The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

This weekend warrior thing is working out

SUPsurfing on Saturday, windsurfing on Sunday.  Again.    The ol' M-F work thing will be just fine if the weekends keep going like this.

Saturday at the Helipad the 4-foot sets kept coming and coming.   Christian, Jeff, and the Wolf as a late arrival had a long fine session...mostly lefts but the occasional right.   So many left were there that Jeff declared "I'm going goofy!" to frontside ride them.  So of course I had to do it as well.  I didn't fall, but otherwise it was not pretty.     Afterwards we explored the new weather station at the helipad, which appear to shoot laser beams off the clouds to judge their height.  Four cameras on the thing, but maddeningly the surf and bay views are essentially worthless for Us.

Sunday was going to be more SUPing, but after 20 minutes in the Wolfmobile watching Joe Natalie, George Pav et al getting blown off of wave after wave by the offshore breeze (as well as one wave that Christian described as "possibly double overhead") we took our leave and went to Tiana Bay.  Like last week I was on a 6.2 and 99 liters, accompanied by CD, Jeff, and Christian.  I was first on last off of us, and only got a little more than an hour, but after a major workout Saturday that was just fine.  In the parking lot Bill Barber arrived, to tell tales of teenagers marring his morning surf session ("I have socks in my drawer older than you!" he admonished the youngsters) and then gave me five minutes on why I need to take the channel out through breaking waves.   I know I'm supposed to do this, but I am channel blind the way some people are color blind.

Maybe this will be the year I spot the channels.   In the meantime, keep this weekends coming.

Best Waves I've Seen In Years

 

I was tricked into SUP surfing.   Peconic Jeff put me on a board with a paddle three years, when the ocean was serving up day after day of clean, well-defined sets, color by numbers waves...all of a sudden there was a wonderful alternative to windsurfing for days without whitecaps.   I bought a board, had a great year and a half, and then conditions went away.   We still got waves, but they've been messy, peaky, hard (I'm not very good at this) and anyone near me has heard me bitch mightily about the shortcomings of waves these days, and my hankering for Conditions of Olde.

Sunday I got 'em.

Glorious sets, 4-6 feet (then 5-7 feet) at Flying Point.  Myself, the Wolf, Joe Natalie, Jonathan, Scott cackling a chimply soundtrack in his kayak, Bill Barber (fresh back from Barcelona, on vaig gaudir molt dels museus) and the trickster Jeff went, went right, went steeply down the faces in a moderate off-shore breeze.  Glorious.  Jeff had his paddle-mounted GoPro fired up, and a great time was had by all.  Between Saturday's windsurfing and Sunday's SUPfest, it was a perfect weekend.  M-F would be so much nicer if all S-S went like this.

Thank you wind and water gods!

(video by Jeff...we'll both swear that we were on this wave for half a minute.)

Waterman Weekend, Part One

I can barely raise my arms to the keyboard.  I'm out of windsurfing and SUPsurfing shape, having suffered through a windless waveless hell of a season (until last Saturday glorious Saturday).    So all I'm going to share now is Saturday:  Got a text from Christian and a voicemail from Peconic Jeff that Tiana Bay was capping.   Drove there, rigged the 6.2, hopped on the 99 Skate and proceeded to enjoy a three man flatwater extravaganza.  NW at Tiana Bay is super flat (promising for the upcoming ABK clinic in two weeks) so Jeff and I were going for carving freestyle (360's, backwind jibes, le duck) whilst Christian eschewed such frippery in favor of the classic step jibe.

After almost enough of a nice morning session the wind dropped as the forecast predicted it would, and I headed home.  Wasn't there 20 minutes when I heard from Massimo, saying "come sail with me on Noyack Bay".  Who could resist?  The 6.2 came out again, this time on the 109, and there was more reaching and jibing and faux surfing the microswell  wrapping around Jessups Neck.   It was a darn near perfect day, how to kook it?  I know, when putting my gear back in the van I'll ram my forehead into the fin of a board on the rack, and leave a fine red welt.  Yeah, that's the ticket!

Tomorrow:  The return of good waves (and Bill Barber).

(Photo of Christian eschewing frippery by Jeff Schultz)

Swap Meet Saturday

Windsurfing swap meet.  Kiteboarding swap meet (if you must).  Stand up paddling swap meet.  Swap swap swap.  This Saturday September 15th at Hampton Watersports.  Now that the wind is back (thank you!) you need more gear!  Sell your existing stuff and find something better!   Find beginner gear for your friend (or yourself).  Find expert gear with just a few scratches for a fraction of the cost new.  Find something, and clear out your garage to make room (for more windsurfing gear.)  Things to know:

-If you're selling, best to drop off your stuff this week, or bring it Saturday morning early (the swap starts at 9A.)

-If your gear sells, you get 100% store credit or 80% cash.  I myself have never understood the people who take cash...if you don't find something you want that day (used or new) you're going to need something sometime.  We're windsurfers, and s*** breaks!

-If you're looking for good carbon (masts and booms) arrive early.   That stuff gets scarfed up quick.

-SUP boards and beginner windsurfing gear...the same is true.

-Store employees and volunteers (like yours truly) will help you sort through everything there to find the equipment that best fits your needs and budget.

-There are usually some closeout sales on new gear in the store.

-If you are a newbie (or a new gear only freak) FYI: Swap meets are fun! 

Hope to see you there (early...then I hope to sail or SUP with you in the afternoon.)

 

Beautiful Winds and Big Crowd at Mattituck

Long Island windsurfers get plenty of 25 knot days with 80 degree air temperatures.  In the Caribbean.  Saturday's shredfest at Mattituck (Yacht Club launch) featured crazy good conditions, which:

1.  We were owed, after a terrible summer for windsurfing,

2.  Many of us were out of windsurfing shape for (give the lack of windsurfing.)

I had two kook moments just trying to rig a sail.  First my 5.3 found itself plastered against the wire fence by the softball field (I tried inserting the mast in this orientation...hey the sail was flat, just not parallel to the earth) and then after the sail was finally rigged it got tossed again.

"Do you remember how to windsurf?" Scott asked me.

"No," I replied.  "Well maybe.  I hope so!"

Launched the 5.3 on my 77 FSW, and joy ensued.   Mattituck is only good for some very specific wind directions...SSE, S, and SSW, but when its blowing thus, the starboard ramps that set up inside and out are peerless.   People who don't even jump on starboard (like me) go for air.  And if you DO jump on starboard (like Air Scott) then the good times roll.   As does the swell halfway out...wanna do some faux wave riding?  Christopher Lord Chimpleton (CD) was carving prodigious "S" turns, making like Maui on the Peconic Bay.

After my first hour I had to rig down to 4.5, which is what I sailed most of the day, with 4.7-4.2 being the middle of the bell curve.  Joe Natalie was throwing speed tacks, Kurt Veith was with the speed loops.  I was just trying to hold on.   At the beach I saw something I haven't seen in ages:  a blister forming on my hand.  I think the last time my hands were that out of WS shape Big Bill Clinton was President.  I looked up and saw Scott wearing gloves.

"Had to.  My hands haven't held a boom in a looooong time."

No less than 20 windsurfers were on the water during the course of the day, including (I'm missing people):

Scott
the Wolf
CD
Peconic Jeff
Christian
Marty
Joe Natalie
John Hulse (kite)
Jan
Bruce
Kurt
Bruce Feldman
Tomas
Dennis
Sasha
Christina
Ted
your editor
and several others.

I'd been thinking about rigging a 4.0 but decided to give it a break around 4 o'clock (which is fortunate, because I forgot that I sold my 4.0 at the swap meet in May.  Must look for another one this coming Saturday!) and that was fine.   Mattituck had given us an outstanding day by any standard, but the hot fudge combination of high  winds and warm wind and water...thank you thank you may we please have another?

(Photos courtesy Bridget Walter/www.LISail.com, except for the last photo of my jibing, courtesy Jeff Schultznbsp; Bridget will no doubt dazzle us with even finer imagery when the LI Sail issue covering the sesh appears.  We will let you know when that issue is live on the interwebs.  Also, thank you Ross for the apres beer!)

Hum Baby (Saturday forecast)

Looking good for this afternoon (if you stick your head out the window you can already faintly hear Chimply Lord Scotworth the Earl of Kielt shouting "it's pickin' UP!") 

Long Island forecast from iWindsurf.   I am hoping to see people I haven't sailed or surfed with since 2011.  Look for us on the North Fork...likely sailing out of Mattituck. I'm feeling windsurfly.

UPDATE: Long Island ABK Windsurfing Clinics

There are changes regarding the scheduled ABK Windsurfing Clinics on Long Island.

1.  The September 21-13 clinic at Napeague has been cancelled, except for those people who have been directly contacted by Andy Brandt (in other words, you know who you are.)

2.  The September 28-30 clinic at Napeague (including the famous Freestyle Group) is going to be moved to Tiana (the bay launch.)   More details will be coming on ABK Boardsports website soon.

Until 2005 Tiana Bay was the regular venue for ABK.  It's a great shallow flatwater spot that works on pretty much all wind directions.   It's where the Town of Southampton holds their youth windsurfing camp every year.   I've done two clinics there myself, and personally prefer it to Napeague (though it does not get the extra 5mph wind on northeasterlies that Napeague does).   There's plenty of parking!  What there isn't is nearby camping.   There are a lot of small motels on the road approaching the Ponquogue Bridge on Lynn Avenue, Foster Ave etc.    To get to Tiana cross the Ponquogue Bridge in Hampton Bays, turn right, and drive two miles.  You'll see the enormous beach parking lot (and beach house) for Tiana Beach on the left...you'll want to enter the smaller lot to the right, which is right on the bay.

The Peconic Puffin will have updates as we get them.  

(You can also find Tiana Bay on the Long Island Windsurfing Map.)

 

River Surfing Video (you gotta see this)

All you need is current and rubber. Idaho river surfing!

Catching up at the Beach

I've put the Trans-Channel Death Paddle behind me (and hopefully so has Ted) having now discovered the joys (or comparitive sanity) of parking at Shinnecock East and walking for five minutes to get to Flys.  Joined Christian, his friend Michael, Peconic Jeff and others on Sunday for the occasional Pretty Good Wave.   I must whine that it's been about two years since I've stood on the water and watched a clean, well-formed set approach across smoothe waters.  The wait continues.

Saturday night we celebrated BD3 for Christian's daughter @Ponquogue. Good food, fellowship, stories by Christian's father-in-law, and chimply representation by CD, the Wolf, Scott, and Jeff.  A blue moon capped it off.

(Photos on the water and off by Jeff Schultz)

Racer Ted sucked through the Shinnecock Inlet

Regular readers of The Peconic Puffin may be familiar with the dim view I take of launching  at the Bowl, then paddling across Shinnecock Inlet for the privilege of SUP surfing at Flys (see The Trans-Channel Death Paddle.   A few days ago Racer Ted sent this report of his stand up paddle experience @Shinnecock:

"Well I remember the Peconic Puffic writing an article a few weeks about about crossing the inlet with all the boats.

Today I took a female friend for her first SUP on the ocean. We launched from the bowl and she was doing great so I mentioned there are sometimes waves across the inlet opening and she was up for the trip. We went pretty far out, let the boats go by, and went for it.  Most of the way across I noticed all these ripples in the water and realized there was a strong current. I then noticed we were getting sucked in even though it felt like we were making progress. I kept thinking we were going to make it but then I realized we weren't. I then told her we needed to flag down the next boat, only to see some huge boat coming right at her. It was the Police boat. They picked us both up and I told the guy I said we were flagging down the next boat and luckily it was them. He said don't worry someone already called and said you were getting sucked in.

  Oh well she still had a blast and caught a tiny wave right at the beach before jumping off."

That's the spirit!  Still...don't do that paddle.  You can park at Shinnecock East and walk to Flys faster than you'll ever paddle it.  I shall tell such a story tomorrow.

Return to Mecox

Sally had not been in the footstraps since our Bonaire trip.   Sure she's worked on her nonplaning skills, tacking and jibing in the creek, but she was wanting some proper planing action.

Finally we got some.  T'was only 90 minutes (Sally on a 5.3, Eileen on a 5.0, and me w/6.2) but shred we did!  Sally hit a jibe, but more impressive was the one she missed that featured a high-speed carving entry.  A victim of Carve Fascination*, but it was still a thing to see.

*ABK Windsurfing Clinics returns to Long Island in late September...get your carve fascination cured (or amp it up and learn 360's!)

(Top:  Sally's new wetsuit, sure to improve her jibing.  Bottom: Eileen @ the Yacht Club.)