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?)

Comments

[Jeff]

haha, if it looks like a seal, swims like a seal, barks like a seal... it must be a seal!

The Wolf will now have to produce the photographic evidence...

[Bunty]

Sounds all rather mysterious. But considering the environmental changes in everything this world has to offer I suppose a seal could venture to your shores...........but having said that where are the closest seals to where you sail?

[Mike Burns]

That's funny. I saw a seal sailing at Islip town beach in the great south bay last week. I think that was also a day that Jeff showed up. It poked it's head up out of the water for about 10 seconds before I got within 15 feet of it. Not only was this the first seal I've seen in the 15+ years sailing the bay, but I think it may have been the first living thing I've seen actually swimming in the bay.

[Michael]

Perhaps it's the same seal...a windsurfing aficionado (or Jeff aficionado!)

[Mike Burns]

The seal was heading eastbound. I guess some sailors get groupies of all kinds.

[Jeff]

I have been known as a friend of the seals in the past. Perhaps the word is spreading?