Storm Sailing, Part One

I'm a loser for getting to ocean too late on Storm Day. By the time I arrived at the Bowl (the inside of which is semi-sheltered by a jetty, making it the choice launch when the wind is howling from the East) the good guys were taking short runs on three-meter sails, and Jon Ford suggested that I consider sailing one of the inner bays (the last time I launched in the ocean against Jon's advice, I washed up down the beach bleeding and semi-incoherent after the shore break had its way with me.) These days when Jon suggests passing on the ocean, I pass.)

I stuck around and watched for awhile, and it was genuinely awesome. Every second a windsurfer was sailing in control looked like a victory to me in the 40 knot gusts. One sailor (Bill) launched a modest jump, going up perhaps only six feet...but then hung there, and floated and floated and floated like a glider in a thermal before slowly coming down. What a gust!

Jeff was the first one on the water ("I had to get out before the wind really came up...I don't have a small enough board for this!") He had derigged and switched to snapping photos by the time I got there.
I did get my share of storm, though, as described in Part Two...

(Top photo by Jeff.)

Comments

[sally]

who dat in the photo? sweet

[bonnie]

Wow. You weren't kidding. Look at the maniacs windsurfing.

That's so awesome.

[Joe Rouse]

Joder cono!

[Bunty]

Looks pretty cold over there! It was nice to sail in a shorty for the first time the other day. Is the place you mention somewhere in the Carolinas? Just got an email from a friend who lives in Canada and he mentioned he just got back from the Carolinas where he smashed up his equipment in gale force winds. Just wondering if it was roughly the same area.

[Peconic Puffin (Michael)]

These sessions took place on Long Island, about 500 miles north of the Carolinas. The windsurfing region down there is called Cape Hatteras, which I've been meaning to go to all Spring, but it's been too good up here in New York!