The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

The Vegetation at Hecksher Does Indeed Get Thick!

Before I complain about the weeds at Hecksher, let me say Thank All Wind Gods for a place that blows in the summer.  It's been almost two months since I sailed something smaller than 6.2, so the fully powered 5.0 conditions yesterday were a delight.      Thanks for the wind, thanks for the air, thanks for the warm water.

That being said, let's talk a bit about the weeds.   I've never seen weeds slam the brakes on people sailing weed fins the way I did last night.   I've never been so weeded down myself at times while sailing a weed fin (True Ames Surfgrass).   It seemed like every now and then they'd just tie themselves in knots around the fin...I was hearing sounds from behind my board that I'd never heard before.  

Nothing a good jump or tack didn't cure, though.   I'd go back in a minute, though I'm hoping for some east end action today.

You Think The Vegetation at Hecksher Gets Thick?

The Olympic training waters in China are less than ideal.  The story of this mess is all over the media, but when it comes to marine biology and windsurfing I always turn to James' blog.

Sunday Night Sesh At Sorta Secret Spot

The day began with the following comment, emailed from Peconic Jeff:

"Moohoowahaha!"

There were a few other words, arranged in complete sentences, but it was all exposition to support the declaration of "Moohoowahaha".   The forecast of planing winds after a month-long drought did this to P-Jeff.   I whined back that I suspected that there would never be decent wind again, ever, and that I had sold all of my windsurfing equipment in disgust.

But I was lying, and plans were layed to sail at Peconic Jeff's formerly secret spot, the Red Cedar Point Jibatorium and Trickery Studio.  (The bad news about this spot is there's no legal way to access the launch...you must cross the Great Peconic from South Jamesport or find some other way onto the water and then sail to Red Cedar.  Jeff and I may not have done that, exactly...)

Anyhow we shared the super-flat waters with a pair of well-mannered kiters, and had all sorts of fun.   In the video clip below I can be seen screwing up backwinded jibes and carve 360's (smooth camera work and title graphic by Jeff), whilst Jeff can be seen (barely, thanks to my unsteady hand) hitting a nifty donkey jibe.