What a day! About an hour into it I thought I knew what I would write about, but then stuff just kept happening...
A Tale of Two Masts
The wind was up and down and light at the outset…Scott and the Wolf planing/not planing on 5.8’s, soon joined by me on my magic 6.2 rig’s maiden voyage. While I was having a spectacular experience with the new supergear (full report to come in a future post) Scott managed to break his beloved one-piece mast, which was made when Reagan was in the White House. After much consultation and verbal abuse, Scott up and bought his first skinny mast, joining the 21st century.
Sucked into the Inlet
Before my first ocean session ever (which happened to be at the Bowl) I was warned about sailing too close to the tip of the inlet jetties, lest I get sucked through during an incoming tide. It’s one of the few humiliations I’ve managed to avoid on the water, and I’d never even seen it done until yesterday, when the Wolf took the ride. I’d been told that the safe move was to let the current carry you clear through the inlet and make your landing on the Shinnecock Bay side, but the Wolf (veteran of the insane launch at Mattituck Inlet) managed to clamber out in the middle of the inlet, with a smile on his face.
Virgin Wave Session
Speaking of first ocean sessions, Ethan Doutney’s been wanting to taste the big water, and yesterday he took the plunge. I’ve never watched someone else’s first wave experience…Ethan’s was classic. A little sailing, a bit of floundering, good employment of the beach jibe, with it all ending in a ride through the inlet. When the Wolf saw that Ethan was in a jam approaching the jetty he sailed over, got in the water and took the ride with him, pointing out the sites and no doubt relating his earlier journey. It was an exceptional demonstration of support by a veteran to a newbie.
I predict Ethan will be back for more abuse soon!
The War and Fisherman’s Wave
I did not see it, but apparently Fisherman got into his own scenario with an ill-chosen wave of consequence. I missed the details, but caught his summary: “Getting on that wave was like starting the Iraq war…it seemed like it might be the right thing to do at the outset, but then it became one long, terrible mess.”
That must have been some wave.
What else happened…
The wind strengthened over the day though we did not rerig, as we enjoyed the five to six foot swell. Jon Ford, Bill Barber, and East Coast Windsurfing Festival stars Peconic Jeff and Jimi Sobeck sailed without incident. The Wolf had one jibe down a wave face that somehow turned into a ripping clew-first laydown jibe, pleasing him mightily. I had my own little adventure that is going to receive its own post as soon as I finish gathering my thoughts. For now I’ll just say it's a fish story.
(Top photo: Scott approaches the beach with his customary reserve, whilst enjoying his brand new mast. Bottom photo: The editor and his Super Rig. Courtesy Bill Doutney.)
nice photos
Posted by: george markopoulos | June 20, 2009 at 07:21 AM
Hey,
I think one of you can make an amazing short and submit to Visionfest, we are in our 10th year and have not seen a short regarding windsurfing..give it a try??
www.visionfest.com
Development/Dee Imbert
Posted by: dee imbert | August 03, 2009 at 10:37 PM