Not that I mind winter windsurfing…give me 40 degrees (36 if it’s sunny) and I’ll hop on a 4.7 or 4.2 any day! No high winds in the summer!
But these are not the days for working on moves. I’m not trying to hit duck tacks or trick jibes when falling means an ice cream headache! No thank you. With longer days and the prospect of putting away the drysuit and gloves, I’m thinking about the coming season.
What do I want? What do I need?
A new boom…that’s for sure. My best is 14 years old…not exactly what I have in mind for windsurfing in the ocean or Gardiners Bay.
A planing duck tack. I’ve been wanting this move for a long time, but finding the right practice conditions (flat water, 5 meter winds with a cheater board) and then focusing (crashing) for a few hours, well…that’s what I’ve got to do! Crack open Trictionary, memorize the steps and channel Andy Brandt. I can hit them in light wind but planing have never come close. What gets me are all the freestyle moves that BEGIN with ducking the sail to backwinded while planing. When I started windsurfing that was officially impossible! I must find my planing duck! And I think I’ll throw in donkey jibes for fun (I’ve hit them but never planed out.)
Foiling. Do I take the plunge? It’s out there.
Spring is four days away. The mind wanders…
(Photo: Duck jibes are a piece of cake. Yet the duck tack eludes me.)
I hate Mike Burns. The number of things he can do on a windsurfing board that I can't is greater than the number of things I can do with one, period. These days he's living down in Hatteras (reason to hate him #483) with Chrissy and the kids, and he's recently posted a video of him throwing a Shuv-it Spock, which he describes on Facebook as "one of my favorites. Very technical and difficult to pull off." Yeah no kidding. Apparently his new board (a Psycho) is facilitating this. For me (who still can't hit a duck tack) it's worse than when he learned how to leopard loop.
One more reason to hate Mike Burns. He's so good.
(Video: There he is, doing his thing at a recent session at Canadian Hole. Catch up with Mike on the water and he'll give you tips on just about anything Windsurfing!)
It's that time of the year ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. ABK time! Andy Brandt's flying circus, with technique, tips, tricks, and a raft of instructors to teach it all come to Tiana Bay 9/21-23/18. If you've never sailed Tiana Bay it's just about perfect for learning at all levels...shallow, flat, and wind direction friendly. Whether you're a never before windsurfed, a beginner, or are anywhere on the scale betwixt intermediate and Ripping God/Goddess of Wind and Water, you want to be here to Get Better. So come on and sign up with ABK Boardsports.
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.)
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.
Good times, this move. One of my favorite nonplaning transitions, taught to me by ABK's Andy Brandt back in 2000. I saw the move, pointed, and said "teach me that!" He told me I wasn't ready, that I needed to learn the building blocks first. "Teach me all of them right now!" Within a few months I had it. What's particularly fun about it is you can not only use it as an exotic tack, but you can also use it to spin from nose first to clew first, so if you're coming into shallows on your way to shore it's a showy way to get to fin first for the finbuster shallows.
In short, from regular sailing you step to the nose with your back foot, then execute a fin-first backwinded pivot jibe. Once the board has turned 180 degrees flip the sail to head on your new tack, or sail clew first on your new tack, or step to the nose (pulling the mast hand in and letting the clew hand out) to sail in your original direction fin first. It feels great! Shot in Bonaire during an ABK clinic by Tom Lepak.
My wife loves windsurfing in Bonaire. She’s the one who suggests the vacation each year. I say (I really say this) “we could take a non-windsurfing vacation.” I swear I actually say that. And she always replies “I want to windsurf in Bonaire.”
What’s not to like? We rent a casita right next to the windsurfing beach, take a waterfront yoga class before breakfast, then drift on over to the ABK clinic to see old friends, make new ones, and get better at windsurfing in 80 degree crystal clear thigh deep water. It’s sweet.
The wind was uncharacteristically light…three seven meter days, one six (or mad pump to a plane on a five), but with ABK they have more sailing exercises for you to do nonplaning than you can shake a stick at, so we were on the water every day. Between the guided windsurfing (which you can bail on and freesail, or take a rest and go snorkeling or shopping or get a massage) and the friend making (we have new buds in Vancouver, San Francisco, and ten blocks away in NYC amongst others) we’ve resolved to always ABK it in the future. It’s just too good not to.
How did we sail? Where did we eat? How were the digs? How were the instructors? Does Caesar really take the sail off his board, throw it into the air and catch it? Read on, pilgrim:
Windsurfing
Sally worked on her planing jibes when the wind was up. Nonplaning she was also a jibe machine, with pivots, switchstance exits, clew first jibes, and linked them all together in some tricky S turns. Also refining her short board tack, and she learned a trick beach start dubbed “The Mallin”, named for Long Island windsurfer Robert Mallin. There is an aerial component!
Me planing I worked on duck tacks (never got close to hitting one, but progressed from “not a prayer” to “it may happen.” Wildly optimistic, I think this is the year. Also did some stay-in-the-straps duckjibes and duck 360’s (thank you Derek Rijff).
Nonplaning…did you know that there are eight (EIGHT!) nonplaning upwind 360’s? There are! For the uninitiated, an upwind 360 starts out as a helitack entry (rounding up to backwinded) followed by a backwinded pivot jibe. Here are the eight versions:
Regular (nose first, mast first)
Duck
Fin first
Fin first duck
Clew first
Clew first duck
Clew first Fin First
Clew first fin first duck
Andy Brandt says there may be a ninth…I believe with a double duck at the end of one of the clew first versions, but I was so dizzy after the eight that I called it a day. Also got some tips on donkey jibes from Radar Tom, and some seditious duck tack advice from Brendan (not in 100% alignment with Guru Brandt. I love it when this happens, like back when Andy and Dasher would dispute the placement of molecules for a planing jibe. Miniscule yet helpful.) We are grateful for all of the instructors’ advice.
Digs (aka Accomodations)
We stayed at Sorobon, right on Lac Bay, and next to the windsurfing beach. It’s rustic (very rustic) but oh so convenient. If you require lux (ie a door to the bathroom) stay at the Bellafonte, an easy eight minute drive from the beach.)
Windsurfing equipment rental
ABK partners with Jibe City so we went with them (lovely Fanatic, JP and F2 boards, Severne sails. ) Great service, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mentioned Windsurf Place just down the beach, which in our experience has been just as good. There’s no mistake to make booking gear in Bonaire other than to not book in advance.
Caesar Finies
This never gets old. The video below is not a select from a bunch of failed attempts. I was down the beach when I saw a rig 20 feet in the air, which he caught. Ran down with my phone just in time to shoot him doing it again. It’s impossible to be consistent at this, right? It must be. But he’s consistent. Caesar has a whole raft of sail handling tricks, but this one is always the show stopper.
Restaurants
There’s a new star on Bonaire: La Cantina. For foodies. The menu is a little complicated, but the help helps and the meal is worth it. It’s where Appetite used to be. Will go there twice on our next trip! We also hit Cappricio…still outstanding, still with the great wines at whatever price you want to pay. Oh yes, seriously good food. We skipped two of our usual favorites…At Sea and Mona Lisa…in favor of being lazy and eating at Sorobon (in retrospect we should have gone out, though Sorobon’s food is decent) and the ABK group barbeque.
It was our tenth trip there. We’re already looking forward to next year.
(Top: Sally displays her trademark form. Bottom: Hail Caesar.)
At an undisclosed location on a special body of water to be named never (though its attributes…warmth, friendliness to beginners, shallowliness..may be reported) the mighty ABK traveling windsurfing clinic engaged with a group of windsurfing students for a clinique extraordinaire. Extraordinaire because the students ranged from never-before-windsurfed types to advanced sailors. Extraordinaire because instructors Andy Brandt, Tom and Brendan brought their most excellent games. Extraordinaire for the six count ‘em six women in the clinic (and two others had to cancel at the last minute…the return of women to windsurfing!) Extraordinaire for the entirely new concept in ABK shirts (transformational I’m telling you. Must have!) Lastly extraordinaire because I haven’t been in a clinic for a few years (you may not care, but I do.)
We had two days of light wind, and one of on/off/on planning (I planed plenty, because years ago ABK taught me to be efficient.) My better half Sally was in the Wide World of Jibes group (plus waterstarting etc) whilst I was in the duck tack/backwinded jibe/anklebiter/back to back/general freestyle group. My duck tack attempts went from coming apart at the seams two seconds after I start to “holy cow I’m planing in control switch-stance and am actually beginning the sail throw!” Also hit a planing backwinded jibe or two, and some obligatory duck jibes. Quack quack.
I got to ride in the boat during 15 minutes of Brendan Insanity. Starting with the notion that towing two windsurfers, one instructor, and their gear piled up on a giant SUP to the best sailing spot (what could possibly go wrong?) would be faster than sailing there, Brendan arranged gear and students in a manner that even I thought was hare-brained. “Have you ever actually done this, or is this all theoretical” I asked Brendan. He laughed. “I don’t even have a theory!” Outstanding. Everything went flying only three times (during the second reassembly we noted people passing us on their boards). All three chose to sail back rather than take the ride.
It was an outstanding event socially as well…saw old friends, made new friends, re-met people whom I failed to recognize (sorry Sam.) A classic great ABK time. I will be back to ABK, for clinics secret or declassified.
Note that this coming Friday, ABK Boardsports returns to Tiana Bay September 23-25 (sharing the secret spot’s attributes of warmth, friendliness and shallowliness) for what will surely be another outstanding opportunity to have fun learning to be a better windsurfer. There are, we are told, a few spots left in that clinic. If you are thinking that you’d like to spend a fun weekend with fun people learning to windsurf better, sign up now. ABK turns away people once they are full (though when enough people sign up early they will add instructors, to maintain a proper student/instructor ratio.) There’s also a New Jersey clinic in Atlantic City September 30-Oct 2.
(Photo: Sails ready to rock at the clinic. Beautiful, well-composed photo courtesy editor’s wife.)
He is coming. They are coming. And so we all should be going! Two ABK windsurfing clinics on Long Island, and one in New Jersey, courtesy Andy Brandt and his ace team of instructors. The Napeague clinic is sold out, but spots still remain for the Tiana clinic (Tiana with its shallow friendly waters, lots of parking, bathrooms and proximity to the ocean beaches.) If you're an ABK veteran you know the deal. If you're not but always wanted to try one, take advantage of September's warm waters! If you don't know about ABK, it's outstanding instruction tailored to your skill level (with groups for everybody from First Time Windsurfers to Accomplished Freestylers and everyone in between.) The wife and I are taking a clinic...you should too! As ABK says: Get Better Here! (Also it's loads of fun and you make new friends.) The dates:
Danny MacAskill is the only non-watersport athlete that's ever been featured in The Peconic Puffin. His freestyle bike riding is so transcendentally mind-blowing that fans of any sport with freestyle can revel in its magnificence. He recently teamed up with GoPro to create this beauty. Enjoy, and make sure you watch until the very end!
At Tiana Bay on Long Island! Outstanding shallow-water learning location (better than Napeague IMHO) will be taken over by the great Andy Brandt and his merry crew of top-notch windsurfing instructors. Nobody teaches windsurfing like ABK, whether you’ve never clambered onto a board before, through planning, tacking, jibing, footstraps, harness sailing, speed sailing, jumping, racing, freestyle, funstyle, and mad good times on the water with other nice people! September 25-27th at Tiana Bay (in Hampton Bays).
I have done (ahem) 17 ABK clinics over the years (maybe more) and the wife has done quite a few herself, so in the Peconic Puffin household we are big fans. You should be too! After a weak summer for windsurfing the fall breezes (water is still warm) are coming…get ready for them now. Register for ABK’s Long Island windsurfing clinic here.
(Photo: Andy Brandt fixes windsurfers who look at their feet to much by telling them to look at the sky. He demonstrates here. Doesn't that look like fun?)
With the windy season approaching it's time to get better. Learn to windsurf, learn to windsurf better, learn to windsurf even better than that* at ABK Boardsports September clinic at Tiana Bay on Long Island, September 25-27. Andy Brandt and his merry band of instructors will be ready for you! C'mon you know you want to and you know you ought to. Sign up now!
* "Mastery of windsurfing is the realization that you can't." Andy Brandt, quoted on the side of Dana Miller's legendary windsurfing van. None of us will ever master windsurfing...that's part of the fun and the challenge of it!
Lord Burns has spoken: June 6th and 7th! "Pencil in the dates" he wrote in Facebook. Yeah well we'll write them in sharpie, and fix it later as kneed bee. "Cause the East Coast Windsurfing Festival is the bee's knees!
Friday morning. Light rain. I have developed a sore back from I don't know what (the beachside masseuse says the chop has been rough on people's backs. The beachside masseuse...yeah I said it.) So I am in pain. But it's blowing 21, we leave tomorrow afternoon for the frozen Northeast, and there's a planing donkey jibe with my name on it somewhere on Lac Bay.
Time to hit the water.
(A lone windsurfer on Lac Bay in the morning rain. In this tropical paradise it's like taking a warm shower, but the spoiled seem to be waiting for the sun to come back out. Not me.
Recent Comments