The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

SUP Surfing with Dolphins at Ponquogue

I've seen a shark on Long Island.  I've seen a whale breach, and I've seen a whole lot of seals.  But I'd never seen dolphins until today.  SUPping in messy 3-4 foot waves at Ponquogue I was paddling out when ten feet in front of me a dolphin crested riding a wave in.  I started to yell "Yeah!" when a second dolphin did the same.  I was thrilled.

I haven't SUPsurfed in 2+ years.   I did not catch a wave today.   But I'd have traded many waves for the dolphin experience!   Hope to catch some waves soon (and more dolphin sightings!)

On the water SUPping with the following usual suspects:  Peconic Jeff, Christian, Joe Nat, and George Pav SUPsailing.

The Bowl Is All But Completely Washed Away

The Bowl...the friendly cove, wavesailing and surfing venue...is essentially gone, the beach washed away by this season's storms.   Dune Road is hanging on by a thread as the town keeps moving sand as fast as it can to save the road and the businesses along it.  Click on the link for video and photos.

"It might be a long time before we sail there again" Scott says.   I haven't sailed there in a year.  Will I ever again?   Will any of us?

Photo:  Google map of the Bowl before the storms hit.   Compare to the video.

 

There Be Whales Here!

Saturday the plan was to SUP with Jeff at Ponquogue, but the annual Dance of the Documents to get a parking pass was a bust…I had everything needed for previous years but not this year.   As I protested I got a text from Jeff:

There’s a pod of whales off shore. Come quick.

This was the crushing blow. Not only was I not going to get to SUP this day, but I was missing an opportunity to see whales.   I’ve never seen a whale in my life, and I’ve tried! Whale watching boat rides for me have been a bust, and I’ve learned to keep quiet about this bucket list item of mine, because my luck has always been so bad.   I’m a loser baby.

Sunday afternoon Sally wanted to go to an ocean beach, so we drove over to Flying Point and set up near the water.   I’m not the biggest beach enthusiast…I see enough of them windsurfing!...but I thought MAYBE whales will come by again, despite my ridiculous luck.   There we were in our beach chairs, the wife reading a book while I scanned the waters.   And it looked like there was a school of fish out there!   I could see them occasionally jump, and I thought “they’re probably running from bluefish” but I double secretly thought “maybe these are the bunker that the whales have shown up to eat”.     I sat there like an eight year old staring at the spot where I saw the school of fish…perhaps 200 yards out…and mentioned it to Sally, when suddenly a blessed whale breached right in the middle of them. It was wonderful!   On the beach we could hear gasps in all directions, and people walked down to the water to look.   The whale was gone for 20 seconds, then we got a spout of water out of its blow hole, then it breached again, a bigger jump.

The beach cheered.

A sucker for applause, the whale gave us one more breach before it was time to go elsewhere to eat fish.   A day later and I’m still lit up!

(Photo:   A whale at Ponquogue on Saturday.   Pic by Jeff Schultz)

The Outer Banks Took a Pounding

That's Route 12 approaching Rodanthe, according to a post I saw on Facebook, credited to @ryaneosmond.   Astronomical high tides plus storm.   Remembering a quote from Wind Tracks Magazine back in the day:  "You always appreciate Hatteras, because you don't know if it's going to be there".   Good luck to all residents and transplanted wind chimps.

Lightning Strike Video

How cool is this (or how hot?  Look at the plasma lit in the air as the lightning fades!)

 

Save The Waves Film Festival Comes Out East

The Save The Waves Film Festival is making it's way along the East Coast, and will be stopping in Easthampton on Friday September 2nd at Guild Hall.   Noted Puffin/Wind Chimp/maker of films Christian has a hand in it, and he says "it'll be a spectacular evening of beer, surf movies and attention to this fragile playground we get to take advantage of so much."

How do you say no to that?

Other stops on the tour include Virginia Beach and Long Beach Island, but if you want to say Hi to Christian you'll really need to get out to East Hampton.  For more information, check out the Save The Waves Film Festival web site.

Peconic Jeff's Photography Coming to Easthampton Show

Beautiful image.  Light like some impressionist painting.  A surfer way in the distance, walking it up the beach.  What a shot.  It's by Peconic Jeff, from a collection of Jeff Schultz' photos coming to an East End photographers' Spring exhibition at Ashawagh Hall in Easthampton.  From the press release:   "The 9-day exhibition   runs from Saturday, June 4th through Sunday, June 12th, 2016, in Ashawagh Hall at 780 Springs-Fireplace Road, East Hampton, NY."

Whale Breach Wow

The great Alf Imperato (the windsurfing instructor who, at my first clinic, told me "you sail fast but you do everything wrong.  Everything."  And who subsequently fixed me...) posted this on Facebook.  Photo taken by William R. & Beach Activities of Maui.  Can you imagine?

Great Big Shark

The only people I want to hear telling me that sharks are beautiful creatures that pose no danger to humans are windsurfers and SUPpers who have had a shark display interest in them while out on the water.   Happened to me once, and it sucked.   No fun at all.  
Yet sharks have as much a right to live as deer ticks and mosquitos and cockroaches, and thanks to the good people at OCEARCH (who research and track apex predators de la mar) we know that a 3,500 pound great white shark, 16 feet long going by the nom de fish Mary Lee is currently cruising off of Democrat Point, eating whatever the hell she pleases and taking no shit from anybody.   Mary Lee is tagged and wearing a microphone, so both her position and dialog can be tracked.   Her position is the more interesting, as the dialog varies little:

Mary Lee:  "Get the f*** out of my way."

Everyone else:  "Okay."

(Maps:  Mary Lee's track from awhile back.  
Note the visit to the middle of Long Island in the past.   Right now Pete Roesch says she's off of Robert Moses Park, with a Superlight stuck between her teeth.)

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.

Wave

A wave to meditate on.  Or SUP.   Captured at Ponquogue on Christmas Eve by Jeff Schultz.  See it in larger glory on his Jeff Schultz Photography FB page.

Down The Line

Beautiful.   The photo says we're watching Peter Volwater at Margaret River, down under.  Photo borrowed from Windsurfing Australia's Facebook page, which showcases the photography of Col Leonhardt.

 

Reduce Long Island Deer Population, Get More Wind and Waves?

Sounds crazy?  Listen to this:

 

 

Catapult plus .1 seconds

As seen on School of Surf on Facebook.

Dead Whale at Triton

This is sad.  A dead humpback whale washed ashore at Triton.  A good-looking whale.  Photo by the Wolf.