The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Pick a Lane!

Years ago during a windsurfing trip to Maui, there was a day when the winds blew from the west (highly unusual) as opposed to the tradewind easterlies.  Kona Wind, they called it, and it wild and wooly and gusty and all over the place.    The great instructor Jason Voss was standing on the beach, and I asked him what size sail I should rig.  "It doesn't matter*," he said.  "Just grab a sail and go out."

That's about what it was like at South Jamesport yesterday.  Well not quite as crazy, but on the question of 3.7, 4.2, 4.7, 5.4, and 5.8 (if you were Jon Ford) it was up and down.  Or so it seemed.

"It's not gusts and lulls, it's that there are lanes of different wind strengths" Bruce said.   That's what I thought.   I'd rigged a 4.2 on Scott's advice, which I later decided was wrong.  Of course Scott on his 4.7 was tailwalking often as not.  AND gagging!  Etc etc.    Scott Bruce Jan Jon GeorgePav the Wolf and I went at it, and often were dialed in (for 30 seconds at a time) until the next lane was entered.  C'est la wind.  Still, it was 80 degrees and we were in shorties on small sails!   "This could be it for the summer" Scott said.  Let's hope not.

*Back when the Peconic Puffin was a printed weekly newsletter (1993-2003) there was a bit that used to appear on the second page called "Puffin Poetry".  Reserved for a great quote or description of a noteworthy moment, it so happens that Jason's sail size comment was the Puffin Poetry item that week.  Here is what the page looked like...a glance into past goofiness:

 

 

 

Sweet Summer Waves at the Bowl

“It’s not raining…what are we doing here” I asked the Wolf.

“It’s rare” he replied. “What a day!”

Indeed. When conditions are prime for the Bowl, rain usually accompanies the eastern wind. And there’s a bit of chop on the water too. But not yesterday. Warm sun, smooth waters, luxuriously long periods between the waves and no shore break combined to serve up the Return to Waves that we all needed (I needed it, at any rate!)  
Scott, George Pav, the Wolf, Hulse (strung to a kite) Jan and Bruce, and later Jon Ford reveled in the 4.7-5.4 conditions. Swell was 4-5 feet with the occasional six footer…and CLEAN. I completely blew the sail flip jibing on the face of a 5 footer, but I was well placed on the wave and I’d swear my board speed never dropped below 20 as I fumbled my way to the inbound tack. Suh Weet.   Would have been an ideal day for ocean novices. No walks of shame, no beach break rejections, no rides through the inlet.

Oh Happy Day.

(What is wrong with this picture?  It's sunny at the Bowl!)