The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Trick Or Treat!

Good Halloween treats for a Peconic Puffin:

Sand Eels
20 knots of wind
Harness lines.

And for a trick:

a worn-out downhaul.   DOH!

The staff of The Peconic Puffin wants you to have a Happy Halloween!  Don't eat too much candy (or sand eels.)

(photo by Jeff)

Ice Needles at Sebonac

It was otherwise a good little session:

93 liters and a 5.5,

93 liters and a 5.0,

77 liters and a 5.0

Frank had noted that he'd seen a few snowflakes earlier, and I thought I'd seen some too.   But an hour or so into the session, the light mist turned into tiny crystal daggers that were extremely painful on the face.  I tried sailing with my clew hand in front of my face, which was effective but ridiculous.   Fortunately it stopped as quickly as it started, so we were able to get back to reaching and jibing as the winds came up and down.

Then the Wolf heard that Jimi Sobeck was on a 4.7 at Cupsogue, so he packed up and left.

(Frank carving hard at Sebonac Inlet.)

Some More Photos from that Bowl Session

I'm still jazzed about last Saturday's great sesh at the Bowl.   The wind was howling today, but as I couldn't get away to sail I contented myself spending time looking at more photos of the great day.   Here are a few for your your perusal.

Top photo (by Jeff)  We had a nice crowd (up to 19 sails on the water at one time.)

Second photo (by Bill Doutney)  The Wolf catching air.

Third photo (by Bill Doutney)  Peconic Jeff's brother observed that Jeff is always the one taking photos and rarely appears in them.   He's right, but thanks to the arrival of Bill Doutney we've got some fine shots of Jeff.   Here he is carving and weaving amongst the waves.

Bottom photo (by Bill Doutney)  Scott enjoys a patch of wide-open water.

Good Times At The Bowl

It was my favorite session of the year.  

 Sunny and warm southeast winds and well-mannered waves combined for as sweet a day at the Bowl as I've ever had, and it being a Saturday we had quite the crowd, with the Wolf counting at least twenty windsurfers on the water.  Not only was the eastern Long Island windsurfing community out in force (Bill CD Fisherman Frank Jan Bruce Jeff Jimi Sobeck Jon Ford John Hulse Scott etc) but a contingent of mid-Island windsurfers (Pete Roesch, Rich Simon, Kurt Veith) as well as the Long Island windsurfing photodocumentarian Bill Doutney (how does that sound, Bill?) were on the scene as well.   I think all in attendance would agree that the day was worth the drive.

Conditions were 4.7-5.8 for most of the day depending on your bulk (I was happy on a 5.5 until the last few hours) with ramps setting up in both directions, big swell for exciting outside jibing and a very clean inside with little or no break to worry about, and plenty of waves to play with.

A selection of highlights would include:

-Pete breaking his board (after getting appreciable altitude for most of the day),
-Rich Simon pogoing his mast in the impact zone and getting away with nothing more than a broken extension.
-Rich Simon (media hog) returning to his van to find that a bird had moved in.   He finally got the thing to leave, but "there was poopage!"
-Peconic Jeff's back loop!  "I was just charging an overhead wave on the small board/sail, fully juiced. I carved into the wave, and by the launch I was already turning into the wind. The world rotated and I crash-landed, somehow without breaking anything, with the sail in the water downwind."  Jeff says it was accidental.  Mad props anyway...any accident that winds up as a high-performance aerial...those are the kind of accidents to have!

Personal highlights included doing my best imitation (which is poor) of Jon Ford and Jimi Sobeck's aggressive wave work.   I payed some dues, but I also pulled off my least bad wavesailing yet.  Also managed a few starboard jumps (I am starboard challenged.)

In any event, it was without a doubt my favorite session of 2008.  And I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said everyone there had a great time.  Let's try it:

Everyone had a great time.

I'm pretty sure that's no exaggeration.

(Photos from the top:  Jeff on a wave, Air Pete, Fisherman, me.  All photos courtesy Bill Doutney.)

The Windsurfing Song

Brace yourself for Windsurfing, by The Surfers.   A windsurfing song, kind of.  

First spotted on Nayra Alonso's blog, this tune makes The NOAA Song sound downright catchy.

Iron Pier in North Wind

Iron Pier in north wind is (or was today) less than ideal.  Here are some scintillating details from the session:

Van der Wolf, Bill, Scott, Jon Ford and I hit the Pier to see if it would be anywhere near as good in North winds as it is in NW.    There was fun to be had, but plenty of punishment:

-Grinding, sucking shore break took the fun out of launching.   The Wolf got put through his sail.

-The chop was better for loosening your fillings than for jumping.  Clean ramps were rare.

-The waves were okay, but nowhere near as nice as they can get at the Pier.

-Big holes in the wind...the move was to sail one board bigger than the rig called for.

It was still a good day (every day sailing is a great day sailing, as per Andy Brandt) but I think the next time it blows N I'm going to check out West Meadow or Meschutt.  

Attempt at Road L

Jon Ford, on the phone from Road L: "I might rig a 5.2."

Twenty minutes later I arrived, as had the Wolf.   The wind had died, but between the golden late afternoon sun, great cloud formations and a rainbow, it was so beautiful that Jeff would have gone nuts with his camera, had he been there (he wasn''t).  

Then the wind came back up and we rigged.   Best off may have been the Wolf, who saw the wind die before he launched.   Or perhaps Jon Ford was best off, who took one run before the wind died.   Worst off was me, who made two runs in the sketchy wind, and then proceeded to provide entertainment for the guys as I was gently yet thoroughly washed for five solid minutes, as there wasn't enough wind to waterstart.

A Question of Wave Etiquette

Inspired by Joe The Horse, borrowing from an honest man, and as an avid student of wave etiquette tips, I am not clear what should be done in the situation photographed above. If I was on a windsurfing board I'm pretty sure I'd sheet out a teense, then close my eyes.

Dolphins surfing...ya gotta love it.   I wonder what would happen if you showed these surfing dolphins a windsurfer throwing spocks and other new school freestyle...would they start jumping and landing fin first?

(The photo of dolphins surfing is gratefully lifted from "and I am not lying.com.")

What A Difference A Day Makes

On Saturday Napeague Bay belonged to the kiters.   A few sails were on the water that weren't headed for Gardiners on that 5.5 day, but on the whole Napeague was a giant tangle of string.

Sunday was for the windsurfers.   EVERYBODY was out to enjoy the big winds, as both Napeague proper and Gardiners enjoyed nice crowds.    I hadn't rigged my 4.0 since May, and was excited to get out there.

Uncharacteristically I'd have to say I had more fun on Napeague than on Gardiners Bay...Gardiners was almost entirely disorganized chop, and wasn't serving up the signature "land of the giants" huge rolling swell that's so much fun to play in (though Jon Ford managed to put on a little show on the few the inside waves to be found.   Also in the crowd were Peconic Puffin regulars: Scott, Jan, the Wolf, Frank, Peconic Jeff, Fisherman, CD etc, and a rare East End appearance by Brewster.

The best news seems to be that the winds are back after a terrible summer and early fall.  Bring it on!

(Editors' note:  After posting this I saw Peconic Jeff's comment in the Yahoo group...apparently after I left the wind lighted but the swell came up:  "From 3-5pm the outgoing tide was cranking against the wind, jacking up 6-8 ft rollers on the outside. Some were nice, clean and super deep, while others were just raging chaos and insanity (esp in gusts). ")

The Wind Was Up and Down, But Who Is Complaining?

There were weeds in Napeague too, but it was our first windy day in two weeks.   Frank, Scott, the Wolf and I were out in Gardiners with 5.2-5.5 being the sweet spot.   Tomorrow should be the big day, though, with iWindsurf's Napeague chart colored cabernet for the day.

Cross Your Fingers For A Twenty+ Knot Weekend

Let the Long Island Coastal Marine Forecast be true!   Where will we sail?   If it's NE most likely Gardiners Bay via Napeague, or North Sea Road.  NW would mean Meschutt or Iron Pier.    Or perhaps somewhere else.  Just please let it blow.

(If you don't know where any of these launches are, check out the Long Island Windsurfing Map.)

Pooping Puffin Politics

The Peconic Puffin has been receiving a steady stream of email urging us to address the Canadian Pooping Puffin political commercial "scandal" which targets Stephane Dion, a liberal.   I have resisted, because in Puffin algebra, the pooping puffin commercial is to puffins as the anti-John Kerry windsurfing commercial is to windsurfing.   

I will note the fecal theme that seems to delight certain conservatives.  Back in 2004 the director of President Bush's campaign was dubbed by his friend and boss "Turd Blossom".   In the Bush administration a trusted adviser is equated with a flower that grew out of a pile of shit.  

And we wonder why the country is in trouble.

Here's the video:
For good news about puffins, check out these posts.  And as OG Peconic Puffin Avery would say:  "Don't be a poopy face!"

Dare We To Dream...of a Windy Saturday?

Thus says Long Island's Coastal Marine Fantasy:
 

Sat

N winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 30 kt.

Let it be so.

Freestyle Video "Stacked "...They Keep Getting Better

A windsurfer sails along.  Smooth as silk, he ducks the sail into the wind and brings it back up, so he's now planing backwinded, calm, cool and collected.   Then he throws a loop.

Whatever the name of this move is, whatever the rest of the mad transition is, whatever details I'm not describing...I don't care.   The grace...the style with which this move is performed is simply glorious.

So begins the excellent freestyle windsurfing video "Stacked" featuring Estredo Gollito, Victor Fernandez, and the video maker Andre Paskowski.

If you like this clip you should also check out Golitto in Two for Ten" which was featured here awhile back.

A Good, Quick Video Look at The Bowl

"What's the Bowl" is one of the questions I'm most often asked about eastern Long Island windsurfing locations.   I've blathered about the place a dozen times, but I think an excellent quick view is afforded by Peconic Jeff's new video on his blog.*  As the camera pans to the right of the Shinnecock Inlet, the Bowl is well introduced and a quick bit of wave sailing is there to watch.  Also enjoy the excellent guitar riff that introduces The Wolf as he drives up.    The Wolf likes good electric guitar, and probably should always arrive accompanied by theme music.

(* A view "is afforded"?  Obviously we're off our game today.)