The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Video: Sticking the Mast Mid-Aerial

This clip of Arthur Pollet (French/Brazilian, PWA Freestyle competitor) getting stuck is making the rounds. ABK's Andy Brandt told me years ago that many freestyle moves were invented out of other moves going wrong (ie donkey jibe to escape a prematurely initiated duck jibe)...so I'm thinking how cool it would be to intentionally stick the mast in the bottom and hang from the footstraps for a second...like a gecko flacka on steroids. Might be hell on masts. A good move to throw on the moon.

The SUP Cartwheel Part I

I have too much time on my hands (on account of my lingering arm issues). What do I do with the time (besides my wife's bidding?) I enjoy this fine report from Michigan Windsurfing as they pursue the elusive SUP cartwheel. Lake sailors rule!

Anything you can do, Laird can do better. SUP Freestyle II

Thanks to NC Board Rider for suggesting this in a recent Comment

Wave Freestyle at Jupiter SUP Fall Classic

This just in from Dasher Films in Florida:  The Jupiter Fall Classic.   Check out the move at 1:46...this is new to me.  There's a bit more trickery later in the video too.  Of course the general waveriding is nice to watch on Thanksgiving morning!

ABK Clinics are nearly full

To the windsurfer who would be a better windsurfer:

If you're assuming that you're going to take one of the upcoming ABK Boardsports windsurfing clinics at Napeague 9/23-25 and 9/30-10/2, you'd best be registered already, as they're currently showing only 3 slots left in the first clinic and 5 in the second.   There are even ABK veterans who believe that if they show up on clinic day with cash on hand that they'll be able to participate, but I'm here to tell you I've seen Andy Brandt turn people away on several occasions.

Here's the good news:   When ABK gets a bunch of people registering a week before a clinic, they bring in extra instructors and add a bunch of new slots.  

Earlier this year the spring ABK clinic was cancelled due to lack of registrations.  Afterwards it turned out there were plenty of Long Islanders who had been planning on taking the clinic but just hadn't gotten around to signing up.  There were disappointed people then, and there could be disappointed people in the coming weeks if they don't sign up.

So sign up!!!  You know you want to.   The first clinic will include a group just for people who want to focus on racing (look for notice here about upcoming Long Island fall windsurfing races) and the second will include a similar freestyle group.

 

Desperation Session at Tiana Bay

Christian was on an 8.0 and a big freeride board.  I had rigged seven meters worth of stickers atop my freestyle 109, and Jeff was managing to plane in the gusts on his 4.7 and SUP board.   The only thing we had in common as we windsurfed Tiana Bay was the desire to get some quality watertime, after Swell Info’s tease of a SUP-surfing forecast proved to be just that: a tease.   And I had just been badgering Vulcan Rich Simmons an hour earlier about his lack of a SUP board...”Dude how can you NOT be SUPing?” telling him about the greater dependability of the forecasts.  C’est la vie.

At least the lack of waves was accompanied by 10-14 mph knot winds from the NW, so we crossed Dune Road and launched from Tiana’s bay side parking lot, once the favored location for ABK and Dasher windsurfing clinics thanks to its friendly shallow waters (and still the spot of Southampton’s town windsurfing program for kids.)  It was low low tide, and weedy, which didn’t disturb Jeff (miraculously planing on a 4.7) with his little SUP fin, or Christian (who sails Tiana Bay regularly and so knows to use a weed fin) but me...I was running aground repeatedly.  I finned down to a wide shallow fin (Tiana Bay countered by letting several more inches of depth ebb to the ocean) and did manage to throw the occasional old school freestyle move (backwinded jibes, flip jibes, push tacks) along with old school futile attempts (I couldn’t get the 7.0 to carve 360 or duck 360) whilst Jeff was working on duck tacks.  After about an hour my still-unhealed bicep (MRI results expected this week) tired of all the weeds and fin hits, and rather than do the sensible thing (switch to a weed fin) I called it a day.

Freestyle Photos Courtesy Peconic Jeff

Mike Burns throws a shuv it for Peconic Jeff at Heckscher last week.   That's Jeff's story, at least.  I think Jeff popped up out of nowhere and this is Mike's evasive maneuver to avoid dinging that beautiful board!  If I'm right (and I rarely am) Jeff Schultz was getting in the way a lot that day, as his collection of outstanding closeup windsurfing photography will attest.  Check out his blog post for more.

Light Wind Battles, Relay Races and SUP Madness: ECWF Day Two

The winds were light and off-shore for day two...yeah boy!  The standings as of Day One were on display, but things were going to get shaken up.

Racemaster Tom set up a modified course.  I thought “I could do well on this course if I had a longboard,” but I’d left my Superlight home like an idiot.  “Bring EVERYTHING to a race!” Pete Roesch had said  (always listen to the guy who wins at these events).   But I got lucky when Bill DeGeorge (who would have won Open Class except for a certain Mr. Angulo) lent me one of his 75 boards...a Mistral Comp (thankyouthankyou thankyou.)   Then I realized I didn’t have a suitable uni.  Peconic Jeff had an extra one (thankyouthank youthankyou).  Special thanks to P-Jeff, who might have finished third in 7.5 instead of me if he hogged his unis and left me marooned on my Techno (Jeff remained highly competitive sailing a SUP board...mad props!)    But now equipped with other people’s stuff plus my mighty 6.2, I joined the racers and managed to eek out a trophy.

Barely.

My best move in the days races was leaning out to catch Peter Richterich mid-fall.  I did it for the karma points, to use against the bad karma I planned to accrue ramming Pete Roesch in the next race.  But tragically I not only never got close enough to Pete to prevent his ultimate victory, but in the final reach of the final race I was ignominiously passed and left in the dust by his son Devon.   I now have two generations of Roesch windsurfers to fear and loathe on the course. 

Then came the relay races.   Four teams of knuckledragging guys stood in the water waiting for the start, whilst the self-selected all-girl team put one sailor on the board, one at the luffed clew to steady the rig, and two at the back to give a push at the start.   When us guys woke up and began to replicate their set-up the girls hooted and hollered, but hey, they should have kept their brilliant plan secret until a few seconds before the start.   I believe the team I was on was the first to steal the idea; as punishment Jill rammed me at the buoy.   Peter has a video of the complete race on his blog.

As the wind lightened a new event was added to the East Coast Windsurfing Festival:  SUP relay races:  A short paddle out to a buoy, go around it, paddle back to the beach and hand off paddle to the next person.     I will confess that this sounded like a yawn to me...then it started.   Josh began with a running jump onto a board and soon everyone was experimenting with ballistic starts.  Some stood, some kneeled, everyone paddled like a demon.    There were four teams...two contests...but also a stopwatch timing the winning team of each heat.  The fastest team would triumph.   In what seemed like a splashy, sloppy, laughy pair of heats, the team with the best time won by all of four seconds!   Pretty darn close.

There was no more freestyle competition on Sunday due to the light winds.  People who know me might wonder why I’ve not written about my freestyle exploits...fact is I did not compete.   On Friday night I started with a sharp knife but a tough lime, and ended up with a deep cut in one finger.  When this finger began bleeding during the first Saturday races I had to make a choice, and I figured racing to be easier on the hands than freestyle.  Next year I’m a’doing no cooking the day before the event!

It all ended with giveaways of goodies donated by event sponsors, the presentation of trophies, and talk of next year.

Huge thanks to Mike Burns for organizing a great festival four years in a row!    And to MC Tom T-Bone Thom Hering for brilliant race orchestration.   To Chrissy, to the jet ski guy, to everyone who helped out.  To Jerry Evans for the stylee trophies.

Who am I forgetting? 

Mr. Angulo.  Thanks to Josh for doing everything and anything to make the festival as enjoyable as possible...bringing a van load of equipment for people to try, putting on a windsurfing display like the champion he is, spending time with anyone and everyone who wanted to chat, and bringing his oversized great attitude, enthusiasm and cheer to every bit of the event.   Dude, you’re an East Coast windsurfer now...come back next year!

(The results of the competition can be found here.  We're seeing about getting a complete breakdown of the racing results.  Peconic Puffin coverage of day one of the East Coast Windsurfing Festival is here. Other bloggers who have posted on the festival include James Douglas and Peter Richterich.

Photos graciously shared by Alphonso, Jeff Schultz, and Jimmy Rivera.)

 

Results and Competitors of the East Coast Windsurfing Festival

(A semi-coherent description of the events of day one of of the festival may be found here.  Tomorrow a second helping of scattered recollections and thoughts, focused on day two may be found on the Peconic Puffin as well.  Here now are the names of all the good people who participated:)

Pro Men's Freestyle (Fully Ranked)

1. Mike Burns (The King of the East, for the third time in four years!  All hail Mike.)

2. Jon Sassone 

3. Chris Eldridge

4. Sergey Andreev

5. Josh Angulo (To quote Thom Hering, "It's a measure of the quality of windsurfing on Long Island that a PWA pro finishes fifth in our competition."   Of course Josh is not a pro freestyler, and he did nearly rip a hole in the sky with his mondo loop!)

 

Amateur Men's Freestyle (Fully Ranked.  It's testimony to ABK Boardsports that well over half of these competitors are ABK graduates, and the winner an ABK instructor.)

1. Ed Dehart

2. Graham Feddersen

3. Tom Dehaan

4. Jeff Schultz

5. Jake Agoos

6. George Marr

7. Rich Simmons

8. Mike Jamieson

9. George Pav

10. Kevin O'Shea

11. John Markwalter

12. John Spanos

12. Igor Manoylovich

12. Mitch Agoos

12. Ned Crossley

Women's Freestyle (Fully Ranked)

1. Deniz Kalaycioglu

2. Jeanne Bauman

3. Nina Richterich

4. Jill Marr

Open Racing 

1. Josh Angulo 

2. Bill DeGeorge

3. James Douglas (mad props to James, who probably doesn't know that in the last Long Island race series of six heats (dropping the lowest finish) Bill's results were 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, and 1st. 

Racing 7.5 Limited

1. Pete Roesch

2. Joe Natali

3. Michael Alex (Thanks to the mighty Bill DeGeorge for lending me a longboard Sunday!)

4. George Marr

5. Ed Dehart

Women Racing  (Fully Ranked)

1 Jeanne Bauman
2 Christina Clement
3 Nina Richterich
4 Jill Marr

Complete list of racers (Open Class)

Matt Allen

Josh Angulo

Myles Borash

Brook Cuddy

Bill DeGeorge

James Dougals

Dan Cresci

Florian Feuser

Frank Messina

Chris Dohan

Edward Rynkowski

Dean Olekasiak

 

Complete list of racers (7.5 Limited)

John Sassone

Mike Jamieson

Michael Alex

George Pav

Joe Natali

Rich Simmons

John Spanos

Pete Roesch

Igor Manoylovich

Jake Agoos

Mitch Agoos

Jeff Schultz

Ian Berger

Ned Crossley

Sasha Kraev

Will Seibert

Arthur Spangel

Joe Giordano

George Kellner

Kode Ediale

Joe Rocco

Philip O'Connell

Michael Ingbar

Ted Bretter

Alfonzo Perez

Ed Dehart

Mike Columbo

Peter Richterich

Chris Goodwin

George Marr

Jim Manta

Dan Perelman

Valdas Savokynas

Jeremy Grovenor

Antanas Meslinas

Ira Holzman

Jay Morgan

Jesse Waters

Roman Pines

Graham Feddersen

Dennis Grunbeck

Devon Roesch

Jeff Feddersen

Complete list of racers (Women)

1. Jeanne Bauman

2. Christina Clement

3. Deniz Kalaycioglu

4. Jill Marr

5. Emily Schweikart

6. Nina Richterich

(Photo:  For aesthetics, nothing can beat the 3rd place 7.5 limited racing trophy.  Trophies crafted by Jerry Evans at Chatham Wind and Time.)

Angulo’s 6.9 Loop? Pete still the Terminator? Mike still the King? Where to begin talking about the East Coast Windsurfing Festival...

Where to begin?  Here’s an early report on Saturday.  (early?   I know...)

70+ competitors turned out (including former PWA champion and new east coast windsurfer Josh Angulo) for 18-24 easterlies at Long Island’s Heckscher State Park, where the racing was fast and furious.   We had two racing classes (open and 7.5 limited) but unless you had full blown racing gear and knew how to use it, 6.2 was as big a sail as most of us wanted, and the racing was fast and furious.   Sailors were on every kind of gear you could imagine (maybe no wave boards)...vintage longboards, modern longboards, formula planks, freeride boards, freestyle boards, even SUP boards!  With all the wind many of us found ourselves boarding down to freeride and even freestyle gear to make the jibing easier (if this isn’t a racing adage it oughta be:  It’s not how fast you sail, it’s whether or not you can tack and jibe dry!)  For myself, in the first heat I sailed my Techno and finished about 30^th, while managing to brain freeze on port and force Joe G (rightfully on starboard) to drop into the water.  Sorry Joe!   Switching to a JP Freestyle board I followed George Marr around the course (for two reasons...he sails like a bat out of hell, and he doesn’t hit anybody) and finished fourth.  Much better!   My favorite race was a heat in which the wind kept oscillating up and down...one minute the longboards had the advantage, the next the racing shortboards, then the wind would come up more and the freeride planks ruled.  I remember being left behind by the longboards at the start only to pass them all halfway through, then watched in horror as Peconic Jeff passed me on his SUP board.  For that race, the answer to the question "what's the gear call" was "doesn't matter!"  Much fun.

At the end of the day the 7.5 class was lead by The Terminator/Eliminator/pick your honorific-ator Pete Roesch.

Then there was the Open class, twelve guys with big sails and race boards.   As the kids say: OMG.  Pro sailors are pro sailors for a reason; champions even more so.   It was great that Josh Angulo was so warm and friendly and outgoing on the beach, because on the race course, he finished the first heat before most of the competitors were half way around the course.  It gets worse:  Judge Mike Burns says Angulo wasn’t really gunning it in that heat.  “C’mon, Josh,” Mike told him, “show these people what you’ve got!”

So in heat #2 Josh blazed...nothing but fin in the water.  He crossed the finish line so early that Judge Burns shouted out “Hey Josh:  go around the course again!”

And so in a single race Josh Angulo finished First and...wait for it...Fourth.  "And he missed 3rd by a board length!" Mike Burns says.  Against 11 other sailors.

There was freestyle, too!    With so many competitors at this year’s festival the judges held a ten minute elimination heat to whittle down the amateur class to a more judgable number, with sailors going for new school and old school tricks in a mad wonderful display of style and moxie.

Then the Pro class threw a combination Expression Session and competition.  The blur of backsliding backwinded aerial madness was dominated by the reigning King of the East Mike Burns, but The Jaw Dropping Moment was when Mr. Angulo threw a loop with a 6.9 sail that seemingly took forever.   I heard a dozen “woah did you see that”s simultaneously alongside the chorus of ooh’s and aahs.

That’s the quickie report on Saturday...we’ll have more (Sunday, for example) tomorrow!  In the meantime, here is a link to the competitive results.

(Photos courtesy Richard Burns)

Saturday Wind Fest: Be there at 9, ready for Rabbit Starts!

Mike Burns thinks it could blow big.   I'm not trying to jinx it!  I'm just sayin' that's what Mike is sayin'. 

MC Thom Hering thinks we may need jet ski rabbit starts.   Say what?   If the wind is from the east then racers will a-gather on the water (as opposed to the rabbit beach starts we've had in festivals past for the southerlies) and get started by a passing jet ski.  

Both Mike and MC Thom say it's important that participants be there by 9AM to register, get numbers (remember to bring duct tape to put numbers on your sails) and kick off the competition.

It's going to be exciting!

The 2011 East Coast Windsurfing Festival is this Saturday-Sunday at Heckscher State Park.   The following is a list of "important stuff to bring" taken from the event web site, as written by reigning King of the East Mike Burns himself:

"- Money -  There is a charge of 8 bucks to get into the park at the toll booth.

-Weed fin - The beginning of June is when those weeds decide to start appearing.  Sometimes you can get by without one, but it could just make the difference.

-Sun Block - I forgot mine last year and got burnt to a crisp. 

-Food and Drink - There is nowhere in the park to buy food or beverages so bring what you’ll need for the day

-Toilet Paper -  There I said it.  The bathrooms at the boat ramp will be open but you never know if they’ll have what you need when you really need it. -Duct tape - it has a million uses so you might as well bring some.  Whether you need to put numbers on your sail, protect your body parts from getting blisters from the tons of sailing you’ll be doing, you might just need some duct tape.

- Your family and friends - everyone else’s will be there, so bring yours along too."

See you there!

(photo of jet ski rabbit start borrowed from Continent Seven, where it was credited to Biancotto.)

 

Mr. Angulo's East Coast Windfest Workout

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.  So I'm told.   Former PWA champion Josh Angulo knows first-hand, though, and he's losing sleep over his upcoming battle with Long Island's Mike Burns,  two time East Coast Windsurfing Festival crown-wearer (or plaque wearer.  Plaque carrier?)  Some heavy heads and hands there.

Anyways Angulo is up against some stiff competition, and we asked His Wavelyness about it:

Peconic Puffin:  "You’re probably aware that event co-organizer Mike Burns has won the King of the East Crown two out of three times since the event’s debut.  Assuming that the scoring isn’t rigged (which I wouldn’t assume) do you think you stand a chance?"

Josh Angulo:  "I'm actually gonna do a few push-ups and jumping jacks before my heat with Mike... I'm gonna pull out all the stops. I'm coming in all guns blazing for Mike " Da King" Burns. He's actually folklore worldwide. Only Robby Naish, Bjorn Dunkerbeck, Antoine Albeau and Mike Burns have held so many consecutive titles. So although I want to give it my all it will be a big ask."

I'm gonna try some push-ups and jumping jacks too.  Anything I can do to get an edge!

General East Coast Windsurfing Festival update:   Make sure you're there by 9am to register.   The plan is for the first event to start at 10, so figure a 9:45 skippers meeting, so you'll want to be fully rigged by 9:30.  That's the word from JamMaster Thom Hering and Lord Burns Themselves.

Fear this, and tremblingly obey. 

(Top:  Mike Burns looks back at the splash his crown made when it fell off whilst throwing a crazy-ass move.  Bottom:  The author demonstrates his reverse pushup technique underwater during 2010's freestyle competition.  Photos courtesy Bill Doutney.)

Josh Angulo Is Ready for the East Coast Windsurfing Festival

He is coming.

Windsurfing legend Josh Angulo (who WON Cabo Verde...that’s more rad than the Bowl, homes!) is bringing his mightiness to Heckscher this weekend for the 2011 East Coast Windsurfing Festival.   We at the Peconic Puffin say “Wow!”  Stoked, we are.  Fools, too, but not so foolish as to pass an opportunity to ask Mr. Angulo, who recently moved to Massachusetts to be closer to Long Island (we imagine) which Festival  competition (racing or freestyle) he was more excited about bringing his PWA Wavesailing Champion awesomeness to?    Thus spake Josh:

“Can I put in a few disclaimers now........ I am a very below average below amateur level freestyle sailor and Mike Burns said he's putting me in the "expert" division, which I don't really qualify for.   The racing I'm fired up for assuming we get 11-12 knots...below that my pumping skills are pretty bad.”

Yeah yeah.  Josh really isn’t that good.  Look for him to finish sandwiched in between Peconic Jeff and myself.  Yeah.   Mr. Angulo went on with the nice talk:

“I'm really thankful for  the open arms  reception I've been getting in the whole east coast watersports scene and I hope I'm able to give back some of my  " Aloha" from Hawaii and "morabeza" from Cabo Verde. From what I've seen and experienced thus far the East Coast already has plenty of both.” 

Just wait until he finds himself between George Marr and Pete Roesch!

(The fourth annual East Coast Windsurfing Festival takes place this weekend at Heckscher Park.   Sign up now,  join the fun, sail with friends and welcome Josh Angulo to Long Island! Angulo photo courtesy PWA/John Carter)

Josh Angulo Signed Up For the East Coast Windsurfing Festival

That's right.  Oh yeah.  PWA wave champion (and your basic windsurfing legend) Josh Angulo will be on the water with you (or at least with me, and everyone else who is coming to the fourth annual ECWF).  I don't know if we can say he'll be competing...maybe it would be more accurate to say he'll just show us the way.

We are stoked.

(There it is, Josh Angulo's name in the participants list.  Is your name there?  If it ain't, waddayuwaitinfor? The East Coast Windsurfing Festival is June 11-12 at Heckscher Park.)

Racing! Freestyle! Fun and Prizes! The East Coast Windsurfing Festival...

...is less than four weeks away!  The fourth annual East Coast Windsurfing Festival takes place June 11-12th at Heckscher State Park.   If you've been to the festival before but haven't yet signed up (by emailing his lordship King of the East Mike Burns at mewindsurf@aol.com) then please do, so your name can appear in lights.

If you haven't been before but think you might enjoy it, just sign up.  You will have a great time (read the copious ravings of this blogger on the last three events.)

If you need convincing, here are the essentials:  The event mixes freestyle events with some racing events.   There is a minimum of rules for either, and any time conditions (or inspiration) suggests changing or scrapping the rules in the name of fun, it happens.   There are no wind minimums (we will race and compete in freestyle in nonplaning conditions, folks!   You can compete in both freestyle and racing.   We have serious competitors, casual participants in it for the fun, and competitors serious about making fools of themselves (like me.)

It is a great time.  There's a reason that the first event begat the second, the second the third, and the third this year's...don't miss it!

For details check out the official website.

(Top:  Racing is fun!   Bottom:  Light wind fun!   Photos by Bill Doutney.)