The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

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.

Blowing the dust off of my jibes

I basically hadn't had planing conditions in two months.   Either I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or t'was work that stopped me.   But over the Labor Day weekend I had two 90 minute shots at 5-6 meter sailing. Yipee!   Except that I felt like my windsurfing had regressed badly.    Sesh 1 on the Little Peconic (Towd Point Beach) a kiter and I had the friendly swell to ourselves.  Come time to jibe though and I was Mr. Late Flip.  Again and again and again.  No planing exits.  Finally started gurgling out of a few before the wind died.

Sesh 2 at Mecox (Yacht Club launch) I came with my memories of mediocrity and started flipping earlier and earlier until I found the slot.  Found it.   Even got in a few duck jibes before the wind died.   

So a happy ending.  I'd have been swearing up a blue streak at my regression had I not a head full of jibe instruction from both Andy Brandt and his ABK Boardsports crew, and Dasher...who got me through my first planing jibes.   ABK ALONG WITH Dasher will be teaching jibing and a whole lot more at their Tiana Bay clinic September 22-24.  Highly recommended!

Dasher Teaching at ABK Windsurfing Clinic in September

You heard it here first mi amigos.   Dasher, he of the jibe and waterstart videos, storied windsurfing instructor in Aruba and one of my favorite teachers…he joins my other favorite windsurfing teacher Andy Brandt and company at ABK’s September 22-24 clinic at Tiana Bay.   You know you don’t want to miss the ABK clinic. And you REALLY know you don’t want to miss the ABK clinic and Dasher! The masters are coming to eastern Long Island. Be there. Register here.

Wave Sailing Aruba?

Wave sailing Aruba.  Yeah I said it.  Check out this photo of the mighty Jeroen Weststrate tearing up Westpunt, Aruba.   Also check out the photo credit in the lower right corner:  Dasher Films.   Methinks something special is afoot down Aruba way.   Watch this space...

Crazy Perfect Waves for SUP and Surf

 

The thrice-might Dasher (my jibe guru, brother in heartfelt video, and OG Santa reindeer) took this shot recently at Palm Beach.   Don't you want to be there?  I do!

Air Santa

With Christmas fast approaching, Santa is working on his jumps (presumably coached by Dasher.)  Yeah he's got the reindeer to get him and the sleigh around, but with all the supersized gifts those reindeer butts are draggin' by the time he hits the west coast.   So every foot of air Windchimp Claus can generate will help kids in Maui get their toys (like they need more toys!)

(I swiped this photo from The Horse's Mouth some time ago.  It still flies!)

Great Photos: Ripples

Producer, videographer and jibemaster Dasher posted this exquisite photograph on his Facebook page.  A SUP paddler's-eye view of a board gliding through water smooth as glass.  Those ripples in the reflected sky are incredible.

Nice WaveSUPin' Video for Wednesday

I don't just miss windsurfing. I equally miss paddle surfing. My favorite watersport videographer (and master of how-to-jibe) Dasher recently put this up on Youtube. Enjoy.

P.S.   If you keep a portion of your awareness on the water in the background you'll see the occasional spinner shark jump.  They keep it interesting.

Slowest Jibe Video

Another video from Dasher, He Who Taught Me To Jibe. Recently while windsurfing in Turkey Dasher played with his GoPro and slow motion software and served this up.

Wave Freestyle at Jupiter SUP Fall Classic

This just in from Dasher Films in Florida:  The Jupiter Fall Classic.   Check out the move at 1:46...this is new to me.  There's a bit more trickery later in the video too.  Of course the general waveriding is nice to watch on Thanksgiving morning!

Aerotech's SUP Sail: Rig/derig Without Hassle

My first windsurfing guru (and He Who Taught Me To Jibe) Dasher has been telling me about a super-easy to use sail for SUP windsurfing.  Check this out:

1.  The sail rolls up on the mast (no mast/luff sleeve threading).

2.  No downhauling.

3.  The boom folds down against the mast when not in use (no attaching/detaching from mast)

So to rig, you roll the sail out from the mast, raise the boom, tie off the outhaul and go.   How cool is that?  Watch the video to see (and to see the sail on the water).

Winter Windsurfing Spirit...These People Have It

When it comes to winter windsurfing, the community of lunatics I sail with is about as stoked as any out there.   I just stumbled over a photo collection of these windsurfers in Norway, who appear to be true brothers and sisters in cold weather spirit.   Found it on The Horse's Mouth (a most excellent blog for all things wonderful or weird on the water...also pretty girls and fish.) Thanks, Joe!

SUP Wavesailing Video, by Dasher

So many things I like are connected to this video:   First of all, it's a beautiful bit of wavesailing (love that) on SUP boards (want to do that) in a video by Dasher (He Who Taught Me To Jibe, and a maker of fine video to boot!)   The video is a bit of an impromptu promo for RRD boards, which are distributed in the U.S. by Tony Kardol (great guy I met at Vela Aruba when he ran the place)...RRD is sponsoring the mighty Andy Brandt and ABK Boardsports this year (They Who Taught Me Many Other Things), they make a board (Frank B owns one) that a few months ago I declared to be The Coolest Looking Windsurfing Board I'd Ever Seen, and you can get RRD windsurfing equipment (and stand up paddle gear) at Hampton Watersports (where else would I want to buy anything?)

If only my first SUP wavesailing session had gone as well.  Topic for a future blog post...

Sally's Gonna Jibe

My wife is learning to carve a jibe. I have a number of thoughts and emotions about this, so I'll just make a list:

1. It took me forever to learn to jibe...she can't just waltz on in, fit jibing into her mega-busy schedule of things to do, and succeed.

2. I still can't jibe! Actually I can...on a good day I rip through jibes and duck jibes, but I still blow some. The racer who said "Jibing is a career" in a magazine interview a few years ago had me in mind.

3. You have to sail pretty darn fast to be able to pull off a planing jibe. Sally has never had a taste for speed, though lately I've had to work to pass her on the water as she's begun to put the hammer down. And I'm mindful of Dasher's prophetic words to my svelte bride in Aruba: "Speed will never be a problem for you."

This all started last year in Bonaire, during an ABK clinic. I was looking across Lac Bay, catching my breath while struggling to learn Grubbies or some other mutant aerial, when my eye was caught by Sally bearing off and initiating a carve. I thought I was mistaken...she'd been hovering on the waterstart/speed in the footstraps plateau, working on pre-jibe skills...but there she was, working on jibing 101 on the Carribean blue water. I never thought I'd see the day. (I so commented to ABK later, who now sometimes put that quote on their website for promotional purposes.)

But that was last year. Yesterday we had a perfect late-summer session at Mecox. Sally was fully powered on a 4.7 (me on the 6.2) and she was charging into her jibe attempts with real velocity. Again and again and again. I realized that she's going to get this. Then she nearly hit her first, right in front of me.

It's gonna happen.

(We're back in clinic land in a few weeks...join us when ABK arrives for two clinics at Napeague, September 14-16, and 21-23. I'll be the guy making a mess of freestyle. Sally will be the jibing blonde.)

(Top: Sally flashes a shaka after barely missing her first carved jibe.
Bottom: The ABK quote.)

The Huts College of Windsurfing

When you step up to the registrar at the Huts College of Windsurfing (the instruction desk at Vela Aruba) you know you're in the right place. Back in Dasher's teaching heydey this is where I learned to jibe, but I always stared wonderingly at the exotic mysteries being taught in grad school. I secretly aspired to Psychology of Abnormal Jibing and Its Effects, but feared the required reading for Advanced Philosophy of Windsurfing Logic.