The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

We need a new spot for the East Coast Windsurfing Festival

Damage from Hurricane Sandy (and delays in getting Federal funding to repair Heckscher Park) rule out Field 7 (Joe's Beach) for the sixth annual East Coast Windsurfing Festival.   The organizers need an idea for an alternate site, and right now they don't have one.

If you do, please reply here, or post them in the Yahoo LI Windsurfing Forum.   Otherwise we may take 2013 off (and miss all the great racing and freestyle and SUP and board tossing and funification).

Help if you can.

 

 

 

 

Mast Bend

As seen on World of Windsurf on Facebook.

Sweet Session at Ponquogue

I missed it Monday.   But Jeff and Scott did not.  Peconic Jeff reports:

"Sweet session this afternoon at Ponquogue! Scott & I full powered on 4.7, 3-6' waves, sunny, perfectly sideshore, big airs and one frontside wave ride with 4 bottom/top-turns. About 30 seconds before the Wolf & Bill Barber* showed up, I launched into a giant back loop crash. Felt like I was in the air for a good 3-4 seconds. Not bad for my first wave sailing sesh of the year.

* - Bill thought we were talking out of our ass about the condtions. Maybe not up to Puerto Rican standards, but still sweet for desperate Long Islanders!"

Oh man.  Damn damn damn.  I mean, good for them, but I MISSED IT!  Damn.  

One data point of interest is Jeff's capture of iWindsurf's Mecox meter for the day.  Check it out.  18-20 ENE at Mecox in the Spring should mean Ponquogue is windy!

 

ABK Returns to Tiana (Spring Windsurfing Clinic!)

"Oh, Tiana!" Scott sings, though he's usually waxing lyrical about the ocean launch.   But the user friendly and convenient Tiana Bay launch will be the site of ABK Boardsports windsurfing clinics this year, May 17-19.  Tiana has many advantages for a Long Island windsurfing clinic:

-Lots of shallow water,

-Sailable in every wind direction,

-Loads of parking,

-15 minute drive to the windsurfing shop if you need something,

-40 minutes closer (if you're coming from west) than Napeague.  Napeague was (and is) an excellent spot to windsurf, but I'm excited for ABK's triumphant return to their old Long Island clinic spot.

If you've never windsurfed before, this is the place for you.  Want to learn to sail in the footstraps?  Waterstart?   Plane through a jibe?  Vulcan?  Loop?  Et Set Er Ah?!?!?  This is the place.

So sign up ASAP (don't get shut out...it's happened, as  long time ABKers know).  Here's a link for more info.  ear, May 17-19.  Just make sure you're there.  Andy Brandt and his mighty crew are coming...

(Top:  Andy throws a shuv it.  I need to learn those.  Bottom:  You missed the Bonaire clinics?  No worries...they're bringing their simulators to Tiana.  Work out your technique dry on the beach, test it and get coached on the water.  Photos borrowed from Andy's Facebook page.)

Dead Whale at Triton

This is sad.  A dead humpback whale washed ashore at Triton.  A good-looking whale.  Photo by the Wolf.

Swap Meet Coming

Windsurfers, SUPpers (what, you don't have one yet?), watermen, sell me your gear.  Whether 'tis nobler to hang from a boom or dangle from a kite, it's time to part ways with old stuff and buy slightly newer stuff that you need (you need more gear.)  So here it comes:

What:  Windsurfing/Kiteboarding/SUP swap meet

Where:  Hampton Watersports (1688 County Road 39 Southampton, NY 11968, 631-283-WIND, hamptonwatersports.com)

When:  Saturday May 11th, 9A-4P

Meet old waterfriends, make new ones, oogle lots of gear, buy and sell some!

Bonaire Freestyle Gods Documentary coming to New York

While on a windsurfing vacation in Aruba in 1997 I first heard about "the Bonaire kids", a collection of young (and very young) locals one island over who were windsurfing on antiquated gear, many of whom were fantastic windsurfers, and some of whom were astonishingly good tricksters.  We now know the names of some of those kids:  Kiri.  Taty. Tonky.  Etc.  Review the PWA Freestyle rankings.  THOSE Bonaire kids.

The story of windsurfing in Bonaire is an amazing tale, and a documentary about it years in the making, entitled Children of the Wind, will soon be screened in New York City on April 21.

Click here to buy tickets.   If you can't make the NYC date, consider the Newport Beach Film Festival.  It's an amazing story.

 

Roll Cloud

Roll cloud.  That's what Jeff says it is, and he should know, being a meteorologist.  We'd ask him more about meteors, but as an editorial matter we see more roll clouds while windsurfing than meteors.   Photo by the Wolf.

Thrice Denied

Don't even read this.  There is a sliver of good in it, but as a water weekend, this last one stunk.  Saturday morning it was blowing NW 4.7, but by the time Christian, Peconic Jeff and I got on the water at Sebonac, a 7.5 was called for.   And the biggest we had were 5.8-6.2.   Le Bust #1.  

A few hours later text messages were flying.  The waves at Ponquogue were said to be wonderful and clean...SUP heaven!    Drive to Ponquogue to find a dozen surfers sitting in front of a decent but narrow wave, perhaps five feet.   We went out, spent time on the shoulder, and caught a few okay rides, and of course it's always nice just to be out there, but mostly it was a lot of paddling for naught.  Le Bust #2.

Sunday afternoon the wind was called for due South.  Scott called for a Mattituck session (later moved to South Jamesport) but I had time limitations, so instead of driving All The Way to the North Fork I went to Shinnecock Shores to join Christian, figuring I'd trade more dramatic conditions for an hour less of round trip driving.      This was an error.  Classic Spring mixdown problem:  Closer to the cold ocean, the warm southerly couldn't get down to the water, hence Christian was planing in the gusts on an 8.5, whilst on the North Fork the warmer Peconic had Scott howling "tspickinUUUUUUP!" and no doubt had a fine sesh.  

I don't know how Jeff netted out...hopefully he caught is somewhere.   iWindsurf's meter says it didn't blow on the South Fork until 6P, at which time I was on the LIE westbound.

Looozah.

Friday Morning Outlook

emailed to Peconic Jeff, the Wolf, Scott and the greater Wind Chimp/Puffin collective:

Sat:  NW winds 15 to 20 kt...becoming W 10 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Gusts up to 25 kt early. Seas 2 to 3 ft.

Sun:  S winds 10 to 15 kt...increasing to 15 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 4 ft.

Sat AM Meschutt?  Sun PM South Jamesport (or Tiana Bay)?

What say ye, men of wind?

Sally In The Straps

Back in February we reported on Sally's new wetsuit.  One of the quotes that ended up on the cutting room floor when she got the thing was "see you in the straps" (quoting the great Dana Miller).

Well, here she is, photo courtesy Jimmy Rivera.   We're heading out to Napeague in a few weeks...this will not be in the van.  5/3, anyone?

New Tri-fin Design

April Fools for windsurfing? More visionary design work by U2U2U2.