Saturday, March 28, 2009

It's on.

http://www.ecwindfest.com/East_Coast_Windsurfing_Festival/ECWF_Home.html

http://www.peconicpuffin.com/the_peconic_puffin/

The 2009 East Coast Windsurfing Festival will be held at Heckscher State Park on June 6th and 7th 2009. Competitors flock from all over the East Coast to compete in this huge competition. Racers and freestylers alike will have their chance to prove themselves as King of the East

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sounds like some of you scored!


I was out on the boat with my wife Lauralee, enjoying a
warm sunny 8-10 knot Southwesterly.

At about 3:30 the Northwesterly blew in, dropped the temperature a good ten degrees, and ramped the wind up to 15-20+. We reefed down, put on our foul weather gear and headed for home. Hope you went somewhere on the north shore.

Camp Mustang

Decent surf at Mustang's spot yesterday. I am still not surfing well. I have such a very long way to go.

You can really see the guys that always seem to take off in the right spot. Always manage a cutback or two. And always bail before the close out.
I never drop in at the right spot. I blow 90% of my pop up's. And, always stay on the wave too long; riding the crumbling white water almost to shore.

But I just love being out there. As long as I don't get in anyone's way.

I was very careful not to over use my shoulder yesterday. So of course I stepped in a hole and tweaked my back while ungracefully exiting the shore break. I'm not a kid anymore.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Manhasset Bay

Caught a few hours before dark on MB. Rigged a big 7.0 and 125ltrs. Used a 13" fin: it was fine in the gusts, but I spent a lot of time underpowered. I understand the wind was better at Tanner. I probably should have made that drive to the south shore. It was still nice to sail in my own back yard for a change. I'm sure the bay will be crowded and filthy soon enough.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Work is no fun right now. I just want to play.


I meant to clean, or wax Segue yesterday. I even put one coat of Seapower cleaning wax on the coach roof. The teak looks like crap, the varnish is all flaky and needs to come off before I can varnish again. OK, not realy varnish but Cetol. I know some of you think that's cheating; but it is so much easyer to maintain than actual varnish. The new Natural Teak color is less orange than the original tint. But I couldn't even do that yesterday. As soon as I felt the 10 knot breeze out of the WSW I went sailing.

One tack out on starboard, one back in to port. The fishermen are starting to hit the water, and I saw a few sailboats as well. Miews was out there trolling a few lines off his stern.

My shoulder is still locking up from last Sunday's session at Mustangs, so I'm glad I can at least go sailing.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

sunday night

Trying to fall asleap now that it is DLST. Great sail Saturday with Lauralee. Watched the funeral procession of boats from Kings Point Military Academy. Water was smooth as liquid mercury,but we still sailed at 2-4 knots.

Today I surfed Long Beach with the Mustang crew. My shoulder will hurt for days. So worth it.

Monday, March 2, 2009

I woke this morning to 16 inches of snow. Spring may be around the corner, but winter Wants to make sure that I still respect her.

My timing was a little off this weekend. Saturday I took Segue out for a sail, [That's the third week in a row]. I expected a dieing Northerly, and that's just what I got. On my way out I cleared Plum Point with a 70% jib and a double reef in the main.

I went exploring around Hart and City Island. There where allot of boats still out on moorings there [curious]. After a few hours, the gusty breeze moderated. I shook out the reefs, and rolled out the jib to 135%. The angle of attack was perfect. Segue was fully powered up on a beam to broad reach, surfing the swell on her stern quarter. Her Speedo was reading 6.1 knots, but GPS had us at 7.0.
That's important because Segue has a displacement hull. She does not plane; so is bound by her Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed = 1.34 * LWL1/2 .
Segue's LWL is 19.5. But when she is heeled, her overhangs stretch her to a little over 20 feet, making her Maximum Hull Speed probably under 6.5 knots. That means that while she was moving through the water at a speed of 6 knots, she was also surfing the moving swell, bringing her total speed over ground of 7 knots! How cool is that?

Sunday, we waited around all day for this Nor Easter to materialize. We kept ourselves busy posting vintage windsurfing photos of ourselves at LIWindfuring. I probably should have gone surfing. From what I hear it was perfect clean longboard waves. But I Waited for the Mysto to make an appearance at CIB. I'm sure it did last night at about one in the morning. But I was sound asleep;
and it was snowing like hell.
Oh well... it's supposed to be in the 60's this weekend.