The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Artie as CD? Who Cares...Short Boarding at SJ

I pulled into the South Jamesport parking area to find Artie sitting in a beach chair.   Why wasn't he sailing?   There were whitecaps visible from the road.   "I'm waiting for it to come up" he said.  I told him I thought I could sail now with a five something and big board, and proceeded to rig.  He said he'd do that too.   I rigged my 5.4 as Dilay arrived.   Brought 109 board to beach, walked back for rig to find Artie and Dilay chatting.   Brought 5.4 to beach and launched.   Took maybe eight runs when the wind came up.   Should I switch to my 100?   Took one more run on the now overpowered board.  "Heck I'm going to try the 93.   Sailed in, walked to the parking area to find Artie and Dilay chatting.   Grabbed 93, launched, and was lit.   Four runs later I thought I'd take my 109 off the beach.  Walked it up to the parking area to find Artie and Dilay chatting.   Artie, are you turning into CD?

Finally he finished rigging and joined me on the water, followed soon by Dilay.   Warm winds warm water, not much in the way of ramps but we were ripping in August!    Both Artie and I had family commitments later in the day so we got off the water early, leaving Dilay to soon be joined by Scotto and George.

(Dilay on port.  Photo by Artie.   Hey what's with the headline..."short boarding"?  Remember when "short board" was a class of windsurfing boards...no centerboard, designed purely for planing conditions?   Guess the editor is happy to be planing in 80 degree air temps!)

Happy Birthday to The Wolf!

"Still the Commodore" Bruce says, and who could disagree?  When I started sailing with Jan and the Wind Chimp collective in 2007 he was a spritely senior.  I thought "this guy is tearing it up in the ocean and on the bays in nuking conditions!   If he can do it it at his age it means I'll be able to as well! I thought.    That was then...Jan is still hitting it fifteen years later windsurfing and SUPping, and we all salute his 78th orbit around the sun.  Happy Birthday Jan!  (Photo:  The editor and Lord vanderWolf.)

South Jamesport Delivers...in August!

If we get a five meter day in August we are grateful.   But 4.7!    Artie reports:   "I met Scott-O and the Wolf and when I got there at about 3:30, Scott was coming off the water to rig down to a 4.7; I figured that's my cue to rig at least a sail size larger cause you know me! Well that was a HUGE mistake cause I was waaaaay overpowered! But, like you know, when we get into certain situations, we accommodate; so that's what I did....I accommodated...with MORE DOWNHAUL! Probably 4.2 by the time we left at 6pm. "

It's true Artie likes to sail with a lot of gas, but he must have been flying.   Hot and windy...resort windsurfing!   Now:  When am I going to catch one of these sessions?   I'm hopeful for soon!

(Scott ripping inbound.  Photo by the Art of Windsurfing.)