The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Other People's Whitecaps

Oh Frustration!   I did get to sail with the wife on Saturday (post to come) but today, a glorious hot, sunny and breezy Monday, we were foiled.  I was, anyway.   Looking out on the Peconic Bays there were SE driven whitecaps everywhere, but they must be sailed from the North Fork, and there wasn't a chance in hell of us being able to park legally anywhere near the various town park launches (South Jamesport would have been brilliant.)    Scott and the Wolf were getting some at Hart's Cove, but we didn't feel like the drive on a holiday weekend.    And the Mecox launches were getting a steady 8-12...no joy as we sat parked, staring at the lack of planable breeze.   Sally wanted to work on jibes or hang out at the beach, so no nonplaning fun for me today.

I may throw the SUP in the creek real quick to get in a paddle, otherwise the only way I'll get wet today is in the shower.

Head-High Waves (for Rabbits): Microwave SUP Sesh

What do you do when the ocean is so gnarly that you can’t get out?   If it’s windy we sail the inner bays.  If it’s not windy, we SUP surf the waves that come through an inlet.   I had never done this before, but Jon and the Wolf said it would be fun, so I pulled up on the east side of Shinnecock Inlet.   The guys were already out and riding the, um, waves.   They were hooting and carving turns (on what I could not see) so I put on a wetsuit and paddled out.

When I got to the lineup I found the guys carefully jockeying for position to catch waves that were maybe a foot high.   This is what I came out for?  But hey I was already wet so I tried to catch a wave.   And failed.   And tried again and again and again.   Fail, fail, fail.   Jon and John gave me some tips, which got me onto a wave that I promptly fell off of a few seconds later, finding myself in thigh-deep water. 

Standing in the shallows watching the dogged pursuit of foot-high waves, I thought “these are surfing conditions for rabbits.   This is a scene they cut from Watership Down:

Pipkin:  “I hop on the board and do what?

Blackberry:  “Wait for a wave to come, then paddle with your paws.  Then you surf!”

Pipkin:  “I don’t think rabbits are supposed to surf.  I’m frightened.”

Fiver:  “I think it will be okay, Pipkin.   El-Ahrairah would have surfed if he needed to.”

Bigwig: “Get on the damn board and surf!”

Those rabbits had pluck, if somewhat limited intellects.   But I’m not a rabbit, I’m a Puffin being humiliated by ankle high waves!    So I tried a few more times, positioned myself like Jon suggested, and finally caught one.  The ride was in fact entertaining.    So I go and catch another.   I’m starting to get the hang of it…like miniture golf I have to scale down my movements while staying precise.  

The microwave gods saw that I was becoming comfortable, and so arranged for a new humiliation:  There it was, a thigh-high bomber approaching to wipe me out.   In my ignorance I was excited…a legitimate small wave…so I let it come to me, paddled up to speed…and pearled!   I was OVERWHELMED by the beast!   It was all about proportion, like in Moneyball where Michael Lewis hails pitcher Jamie Moyers’ 60 mph curveball, which lulls batters so much that he can then blow them away with an 80 mph fastball.    It sounds ridiculous, but that’s what happens.

And that’s what was happening to me.   Humbled by the smallest waves I’d ever tried to surf, I learned the value of being in exactly the right spot.   I hope some of this translates into my next session, on waters where rabbits fear to tread (I mean surf.)

*****

1.   Apologies to Richard Adams (author of Watership Down), and Michael Lewis (whose work I did not mangle; still, he was probably hoping that his name would never be mentioned in these unhallowed URLS.)

2.   It should be mentioned that Jon Ford had surfed in magnificent head-high waves (for humans) at Cryder the day before.   He’s the antithesis of a wave snob.

Is Your Name In Lights For The East Coast Windsurfing Festival? It Should Be!

With less than three weeks until the East Coast Windsurfing Festival I would think you would be signed up by now.   But I don't see your name (unless I do, in which case reading this post is a complete waste of your time...go make a list of what you will pack for lunch for the event instead.)   So sign up, and let Mike Burns know whether you're coming to race, get tricksy, or both (I'm in for both.)    Compete in freestyle if you've got a few moves.   Race if you can tack and jibe (or waterstart and uphaul!)  Whatever you do, come sail with us.  And get your name on the list:  We've got guys and gals competing from A-Z (as soon as we get a Zorba and a Quint.)

The 2010 East Coast Windsurfing Festival is June 12-13th at Heckscher.  Check out the event website for details (and the list o' names...get in there!)

Windsurfing When You Can’t See So Good

There wasn’t much of a breeze on Saturday but I wanted to sail, so I drove out to Napeague, where I knew the ABK clinic would inspire me.   If you’ve never done an ABK windsurfing clinic, they’ve got hundreds of things you can learn on the water in nonplaning conditions, and it’s always a blast.  (If you’ve never done an ABK clinic, get yer ass in one already!  I’ve been in more than a dozen over the years, and will be in their freestyle clinic come September.)

I arrived at Napeague to find a light easterly breeze bringing fog across the bay.   No matter…Andy Brandt, Tom and Brendon had folks out there working on tacking and jibing and backwinded sailing and no-handed floating helitacks and such while the water looked like Steven Speilberg was directing.    I loved the theatrics almost as much as the stoke of the clinic, so I rigged my 5.3, went out on my 109, and tried my hand at a half dozen spinny things (including that no-handed heli.)   I had a blast!   Friends I saw through the limited visibility included The Mighty Larry Hoff, OG Puffin Steve, Pete, George, Jake, Robert, Wilson, Andy, and the dynamic duo of ladies backwinded sailing:  Lily and Dana. 

  
Low speed sailing on an enclosed bay is definitely the way to play encumbered vision.   A few years ago Peconic Jeff and I were lucky to get back to shore when fog, sunset and boat traffic conspired to make things interesting north of Robbins Island on the Peconic Bays, and just last week at the Bowl I kinda maybe didn't see Bill behind me in driving rain (on account of keeping my eyes open was difficult) and nearly crashed into him during a jibe.

Better to work on freestyle in the shallows.

(The editor outbound during a rainy bowl session.   Photo courtesy Bedford.)

The Death of My Spencer Bucket

When I started outfitting my windsurfing van back in 2003 one of the first ideas I poached was the Spencer Bucket.   I met Spencer at a Dasher Windsurfing Clinic in May of ’03, and I was immediately drawn to his bucket.

 “Ya gotta have one,” Spencer explained.   "You can throw a good quantity of wet and sandy neoprene, harnesses etc into the thing after a session, you can use it as a platform to change fins and footstraps on a board, and the thing can be hosed out or just whacked on the back to get clean again.  The Spencer Bucket*."

This was Saturday at the clinic.  Sunday morning I arrived with my own Spencer Bucket.   Over the years it has met or exceeded expectations in terms of performance and utility.    But today it died.   More accurately:  Today I killed it.    I’d just taken off my wetsuit after a morning SUP session, and I thought I’d whack the back of the thing to get some sand out.    So I whacked, and it cracked

I’m going to K-Mart right now to replace it.   Can’t imagine showing up for a sesh without one.  

*Spencer did not refer to his bucket as a Spencer Bucket.   But I always have, in honor of Spencer (who called it a $7 bucket from K-Mart).   I’ve given them as gifts, and at least one happy recipient calls his a Spencer Bucket too (Steve don’t let me down when I see you this weekend!)

If It's Raining, We Must Be At The Bowl

 We often joke about how it’s always raining at our Bowl sessions (that’s what the requisite ENE-ESE winds usually arrive with,) but I will confess to being less than totally enthusiastic about rigging and suiting up in cold rain for a sesh.  What a wimp.

I arrived at the Bowl and walked through the driving rain to catch a glimpse of the Wolf launching towards a set of  clean, well-mannered waves, waist to chest high.    Beautiful and friendly.   So I quick rigged a 5.3 and the 93 liter FSW and launched, to join the Wolf, Frank, and on kites Hulse, Bill Barber, and the very stoked Andy.   The waves were nothing special to look at, but they were predictable smooth lefts that gave me more bottom turns than I’m used to, so I was a happy camper.   After an hour Peconic Jeff arrived, and the building wind soon had most of us switching out boards and sails, with me finally arriving at the 4.5/77 liter combo.   By this time Scott was on the water and Jon Ford arrived.   By this time also the wind backed a little more offshore, the inside became gusty, the outside overly choppy, and your editor wimpy.

“I’m not having fun anymore,” I told Scott.

“I know, me neither,” Scott agreed.   “I can’t see in this rain.”

“See?   Who needs to see? *   We couldn’t see before when it was Smooooooooothe!  It’s the bumps and the gusts that suck,” I said.

“Yeah well I like to see,” Scott insisted.

So the two of us derigged and left (along with Frank the Marathon Man…he never takes a break) whilst late arrivals Jeff and Jon went for the gusto.

(*Earlier, during the Smoooooothe portion of the sesh one of the things I didn’t see was Bill behind me when I started to jibe off of some swell.   I stuck the mast in the water to avoid the collision.   Maybe I needed to see.)

“Near Shore Gusts”

The marine forecast said:

"NW winds 10 to 15 kt with near shore gusts around 25 kt."

I've never seen "near shore gusts" in a forecast before.  Googling the term provided no help, nor did Peconic Jeff (who wasn’t available to sail, though perhaps he’ll weigh in here and let us know what “near shore gusts” means.   ‘Cause I’ll tell ya, it didn’t seem like we were getting gusts so much as lulls.)

Still, it was a beautiful Saturday morning at Sebonac Inlet, as I joined Scott, Christian, Keith and Andre windsurfing (John Hulse put up a kite)…a small group for a windy Saturday.    Sebonac was uncharacteristically flattish, with no signature ramps (not that Scott wasn’t jumping anyway).     We started with 5.2ish sails and midsized boards, but after an hour or so the cheater boards came out, and a half hour after that the bigger sails followed (me lit on the 6.2.)

With no jumping to be had I went for carving freestyle, letting the sail size dictate the moves.   With the 5.3 I worked on duck tacks (hit none,) and duck 360’s (hit none) and on the 6.2 backwinded jibes (hit a few)  push tacks (same) and carved 360’s (hit most).   Fortunately the water wasn’t too cold, I was toasty warm in a 4/3, and really, who minds falling at Sebonac?

The near-shore lulls brought the sesh to a halt shortly after noon.

We’re done with drysuits, but 3/2 doesn’t cut it. SUP session at Cryder

All in all it was a good day:  No wind forecast, no waves neither, but their was waist to shoulder high swell at Cryder where Jon Ford and I went to SUP.   In the bright sun and near 70’s air temps my drysuit had been put away, and I thought I’d try skipping my leaking 5/3 and surf with a 3/2, plus a neoprene shirt and hood to insure maximum comfort.

Not even close.

Fortunately/unfortunately I didn’t fall for a good ten minutes after hitting the water.   My first dunking in  the 52 degree Atlantic was alarming.   I was about five degrees warmer than Get Out Of The Water Immediately, or in other words Conditions Were Great Except When I Fell.

Jon caught lots of good waves, and I rode half a dozen winners plus a dozen not-so-bads.    But the cold water was punishing with every fall, and after an hour or so I paddled over to Jon to tell him that I thought I’d wrap up the sesh after a few more waves.    The first time I tried to say this I found my lips didn’t work so well.  So my second attempt I changed the line to one more wave.   Then when I tried to get back up standing and fell three times in a row (my balance shot) I thought “I’m like one of those hypothermic people who don’t realize they’re compromised” and decided to get my chilled butt off the water whilst I could still fake clear-headedness.

Next time out I’ll be back in a semidry.  Even my leaky eight year old 5/3 would be better.  But perhaps I’ll go shopping for some proper new neoprene.

Desperation Session

I just HAD to get on the water.  It had only been a week since my last sesh, true, but other guys were getting some pretty much every day, and I will be denied the water this weekend for reasons that need not be discussed here.    The point is I HAD to sail yesterday.

The forecast was promising (15 gusting to 20 or 25) so I drove out east early in the morning and stayed in touch with Scott and the Wolf as we kept an eye on various launches.  

Nothing.

Around 3PM Sebonac seemed to hold promise…I got there first to find a stiff 3 knot breeze.  I called Scott, said “don’t bother…this day will live in infamy etc” and went to the house to prepare for my drive back to NYC.   At 5PM I was about to walk out the door when I glanced in the distance towards the Little Peconic Bay.    Whitecaps!   So even though I had no time I drove down to Towd Point and found barely planable conditions.   No matter.   I rigged my 6.2 (the spectacular dream rig I received as a gift last year, that keeps me on the water thank you thank you thank you) which promptly delivered all the power I needed.   I was so eager to get to the beach I literally ran with board and rig (I thought “let it be only 57 steps” for some strange reason.  It was 60…close enough!)   I then had myself a 45 minute sailing extravaganza, throwing jibes, duck jibes, Spennie jibes, push tacks, backwind jibes, carve 360’s…everything I could think of.   Then got off the water, raced to the city, and met my wife and her friends at a restaurant.   I was a salty, semi-dry disheveled mess, but I was grinning.  Got me  some water time!

Reminder: Windsurfing/Kiteboarding/Stand Up Paddle Swap Meet this Saturday

I'm going to miss it, but you shouldn't if you need to buy or sell gear.   And by "gear" we mean windsurfing equipment, kiteboarding equipment, stand up paddling equipment...things to get wet on.   Saturday March 8th at Long Island's Hampton Watersports (which forever and anon before was Windsurfing Hamptons.)

If you've raced at the East Coast Windsurfing Festival in recent years, you know that an ancient longboard that might otherwise be classified as dump fodder can, if conditions are light, be a fearsome competitive ride (I sail a board that was made before footstraps were invented, and I came in Third in 2008.)   So you may want to take advantage of the swap to pick one up cheap.  One man's junk is another man's lean mean racin' machine!   Be ready for June...

Long Island Windsurfing Festival is ON, Homes!

We barely finished rumorizing about it when King of the East emeritus Mike Burns confirmed the great days!  They are indeed June 12-13th at Heckscher Park.   So go to the East Coast Windsurfing Festival web site right now to get up to speed, and send Mike Burns an e-mail an email to let him know you're in (Racing, Freestyle, or both.)

Remember that this is a windsurfing festival both for the good guys (lucky bastards) and the rest of us.  If you can helitack you can compete in freestyle, and if you can tack at all, you can race.

No wind minimums.

Much fun!