The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

Foil Clinics....ONE DAY...from Andy Brandt/ABK!

You can make time for this.  You know you can!   It's not a classic three-day ABK, or an abbreviated two day.  It's a one day clinic.

On Foiling.   We all have lots to learn about flying over the water and Andy is coming to teach it on Long Island.   From his Facebook page:

All levels - one day Andy Brandt ABK Boardsports foiling clinics. Limited to 6 people. Demo gear available to try from Fanatic and Slingshot.

Try foiling for the first time or improve your foils jibes and tricks.9:00-12:30 lunch break 2:30-6:00

June 6. Long Island NY. Hampton Watersports
July 5 Long Island NY. Hampton Watersports

Clinic cost $200. Sign up on the ABK Boardsports website

ABK Returns to Tiana

Andy Brandt and company will be working their magic at Tiana Bay September 27-29.   Teaching windsurfing at every level and YES FOILING.  Last year the low tides at Tiana interfered with foiling instruction, but this year they are adding shallower foils so they can teach us to fly!    Go to https://www.abkboardsports.com/camps   to register.

(photo courtesy Markus Marschall, borrowed from Andy's Facebook page.)

Napeaguing

On Friday the weekend forecast was dismal…sunny, temps in the mid 80’s, light breezes.  Hell on the water.  Saturday did not renew hope. But then Sunday morning Wilson texted it could be good at Napeague at 2PM.

At 2PM I arrived.

Rigged the 6.2 and off I went.  Wilson, every more 21st century in this Year of the Peague, got on his Slingshot foil board with a 5.6 and soon was flying.  Foiling looks so good, and I'd only ever tried it once.    And after a run on the 6.2 Wilson offered me the foil set up to try.  So off I went.

First of all when the wind is blowing 6.2 for windsurfing, 5.6 is a very powerful sail for foiling.  Secondly if you don't know what you're doing (like me) you find that sheeting out does not do what you want it to do.  It unweights the mast foot, allowing a nice big breach and crash landing.   

Still I had fun.

Returned the foil to Wilson and got back on my Windsurfing Board in time for Lili to come out an join us.   A merry threesome in warm wind and water (except near the inlet to Gardiners, where colder, ocean informed bay water comes in) a good time was had by all, followed by G&T's and bluefish seaweed mayonnaise sandwiches. Perfecto!

OG Puffin Sighting: Jace Panebianco

A blast from Peconic Puffin past!   Ran into Jace Panebianco, who the world knows as director of The Windsurfing Movie, but who old school Puffins know as that great kid who works at the windsurfing shop, circa 1993!   When this thing was a three page printed newsletter Jace was often in it.   In town from Hawaii he's been foiling on the Little Peconic, but I ran into him in the seafood store.   Jace remains very tall...in the pic he is bending down, and I am standing on my toes!  Great to see Jace!

It's About Time For A Swap Meet

You know it is.  You KNOW it is!   Swap meet time, me droogs...Hampton Watersports is throwing the Spring Fling on Saturday May 18th.   Windsurfing swap meet, kiteboarding swap meet, SUP swap meet, surfing swap meet, and are you ready:  foiling swap meet.  

If you're selling used equipment, drop off your gear during the week preceding (or arrive early that Saturday morning).   If you're buying, bring your money.   If you're swapping bring both (it's what I do.) 

If you're looking for sails, it's helpful if you know what size masts you own, and what the minimum and maximum extension lengths of your boom is, to make sure you can rig what you buy.   If you need help evaluating the used offerings or what you need, there will be people there to help.  I will be one of them (apologies in advance!)

Rain or shine, buy or sell used standup paddleboarding, windsurfing, kiteboarding surfing and anything you can slap a foil on gear. There will also be new 2019 equipment to covet and buy.  Specials on leftover 2018 equipment.    If you have questions, call the shop 631-283-9463.  See you there!

2019: The Year of the Peague?

David:  "Happy Year of the Pig!" (which it indeed is, beginning today on Chinese New Year.)

Me:  "Besides bacon, what does it give us to look forward to?"

Jake:  "Summer foiling at Napeague?"

Wilson:  "The Year of the Peague!"

There you have it.

My First Foiling Experience

Last Friday I headed out to Napeague for an ABK windsurfing clinic. The forecast was light…6 gusting to 12…but I was fired up and eager because ABK had just added foiling to their instruction program.   This was super exciting because

-I’d only seen foiling on Youtube videos, where it looked exotic and cool, and

-It’s said you can foil with small sails in light wind.   That it makes light wind exciting, more fun, and shreddable with small rigs.

On the water I joined Sari, Samantha, Wilson, Neil and Jake, windsurfers of differing skill levels, who were being tutored by Andy Brandt with Radar Tom assisting on a variety of foil board types and foils.   It was indeed 6 gusting to 12.  There wasn't a whitecap in sight.  “Pump the board up and down and keep the rig forward and to windward”. Okay.

OH MY GOD I’M THREE FEET UP IN THE AIR!

Then

BOOM BACK TO EARTH! (water earth).

If you let the foil come up so steeply that it leaves the water (“breaching”) you come down like an express elevator.   I aimed for the moon, and paid for it. But who cared…I’d had a taste of altitude, and I wanted more.

My next few attempts I got the board about a foot off the water, with the nose swinging upwind and downwind, but I was up for several seconds and it was cool.  "Be sensitive with foot steering" Andy advised.   This led to my first good run.   Up a little, down a little less, up a little more, down a little less, up a little and all of a sudden I’m sailing in a straight line three feet above the water.  It feels high!  I’m going at planing speed. There is complete silence as the foil makes no sound.   For seven glorious seconds I feel like I’m flying something, and then I lost it…splash.  

“Stand up straight” Andy said. “Don’t hike out.   You barely need to sheet in”.   It worked!   I was on a 6.2, but Andy said once you get good you can use much smaller sails. He was on a 5 dot something and he weighs more than me.   And he was carving tricks.

The experience was amazing.     Every student managed to get the board up and foiling for different lengths of time.   Intuitively I thought “ten sessions and I’d be ready to carve foil jibes." This may be true or it may be fantasy, but every run seemed better than the last, particularly with Andy shouting advice.

It’s low-altitude aviation, over, on, and in the water.   I’ve got to do it again ASAP.   Did I mention that a 5.5 is said to be plenty of sail in 14 knots?   It's a light wind gamechanger.

ABK has a clinic this coming Friday-Sunday at Tiana.   If you want to learn to foil…hell if you just want to try it and know that they’ll coach you into getting up and foiling to get a taste, be there!

Swap Meet's a Comin'

Windsurfing swap meet.

Kiteboarding swap meet

Stand up paddling swap meet

Surfing swap meet

even Foiling swap meet (yes you heard right!)

At Hampton Watersports.

Saturday September 15th, 

Saturday, 9AM to 4PM. 

At the shop. Buy or sell used Foiling, Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. 

Buying - closeouts available, specials on closeout '18 equipment, and loads of used gear to choose from. 

Selling - Please drop your used gear by the shop from now thru the 15th (swap day) before 9am.

Rain or shine, windy or not, swap will run. See you then!

(The shop is at 1688 County Road 39
Southampton, NY 11968.  Phone 631 283-9463)

Swap Meet postponed until May 26th...

...too much rain in the forecast for tomorrow.  Instead, try and ride some of the wind today!  

Wind Friday, Swap Meet Saturday

Saying "there will be wind" is a sure way to jinx it.  Still, Scott says Friday looks hopeful, so we shall hope!

Saturday's swap meet on the other hand, that's happening!  It's time to get up close and personal with a whole lot of other people's gear, and pass on what you don't need anymore.   SUP kiteboarding even foiling (how much used foil gear will there be?   That's going to be hot) at Hampton Watersports on Saturday.  Be there or be square!   Here is what Jonathan at the shop says:

"Saturday, 9AM to 4PM. 

At the shop. Buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding, Surfing and Foiling gear. 

Buying - Loads of New 2018 gear, specials on closeout '17 equipment, and an enormous amount of used gear to choose from. 

Selling - Please drop your used gear by the shop from now thru the 19th (swap day) before 9am.

Rain or shine, windy or not, swap will run. See you then!"

Hampton Watersports is at 1688 County Road 39, Southampton NY 11968.  631 283 9463.

 

 

 

Paradigm Lost Watersports Film Plays in Southampton on Friday

Award-winning surfer Kai Lenny shares “breath-taking sessions with international champions of big wave, progressive surfing, kite surfing, windsurfing, and SUP" in this film created by Johnny Decesare and one of the original Peconic Puffins: Jace Panebianco!   There's a special screening at the Parish Art Museum in Southampton Friday September 29th at 6PM.  Be there!

(Click here to buy tickets.   Not convinced?  Check out the trailer below!)