The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Baby Bowl Plus

David has been asking about the Bowl for awhile.  When would a good day for him to try it?   His first LI wave day?

Saturday it was!

Along with the Brothers Natalie, Scott, the Wolf, Arty (returned from the Gorge), Jon Ford and yours truly, in 2-3 foot swell with no beach break, David went in!  Full props.   And the usual ocean newbie stuff:

Q:  How was waterstarting?

A:  TERRIBLE!

Q:  Did you worry about sharks?

A:  CONSTANTLY

For the rest of us it was smooth sailing...what the Bowl lacked in wave size it almost made up for in smoothness.   It was calm enough on the inside that I was throwing duck jibes for fun.  On the outside there was still swell to jibe off of.  Good day!

SUNDAY BONUS:  Mecox.   Me lit on a 6.2 (should have rigged the 5.4) blowing Carve 360's.  Some days I"m 100%, others I'm nowhere.  I was nowhere.

(no pix from the Bowl unfortunately.  That's me on a southerly from the Yacht Club.)

 

Jacksonville Surf Video by Dasher

In addition to being a brilliant windsurfing instructor (and the reason I can jibe) Dasher is a wonderful creator of water videos with soul.   He posted this gem earlier today, and I'm quick snatching it up to share.  Enjoy.

Jax Beach Pier from Dasher on Vimeo.

Sunday Showing SW Potential...

...can you say Mecox?   or Shinnecock Bay?   or Napeague?    or South Jamesport?

Had a nice session last week with Sally (at which the 7.5 duck jibe blog post originated)...hope to get more soon, with some OG Puffins.  You know who you are!

Duck Jibing a 7.5

Q:  Why duck jibe?

A:  It's so much fun!

A dozen years ago I got out of big sails.  If I couldn't do basic tricks with it, I didn't want it.  I thought that meant 6.0 was about the limit.  Good bye 9.8 and 8.8.  Yeah I'd miss some planing days but this was my thinking.  Dumb.   Fortunately one day in Bonaire I met a guy named Steve who I knew liked freestyle, and also had a 7.5.  What gives?  Can you duck it, Steve?  

"Duck it?  I'm gosh darn donkey jibing it!"

So I returned to the 7.5 fold.   While I've never made anything but the ugliest donkey jibes with it, I'm pretty good at ducking the thing.   The trick I've figured out is to break the rule (guideline, really) that you must throw the boom so that your "new" front hand catches the boom in front of the harness line.   Break the "no shuffling your hands down the boom" advice.    I love the pure duck jibe with the single elegant throw, but with the big sail it disrupts the mast base pressure too much, and keeping the board planing becomes a challenge.  

So I walk my hands for the 7.5 duck.   And I plane out, happy.

End of screed.

 

(Please excuse the "Ha Ha!" after the jibe. I'm basically an eight year old.)

Wind on Friday

Let it be so!   Thus spake the Coastal Marine Forecast:

Fri

SW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. 

 

My wife is ready for her first 2018 session.  The water is sufficiently warm...let the winds cooperate!