Days of High Wind Sailing, Part Two: Jeff's Jump and Land of the Giants

With a forecast of big east winds, I thought we might retreat to the inner Peconic Bays for some controlled sailing in 30+knots.   But the people I sail with are crazy.   The plan was to drive 25 miles east of the Peconic, where the wind would be (wait for it...) stronger!  Of course!  What was I thinking?   

The place was packed.  "I am not happy with the parking arrangements" said Bill B.    Spoilers of Bill's parking included the Johns (CPU, Hulse, Ford, the Wolf) Bills (Fisherman and Lerner) and the odd Scott, Radek, Bruce, Peconic Jeff and so on.   When Jon Ford said he was rigging a 3.7 I knew I was in for quite a day.   Rigged my smallest wing (3.4) and went to the races.

On the inside it was a mess outbound though there were waves to ride inbound.  Past the red buoy, though, and it was (in the words of the Wolf) "the land of the giants!"   Eight to ten foot swell that fortunately broke gently.   Mountains of water moving through...when it gets big at Gardiners I often feel like I'm in a scene from The Perfect Storm...tres dramatique!    Maneuvering on those swells in 40 knot gusts is no mean feat.

But the story of the day was Jeff's jump.  "Did you see Jeff's jump?" I was asked?   I had missed his best one.   "High, lots of hang time, and a nice clean landing," is how Scott described it.   It sounded great.    Later Jeff described it thusly:

"It all happens so fast that it's hard to remember the details.  But I was charging the big waves like a bat out of hell and kicking the board up in the air in front of me."    

Well Jeff, you impressed the crowd!

Comments

[BuntyB]

Glad to see you have been enjoying lots of wind and having such a great time. I have just sailed 3 days out of the past 4 (Sunday died down and was not sailable except with about an 8m). I am just so much on a high right now that I am just ITCHING to get back on the water. Oh God I hope it wont be too long till our next batch of wind. I feel like ...... cannot even describe what I feel like right now. Haven't felt this good for ages. A possibility for Saturday.........roll on Sat!