The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Windsurfing Video for Friday (critics say it's "really good!")

One of my favorite windsurfing bloggers (and the Peconic Puffin's #1 commenter from Malta) Bunty calls this a "really good Neil Pryde video" and I agree. Philip Koester is in it, which means you're going to see monster jumps (and then some neat tricks thrown in the upper atmosphere).

Enjoy.   (Thanks Bunty!)

Oh, Tiana (don't kill me)

(the following is a guest report by Peconic Jeff filed last week:)

"Scott, Jon & I showed up at Tiana around noon to perfectly side-shore 25-35 mph winds and sand a-blowin'. With plenty of wind on the beach, we figured we could dodge the shore break and blast around on small gear (4.2 for me and Scott, 4.7 for the mighty Ford). Bruce arrived a half hour later, questioning our sanity of launching at high tide on an exposed beach with a ripping current (see photo with the current running against Scott's legs), but soon joined us on 4.2. While there wasn't much in the wave department, the wind didn't disappoint, and we were happy to be sailing on the ocean in December."

(Top:  Jonathan and Scott happily outbound.  Middle: Scott in dubious launch zone.  Bottom:  Air Bruce.  Photos and video by Jeff Schultz.)

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.

Aruba Hi-Winds Flashback

For five years awhile back the wife and I went to Aruba at least once per year (all the way back to when she was "the girlfriend") and had a lot of good times and good friends there.   When I stumbled across this compilation of local TV coverage of Aruba's Hi-Wind races (1987-2006...this is one of several pieces from the collection on Youtube) I started looking for Aruban friends.   I was surprised (just a little) when the first person I spotted was Long Island's mighty Bill DeGeorge, who always does serious damage to competing egos at the East Coast Windsurfing Festival, Fall Regattas etc. (He was top-five in the Masters division in the clip above). I haven't sailed in Aruba in a few years, but this clip reminded me of how much fun it was to rip in the Blue Highway when Fishermans Huts was going off.

If you need an Aruba fix (or would just like to watch some flatwater Carib slalom action from yesteryear) here's a slab for you. Go to Youtube to find at least five more.

Slowest Jibe Video

Another video from Dasher, He Who Taught Me To Jibe. Recently while windsurfing in Turkey Dasher played with his GoPro and slow motion software and served this up.

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!

Flying Shark! Must-Have Toy

Meditation on a Wave (video)

I'd love to know what the music is.

James' "Angulo Vision" Video

One of the many thrills at last weekend's East Coast Windsurfing Festival was the chance to see a PWA champion sail. We saw Josh Angulo's mindblowing speed in the races, we saw a Very Large Loop...it was a treat!

But blogger James Douglas gives us a unique perspective.   James put on a helmet with a GoPro camera attached, took an overpowered spin on a new board and rig, then handed off both the gear and the helmet to Josh for him to sail.   The difference in observed speed is as radical as it was during the event.  Check it out!  Note that you can turn it off 3 minutes in unless you want to see me walk up to Mark and introduce myself.  Had I know the camera on his head was on I'd have fixed my hair.

Here's the video.  You may also want to check it out in its original context on James' blog.

 

Angulo-vision at East Coast Windsurfing Fest from James Douglass on Vimeo.

(This probably concludes coverage of last weekend's event.  If you've somehow come upon this post unexposed to our previous chatter and wish to subject yourself to it, check out the 2011 East Coast Windsurfing Festival reports one, two, and three.)

Duck Diving SUP

Kai Lenny, ladies and gentlepuffins! Thank you Pete Roesch for posting this in the Yahoo group.

Forward Loop Simulator? Look at the video...

Ely of the Yahoo Long Island Windsurfers Forum recently posted the following loop video (who he credits to his friend Darryl in Maui).   Describing itself as a Loop DVD trailer, it's a loose, fun collection of loops and loop drills...plus all of two and a half seconds of a loop simulator (go to 2:34 if you're in a rush.)  Perhaps they're saving a full explanation of the simulator for the DVD.  In any event  I'm intrigued.  I was going to type "I'll try anything" but as anyone who has tried forward loops knows, the trying is trying.  Scarifying and whatnot.   So I can use any and all steps to get me closer.  I must try to figure out how to rig this up:

Shark Circling SUP Video Blows Me Away

A SUP surfer named Chuck Patterson shot this last summer at San Onofre in San Diego. It’s your basic “stick a gopro camera in the water and enjoy footage of great white sharks circling you” deal. I would have bugged out. Oh yeah, and paddled back to shore toot sweet. But Chuck was in awe of the moment, and kept shooting. He’d actually seen a shark there the day before, and returned this day with his camera HOPING to get footage of the sharks. He tells the story of the experience on his blog.

Me I’ve only seen a shark once ever while out on the water, and that was enough. More than enough. It suffices. Peconic Puffin Contributing GoPro Nature Boy Peconic Jeff hasn’t caught anything like this. Something tells me he might like to. I don’t want to be there if and when… Nice work, Chuck!

Meditation for a Spring Day (Remko’s How To Loop Video)

 

I first posted this about a year ago, but took it down at the request of the creators of the DVD from which it had been stripped (the Peconic Puffin had no part of that!)  Now it's back on youtube, and so here.

Remko de Weerd's approach to learning the forward loop seems lower impact than most approaches.   And if you've ever tried looping (all I've done is tried) then you know lower impact would be a nice way to go.