The Peconic Puffin

A blog about a group of windsurfers and other water sports enthusiasts, and their friends. Established 1993.

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April Fools on the Water

Webbies was sweet. Solid 4.7 or 4.2, neck high water, smooth with the occasional easy ramp. T’was me, Scott, Cyrus, Dilay and pilot Frank hogging it to ourselves. Scott lead me across to the other side, at which point I turned around and A: saw nothing through the rain and fog, and B: Even if I had this was only my second session at Webbys so I had no idea where the launch was. “Wait for me!” I told Lord Scotworth, who laughed then launched back. In less than I minute I spotted Frank’s red sail in the distance and so had my bearings.

P.S. Such a better session than my last (which was my first in a third of a year.) I almost remember how to jibe!

Meanwhile…

“Well I would drive 500 miles…” said Artie, who wanted the same conditions, sans drysuit. In Avon OBX he was, also catching some big wind too and wants us all to know he's wearing summer booties! Get it Artie!

(Video: Me chasing the Earl of Kielt, Frank heading outbound)
Breaking the (Almost) Ice at SJ

I haven't gone through an entire winter without a session since 1996. It had been four months since my last sesh (at Meschutt). FINALLY the windsurfing gods said "okay it won't be ideal but there will be wind and people to share it with" so I ended up at South Jamesport with Scott, Artie, Christian, Dilay, Eric and Cyrus. 4.7 on ESE…not ideal but nobody except The Art of Windsurfing wanted to drive to Orient (I was intimidated, having not sailed in ages).

The tide was not ideal…mid to high with the bay flooding on the Easterly to begin with, so there was plenty of unorganized chop to greet my rusty ass. Prime kooking conditions!

I launched, and sailed maybe five hundred yards out feeling unbalanced and off, then blew a jibe and came in to assess. First thing I noticed was I was still wearing my wool rigging gloves, which now weighed about two pounds each with all the water they'd absorbed! Back to the van to swap out for WINDSURFING gloves, then run #2. Still unbalanced and inefficient, managed an ugly dry jibe, then on the way in all of a sudden everthing clicked in place. It clicked in place more than I wanted it to…I was flying lit through a smooth section faster than this rusty old guy was ready for…but I made it back. On the beach Lord Scotworth and I discussed arm fatigue. I noticed that my mouth was having trouble forming words…42 degrees air with no sun and some rain…I went back to the van to warm up. While I'm in the van Cyrus showed up, wearing flip flops. Me I need something heavier than a drysuit but Cyrus is rigged for summer!

Took a couple more runs then called it a day. I was struggling and cold, but happy I'd gotten back on the board. Each run was better than the preceding one, so perhaps next sesh I'll sail like someone who windsurfs!
Winter Missed (by me)

For the entire winter a session had evaded me. Scott too…between life schedules, cold temperatures and lack of wind, while many of us had gotten little, the Earl of Kielt and I had got none.

Then Sunday Sebonac Inlet beckoned. Cold (36-40) but sunny and windy. I had obligations, but Scott made it on the Last Day of Winter! T'was Scott, Frank, George and Artie with 4.7 the sail call (Artie says Frank was on a 4.5 but this sounds unlikely. Frank is mas macho.) The Peconic Puffin salutes them all.

For myself it's been twenty years since I missed getting at least one winter day in. I whiffed! Oh well…bring on Spring!
Where is my first winter session?

It's March. I haven't sailed since November. The last time I went this long between sessions was 2006! Bad luck, bad scheduling, bad winter for me!
Skunks and Puffins

The forecast seemed so promising.

Scott and I were at South Jamesport, willing the tiny whitecaps to become bigger whitecaps. Didn't happen. Some nice people installed a beach cleaning station (baskets to pick up garbage, a can to dump it in.). I took a run with it, returning with a soda bottle, a plastic bag, and a couple pieces of paper.

On the phone George reported a breeze on the ocean but unfavorable water conditions. Artie called with a promising theory of sunlight and wind shifts and a hope of wind at Sebonac Inlet, so off most of us went (George stayed by the ocean awaiting a wind report.)

At Sebonac it was more of the same. Tiny whitecaps. Good 7.0 conditions, argh. A puffin flew by! Then three more! Not quite windsurfing but still pleasing to this editor. (If siting puffins is your thing, Sebonac has been the best spot over the years.) Cyrus (also spotted at SJ) showed up…he'd never sailed Sebonac. Dilay arrived too. I gave up (wife and house guest at home) but Dilay and Cyrus went for it, and got going for a brief while.

George wisely passed.

(Top: The new clean-the-beach station. Middle: Dilay will not be dinied. Bottom: Cyrus' maiden voyage at Sebonac. Sailing photos by Artie.)
West Meadow Fridge Session

Me I was on a plane flying from Europe to JFK. We flew in straight east, so I knew it was still blowing straight west. But catching it in the first frigid sesh of the year were George Pav, Artie, Chris, Rob and Steve…maybe others in 38 degrees (my cutoff is 40 unless there's blazing sun!) We honor their bravery, and envy the sesh (it was still well within the Long Island Rule of 100).

(Photo courtesy Ken the Kiter. Reporting by Artie.)
Meschutt at High Tide is Just Fine

A sunny windy Sunday? Yes please! So what that the tide was high when the wind came. Meschutt’s classic inside ramps may not have been there, but there was fun to be had outside, and some high speed sailing to boot. With a slight wind hole near shore (5.7 inside, 4.7 outside) good times were shared by Chris, Frank, Dilay, Bruce, Artie, and your editor.

I hadn’t sailed in six weeks, and just three sessions ago I was in a shorty, and as rust never sleeps, I sucked LOL. Forgot the threading pattern for downhaul (Chris helped me out) and it took awhile to remember jibing. Still much fun!

(Top: Chasing Artie. Bottom: Bruce sets the rail…pic courtesy The Art of Windsurfing.)
The Beautiful Goodbye

Sunsets on the Little Peconic Bay have always been exquisite. Yesterday we were blessed with a magnificent one as we gathered at low tide to scatter Steve's ashes on this bit of beach where so much happened. About 50 feet behind everyone is the water where I first tried windsurfing, and the beach where Steve introduced himself to me. 100 feet inland from all of us is the site of Steve and Cindy's first (then second) house, where Sally and I got to spend precious years with their brand new daughters (also we windsurfed a heck of a lot!). The dear friends, the core group of people who were the Peconic Puffins, back when this was a silly little newsletter 30 years ago. Jay, Slo, Eileen, Nannette. Jordan, Avery, Ivette, Ksusha. I told the story of how when I learned about Steve's passing I came to this spot, just to stand here. Eileen had done the same thing..we just arrived at different times.

It was a beautiful gathering on a spot Steve loved. It would have made him happy.

Postscript: Steve was joined with the ashes of his favorite dog, Spooky. Jordan and Avery shared the story of how he grudgingly came to love Spooky ("he's a good little dog" he was quoted as saying back in the day.)
Big Winds and a New Spot

Let every fall weekend be like this one.

Saturday 4.7 at East Landing. The swell was rolling, the jumps and jibes off of them were sweet!   “Let’s come back tomorrow” everyone said.

But the winds came up…

Early word from Napeague was of sailors getting blown off the water.   Scott eyed East Landing and said it was too windy. Too windy? Okay I don’t want to rig three meters, so where do we go? Longneck Boulevard!

Say what?

Word is that in days of yore this is where the likes of Scott and CD sailed. Flanders    Joe and Shelley Christian and Sky Lily (Sky contemplating an Opti sesh), Chip from BK Artie Dilay Pav and more.   Guys were on 4.2’s-5.0’s, and it looked like gust lull gust, but this is where the action was, so rig! The best among us headed up to Red Cedar Point, where Artie reported “Butter-smooth waist high swell and sick Port ramps.” This would have been heaven for me, but I kooked the day (forgot to put 4.7 or warm wetsuit in the van). In the 20 years I’ve owned the van I’ve always been fully loaded with sails boards and neoprene. But not yesterday. Four runs on a 4.2 and 93 liter board left me miserable and cold so I went home like a LOSER! LOL.

I dreamed of buttersmooth waist high swell all night.

(Top: Jonathan Ford launching at East Landing. Bottom: The view of Longneck beach. Pics courtesy The Art of Windsurfing.)
Honkadelica

Big winds at Meschutt on Friday, and a big crowd to welcome it! Arrived at 2:30 to find primo Meschutt conditions…picture perfect ramps on the inside and "interesting" jibing a quarter mile out. Rigged a 4.7 like everyone else, ignoring the warnings of the early launchers saying it might be 4.0, launched on my 77 and had one overpowered run.

Rerigged to 4.2 and sailed pleasantly overpowered for a little while, when it became apparent that a 3.7 was the call. I chose to add an inch to my extension and sail super downhauled, which worked…barely LOL.

Can we talk about the ramps? I caught some excellent first-half-of-jumps…'scuse me while I kiss the sky…but landed almost none of them. After a particularly awkward splash I thought "this was easier to take 30 years ago" and decided I would take my last run.

Took five last runs.

On the scene: Natalies Joe and John, Hulse, Artie, Scott, Ken (running a vintage 80's piece of art fin), Jonathan, Dr. Pain, Chris from Connecticut and your editor. Peconic Jeff showed up to watch, as did Fisherman (who had already caught a sesh at Sammy's with Frank and Bruce.). George brought his new puppy Nash (ie Naish!)

Neoprene note: Fall is here! Last weekend I sailed comfortably in a shorty. Yesterday full 3.2.

While all of this was going on a gentleman down the beach was attempting some wingfoiling. Suffice it to say that I thought 3.7 conditions obviate the need for a foil…in fact said foil got blown down the beach a couple times when its owner left for a sip of water. Anyhow more power to him…I suppose in a few years high wind winging could be a thing.

(photos contributed by Artie, Peconic Jeff, George Pav)