Jeff was ambitious the night before the day's session. "I hope to be on the water by 8," he proclaimed.
We got on the phone by 8, at least.
It was a beautiful sunny day, wind NW-WNW. It's practically June but we haven't really been able to windsurf comfortably without a drysuit until today, so if it's only blowing 18 who cares?
It was just three of us, with Jeff and I on 6.2's, while John The Efficient Van der Wolf was on a 5.something. We worked the sand bar at low tide for an hour or so, then as the wind started to drop Jeff and I hugged the shoreline for some flatwater old-school freestyle, while the Wolf derigged and went back to work. So we played with various 360's and push tacks and such, and when the wind really started to drop we went for that ridiculous-to-look-at-but-fun-to-do Gecko Flaka.
Soon the wind was getting to sketchy even for Gecko Flaka-ing, so we decided to end our session in a flurry of dumb by sailing right into the middle of the inlet and attempting tricks (what the tricks were doesn't matter...what matters is we fell.) Thou shalt not fall in the inlet at Sebonac Inlet, or the tide will either deposit you in the middle of the Peconic (if it's outgoing) or suck you through and leave you somewhere in the middle of Bullhead Bay (if the tide is incoming.)
So we fell during the incoming tide. I managed to waterstart and get out of there just barely, clearing the sand spit that marks salvation by about five feet. As I pumped the sail and railed the board and did everything I could to coax my butt out of there, I heard Jeff's voice somewhere behind me shout "I'm going in!"
He got out, eventually.
(Jeff explores the wonders of beautiful Bullhead Bay. In the left foreground is the tricky inlet, and we mean tricky. About six feet from the shore the inlet is dredged to overhead depth, so the windsurfer who wants to land on the inlet beach must run their board right up to the sand, and then step forward aggressively to get a foot down, or else they and their gear end up taking a ride. This is why we usually launch from the beach fifty yards to the west.)
We got on the phone by 8, at least.
It was a beautiful sunny day, wind NW-WNW. It's practically June but we haven't really been able to windsurf comfortably without a drysuit until today, so if it's only blowing 18 who cares?
It was just three of us, with Jeff and I on 6.2's, while John The Efficient Van der Wolf was on a 5.something. We worked the sand bar at low tide for an hour or so, then as the wind started to drop Jeff and I hugged the shoreline for some flatwater old-school freestyle, while the Wolf derigged and went back to work. So we played with various 360's and push tacks and such, and when the wind really started to drop we went for that ridiculous-to-look-at-but-fun-to-do Gecko Flaka.
Soon the wind was getting to sketchy even for Gecko Flaka-ing, so we decided to end our session in a flurry of dumb by sailing right into the middle of the inlet and attempting tricks (what the tricks were doesn't matter...what matters is we fell.) Thou shalt not fall in the inlet at Sebonac Inlet, or the tide will either deposit you in the middle of the Peconic (if it's outgoing) or suck you through and leave you somewhere in the middle of Bullhead Bay (if the tide is incoming.)
So we fell during the incoming tide. I managed to waterstart and get out of there just barely, clearing the sand spit that marks salvation by about five feet. As I pumped the sail and railed the board and did everything I could to coax my butt out of there, I heard Jeff's voice somewhere behind me shout "I'm going in!"
He got out, eventually.
(Jeff explores the wonders of beautiful Bullhead Bay. In the left foreground is the tricky inlet, and we mean tricky. About six feet from the shore the inlet is dredged to overhead depth, so the windsurfer who wants to land on the inlet beach must run their board right up to the sand, and then step forward aggressively to get a foot down, or else they and their gear end up taking a ride. This is why we usually launch from the beach fifty yards to the west.)
Great Mike...18 isn't bad. Just back from Bonaire and am on Cape hopefully to get to your LI event. Met a very nice sailor from Amagassett (sp?) on the plane. He had a nice week in Bonaire. May has been a stellar month down there and next week looks even better.
Posted by: Ann Phelan | May 26, 2008 at 08:01 AM