Boneheaded Moves and Good Times at Heckscher

I can screw up anything.  Yet I somehow managed to have a good time at the windsurfing festival last weekend, despite the following:

-blanking out on the port/starboard rule 45 seconds after MC Thom reminded everyone about it, and ramming Peconic Jeff, who looked at me incredulously as I turned into him (maybe that’s what motivated him to trounce me in the freestyle competition.)

-forgetting just about everything during my second freestyle heat (“Dude, remember to breathe,” King of the East Mike Burns said to me.  You’d think I could remember that…)

-forgetting my BOARD Saturday night at the end of the first day’s festivities (thank you Joe Natalie for rescuing it and packing it as carefully as if it was his.)

-forgetting to post the Junior Division results and relay race results afterwards.   Will get them up as soon as possible.   Pete Roesch already reminded me that his son Devon won the Junior class…I’ve spent my Long Island windsurfing race career trailing behind Pete, and now I can look forward to additional humiliation in the wake of his son.

One thing I did right was to skip the board toss (ANOTHER thing Peconic Jeff  won.   I don’t think I can be his friend anymore…dude let me win something!)  Last year I managed the shortest toss of the event (spiking the nose) so I wisely let this opportunity for failure pass me by.   And I had nothing to do with the hole that was punched in Kurt's beautiful new race board (not that it stopped him from winning.)  And I managed to meet Hudson River Windsurfing blogger Ian, and Dan Perelmen of NY Windsurfing MeetUp and Joanne who just bought her first windsurfing board and lots of other great people.   And I got to match race with Ted Bretter (who I only beat because one of us had a weed fin.)   Good times!

Now I look forward to the Fall Regatta.   Boy will I screw that up!

(Top:  My kind of freestyle, captured by Bill Doutney.  Bottom.  Even Buddha Mike's Buddha couldn't get me right.  This particular Enlightened One is rendered from potassium theldspar, and is just a teense radioactive, according to Carver Jamieson.)

Comments

[mike burns]

Classic Puffin! At least you get the commentating right. I'll be laughing at that shot at the top for weeks. In all seriousness though, you were killing it in the freestyle. Congrats on making the final 4!

[George]

Great Blog Mike. Don't forget about our yearly dance in race two. I thought for sure I was going to walk across your board again. Maybe next year.

[Michael]

Mike...glad you like that photo. If I can't bring the style on the board, I'll go for it off the board.

George, maybe we won't have to wait until next year...there's always (hopefully) the Fall Regatta! Meanwhile you were tremendous with the freestyle this year...I thought you were going to win it (until P-Jeff went wild).

See you sailing or SUPing soon...

[Tonywind]

Mike, what would we do without your hilarious posts? C'mon you are not as bad as you depict yourself. Sorry I couldn't make it this year!

[Ian Berger]

Mike,

Great post and thanks for the shoutout. Do you have dates yet for the fall event?

-Ian

[Michael]

Tony, come to the Fall Regatta and we'll see how bad I am! Ian, I don't know anything about the dates yet (will announce as soon as I hear something) but last year it was the weekend of October 10th. That event worked out beautifully so my guess is the organizers will aim for the same time this year. It's a one day event with multiple possible locations. What happens is on Friday night the final announcement is made for the day (Saturday or Sunday, whichever has the better forecast) and the location (whichever of the approved spots is best for windsurfing that particular forecast.)

[aaron]

that first photo is just classic.

Glad you guys got wind for your event! Looks like a hoot!

[mike J]

Michael, I thought you aced it with the sleepy hollow. Could this new move be, the submarine no foot waterstart?

[TedB]

You did one thing right, you easily were beating me in our little races. I don't know how I beat you last Fall, but I'm can't wait for a rematch this coming Fall. I'm not so sure your Techno is faster than that JP. The techno may plane quicker and sail upwind better, but I'd bet it's slower on a reach. (JP - when reaching and planing, for the wetted surface, it's narrower in the tail, has a smaller fin, and is much lighter.)