The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

A May Without Windsurfing

My windsurfing gear is bone dry.

I've been sailing since 1992, which makes this my 20th season.  The only year I didn't get any water time in May was 2002, but that was on account of having rotator cuff surgery the month before.   This year lack of conditions has been my bugaboo.  Yeah if I'd driven 50 miles to Heckscher I could have scored some water time, but that wasn't in the cards.   So my callouses are nearly gone, and the East Coast Windsurfing Festival is just two weeks away. I'm gonna get my tail kicked! 

Thank the water gods for SUP (decent sesh with Scott, the Wolf, Jeff and Steve on Saturday.  In the top photo Scott questions my manlyness, querying my use of hood whilst the rest of the gang paddled hatless.  In the bottom photo, having explained that I was using the hood as a sunburn protectorant, I try to catch what clearly isn't a wave.   Pix courtesy Jeff.)

SUP to the Rescue! Free SUP Demo! SUP Session at Cryder!

Item:  A clammer found himself in a jam in Old Fort Pond when, lost in the fog, his waders filled with water.  Yelling for help, he attracted the attention of stand up paddler Christine Brennan, who heard him from shore, grabbed her board, and paddled out to get him.  Yeah Christine!

Item:   If you'd like to try stand up paddling (or check out the new line of Starboard SUP boards) Hampton Watersports will have a free demo at Cold Spring on Saturday (May 28th) from 10 until 2.  I haven't tried the line myself, but I greatly admired the board Frank was paddling at his SUP surfing initiation a few weeks ago.

Item:  It seems (and statistics verify) that I'm getting very little water time this year, so yesterday morning's quick SUP sesh at Cryder with the Wolf and Jon Ford was a treat.  4-5 foot waves ran long and clean, and plenty of lefts and rights were had (I saw a single wave jack up to six feet, down which the Wolf took a heck of a steep drop.  T'was sweet!)

Meanwhile I haven't windsurfed since April. 

 

 

 

Josh Angulo Signed Up For the East Coast Windsurfing Festival

That's right.  Oh yeah.  PWA wave champion (and your basic windsurfing legend) Josh Angulo will be on the water with you (or at least with me, and everyone else who is coming to the fourth annual ECWF).  I don't know if we can say he'll be competing...maybe it would be more accurate to say he'll just show us the way.

We are stoked.

(There it is, Josh Angulo's name in the participants list.  Is your name there?  If it ain't, waddayuwaitinfor? The East Coast Windsurfing Festival is June 11-12 at Heckscher Park.)

Racing! Freestyle! Fun and Prizes! The East Coast Windsurfing Festival...

...is less than four weeks away!  The fourth annual East Coast Windsurfing Festival takes place June 11-12th at Heckscher State Park.   If you've been to the festival before but haven't yet signed up (by emailing his lordship King of the East Mike Burns at [email protected]) then please do, so your name can appear in lights.

If you haven't been before but think you might enjoy it, just sign up.  You will have a great time (read the copious ravings of this blogger on the last three events.)

If you need convincing, here are the essentials:  The event mixes freestyle events with some racing events.   There is a minimum of rules for either, and any time conditions (or inspiration) suggests changing or scrapping the rules in the name of fun, it happens.   There are no wind minimums (we will race and compete in freestyle in nonplaning conditions, folks!   You can compete in both freestyle and racing.   We have serious competitors, casual participants in it for the fun, and competitors serious about making fools of themselves (like me.)

It is a great time.  There's a reason that the first event begat the second, the second the third, and the third this year's...don't miss it!

For details check out the official website.

(Top:  Racing is fun!   Bottom:  Light wind fun!   Photos by Bill Doutney.)

May ABK Clinic Cancelled!

ABK's May windsurfing clinic at Napeague has been cancelled due to weak pre-registration numbers.  Once the cancellation was announced, ABK masterblaster Andy Brandt says he heard from lots of people saying "Hey wait...I was planning on coming...if my friends and I sign up now will you have the clinic?"   I asked Andy this myself, knowing several people who had planned to attend but hadn't yet registered.

"I know from experience that a certain number of people sign up in the last week or so before a clinic, but if I don't have a sufficiently large pre-registration it doesn't make sense for me to make all the reservations necessary to come to Long Island."

Here's a thought for those of us who will want to attend the fall clinics:  Last year's September clinics sold out in advance...Andy had to turn people away.   But preregistration plays a role here as well.  "If I have enough people signed up weeks and months in advance, I can arrange to bring extra instructors so we still have a good ratio of teachers to students in a larger clinic," Andy told the Peconic Puffin.

So if you want to be a better windsurfer, if you want to learn how to windsurf, if you want to have a fantastic time with other windsurfers and learn new skills, sign up for ABK Boardsports' windsurfing clinics at Napeague 9/23-25 and 9/30-10/2. If you can jibe and are interested in racing, the 9/23 clinic will feature a special racing group. The 9/30 clinic will have a special freestyle group.

Duck Diving SUP

Kai Lenny, ladies and gentlepuffins! Thank you Pete Roesch for posting this in the Yahoo group.

Swap Meet On Saturday

Windsurfing, kiteboarding, stand up paddling...it'll all be getting swapped Saturday at Hampton Watersports, 9pm - 4pm.   Buy, sell, shmooze!   This is what the store's website says:

Buy or sell used Standup paddleboarding, Surfing, Kiteboarding and Windsurfing gear.

Buying: Closeouts available, specials on closeout '10 equipment, and loads of used gear to choose from.

Selling: Please drop your used gear by the shop from May 7 to May 14 (swap day) before 9am.

Rain or shine, windy or not, swap will run. See you then.

Here's a Peconic Puffin tip:  Park in the parking lot of the Japanese restaurant immediately to the east of the store (if you're bringing or buying gear you'll have an easier walk to your vehicle and an easier re-entry to Rt. 39)

SUPing In 20 Knots with Dave Kalama

You could plane on a shortboard with a 5.8 (Peconic Jeff did) but the main event was a stand up paddling circumnavigation of Ram Island in Bullhead Bay with Dave Kalama.   Thanks to Jon and Hampton Watersports for putting this together.

(Top: The downwind portion was a breeze, ha ha. Upwind was a bear! Bottom: Jon asks Dave about paddle position. Photos by Jeff Schultz)

Reminder: Dave Kalama SUP Clinic Tomorrow

As mentioned previously, the mighty Hawaiian waterman comes to Eastern LI to impart wisdom and soforth.    If you are strictly a windsurfer, I ask you what do you do during windless patches of summer?

Check it out at Hampton Watersports

.

A fine day in New York City

by Herbie Hind, as seen on Facebook.

Cryder Gift Wraps Saturday SUP Surfing

“Where’s Schultz?” Scott asked as he surveyed the scene (“Schultz” is Peconic Jeff.)  “Jon says he’s the wave sacrifice,” I replied.  It was a rare no-Jeff session, but the stately 5-7 footers that rolled in wide, clean, and well-spaced at Cryder on Saturday demanded board and paddle, so sans Schultz we went.

First on the water were George Pav and Jon Ford, followed by myself, Frank (Frank’s first wave SUP session ever!) and Christian.    Frank kept his distance from the rest of us, concerned he would bonk one of us with his board while kooking.  That didn’t happen, but after an hour we all cheered as Frank went left on a long five-footer, and later I saw his head disappear going right on a six foot beauty.  (Me I began my SUP wave career in knee-high waves...Frank starts with head-high.)

Scott and the Wolf arrived.   Not long after the Wolf declared “dry hair conditions...I’ve got four waves so far,” letting his coif finish the sentence.  The rest of us begged to differ (for me there is no such thing when SUPing...I’m happy to emerge unbruised) and his Wolfiness did ultimately take a dunking or two (as well as several more beautiful waves.)

Please sir may I have another.