I have the good fortune to have friends who live on the eastern side of Napeague, where the sands are red and the kites few. Sally and I had a dinner invitation to go visit...really...and then the 25 knot forecast hit.
"Let's go early".
After a false start with the 5.3, I was soon out with a 4.5, lit on 77 liters of freestyle wave happiness, along with Dana, Andy, Lili and Wilson. Side on winds, full power just 50 yards from the beach. Rip roaring on a sunny fall day! And when I say I was on a 4.5, that's mostly because my 4.0 no longer exists. The gusts that came through were many and mighty ("compelling" is the word we agreed upon after a dozen) and I for one found I couldn't really jibe in them. Wait for the lulls. Or make a big splash.
What all that wind was great for was jumping. I know..."Napeague" and "jumping" are not normally in the same sentence, but there were some unusually clean and sizable ramps setting up this day. Air time was had (and my joints had a jumping hangover the next morning...I need to go to restorative yoga or something.)
After two hours the gusts became the base wind speed, and we were all:
A: sufficiently fried,
B: thinking about the wonderful planned dinner,
C: A and B
(the answer is C)
so we packed it in, and got down to some fine food and wine. All of life should be like Saturday.
(Top: It may have been crowded at Lazy Point, but we had the far side all to ourselves. Dana, Andy and I mug for the camera. Jumping at Napeague! Dana on the red sands of happy. Photos by Wilson.)
P.S. That was the session I caught. Tomorrow we shall have the story of the session I missed, as the consortium of wind chimps and greater Puffinry caught it big at Cupsogue.
The Lone Windsurfer of Jamaica Bay put in an appearance on Sunday!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nVpBxqg4x7ugGk6f_nAiEdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
Posted by: Bonnie K. Frogma | October 28, 2013 at 10:58 AM
Dana's sail looks not much larger than a stretched out transparent /translucent umbrella! And by the size of her smile, I'd guess it was just about right.
Posted by: McPhilly | October 30, 2013 at 11:08 PM
Phil, she's on a 3.7 there. Dana is a speed demon, btw...she was born wanting to go faster!
Posted by: Michael | October 31, 2013 at 09:00 AM
Ah ha, yes, well that makes sense. :) but but he said 4M rip fest, surely I see a sub 4 sail ;) Nuttin' wrong with that. That svelte dragonfly wing was just not fitting with my visual concept of 4 SqM, that's burned into the visual cortex of all us wind-addled seabirds.
Posted by: McPhilly | November 02, 2013 at 09:34 AM