The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Honkadelica

Big winds at Meschutt on Friday, and a big crowd to welcome it!    Arrived at 2:30 to find primo Meschutt conditions...picture perfect ramps on the inside and "interesting" jibing a quarter mile out.    Rigged a 4.7 like everyone else, ignoring the warnings of the early launchers saying it might be 4.0, launched on my 77 and had one overpowered run.  

Rerigged to 4.2 and sailed pleasantly overpowered for a little while, when it became apparent that a 3.7 was the call.  I chose to add an inch to my extension and sail super downhauled, which worked...barely LOL.

Can we talk about the ramps?   I caught some excellent first-half-of-jumps...'scuse me while I kiss the sky...but landed almost none of them.   After a particularly awkward splash I thought "this was easier to take 30 years ago" and decided I would take my last run.

Took five last runs.

On the scene:  Natalies Joe and John, Hulse, Artie, Scott, Ken (running a vintage 80's piece of art fin), Jonathan, Dr. Pain, Chris from Connecticut and your editor.   Peconic Jeff showed up to watch, as did Fisherman (who had already caught a sesh at Sammy's with Frank and Bruce.). George brought his new puppy Nash (ie Naish!)

Neoprene note:  Fall is here!  Last weekend I sailed comfortably in a shorty.  Yesterday full 3.2.

While all of this was going on a gentleman down the beach was attempting some wingfoiling.  Suffice it to say that I thought 3.7 conditions obviate the need for a foil...in fact said foil got blown down the beach a couple times when its owner left for a sip of water.   Anyhow more power to him...I suppose in a few years high wind winging could be a thing.

(photos contributed by Artie, Peconic Jeff, George Pav)

 

Sweet Summer Sweat...Flying at Mecox

  I don't windsurf solo much, but conditions were so good and my time was so limited that I opted for nearby Mecox Bay.  Shallow, flat, dependable on SW.  5.4 on a 93 beautifully lit (and sunlit!)    One huge jibatorium.   Will this be my last session of '22 on a shorty?  Who knows...get 'em while it's hot!

Watersport Gear Sale Saturday

Stuff is on sale Saturday at Hampton Watersports.  Wind, wing, kite, paddle, da works.  The store is marking down all sorts of things you want, and they will be selling used equipment belonging to other waterpeople.

But don't call it a swap meet!

Do you know LL Cool J's song that begins "DON'T CALL IT A SWAP MEET!"

Or something like that.  Anyhow Jonathan isn't calling it a swap meet, though if it walks like a puffin and squawks like a puffin it just might be a weird bird if you get my drift.   I'll be dropping off a near-mint wave 5.0 myself, and looking for deals for moi.

Maybe we'll see each other.

Artie as CD? Who Cares...Short Boarding at SJ

I pulled into the South Jamesport parking area to find Artie sitting in a beach chair.   Why wasn't he sailing?   There were whitecaps visible from the road.   "I'm waiting for it to come up" he said.  I told him I thought I could sail now with a five something and big board, and proceeded to rig.  He said he'd do that too.   I rigged my 5.4 as Dilay arrived.   Brought 109 board to beach, walked back for rig to find Artie and Dilay chatting.   Brought 5.4 to beach and launched.   Took maybe eight runs when the wind came up.   Should I switch to my 100?   Took one more run on the now overpowered board.  "Heck I'm going to try the 93.   Sailed in, walked to the parking area to find Artie and Dilay chatting.   Grabbed 93, launched, and was lit.   Four runs later I thought I'd take my 109 off the beach.  Walked it up to the parking area to find Artie and Dilay chatting.   Artie, are you turning into CD?

Finally he finished rigging and joined me on the water, followed soon by Dilay.   Warm winds warm water, not much in the way of ramps but we were ripping in August!    Both Artie and I had family commitments later in the day so we got off the water early, leaving Dilay to soon be joined by Scotto and George.

(Dilay on port.  Photo by Artie.   Hey what's with the headline..."short boarding"?  Remember when "short board" was a class of windsurfing boards...no centerboard, designed purely for planing conditions?   Guess the editor is happy to be planing in 80 degree air temps!)

Happy Birthday to The Wolf!

"Still the Commodore" Bruce says, and who could disagree?  When I started sailing with Jan and the Wind Chimp collective in 2007 he was a spritely senior.  I thought "this guy is tearing it up in the ocean and on the bays in nuking conditions!   If he can do it it at his age it means I'll be able to as well! I thought.    That was then...Jan is still hitting it fifteen years later windsurfing and SUPping, and we all salute his 78th orbit around the sun.  Happy Birthday Jan!  (Photo:  The editor and Lord vanderWolf.)