The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Prednisone Is Gonna Get Me Back on the Water

I’m not big on taking medicine for every little problem, but sometimes we need fixing.   I caught a hellacious case of poison ivy on my forearms that has kept me off the water for a week, but the steroid treatment I’m on has kicked in, and I’m going to try sailing the next good day.   

How bad was it?  As I mentioned in my original ivy post, I took some photos of my arms for posterity, but the images were so nasty that they were truly unfit for use here.  However I did send one to Jeff to see, so you can check out his reaction.  Here's the google chat conversation from yesterday:

me: want to see a photo of my arms?
 Jeff:  absolutely!
 me:  you r warned
 Jeff:  hit me.  if it's really bad I'll hit you back with a snowboarding forearm injury of mine
 me:  what you can't see is the drizzling of mystery fluids dripping out of the sores.  the prednizone has stopped the dripping
 Jeff:  ummblueaaaghh!!!
wow!!
bubbly skin
 me:  and truly, the photo doesn't capture it.  I just thought the photo was already too nasty to use so why try harder?
 Jeff:  lol, that's pretty bad...
however... perhaps you can get a elbow length dishwashing glove or something to use inside a wetsuit?  i mean, now that the oozing has subsided and all...
 me:  nice!
that's an idea.

So that's what I'm going to try.  My arms are still quite raw, but compared to what they were...   Plus the forecast is getting up into the 30s!

Even CD Is Getting More Time On The Water Than Me

I've been on the water maybe three times in the last month.   Scott drove the point home with "even c.d. is getting more time on the water than you now!"   Not that I begrudge CD.  Lord Chimpleton misses many sessions, busy as he his working and being a great dad.    Also sometimes he misses them when he starts talking to someone at the launch, and ends up having a 90 minute conversation, not rigging until the wind dies.

 But that's my wind brother CD, not me.   Currently I'm grounded by some extra nasty poison ivy. At the urging of Frank (and the needling by Scott) I went to the doctor yesterday for advice.  He took one look at my arms, laughed out loud (how reassuring) and said "you need large doses of strong medicine."   So now I'm on prednisone, a favorite of Dr. House ("give him the prednisone!" he says whenever someone's body is freaking out.)

So I feel a little bit better already, and am sure that I'm healing quickly.  Or maybe that's because Scott says there will be a sesh at the Bowl on Thursday.

(Photo of CD at Ponquogue by Bedford)

Poison Ivy

I've been sidelined by a freakin' plant.    I was wearing gloves for protection, but only a short sleeve shirt as I did some work in a questionable corner of our backyard, so now I sport the classic pattern of "lower forearm exposure" to poison ivy.    Hundreds of blisters and muck cover the skin above my wrists...I've taken photos, but they are frankly too gross to share.

I am swimming in calamine lotion and oat baths and benadryl, but have no idea when I'll be in shape to get back on a board.  Misery is me.

Mud Sailing, Anyone?

I was once in an ABK clinic in Delaware in which Andy Brandt put a finless board and rig in some shoreside "magic mud" and proceeded to teach nonplaning freestyle in the slurry.   It was pretty cool, if you are an absolute geek (as most all windsurfers are.)

But check these guys out, actually sailing through mud in Palo Alto, to get to full-on water.  They recommend short fins..."a 15cm custom cut mud fin". Read about it on the San Francisco Bay Area Windsurfing blog.

Foolish Rigging Syndrome

What to rig what to rig what to rig?  Folks were in a tizzy at the Bowl on Friday.

Anticipating Igor’s waves and the forecast of  solid winds, there was a decent turnout at the Bowl.  Peconic Jeff (who seems to spend more time in the ocean than the bays these days…perhaps we should call him Atlantic Jeff?) was on it first…SUP board and a 5.8, looking good on some waist high swell.   Fisherman (“I say no to 6.0” sayeth the wind snob…good thing he’s efficient) was also on a high fiver and whatever his biggest short board is, sometimes planing, often not.   I joined them with my mighty 6.2 and the 109 (freshly repaired…the subject of a future post) and was soon planing most all of the time.

Soon Scott and the Wolf were on 5.8’s, and then the wind freshened for a moment.  Boldened.  Got stronger.    It was only for two minutes, but that was enough to induce Foolish Rigging Syndrome on nearly all in attendance.   Consider:

Patient #1  (CD) had been rigging a 6.2, but when the whitecaps began to fill in he slammed on the breaks and put up a 5.3.   CD never launched.

Patient #2 (the Wolf) sailed to shore, and endeavoring to select the perfect rig he went right past his 5.2 and rigged a 4.7.   “I’m embarrassed,” said the usually unflappable Wolf.

Patient #3 (Bill) was rigging a 5.2 when I came upon him in the parking lot (I decided to try boarding down to the 93 instead of rigging down.)   Bill is larger than me, and usually takes half to a full sail size more wing.   I said “if I’m on a 6.2 and you’re on a 5.2, one of us is going to be in trouble.”    It was you, Bill…it was you!    Bill launched, gagged on a broad reach for about 75 yards before exiting the water for a short Walk o’shame.

And Scott?   Scott grumbled a lot but actually caught most of the wind before it died.   Jon Ford missed the sesh completely on account of a dog making a chew toy of his arm the day before.

And me?   How did I kook it, you ask?   I actually did just fine at the Bowl.  Earlier in the day however I drove half an hour to a SUP session at Road L, without any wetsuits in the van.   Doh!

Swap Meet Saturday, ABK Clinic Friday!

Nag nag nag.

Come buy my used stuff (and other people's) or sell me your great used stuff (or other people) Saturday at Hampton Watersports.  Windsurfing equipment, kiteboarding equipment, stand up paddle equipment...come bring it, come buy it.

And don't forget the ABK clinics this Friday-Sunday (featuring a racing group for advanced windsurfers so inclined) and then again in early October (that time with a freestyle group for suitable lunatics.) More information available from ABK Boardsports.

Andy Brandt wants you! And someone wants your old 85 liter waveboard, no doubt.

Hurricane Earl...Not So Much

Boy did we not get crazy winds.  But I did break a board.

When a true gale or tropical storm or hurricane comes into the area, we always head for a spot on the inner bays to make sailing as manageable and safe as possible.   When it's supposed to scream from the northeast that means East Landing, and there was quite a crowd there, including Bill, CD, Eric, Jake, Jeffs Schlecter and Schulz, Johns Ford and vanderWolf, Scott, Vulcan George Pav, a sailor who just moved to the area from Florida, and several others whose names I'm blanking on (if you're reading this, blanked ones...please comment!)  

Usually for a big storm we're out on our three meter sails (Jon Ford and Bill on low 4's, perhaps) and tiniest boards.    More than a few guys only brought their smallest stuff.    But the sail call was 4.7-5.7 depending on your mass (me on a 5.3 and 93 liters, after earlier smashing off the nose protector of Calamity Too...a JP 109 Freestyle).       5.3 in pouring rain...heck, several of us had been on the same sized gear the day before at South Jamesport, in bright warm sun.   What the heck?

It's sunny and blowing today, though, so it's back to the races.

Meanwhile:  Earl Shmurl.

(Check out the iWindsurf readings for Hatteras...70 gusting to 83 is what I call a lot of wind.  I wonder who sailed?)

 

Hurricane Earl, Windsurfer Entertainment

Let me begin all serious and stuff:  I do not want my house, or anyone else's house, to get blown down.   Or to have a tree blown onto it, or onto anyone who lives in a house or likes houses.   We at the Peconic Puffin are anti-hurricane damage.

That being said, some serious wind and waves will probably come our way, and if we can thread the needle between disaster and getting skunked, there could be epic times to be had!

My choice chart at the moment is NOAA's 50 Knot Wind Speed Probability chart, which lays out the odds of getting at least 50 knots (damn near 60 mph) winds sustained at those speeds for at least a minute.  Nobody windsurfs in that (those that say they do is lyin' or misinformed or living in Hatteras) and it seems like a good bench mark for Too Much Wind To Play Or Go Outside Sans Helmet*.

As of presstime, the 8AM Wednesday chart places Peconica in the middle of the 20%-to 30% probability zone. Let's see how that develops, shall we?

 

*Wearing a helmet whilst walking outside during big storm conditions is a tip I received from Mark Skelton.  Mark is one of those crazy-to-the-bone Hatteras windsurfers who probably has been out in at least 50 knot winds.   Mark told me that a major danger to look out for was metal street signs and store signs blown loose by the storm winds...giant blades flying around that might cut off your arm or leg or worse.   Anyway he wears a helmet on land as well as on water during such times.

Rainbow Wave

Rainbows highlighted beauties like these as they rolled through Tiana last Sunday.  And Jeff Schultz (carrying not one but TWO cameras with him as we SUPped in overhead waves) snapped away.  He's got stills and video from the day on his blog.