Sailed Tanner this morning in the pouring rain, and fog. It was a good choice. The tide was all wrong everywhere else. Sailing the ocean in that fog would have just been foolish. We had a nice crew despite the less than perfect conditions [on and off wind; cyclops sailing in the rain; etc.]. There was literally no one at the beach, but a park rent-a-cop from Babylon who decided it was illegal for us to windsurf there. I pulled off my hood, showed him my gray hair and explained that we were not a bunch of kids, who were being unsafe, or were bothering anyone. And we have been sailing that spot for years. He threatened to call the town Bay Constable who would issue us citations/ tickets/ whatever. I explained that I was on the board of Surfrider, and that we had always had a great relationship with the town of Babylon as far as access. What had changed?
We still had to leave or he was calling the cops. Well we didn't leave. Why? Because we still had two men out sailing in the fog I explained; and we don't leave until everyone is back in safely.
Well he apparently called the Constable, because he came over to me and said that it was now OK for us to sail there today because we weren't bothering anyone. But we were not to sail there if any bathers were using the beach. He also noted that although we were allowed to windsurf from Gilgo, a T/O Babylon beach... we were not allowed to launch from any T/O Babylon beached on the bay.
I told him I understood, thanked him for his concern about us old guys, and went sailing.
As a note: the T/O Babylon actually has a sign at Oak Beach on the bay, that specifically allows Windsurfing.
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