Tuesday Ride Nites 2012

Mark — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:41:31 +0000

Tuesdays!!! You know them, you love them (at least when the wind blows), back by popular demand—– Tuesday Ride Nite!!! We close up the shop at 4 PM and meet at some pre determined location by 5 PM to ride. The goal on ride nights is first & foremost to get out on the water & ride. If the direction & winds co-operate you can try out some of our small trainer kites or jump on a high performance windsurf board or the “Bat” if you’re a newb. Need some pointers, advice, help setting up or just are tired of riding on your own- then come on out! Remember Tuesday ride nights do not replace a lesson, they are more to complement it. Ride nites will go down if the winds are strong enough to ride, with gas a $4 a gallon no one needs to head out to the beach unless its looking promising! If this sounds familar it is! Pretty much the same rhetoric from last year, kinda if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! Coming to a beach town near you (maybe), run for the hills, take cover, go to an inner room, say your prays & last but not least, consider yourselves warned!

The Apocolpse is upon us!!! Spring winds 2012

Mark — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:10:24 +0000

This spring has already been pretty interesting. Just look at all these signs that the apocolpse is upon us: We started out with 80 degree temps in early March where the winds were similar to July instead of the big swell blows we usually get, cold rainy ass days in April, that well, felt like April & a lot of flat water days of no wind. We’ve yet to score a decent wave day and we’re already in to May! The toxic algae is supposed to be at never before seen levels this year, John has already “damaged” 2 kites this year (I believe he is trying to break his own world record of 19 set in 2009), Pete lost a board with about 5 of us around, which I still find hard to believe that we couldn’t find it. Don is back riding Slingshot gear (I guess there have been some cold days in hell this spring)- Man, I hope Dimitri doesn’t catch wind of this! Also, one sure sign that the end is near…..Ryan O has actually HAD to work on some windy days this year!!!!!! Surely our days are numbered, Red Sky is carrying SUPs now! Repent now, make peace while you still have time…..thats right, I said SUPs!

Special 4

Paulus — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:08:25 +0000

Bring the pain! The 2011-12 Snowboard season is finally here!

Mark — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:23:43 +0000

BRING ON THE PAIN! What happened to the early season snow falls you said we’d have Mr. Weatherman? You kind of fibbed on that one didn’t you! Well this weekend (12/10) most everyone opens up for the long awaited snowboard season. We’ll have the parking lot set , AKA The Parking Lot Lab, up firing as soon as we can. Until then go hit some of our fine local day areas like Mad River & Mt. Brighton, give them a little love because the both work the local scene pretty hard & don’t have that big corpo mentality like some (that we won’t mention). Remember always to point it once in a while, don’t talk crazy sh!t, don’t hate, jump higher & support your local snowboard shop. Get it while you can!

Alvederzane 2011 wind season, I won’t miss you!

Mark — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:00:59 +0000

What a crappy wind season, it showed so much promise early on & totally let us down in early fall. By late February or early March I’ll have totally forgotten how to ride or jump a wave! A few good days few & far in between don’t make up for the epic disappointment that we’ve suffered this year. In theory we still have a few more opportunities to ride before the bottom on the thermometer drops out so my gift to you is the last one “confirmed” in our end of Erie gets a Red Sky gift pack from the best shop in the world…….Red Sky. Once again it has to have a witness & one of our local riders, not your friend Vinnie up in Lake St. Clair. Basically, if you’re on the blog, you’re in the contest.

“First Sunday” Rail Jam 11/6/11

Mark — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:14:21 +0000

Thats right, someone is whipped!

The Good, the Rad & the Gnarly~Summer 2011

Mark — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:18:47 +0000

The setting: Ryan, Mark & Don head east to ride one of their favorite wave spots on Lake Erie only to be hasseled by the Man. This is based on a true factual account (sort of)…….

Mark & Ryan: sure looks like a good ol’ fun windy day, I think we’ll meet up with Don for some non destructive riding out east, those waves will be super nice

Don: hey, gee willikers its good to see you guys, oh-oh looks like security is coming our way!

Mark: no need to worry, I’ll just read him some bible quotes!

Tuco (the security guard): I’m looking for the owner of that TW edition Jeep. He’s tall, curly haired, he smokes a cigar, and he’s a pig!

Ryan: (pointing at Don) that’d be Don

Tuco: (to Don) I like big fat men like you. When they fall they make more noise. And sometimes they don’t get up.

Mark: ummm, sir, Don doesn’t fall as much as he used to!

Don: yeah, what he said! (hands the guard a note)

Tuco: [trying to read a note] “See you soon, id… ” “id… ” “ids… ”
Don: [taking the note] “Idiots”. It’s for you.

Mark: hey,take it easy, He’s just trying to do his job!

Blondie (the other guard to Ryan): Put your drawers on, and take your gun off.

Ryan: I’d rather put my gun on and take off my drawers!

Mark: We just want to score some of those tasty waves sir, we mean no trouble.

Don: (starts to set up) dang, I got my lines all screwed up again!

Tuco: You never had a line around your neck. Well, I’m going to tell you something. When that line starts to pull tight, you can feel the Devil bite your ass.

Ryan: thats not the only thing thats bit his ass!

Mark: Calm down Ryan, that potty mouth of yours is gonna get you in big trouble!

Tuco: If you save your breath I feel a man like you can manage it. And if you don’t manage it, you’ll die. Only slowly, very slowly old friend.

Mark: die, he ain’t gonna die

Tuco: There are two kinds of people in the world, my friend: Those with a line around the neck, and the people who have the job of doing the filming.
Mark: well I ain’t filming & the line isn’t around his neck yet!

Ryan: All right, If you are marina security, where are your badges? Let’s see them

Security Guards: “Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned kiter and pink car driving fool!

Later that day after Ryan was arrested during his court appearance on the trumped up charges:

Judge: wanted in    counties of this state…
              …the condemned is found guilty of the crimes of murder, armed robbery…
              …of citizens, state banks, and post offices…
              …the theft of sacred objects, arson in a state prison…
              …perjury, bigamy, deserting his wife and children…
              …inciting prostitution, kidnapping, extortion…
              …receiving stolen goods, selling stolen goods…
              …passing counterfeit money, and contrary to the laws of this state…
              …the condemned is guilty of using…
              Therefore, according to the powers vested in us…
              …we sentence the accused here before us…
              …Ryan Benedicto Pacifico Juan Owens Ramirez…
              …known as the “Rat”…
              …and any other aliases he might have…
              …to hang by the neck until dead.
              May God have mercy on his soul. Proceed!

Mark & Don: boy thats harsh for just wanting to catch some crispy waves!”

Ryan: [shouting as hes drug out of the courthouse] Hey, Security! You know what you are? Just a dirty son-of-a-b-!