The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Crazy James Disects Racing

He's baaaaaaack...

Most of the time James successfully passes amongst us appearing as a talented but garden variety young scientist and windsurfer.    He has a blog in which he chronicles his adventures with windsurfing, the pursuit of a doctoral degree, and his dad.

But there is a Mr. Hyde to his would-be Dr. Jeckle, who sometimes emerges on a windless night with mad ravings about windsurfing minutia and detail that would drive Aristotle to drink.   I last chronicled the monster when it appeared in January, but the time has returned  to restate the horrible truth:  James is crazier than I am.

Behold  "Types of Windsurfing Racing" in which Crazy James bombards us with hundreds (or a dozen, give or take) charts, photos, diagrams, and his unique original artwork.  A man who has to register his spreadsheets as lethal weapons, James reasserts himself as the bull goose windsurfing nerd blogger.  I'm proud to link to him.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Wind Forecasts

"Lies, Damn Lies, and Wind Forecasts!"

      -Peconic Jeff, quoting Mark Twain* in regards to NOAA and iWindsurf failing to call today's 20 knot blow.

(*The coining of the original phrase is attributed to Disraeli, who talked about lies, damn lies, and statistics.  Twain (a Mississippi waterman) had to declare the night before whether he was going windsurfing or riverboating, and was often peeved when burned by the Farmers Almanac.)

Kitemare Aftermath: Huh? What? Never Happened, Dude!

Kevin Kearney, the Florida kite surfer who damn near was killed before a video camera when he was lofted and slammed into a wall by Tropical Storm Fay, is now recovering at home after a stay in the hospital.    While the principal injuries accrued (which about a third of newspapers mistakenly reported as a windsurfing accident) include a broken back (in four places,) rib, and ankle, he also got conked in the head.     Evidence for the conking comes from Kearney himself, who told ER doctors that they had grabbed the wrong guy...nothing untoward had happened to him when he kitesurfed Fay…he had a good sesh, then went out to dinner, and then went home.

When presented with a mirror and X-rays, Kearney was unmoved.   “Wasn’t me, dude.”  Kearney’s mom says his memory may have been skewed when he hit his head, according to the Miami Herald.   (I wonder if he’s seen the video clip yet.)
 
The Herald has no additional information, as the family has apparently cut a deal with Inside Edition and is no longer talking to reporters who don’t pay them.   In any event, word is that Kearney is on his feet and walking, and that is a good thing.  

Kitemare In Tropical Storm Fay

WKRG.com Video

Trying to kite in Tropical Storm Fay in Fort Lauderdale, this kitesurfer nearly dies when he's slammed into a building. Imagine windsurfing full speed into a brick wall.

Kites can not be depowered like a windsurfing sail. Kitesurfing is a fine sport, but it is not as safe as windsurfing.

(Video courtesy WKRG. Here's a link to the Miami Herald report about the accident. Kevin Kearny is listed in critical condition.)

The Wind Gods Taunt Us: Exhibit A

The forecast for our Long Island waters:

Today W winds 5 to 10 kt.

Tonight N winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 25 kt.

Wed N winds 5 to 10 kt

Let's Watch Caesar Spin

I haven't played with nonplaning freestyle since the East Coast Windsurfing Festival, but on Saturday I decided that I was going to flip a sail whether there was wind or not, and got out into Davis Creek, imagining myself to be the mighty Caesar Finies.   

The video above is an encore presentation of a clip I shot last November in Bonaire. 

P.S.  Number of emails I've received from Peconic Jeff since the last time we had planing conditions, identifying potential good days that have failed to appear?   Five.   It's not Jeff's fault...we're just all desperate.  

My Footstraps Are Dry

Anybody who has ever seen me derig has probably noticed that I wipe down my boards with a towel after each session.   "That's love!" I've heard more than a few people comment.   I reply that I'm not pampering  the boards, but that I'm trying to keep the inside of my van from becoming a mildewed rust bucket.  The one thing you can't really dry are the footstraps...those absorbent little puppies resist my efforts (I give them a squeeze with a towel anyway.)

I've been fortunate in that over the last few years I've been able to get on the water almost any time it's been windy.   Consequently I've always had at least one wet set of footstraps in the van for well over a year.   Until now.  My gear is bone dry...even the footstraps.

(Photo:  "We wanna come out and play!" cries my gear.)

"The Walk of Shame" Needs a New Name

Excerpt from a recent post by Amy in the Yahoo Long Island Windsurfing Forum:

"As I begrudgingly marched into the west wind yesterday past two fields of our home beach of Hecksher, I was brutally attacked by green flies.  I was berating myself for getting myself in this position and having to  drive my car down to meet my rig. But today I have a new opinion of the whole experience. I don't think of it as so much of a walk of shame, more like a stride of pride. It made me happy to know that I was walking the painful footsteps of all the greats of today."

Damn right, Amy!  "The Stride of Pride" is good.    I've heard it referred to as The Walk of Pride as well.    In order to take that walk, you must get with board and sail and push yourself beyond your capabilities.   We've all been there.  Many of us will be there again, if we don't play it safe.

The Walk of Pride, the Stride of Pride...maybe there are some other worthy names for it out there.
Whatever we call the walk, it still begins at Bozo Beach.    It helps us maintain our sense of humor...

Rescheduled: Vintage Longboard Racing On the Peconic

If you've been looking forward to the vintage racing event announced by Windsurfing Hamptons for this coming Sunday (I was!) well...we're gonna wait a bit longer.   The date is being moved to early September...specifics tba by Jon Ford (and by the Puffin just as soon as we have them.)

If you've never participated in one of these races, you should.  They are ridiculously fun given the details (everybody sails on the oldest board they can find, no matter how light the wind, and races/cruises/shlogs around a short course.)  Just joining the crowd on the water is a good time!   

(Photo:  My high-performance ride for the junk fleet:  Mistral Superlight, minted in 1983)

 

Philip Koester Gets Hospital Air

A reader (Marcos) suggested this clip, featuring a tremendous jump (starting at 1:04) by Philip Koester at the PWA event in Pozo. Thanks for the tip Marcos!

Robby Naish Knows How To Jump (video)

"I'm a good jumper. On a windsurfer, I mean. I can't dunk a basketball or do anything like that." -Robby Naish

A New Prayer For Wind

"It is written:

'If we rely upon mother Tara sincerely and with strong faith, she will protect us from all obstacles and fulfill all our wishes. Since she is a wisdom Buddha , and since she is a manifestation of the completely purified wind element, Tara is able to help us very quickly.'

I hope, been carving a lot lately . Even brought out the vulcan simulator and surfed the lawn as my wife calls it. Possibly a little wind up here tomorrow, better days are coming."

(Photo, blog post, and carved Tara herself courtesy Mike Jamieson, who when he says he's been "carving a lot lately" he ain't talking jibes.  Check out more of his brilliant work here.  Meanwhile let us see if Tara can put some wind on the water!)

Eva's Windsurfing Simulator (Windless Weekend Windsurfing Project)

Mayhaps you've heard of Eva The Board Lady, the legendary west coast board repair guru. A recent addition to her site is this simple and straightforward sailing simulator...a giant lazy susan for your board, made with plywood and golf balls.  Eva says that the speed with which the thing spins is adjustable, so presumably it can be made forgiving for beginners whilst set wide open for working on Spock 945's.

I think I'm going to try my hand at making one of these.

(Photo:  the guts of the turning mechanism.  Image swiped from Eva's web site. While you're there also be sure to check out Disasterpiece Theater for some neat before-and-after repairs.)

We Have No Wind Because It's All In San Francisco

Worse, it's wasted on this guy.   I've never met him, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't deserve to have it so good.

If the wind lightens up, he'll have to rig a 5.7.  Me, I'm staring at the Little Peconic.   It's a sheet of glass.