The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Freestyle: Slow Dancing with Sail

We return to Bonaire, the incubator of so much great freestyle...planing and nonplaning...and catch up with a windsurfer named Ceasar (who is identified as "Nero" in this video), previously featured in the Peconic Puffin in   Freestyle:  Take it Easy.   Here he goes again, better than ever:

A note about the move when he stands on the foot of the sail and spins around with it.   The "Matrix" is fairly easy to do...for one spin (multiples take practice).   Try it on land or on a huge board on the water:   The board should be at about 10 or 2 o'clock.   Pull the rig forward and into the wind as if you were going to bear off backwinded.   Step onto the foot of the sail with your front foot and push a bit with your clew hand, like you're flipping the sail in a helitack, while pulling with the front hand.   ABK teaches this move...they'll be back on on Long Island September 14-16, and 21-23, with the 21st-23rd clinic including an all-freestyle group (along with groups for complete beginners, intermediates, folks working on jibes etc.)

It Ain't Your Gear

I've been agonizing over the question of pure wave board vs freestyle wave all Spring. Then I see a photo like this.

Photos like this are quite special. This is Pete Cabrinha from years ago, captured by legendary windsurfing photographer Darrell Wong, sailing primitive gear by today's standards. You can find more wonderful imagery where this came from in a feature on Stable Road.

Also on Stableroad.com is a trailer for an upcoming documentary on Bethany Hamilton. Bethany's story puts so many things in perspective.

It ain't your gear, it's your heart.