The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Where Are We Windsurfing Today?

With the forecast calling for 30 knots SSW, the plan was to wave sail at Cupsogue. My phone rang as I was loading the van...it was Jon. "The wind is turning...we're heading for New Suffolk!"

So I began driving to New Suffolk, looking forward to some fine bump and jump on the Peconic. My phone rang as I approached the turnoff...it was The Wolf. "The wind is turning more...we're going to sail at Iron Pier!"

So I drove to Iron Pier...the wild side-on semi-wavesailing spot on the Long Island Sound. The Wolf once said to me "what's going to happen to you...you're on the Sound" but the place always intimidates me.

On the other hand, Iron Pier always an adventure. I may have smashed my ribs here, but I also got my photo in a newspaper catching air here.

On this day the windsurfing was strictly High Wind. I sailed a 4.0 a 3.4, got lots of altitude on several jumps, but sailed away from few. The good news about my jumping is that I'm getting higher. The bad news is that I'm coming down from higher, and find myself distracted (scared?) and amazed by the impending impact of landing. "Sheet out more when you land" Jon advised, as I was getting thrown down by the fully loaded sail. I'll be trying to keep that thought in mind, and maybe get it to displace the thought that goes "what's this going to feel like" as I accelerate downward from the air.

(Photo: Jumping at the Pier last fall, taken by Barbaraellen Koch.)

A Sail for All Boards

When I bought my 5.5 last March, I noted that a 5.5 sail was usable on every windsurfing board I owned...from storm board to longboard, you might find the 5.5 on it.

Slut.

Yesterday the sail (a Naish Amp) made some rounds. With NW winds at Meschutt seeming a bit light, Jeff, the Wolf and I ventured forth with five meter sails on larger boards...I sailed mine on 109 liters of JP Freestyle ("Calamity Too") practically a cheater board with a 5.5. Watching the apparently marginal winds give Jeff and John some trouble (they on their midsized boards), Scott derigged without even launching. So of course as soon as he was out of his drysuit and his sail in its bag, the wind came up ("I skunked myself!" Scott lamented.) I boarded down to a 93 liter Freestyle Wave (Sally hasn't approved a name for it, and it's her board.)

After a fine hour or so, the wind kicked up five knots. Peconic Jeff (sailing a 5.2...it's rare that I'm on a bigger sail than him) switched to his tiger-graphic storm board, and so instead of rigging down, I was inspired to try the 5.5 on my 77 liter dancer (now named "Candy 77".) Moved the mast track fully forward, prayed that the wind didn't drop (this little plank is a bear to shlog with an appropriate sized sail) and launched. It was sweet!

(Top photo: A 5.5 handles easily on 77 liters...who knew?
Bottom photo: When helitacking 77 liters, there's going to be some sinkage.
Windsurfing photos by Jeff)

I Dream of Wind and Water

Do you ever have windsurfing dreams? I rarely do, but when I have them, they're good. I was looping in my last windsurfing dream. The mighty and cosmic Mark Skelton of Cape Hatteras once told me that windsurfing dreams were "powerful".

I haven't sailed in awhile, so I'm hoping for a windsurfing dream tonight.

(Photo: Jason, about to leave the water for some air in 35+knot winds, sailing at the Pier last November.

I love this photo (taken by Peconic Jeff). When he put it on his Flickr page following our first Iron Pier session I was so excited that I called him up to rave about it. Click on the image to go to Jeff's Flickr page, then try the "all sizes" button to see a larger and more glorious version.)

Board Rack of the Stars

Imagine if there was a board rack at Hookipa where Jason Polokow, Kauli Seadi, Nik Baker, the Moreno twins, the Sivers, Robby etc all kept there boards, and you could walk up to it and check out (without touching) what the Greats were riding.

In Bonaire, not only is there such a rack (with Taty/Tonky/Choco Frans', and Kiri Thode's planks) but you get to walk by it every day for inspiration when you get to Lac Bay. I like to think that the instruments of great performers (guitars, baseball bats, windsurfing boards, whatever) reverberate with past virtuoso performances.

Then of course there's practical information, too. My sailing buddy Peconic Jeff is obsessed with getting the right freestyle fin (he likes mine and certainly has more sailing time on it than I do.) I snapped a photo of Kiri Thode's fin of the day, which turned out to be a GSport T1, originally 21 cm, though it looks like Kiri has had at it with a grinding wheel.

Seal and a Secret at Sebonac Inlet

Something's going on. I don't know what it is, but I'm putting the full resources of the Peconic Puffin on the case.

Item: A seal shows up at Sebonac Inlet. In sixteen years of windsurfing on and near the Peconic Bays, I've never seen one. But today while rigging, suddenly Jon Ford and Peconic Jeff are shouting my name to come see the seal. Why? I'm a puffin man...what do I care about seals? (Okay it was cool, but still...)

Item: Despite the rarity of the seal, Peconic Jeff gets no photo of it, even though he has camera in hand. He gives up early...too early, if you know what I mean. Why?

Item: Scott, who has not windsurfed in the new year as he's been recovering from wrist surgery, picks today for his return to the water. Why?

Item: Shortly after the group (Scott, Jon Ford, the Wolf, Jeff, and your editor) launches, the first three disappear over the horizon whilst Jeff hugs the Sebonac shoreline. Why?

At first I feared that the long-distance crew had run into trouble...maybe someone was hurt and the other two were assisting...but there was not a rig to be seen anywhere in the distance. After about twenty minutes I espied masts near Robins Island, so I left the near shore sailing route and headed upwind towards Robins. As I approached, the three sailed westward, away from the scene of...what?

I stayed on the tail of the mystery men, trying to ascertain where they had been and what had happened. Shortly thereafter they all pulled up at the launch, at which point they started spinning a dubious yarn in which Scott said they all needed to see an osprey nest on the beach at Robins Island and so Jon and the Wolf followed and when the got there they found a nest the size of a Volkswagen and the Wolf needed a photo and so on. The Wolf produced his camera to support the story.

Note: The Wolf never sails with a camera. Why today?

I pressed and badgered but the three hung together with their story. I'm not sure if Jeff is in on the conspiracy, but his involvement in the seal distraction makes him suspect.

Something's going on. I just don't know what...yet.

(Map: Robins Island is due North of the Sebonac Inlet launch. We were sailing west winds, so a close reach brought the "Robins Island Three" to the site of the mystery. Background map courtesy Google Maps.)

(Photo: Jeff slams on the breaks as he approaches the bank of the inlet. Most windsurfers (including Jeff) usually choose the beach just past the inlet to avoid the tricky currents at Sebonac, but Jeff made a big (and distracting) show of his inlet-side landing. Why?)

How Long Do Ribs Take To Heal?

Six weeks ago I had a wicked fall, getting slammed into the boom.   I did quite a number on my rib cage (nothing was broken, but the radiologist was impressed with the bone bruising.) I was back on the water two weeks later, but could only sail for an hour before I needed to stop, and a full six weeks after the crash jumping still causes some discomfort (the impact of landing is the problem...I do not have tail first landings dialed in.)   

Sneezing has the same effect.   

I'm glad I didn't break any ribs, because this bruise is taking its sweet time to heal.   And I sure as heck am still going for air.  Sneezing will just have to wait.

Freestyle Video: Back In Black...Caesar, Part Two

During a trip to Bonaire in late November I was able to tape several practice sessions of the brilliant Caesar Finies.    A video of his first session was shown here back in December.  Now we present a second video, taped on a day when the wind was a little lighter, and during which he showed us at least one new way to throw a sail around.    If you're not familiar with the windsurfing of this incredible nonplaning freestyle genius, buckle your seatbelt and click on the video!

More magic from the crucible of freestyle windsurfing in Bonaire...

5.5, 5.0, 4.5...

...and I should have rigged a 4.0 ("a 3.8 for me!" said the Wolf) as the winds just kept building today.

Jon Ford and the Wolf called early to say they were were in South Jamesport, it was too foggy to see and there wasn't much wind, but maybe I should come up anyway.

So I did. Just as I got there the fog started to clear, and the Wolf sampled the winds with a 5.2. He was alternately underpowered and lit, so I threw up a 5.5 and Jon a 5.8, and we were off to the gusty races.

After half an hour of this I came in for my 5.0. Got about 30 minutes on that, and was standing on the beach with the Johns considering the wind when Mr. Ford asked "was that lightning?"

Me and the Wolf: "Where?"

Thunder god: "Here!"

As some big old summer thunder boomed across the January sky, we ran back to the trucks and hid in various lees from the driving rain. Jon Ford moped about having to leave soon and took off his harness as a prelude to derigging, which was the cue for the storm to stop. So he rigged down instead.

It kept building. I was now sailing a 4.5 (my current favorite sail when it's dialed in...a Naish Force) but by the time I had it rigged up the wind had built to the point that I was still overpowered in the gusts. By and by Jon Ford did have to go, so it was just John and I. There were good ramps for jumping but the strength and unpredictability of the gusts made jumping precarious. It made jibing precarious! After a half hour of abuse on the 4.5 I was the one moping (contemplating the prospect of rigging a fourth sail,) thus taking my mind off of the sailing, and was promptly thrown off the board by a large gust mid-jibe, and my board started heading downwind.

I haven't had to sprint after gear in at least a year, but fortunately the Wolf sailed up and snagged it for me. I swam over and announced that I'd had enough for the day given the hostile conditions, and expected sage agreement from the Wolf. Instead he looked at me, his face one big question mark, and said "What?"

So I kept sailing, and remarkably for about fifteen minutes the gusts settled down and some good jumping and jibing could be had. But then the winds started to intensify further, I was overpowered worse than before, and after twenty or so minutes of this wrestling match the sky to the west turned black. As rain began to fall John checked a weather map on his cell phone, which showed the Thunder God back with much more rain than before. So we called it a day.

E-mail to Peconic Jeff: Total Skunkage

From: Michael
To: Jeff

Subject: Total Skunkage

You missed nothing.

Before I made it out east a few guys went to Cupsogue. The wind was
strong early but with many holes, and there was a lot of current
and a bad rip tide. The Wolf broke a mast and tore some other gear,
according to Jon Ford, who watched and then chose not to launch. Bruce and Fisherman also sailed...don't know how they did.

Jon called me as I was turning on to Dune Road and said "about
face...we go to South Jamesport." Went there, it was fogged in. So
we drove to New Suffolk, where the fog was clearing but the wind
appeared light. I went out as wind dummy on a 5.5. I couldn't have
planed on an 8.5 as it turned out. We stuck around for an hour
(waiting for the sun to come out...the sun came out but nothing
happened.) I drove from North Sea to Westhampton to Mattituck and
back and got no sailing in (except for the channel crossing at New
Suffolk.)

Looking at the Yahoo boards they got some wind mid-Island. I am envious.

(Photo: Skunked at New Suffolk: Scott, Jon, the Wolf, Jan.)

James Is Crazier Than I Am

My wife has long held that I am "obsessed" with windsurfing. ABK master instructor Andy Brandt once told me (while distinguishing between different types of windsurfers) that I was "crazy". I want to be perceived as enthusastic, not mad, so I periodically have need of crazier/more obsessed windsurfers than me, so I can point at them and say "See! See?!!"

In 2007 I needed the all-season hardcore Long Island crew (who will sail the ocean while it's snowing in January if the wind and waves are good) so I could explain to family and friends that it was perfectly fine for me to windsurf in winter.

Just one week into 2008 I've found my next windsurfer to point at: James. Some people know that I keep detailed logs of my windsurfing...I can tell you how many days I've sailed on what boards with what sails and where I did it and who with. I like knowing this stuff. But James has taken it several levels further. James is my windsurfing log hero. Behold James' blog post on his 2007 statistics.

With charts and graphs James tells us things like:

9.74 percent of his sessions were sailed on his Pro-Tech (one of fifteen board choices.)
His average sail size sailed by month.
Air temps, locations, averages, means, highs/lows etc.

You haven't lived until you've seen his 16 point compass rose that counts sessions by wind direction (fewest: East Northeast...just one day.)

Go check out James' good work.

(graphic: James' plot of sessions by wind direction.)

Ponquogue Works for Southwest

Driving to Ponquogue I had two thoughts.   The first, as I drove by North Sea Harbor (partially iced over) was "Geeze it's really winter...sail as often as possible before it's too cold!"   

The second thought was "Why are we sailing Ponquogue on SW?"

We never sail Ponquogue on SW.  With waves on the brain everyone usually wants to go to Cupsogue (except for Peconic Jeff and I, as we lack 4WD vehicles needed to drive the last quarter mile.)  And if not Cupsogue, then Tiana, which is 2WD accessible.    But I wasn't going to make a peep about the Ponquogue call (Jon Ford and John V got it going).   I love Ponquogue, and if it's no longer strictly reserved for E and ENE, that's fine with me. (Read Jon Ford's comment for the particulars on when Ponquogue works during southerlies.)

Ponquogue was beautiful...no shore break, shoulder-high swell generously spaced, clean and...clean and what?   "Mellow" said the Wolf.   And he was right.  It was clean and mellow.   

Sailing a 5.5 on 93 liters I began to make good on one New Year's resolution as the friendly conditions made for some easy backside wave riding.  For whatever reason (the mellowness?) wave sailing seemed to come naturally today.   I conferred with Scott on the beach (Scott's taking a break while his wrist is on the mend) who confirmed that I was in fact riding the waves reasonably well.     I hope I didn't jinx myself by writing that, but there it is.

Also on the scene:  George Pav, Jeff, the Wolf (who launched a beautiful jump right in my face...I howled,) and Jon Ford.   The wind died mid-afternoon, but it was sweet while it lasted.

So:  Ponquogue can work for SW.  I need to update the windsurfing map.

(Photo: George Pav works a wave down the beach at Ponquogue. Photo by Jeff.)

First Session in January: Dermatone Works, My Jibes...Not So Much

These days my favorite board/sail combination is my 77 liter Fanatic with a 5.0 (Naish Amp). And that's what I got to sail for my first 2008 session, in NW wind at Meschutt on the Great Peconic. It was cold enough (high 20's) that Jon Ford was heard to say "it's cold" so I proffered some Dermatone, which was the best bit of keep-warm technology I found last year (cover the exposed skin on your face with it...it works better and is more comfortable than a facemask.)

Dermatoned and ready to rock, I joined Jon and the Wolf on the water. Champing at the bit to begin pursuit of my 2008 windsurfing ambitions I discovered that I could not jibe. (Technically speaking I was keeping my weight back and failing to drive the board with my front foot and mast pressure, but if you were watching you saw a doofus carve to a roaring halt, then fall.) Just a few months ago I was teaching others to jibe, but on this day I was apparently in need of such tips as "bend your knees." Deep did I drink from the cup of humiliation.

I still had fun, though. Redemption hopefully awaits at the next session.

New Year's Resolutions, Part Two: Goals for 2008

Here are my ambitions and priorities for windsurfing achievement in 2008:

Learn to ride waves. I jump them going out, and play with them on the way in, but when it comes to down the line wavesailing I don't really know what I'm doing. I have made exactly two successful bottom turns in my life. When I watch others it seems so obvious, but when I approach a wave myself it's a mess.

Sail more mid-island sessions. I've sailed Hecksher a handful of times, and CIB once, but there are a number of spots that I keep hearing about that I've never seen, much less sailed. Crab Meadow, West Meadow, Gilgo, and Democrat Point (or "Demo") head my list. I still love the east end sites (is there anything sweeter than Ponquogue at low tide with a nice swell?) but my experience at CIB whetted my appetite to get more time with the mid-island crowd.* If I can juggle work/life to make this happen, I will.

Get 20 feet of air (and land it). Same as last year. Also, I'd like to be a better pilot at whatever altitudes I get.

Sail the ocean in Hatteras. Same as last year.

More sailing time with my wife. Now that Surfergirl777 has been bitten by the jibing bug it won't be long before she starts wanting the duck. I foresee good times on Mecox Bay!

(*For a listing of windsurfing spots across Long Island, check out the Long Island Windsurfing Map. To join a bulletin board of Long Island windsurfers, check out the Yahoo Long Island Windsurfers Forum.)

New Year's Windsurfing Resolutions, Part One: How I Did On Last Year's

Here's what I declared as my windsurfing resolutions for 2007:

Sail new locations on Long Island,
More days ocean/wave sailing,
Get 20 feet of air (and land it),
Sail the ocean in Hatteras,
Duck tack,
More sailing time with friends.

Here's how I did:

Sail new locations on Long Island: Success. Sailed nine spots that were new to me, from South Jamesport and Iron Pier to CIB and (prepare to laugh) Hecksher (I am the Last Windsurfer on Long Island to sail Hecksher.) I've hit every spot on the east end that I'd like to try except for Ditch Plains. To the west I'm still eager to try Crab Meadow, West Meadow, Gilgo, and Democrat Point.

More days ocean/wave sailing: Moderate success. I got eighteen days on the ocean in 2007, compared to three in 2006. I wanted more, but I'm happy for the days I had. (also note: total days on the water for 2007: 130. That's my all-time record, so I'm not exactly whining about the few true ocean sessions.)

Get 20 feet of air (and land it): Qualified failure. While I never got that high, 2007 was my best year for jumping (I am no longer a terrible jumper...I have moved up to mediocre). When I think how rare and hard it was to get ten feet of air beneath the tail (excepting launches from huge swell in which you're automatically eight feet off the deck as soon as the lip clears) I wonder how I'll ever achieve this. Because I must! Thanks to Jon Ford for the tips, the Wolf for reminding me that altitude doesn't count unless you sail away from it, and Barbaraellen Koch for getting a great photo of me in the air (great photo, okay jump).

Sail the ocean in Hatteras Complete failure. Planned trips in March, April, and May never happened (primarily because the Long Island sailing was so good) and during our October trip I blew it and sailed the Pamlico on the one oceanworthy day we got.

Duck tack: Failure, due to lack of interest. Pursuit of the ocean and jumping skills pretty much kept me off of flat water for the year, leaving the bulk of my freestyle windsurfing for nonplaning conditions.

More Sailing Time with Friends Success and Failure. Failure because my old sailing buddies were rarely on the water in 2007. Success because my new sailing friends are as rabidly enthusiastic as I am, if not more so.

Coming soon: New Year's Windsurfing Resolutions for 2008.