The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

No Play for Us. Getting Ready to Ride Out Sandy

There was way too much work to do at our house this weekend to think about catching Sunday's winds.  We are flood zone fodder!   Everything that could be carried upstairs is upstairs, everything we couldn't carry upstairs we raised as high as we could (the dining room table has been designated sacrificial...the couches are now stacked across it.)   .  Peconic Jeff has lost power (but his cell is working!)

Everything we couldn't raise is going to take a dip, in all likelihood.

Sally and I are back in NYC, but our neighbors (whose house is a little higher than ours) are riding it out.   As of 10AM our backyard is beginning to fill with water (photo by Peconic Puffin contributing photographer Remy McFadden)

 

Windsurfing Hurricane Sandy...A Safety Note

The prospects of windsurfing a storm like Sandy gets everyone excited.   I was glad to read a post from Billy T in the Long Island windsurfing bulletin board, that I've excerpted:

"Depending on the direction, and the force of the wind, there will probably be crap floating in the water.  Keep Joe in mind when the storm sailing hype starts, sail safe."

Joe was the great and mighty Joe Rocco, an excellent windsurfer and storm sailor who died when he hit floating debris following Hurricane Irene last year.

Be careful.  Wear a helmet.  Keep Joe in mind when the storm sailing hype starts. If the storm really tears things up, sailing immediately afterwards might be a terrible idea.

R.I.P. Joe.

Wind, she is coming

(it's been so quiet here, I know.  Did catch a 6.2 session a week ago at Mecox with Bill...shoulda been at Tiana but a flat tire held me back.)

Meanwhile:

Sunday NE 25?   Let it be!

 

Mecoxing on a Saturday Afternoon

On Saturday Sally and I sailed a couples sesh at Mecox. Sally called it a day first and shot this vid of me kicking the JP Freestyle 109 up to 30 (said my GPS). 30 isn't particularly fast, but on a pure freestyle board (70 cm wide) it's interesting! (Cinematography by Sally.)

Jibatorium? Not So Much

As seen on Chris Pressler's FB page, photo attributed to Jibe's Beach Club in Viet Nam.

Digging George Pav

Or should it be George Pav digging? 

Don't worry, I won't write that I dig this photo (though I do, which is why I'm concocting a post around it.)  This was taken by Jeff Schultz at the helipad a week and a half ago.  The Wolf, Christian, Jeff and I were considering paddling but concerned about the headwinds (we ended up on 6.2's sailing Tiana Bay) and as Christian noted, the munchola factor.  In the end we went bay sailing.  

Still, admire George for trying to get on this thing, and Jeff's fine photo!

That Mattituck Sesh...now featured on LI Sail

Relive (or check out) last month's outstanding Mattituck session through fresh eyes, as digital magazine LI Sail reports on the big southerly blow and the twenty or so lucky ones who caught it on the North Fork.  Check out Tomas on the cover!

Return to the Bowl

It had been a solid year since I windsurfed in the ocean. Arm injuries over the winter and lack of conditions this Spring/Summer...if it weren’t for SUP I’d have forgotten what ocean swell and surf were like. But finally we caught some! Not much breaking, but beautiful rolling swell 4-6 feet at the Bowl made jibing glorious, and there were enough steep slopes to play with the occasional bottom turn.  We’ve all been so starved for wind and waves that the place was a grin factory. Scott, Frank, Jon, Jan, Bruce, the Wolf, Bill, Jimi Jam, and more were all ecstatic. For some bizarre reason Peconic Jeff was late to ring the enthusiasm bell.

At first he said he was going to the ABK clinic (a tough choice to make, with the mighty Andy Brandt preaching freestyle just 3 miles down the road.) But then Jeff showed at the Bowl and started taking pictures, (Jeff is a serious photographer) but

DUDE...I’M ON A 5.2 AND THE SWELL IS NEAR HEAD HIGH!

After snapping some photos (including the one here of The Silver Surfer Jan ripping) Jeff did finally rig and join the fun. At which time I was rigging down to 4.5. Warm, windy, good swell, and uncharacteristically for the Bowl, no rain.    It takes a lot to get me to skip an ABK clinic.  I got it!