The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Get Out Yer Compass and Protractor...We're Headed to Mattituck

It was blowing from the south and forecasted to build…”North Fork here we come!” I thought.  I called the Wolf.

“Scott and I are here at Mattituck, and it looks good” he said.

“Mattituck it is,” I replied.

Forty minutes later I arrived at Mattituck (we sail from the parking lot of the Mattituck Yacht Club).  There was no sign of the crew.   Where’d they go?   Why didn’t they call me?  Don’t I rate anymore?   I called the guys but got no answer.  Maybe they went to New Suffolk, I thought, but let’s check Mattituck “Veterans” first (it’s a one minute drive from “Mattituck”).  

They were rigging in the parking lot.

“I’m glad I found you,” I said to the Wolf.

“Mattituck is for south-southeast, Mattituck Veterans is for south.  You should know better.”

I should have a compass, too, I suppose.  Actually I DO have a compass, but more importantly I know that these guys go nuts over 20 degrees of wind direction for a reason, so I rigged the 5.3 and went at it.   It started out light (we were on our big boards) then it started to build (switch to midsized boards) and then it popped right up to 4.2-4.5 conditions, and out came the small boards.   Some of the arriving guys had to rerig before they ever got out there, but soon enough we had Scott, the Wolf, Bill Barber, Christian, Jeff Schlecter (“the Ice Man”) and John Hulse (kiting) on the water, lapping up the area’s signature starboard ramps.  

There was also a pair of guys who appeared to be having a good time sailing out of Mattituck, a few hundred yards down the beach from us.   Poor bastards didn’t know better.

(Photo:  The Wolf points his mast at True North to prevent us from being fooled by magnetic north.  I had hoped he'd bring out his sextant but there were too many clouds.  Meanwhile you can find Mattituck, Mattituck Veterans, Mattituck Inlet and loads of other Long Island launches on the Long Island Windsurfing Map. )

A Wave Sesh to Entertain the Fishermen

It was just me and the Wolf...Scott couldn’t make it, Jeff couldn’t make it, Jon Ford couldn’t make it, John "he only sails when it's perfect" Natalie took a look and passed etc…nobody but the Wolf and I got to enjoy Friday’s easterly at Ponquogue.   Sailing 5.2/5.3 in four foot waves, conditions were user friendly…nothing big, nothing dramatic…just a good time waiting to be had.

So we had it while Bill Barber and John Hulse watched...them and about eight surfcasters hurling treble-hooked lures into the beach break.   We had managed to coexist with the fishermen for the bulk of the session, but then I had to go kook it.  Primo kooking, if I may say so myself (Bill and Hulse saw the whole thing and confirmed that I looked like an idiot.)

Sailing in to the beach I outran the wave I should have come in behind.  With maybe ten feet between me and the sand, I looked behind me and saw a two footer rise to humiliate me.   I stayed optimistic for the remaining 1.5 seconds before I hit the sand, got pasted, and lost my grip on the rig, which was now underwater and being dragged by the current towards one of the fishermen.   He’d been about to cast, but now paused as I floundered towards his feet.

Every attempt I made to grab the mast failed…I kept ALMOST getting a hold of it, then it would be pulled away by the current, dropping me on my hands and knees.  Every few seconds my face would point up for air and I’d notice the fisherman’s face…his disbelief at my apparently ridiculous antics was increasingly visible.   I finally snagged the rig and stepped onto the beach, apologizing to the guy, who just stared at me with pity, barely suppressing the urge to laugh in my face.    The other fishermen were staring too, wanting to commit to memory my train wreck of a beach landing.  They weren’t catching any fish, but at least they’d come home with a story.

This Weekend's Forecast Doesn't Suck

NOAA says:

Today

E winds 15 to 20 kt. Gusts up to 25 kt late.

Sat

S winds 20 to 25 kt with gusts up to 30 kt.

Sun

W winds 15 to 20 kt...diminishing to 10 to 15 kt in the afternoon.

I'm imagining a late day wave sesh at Ponquogue or the Bowl (low tide is at 5:30), something on the North Fork for Saturday, and a morning session at Sebonac Inlet for Sunday (outgoing tide all morning).

Can you say Happily Exhausted on Monday?   Of course it's insane to think the forecast will hold...I'm probably jinxing it...but sometimes all you have is hope.

Two Photos I Like

We went through a long stretch of not much to look at here at Peconic Puffin World Headquarters, largely due to Peconic Jeff not having a camera. He's lensed up once again, and while perusing Jeff's excellent Flickr collection I stumbled on this beauty:

I remember those clouds...it was race day at West Neck (though Jeff took this further east where he and the regular crew were bumping and jumping.) Any time the clouds are unusual or the sunset fine, Jeff just can't take photos fast enough!

Every once in a great while I find myself in awe of a photo of a sailboat in heavy action. The boat is 'Alegre', I found the photo on Bunt's Blog (fresh from Malta!) Bunty found it on the Rolex Middle Sea Race website.
 

Gaastra Buddha

"Yo, what's that Buddha doing over there?"

"Dude, that's Buddha Mike's Buddha," came a reply.

"Geez, that's a frickin' piece of art!"

Such was the conversation in the rigging area of the Long Island Fall Regatta.   Time was when a Buddha statue at a windsurfing venue really caught your eye.   They still catch your eye when they're the work of Michael Jamieson, but the surprise is not as great as it was before Mike's work was profiled in Wind Sport, Windsurfing Magazine, and The Peconic Puffin.  

Still, this was Buddha Mike's first Buddha at a race, so Mike whipped up something special, which we at the Puffin are calling Gaastra Buddha.

Check out the Awoken One's forehead.  

That's what I'm talkin' about!

I'm big on Mike's Buddhas, so even though there are no Gaastras in my quiver I still thought to ask for enlightenment on rig size.  I'd rigged a 6.2, but I was worried it was too big for the building winds.

"The rig is illusory," the Buddha answered.

"Cool, I'm not rerigging" I said, and went off to come in fifth.  Fifth is not shabby, but I'm wondering if I'd gotten some downhaul tips if I was sailing my old Poison.

Nor'easting!

Friday the spot was Gardiners Bay.   Scott, Frank, and the Wolf were out early on 4.7’s, and were soon joined by Peconic Jeff, Jon Ford, Jan and Bruce, Fisherman and myself.  For some reason I rigged 5.3 (would have been much happier on the 4.5) and stayed with it in the 5-7 foot swell.   It was uncharacteristically weedy, and you could also snag your fin (or lose it) on the occasional railroad tie or tree branch that were floating around near the beach.   I got launched twice hitting hard flotsam, but by the time it got through my thick head to jibe well out from shore, the heavy stuff managed to drift away.   Highlights included me at the bottom of a trough watching Scott go up off the top of head-high swell (hoping he didn’t land on me…he didn’t) and watching Jan tear it up in the big water, only to return to the launch after the sesh, where I saw she needs a cane to walk around as she deals with a hip injury.  Apparently sidewalks are a bitch for Jan, but swell that could flip a bus…not a problem.  May she fell better soon!

Saturday was probably another great Gardiners day, but Jeff had the idea of checking out North Sea Road.    North Sea Road is an unremarkable launch unless you catch the outgoing tide against a solid NE blow…then it gets interesting.  I’d seen it get moderately interesting, but nothing like we caught on Saturday.   The bays were well flooded from a couple days of inward wind, so when all that water started draining eastward with the outgoing tide, the swell kicked up like Sebonac Inlet on steroids.  Surfable, jumpable swell in current that took you straight upwind (making surfing particularly fun as there was never a downwind penalty) was what we had, “we” being Racer Ted (finished third at the Fall Regatta) and Steve Marks.  Steve is an OG Peconic Puffin, the owner of the largest private collection of Peconic Puffins (when this thing was a newsletter) a man who I literally met while stepping out of the water (bleeding) after my first attempt at windsurfing in 1990.  The day may come when I'll have had more madcap windsurfing adventures with the Wolf or Peconic Jeff than with Steve, but to date Steve remains my all-time windsurfing partner in crime, and it was wonderful to get back on the water with him.  (P-Jeff did not actually make the sesh, even though it was his excellent idea.)

Anyhow it was the 5.3 again in steadily building winds (started out on the 109, spent most of the day on the 93, and shoulda pulled out Candy 77 for the last hour.)    It wasn’t as big or as wild or as grand as Gardiners gets when the big swells roll majestically through, but it was fun.   It was fun except for when I tore one of the straps off my harness and had to arm it through about 300 yards of swell and then a long stretch of flatwater to the beach.   Steve had a backup harness to borrow (now on extended loan…thanks bro!) so I managed to finish the day.  Gotta love a day when you have to work to stay downwind!

Sunday I woke up to phone calls telling me to get my bruised ass to Meschutt, where Scott assured me it was nuking.   But my body has a growing collection of dings, my starboard arm wanted a couple of days off, and so I rested.

The wind howling by the windows was pure torture.

Big Nor'east Forecast for Now Through Sunday!

If you sail anywhere near Long Island I'm just telling you what you already know:

Fri  NE winds 25 to 30 kt.

 

Sat  NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. 

Sun  NE winds 20 to 25 kt.

Yes there will probably be rain.  But we always get wet.   There will also be cooler temps...a heavy wetsuit or even a drysuit will be in order, so if you have that stuff stashed away from the summer, make sure you remember your gloves, booties, hood, fleece etc. 

Do You Have The Balls to SUP?

(Thanks to Standup Journal's Steve West and Clay Feeter for finding and forwarding this.)

Jill's Top Ten Lessons Learned from the Long Island Fall Regatta

She's the co-organizer, the scorekeeper, half of the race committee, the creator of pumpkin trophies, and a competitor from last Saturday's races.  Jill Marr (aka Jam Master Jill, Jill Marr Superstar, and Mrs. George Marr) sent the Puffin a list of lessons learned while racing at the event (I sure wish I'd had this list BEFORE the races!)  The Peconic Puffin editorial committee is pleased to present Jill's Top Ten Lessons from the Long Island Fall Regatta:

1. Even if you had a bad start, doesn't mean that you will have a bad finish.  Keep trying and dont drop out!

2. Even if you have a great start, it doesn't mean you wont be taken down and get  sucked into the frenzy of jibe buoy chaos. Don't count your wins before you make  them!

3. Be especially careful at the marks. Somebody was down in the water and I didn't even see him untill the last second.

4. Expect that the person in front of you will fall. As Ira said to me, "Jill I didn't think you were gonna go down..." as his board skimmed my face sooo close that I had MRI flashbacks.

5. It is always fun, even if you are not planing.

6. Wear booties at rocky beaches.

7. I have a lot to learn about racing!

8. Relay races are an absolute riot!

9. The after de-rigging tailgate party is awesome for building camaraderie,
and sharing recaps and experiences of the day.

10.  Reflecting on the experience will make you a better sailor in the long run!

(Jill heads for the finish line.  Photo courtesy Jimmy Rivera.)

Frank is the Wind Sacrifice

Sorry Frank...we've all been the wind sacrifice, and today it was you.

First it was the Wolf and I at Sebonac Inlet...on again, off again wind (5.2/5.3 on bigger boards).  Then Frank arrived, caught some of the on/off wind, and then left...promptly kicking off the big blow!   In the end it was a question of rigging down or going home, and the Wolf and I felt we'd had enough (also there's a heck of a forecast for later this week) so we called it a day.

(Frank surveys Sebonac Inlet during a lull, thinking that his board is too small.  Not to long afterwards it would have been too big, had he remained.)

Inexpert Advice, Tales of Redemption, and more Photos from the Regatta

First of all, let's talk about you (if you were at the race):  Photographer Jimmy Rivera took many more photos than could be used on the blog, but you should still get to see them (and Jimmy has generously made them available here:
Download LI RACE 09 WEB)

Okay, enough about you, let's talk about me.  I was in six races and the relay race...my results (and nutshell commentary:)

First Race:  Third (managed to get around jibe mark carnage.)

Second Race:  Fourth (participated in jibe mark carnage but waterstarted quickly.)

Third Race:  First!   Yeah boy!   I was two hundred yards behind the guy that should have won, but he sailed too far in to shore before tacking.  I made my tacks in full-strength wind and so got across the finish line first.   I fell at the jibe mark in this race, btw, so falling and winning are possible.

Fourth Race:  Last!  Yeah boy!  I carved a beautiful jibe around the jibe mark, was a lock for third place, and lost my concentration as per yesterday's post.  Two days later my shoulder still hurts from the catapult.

Fifth Race:  Fifth (see the photo to the right).  In the Lemans start beach carnage my board ended up inside Ted's boom.   It took us the better part of a minute to untangle ourselves and begin the race, yet thanks to the mess at the jibe mark Ted finished fourth and I was right behind him.

Sixth Race:  First!  This was the only race that resembled what I thought a windsurfing race would be like.  I was early to the mark, jibed around it nicely, and was headed for victory except for the fact that Bob Mansfield was behind me and catching up...he had a speed advantage (that is to say he's much faster than me!)   He also had excellent reason to want to beat me, as last year I jibed into him at Napeague (ie I rammed him).   What to do?  Kevin O'Shea told me he was distracted off his board at the mark when a competitor shouted at him, so I tried yelling.  Bob did not fall.   I could hear him heading upwind behind me, so I pinched as well, keeping his way blocked as we got within a few hundred yards of the finish line.   Then I heard him bear away...he was going to shoot underneath like a bat out of hell and zoom by!   But like some asshole driver on the Long Island Expressway I beared off with him, using the Complete Jerk strategy to fend him off.  It worked, I won, he came in second, and was friendly and laughing afterwards.   It was all in good fun, but between the ramming and the blocking I figure I've got two strikes against me in Bob's World.

Relay Race:  Our team came in last, but we had fun.   I sailed against K-Dog Kevin O'Shea, who quickly got in front of me but on whose tail I managed to stay for the run to the buoy and back.  I spent the rest of the afternoon telling K that he was on a faster board...he should have pulled away from me...why was he such a slow sailor?   Also I recently refused to sell him a boom, so I have two strikes with him too.

That's my story.   I came in last, I came in first.   You could have, too!  I was sailing on a heavyish 9 year old Bic with a stock fin that was considered crap THEN, along with a wave sail (an absolutely fantastic 6.2 wave sail, but it wasn't designed to go fast or sail overpowered) and still managed to win (a pumpkin).   Most of the racers at the regatta were sailing on Whatever They Had (I particularly enjoyed Vulcan George Pav racing on his freestyle board.)   And for the last two King of the East events at Heckscher, we've had loads of fun racing ancient longboards alongside state of the art formula gear (and everything else) in nonplaning or barely planing conditions.  

My point is:  Windsurfing racing on Long Island is casual, it's come as you are, it's fun, and it's fun.  And as Jill Marr points out, it's fun!   There are going to be more of them, and you should join in the fun!

(Top:  The editor wants a pumpkin.  Bottom:  Same editor contemplates his nose, while his board's nose slides between Ted's boom and sail.  Ted thought getting knocked down at the start was bad, but the indignity (and real fun) was just beginning!  Photos courtesy Jimmy Rivera.)

A Great Day Racing at West Neck

Boy did we score.   Conditions were just about perfect for the 2009 East Coast Fall Windsurfing Regatta, with 26 competitors lit on sails from the mid fives to some seven meter plus rigs, on boards ranging from full on slalom racing boards to ancient Bic plastic planks to freestyle boards and everything in between (I sailed my tricked out Bic Techno and a 6.2 wave sail.)   We were at the perfect spot..beautiful West Neck Beach (I’d never been there before…it’s a looker!) so perfect in fact that when we arrived a sailboat race was being set up right where we’d hoped to have our event!   But Pete Roesch sailed out to the yacht club officials to discuss, and said officials very graciously moved their regatta upwind.

So we raced.     Beginning with a “Le Mans” start (that would be “ready, set, go!” and everyone runs into the water at the same time) groups of twelve to thirteen sailors would shoot across the harbor, round the jibe mark on the far side, then come flying back to cross a finish line between two floats.

That was the idea, anyway.

What happened was more like “ready, set, go!” at which point two thirds of the racers would start, while the last third would crash into each other and proceed to get off/fall off their boards and try to untangle themselves.  My best tangle was had my board shoved up to the mast base inside Ted’s boom.   We had a good laugh, and about 45 seconds after everyone else had launched, we managed to get going.   We could afford to laugh, because we knew what was ahead. 

What was it about the jibe mark?     I’m pretty sure that even the best sailors in the race fell out there at least once (I fell half the time, some fell more than that) and once one windsurfer was down, he or she attracted other fallers like a magnet.   To not fall at the jibe mark practically guaranteed you a top five finish (on the other hand, some races were won by people who fell at the jibe mark.)   The jibe mark was a glorious mess where people who were great jibers and people who were not could bond (in the water) and also allow those who got tangled up at the start to catch up.  The race where Ted and I were trailing the pack by half a mile?   Ted finished fourth, me fifth in a pack of thirteen.   My fin bumped into someone’s down sail while rounding the mark.  Later at the beach I heard the story of someone who had both their sail and their LEG assaulted by a fin.  Apparently that was my doing…um…oops…sorry!

But departing the jibe mark did not make things a simple drag race to the finish.  Not at all.   The return leg involved getting by some ramps and pinching upwind, and at one point when the current was flowing mightily downwind, a pair of tacks was required by many to make it across the finish line.     Jill Marr got caught coming too close to shore before tacking and found herself shlogging back out  before finally making it in.  Jill (who placed third in the women’s rankings) was quick to point out that while she shlogged, “I schlogged with DIGNITY!”

That she did.

I’m getting ahead of myself…did I say that not falling at the jibe mark guaranteed success?  Not only did I say that here, but I said that to myself on the water right after planing through a jibe while the water was littered with The Fallen.  I was so stoked…I looked behind me…nobody was up.  I looked ahead…only two sailors in front of me and I had a chance of catching the second.   I began to think about how I had third place in the bank, and if in the next race I could just…

 The windsurfing gods heard all of this, of course.   Kapow!   It took me a full minute to recover from the catapult, and feeling a bit woozy I finally limped across the finish line, very much in last place.   I have one hell of a bruise where my shoulder hit the boom.

That’s the basic picture of the slalom races.  After six of those, MC Thom Hering announced the Relay Race.  Three teams of five  would compete, with a handkerchief instead of a baton.   The preferred strategy was to stuff the handkerchief in the neck of your wetsuit with a bit showing so you could yank it out for the hand off.   Simple in concept, hectic in execution!   The relay race was a great way to finish the event, and I predict more of them in the future.

So how did people do?  Complete race results are below, but the key things you need to know are:

1.  Bill DeGeorge is ridiculously good.    The scorekeeper (Jill) dropped everyone’s worst score, but for his five best races Bill’s results were first, first, first, first, and first.   So yeah, he won.

2.  George Marr is many things (greatest breaker of windsurfing boards on Long Island…he broke another on Friday) but his instant planing ability is particularly awesome.   This generally meant that he didn’t have to sail around any wreckage at the jibe mark, so he did well too.  He came in second.  Outraged in second.   “Man, if you don’t drop the worst score, I won!” he told anyone who’d listen.  When all he got was laughter, he then proceeded to berate Pete for working so hard to set the floats and get the yacht club to move their race and cutting his foot open, all so he’d have an excuse for finishing behind George.   Very suspicious, according to Mr. Marr.

3.  Everyone who sailed was a winner.  Yeah I know what that sounds like, but ask anybody who participated…it was tremendous fun, you didn’t need special equipment or skills, and we only stopped because people were running out of gas.    I’ve heard that windsurfing racing can be a gear battle, can get aggro, can be any number of things that are less how you might want to spend your Saturday afternoon.    But these races, like those at the King of the East summer festivals, were both competitive and laid back.    Race organizer Thom Hering is a master at making these events fun for everybody, and deserves a lot of appreciation.

4.  Top finishers received commemorative pumpkins as prizes.   “Pumpkins don’t just happen,” Jill told me.  Damn right they don’t.  Neither does scorekeeping, T shirts, sweatshirts, or all the other things that Jill did for the event when she wasn’t schlogging with dignity (Jill rips, actually.)  Jill gets our appreciation too!

5.   One of the newest windsurfers at the race was Andrew Wolf, who did very well for himself in his first races (for my first racing in planing conditions I never made it around the course once.)  FYI for regular readers of the Peconic Puffin Andrew Wolf is not “the Wolf” (the Wolf’s name is Jon vanderWolf, for those keeping track.)  But you know what?  We need more wolves on Long Island…the deer are just out of hand…

I am proud of my pumpkin!

The Official Results:

Relay Race Winning Team:  Scott Yanuck, Jill Marr, Bob Mansfield, Pete Roesch, George Pav..

Slalom Overall:

1.  Bill DeGeorge
2.  George Marr
3. Ted Bretter
4. Bob Mansfield
5.  Michael Alex
6.  Pete Roesch
7.  Kurt Veith
8.  Joe Bayville
9.  George Pav
10.  Mike Jamieson
11.  Christina Clement (First place, Women’s)
12.  Jeanne Baumann (Second place, Women’s)
13.  Scott Yanuk
14.  Sasha Kraev
15.  Ned Crossley
16.  Dean Carballal
17.  Jeff Tannenbaum
18.  Phil Mc Philly
19.  Kevin O’Shea
20.  Jill Marr (Third place, Women’s)
21.  Frank Messina
22.  Chip Marshall
23.  Dennis Grunbeck
24.  Ira Holzman
25.  Andrew Wolf
26.  Art Spangel

 
 
Based  on how well the regatta went, the organizers are already talking about the next one.  Jam Master Jill says "please mention that we will consider any and all feedback, suggestions or
comments to make the event even better! They can email me directly at
[email protected]"

Please do!

The final note:  After the derigging was done, many of the racers hung out in the parking lot, exchanging beer, chips, apples, and an excellent corn salsa while enjoying the setting sun and magnificent buzz from the day.  It was the perfect finish to one of the best windsurfing experiences in my year for sure, and I suspect it will rank top ten with quite a few other sailors.   Thanks to absolutely everyone there!

(Photos courtesy Jimmy Rivera...thanks Jimmy!)

The Races are at West Neck Beach!

The East Coast Windsurfing Regatta takes place at West Neck Beach!  Here's the schedule, from Jam Master Jill:

 9am registration

10am skippers meeting

10:30 first race Yay! fun!  (That's not a typo...fun is in fact on the schedule.)

  Bring duct tape or other means to put a number on your sail.   Start thinking now of how you're going to beat Pete!

The forecast for race time:
NW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 30 kt.

Rock and Roll!

Got the right gear for tomorrow's racing?

I've heard that windsurfing racing is a gear battle.   But I've done better than okay riding an ant-infested, pre-footstrap era, 50-pound white plank, so later for that!  Yet the forecast (currently NW 20-25) for tomorrow's East Coast Fall Regatta (probably taking place at West Neck Beach) means we'll be planing, so in addition to my usual collection of freeride gear I'm adding the only board I ever bought for racing.

Behold The Millenium Puffin!

Purchased in 2000 ('cause Andy Brandt told me Techno racing was cool) I've never actually raced it.   Sailed it a bit, though, over the last decade.   Tomorrow it shall finally achieve its destiny, with my ultra custom tricked out footstrap arrangement, which is:

Port Forward:  Original Bic
Starboard Forward:  Naish
Port Rear:  F2
Starboard Rear:  JP

Each of these straps has been selected and placed for a specific competitive reason.  Anyone who correctly determines my scheme will win a free subscription to The Peconic Puffin!

Song For Friday: Wipe Out!

My blogging friend Adam has been presenting "Song for Friday" as a weekly feature since before I even dreamed of blogging.  Tis a venerable thing, but lately Adam has been short on inspiration  (he needs a beer, he tells me) and so has let Song For Friday slip some.  So I thought I'd lend a hand (we bloggers have to stick together) by stealing a song from someone else's blog and posting it on mine, in honor of Adam.

Makes sense to me.