The Peconic Puffin Windsurfing Blog

SUPSailing on a Sunny February Day

I hadn't been in the water in 90 days.   That's probably a record for me in the last decade.  Way too long!   But Christian pinged me on Friday about the possibility of a Saturday paddle, and I said Count Me In.   Then a breeze came up and SUP became SUPSailing, with Mr. Charles and Joe Natalie, at Dolphin Road.   Thigh high with the occasional legit three footers, we had a fine time.  38 degrees but sunny.   Using the Long Island Rule of 100:

Air temp + Water temp + Wind speed + weeks since last session + 5 if it's sunny yielded

38 +38 +9 +12 +5 = 102.   I was fine!

Dorothy Parker Had The Attitude

That's right.  Definitely right.   Bring conditions!

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!)

Swap Meet Coming September 16!

It's time to gear up for fall sailing/supping/kiteboarding (can't believe I wrote that, but still...)!    What is more fun than a swap meet (when there's no wind or waves)?   There's one this Saturday at Hampton Watersports.

Saturday September 16th, starting at 9AM.  If you're selling gear drop it off before then.  If you're buying, well then bring yo money (or sell stuff and use store credit!)   Everything from beginner gear to implements for extreme water fun will be on offer.   The editors realize the photos only depict le windsurfe, but that's 'cause those are the photos we took.   SUP gear, kite gear, surf boards, non-demoninational stuff (ie neoprene).  Come and get it (contact the shop for details).

 

Brian Sez Get On a SUP. Dude you have no idea...

In response to my Summer Solstice lament “24 Days Since My Last Session” Brian commented "I bought a windsup that can be used for sail-chi* and similar."  Well this last weekend was quite SUPcentric in my neck of Puffindom.   Saturday saw me on Davis Creek on my All-Wave SUP and a 4.5, working on duck tacks, upwind 360's and the like in the 5mph breeze.    Sunday I swapped sail for paddle for my first paddlesurfing session in nearly a year with Peconic Jeff and Christian at Ponquogue, enjoying some of the friendliest conditions I'd paddled in years...waves 3-5', ride them left or right, precious little dues to be paid.   I'd driven to the sesh worried that I'd forgotten everything about catching waves, but did quite well for myself...certainly had a wonderful time, with nary any kookage.

Let's hear it for SUP's!

(Saturday afternoon the wind came up enough for a brief 7.5/JP 109 session on the Little Peconic.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  Nah, I loved it!)

*Sail chi is the term used by Andy Brandt and ABK Boardsports to describe sail handling exercises, and those nonplaning freestyle windsurfing moves that teach better sail and board control, not to mention having their way cool planing counterparts.   No wind snob me...I love sail chi work, and think it pays off when shlogging through whitewater in flukey winded wave sessions.  

Throwback Thursday Waveriding

I'm perhaps 9 years old here.  Every summer we spent two weeks in Cape May, New Jersey.  The highlight of each day on the beach was when there were waves...we'd take our inflatable "wave riders" out into the surf and ride the waves back.  Every year we'd get bigger, and so had to paddle further out to where the bigger kids were catching them.   Always loved the surf!

The Swap Meet She's A'Comin'

Yes indeed it's that time of the year.  The season is upon us, and the opportunity to Get More Gear Inexpensively is coming!  Yeah we could say "out with the old, in with the new" and that might work for you.  Me I like all of my old gear and just need more.   Anyhow May 13th at Hampton Watersports is the Spring windsurfing swap meet, kiteboarding swap meet, and SUP swap meet rolled into one.

As for the deets:  

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 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're swapping (selling and buying) well then you're my brother or sister!   Note to sellers:  If you sell you get 100% store credit or 70% cash.  Me I maintain a permanent account there, as I both windsurf and SUP, and one of the first three axioms of windsurfing I was taught was "shit breaks".  So the credit is as good as cash if you're a water crazy, a Puffin, a wind chimp etc

Rain or shine, buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. There will also be new 2017 equipment to drool over, and some closeouts on 2016 leftovers.  Festivities start Saturday morning at 9.  If you have questions, call the shop at 631-283-9463.  See you there!

Donald Trump Wants To Build A Wall (On A Surfing Beach)

 Save the Waves is trying to stop Donald Trump from building a wall on an Irish beach to protect his private golf course from the effects of climate change.  Which he doesn't believe in. 

Go to Save the Waves web site and sign the petition to stop him.

Windsurfing Swap Meet (and SUP and Kiteboarding) Coming...

...September 17th at Hampton Watersports.  Ainchoo on their email list?  Cause it says:

Saturday, 9AM to 4PM.

 

Buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. 

Buying - closeouts available, specials on closeout '16 equipment, and loads of used gear to choose from. 

Selling - Please drop your used gear by the shop from now thru the 17th (swap day) before 9am.

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

(Top:  The medium and large rows of sails.   Bottom:  The freestyle and FSW row of boards.)

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.

Ducking Responsibilities? What Happened to The Peconic Puffin?

What the heck happened to the blog?  One post per month?   Lame...  Yes it's true.  The "why" is my wife and I rented out our house for the summer, and so your humble editor is marooned in New York City until Labor Day weekend is concluded.   My skin is dry and itchy...my body feels wrong.  Acute lack of salt water exposure, aggravated by a lack of planing, exacerbated by a lack of wave therapy.  Just terrible.   In the interim there may be the odd guest report (thank you Peconic Jeff for the last one) and I may sneak out one midweek day if the stars align.   Until then, good sailing and surfing to you!

Don't Try This On Your SUP (sirsasana)

My most excellent Iyengar yoga instructor Lucienne warned me that this would be difficult (bad difficult).   SURELY (I thought)...SURELY if I go on extra-flat water I can manage a headstand.  Sirsasana.  SUP Sirsasana!  

Yeah well...

With the Mrs. positioned with iPhone I proceeded to wobble and fall and wobble and fall...and the directions you fall in on the water are not the ones you fall in on a yoga mat.   Finally I got up...held it for about two seconds before crashing down, banging one knee on the board, at which point I declared the operation "a bad idea" and got off the water.

Swap Meet Saturday! Meet Me and Tell Me How Badly...

...this blog is written?

...how much you need to own more and or better gear?

Either way you can!  I'm actually going to be helping out at Hampton Watersports on Saturday for the Spring swap meet.   I'll be one of the guys in back, asking you things like "where do you sail?" and "will your significant other be borrowing this?" and "what do you already have" and "how long have you been kiting" and "do you SUP only flatwater, waves, for both?" and so forth.  Trying to hook you up with the best choices in used gear, and helping you price the stuff you're selling so that it does indeed sell.  Also I'll deny writing The Peconic Puffin.  I'll point at someone else and say "it's his fault".

See you Saturday.

(If you're selling used equipment, drop off your gear early Saturday morning).   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.   Note to sellers:  If you sell you get 100% store credit or 70% cash.  Me I maintain a permanent account there, as I both windsurf and SUP, and one of the first three axioms of windsurfing I was taught was "shit breaks".  So the credit is as good as cash if you're a water crazy, a Puffin, a wind chimp etc.   When in doubt ask the proprieter, Jonathan Ford.)

Rain or shine, buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. There will also be new 2016 equipment to drool over.  Festivities start Saturday morning at 9.  If you have questions, call the shop 631-283-9463.  See you there!

SUPpin' Small but Sweet

Ponquogue was smooth and organized (if not very big) Saturday, and Christian, Peconic Jeff, New Jeff, Tomas and yours truly got on it and had some fun. I also got to try out my roll bar GoPro mount on the paddle.  It felt like a great warm-up day (which I sorely need)...would love to do it again with two more feet of wave, but I Am Grateful!

(New Jeff goes right, Tomas goes left.  Photos by Jeff Schultz.)

Windsurfing Swap Meet (and SUP and kiteboarding) May 14th on Long Island

Hampton Watersport's spring swap meet returns on May 14th.   This is important because are either in category A, B, or C.

Category A:  You need gear.

Category B:  You have gear you should sell (because you're ready for better gear, and someone else would benefit from using your old gear.)

Category C:  Both A and B.

You know the drill:  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 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're swapping (selling and buying) well then you're my brother or sister!   Note to sellers:  If you sell you get 100% store credit or 70% cash.  Me I maintain a permanent account there, as I both windsurf and SUP, and one of the first three axioms of windsurfing I was taught was "shit breaks".  So the credit is as good as cash if you're a water crazy, a Puffin, a wind chimp etc

Rain or shine, buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. There will also be new 2016 equipment to drool over.  Festivities start Saturday morning at 9.  If you have questions, call the shop 631-283-9463.  See you there!