OK it’s been awhile. So I have a lot to cover.

This sort of tropical weather pattern we have been experiencing has made for some interesting sailing, windsurfing, and surfing. Last week was so cold during the Nor Easter, that I wore a 4/3 in the ocean. This Sunday was so warm: I just wore swim trunks.

The non-typical wind directions for this time of year have allowed me to explore new destinations. Not just the same “tour of the mooring area”, or Tack up wind to “Stepping Stones” and broad reach back home. I’ve had a few nice sails up to Larchmont, and Bayville in the east. And two sails up the East River towards Manhattan. I never made it all the way to the City. Once I sailed up through “Hells Gate” and back, the other, I explored the old “Worlds Fair Marina” by Citifield [formerly Shea Stadium], and of course LaGuardia Airport.

I’ve also been able to spend quite a bit of time exploring City Island’s mooring fields. Sailing there is a time capsule to my childhood. So many boats from the 70’s… some derelict; some beautifully preserved. And my favorite thing… at least 5 Cape Dory’s in that fleet.

Sunday the 22nd brought the 3rd or 4th East, South East I’ve been able to enjoy at Heckscher. Yes. I know I complain about that place. But it rocks in an Easterly. The problem with Easterlies, is they are not dependable. In fact Sundays' wind was not predicted by anyone! I sailed a 5.5 all day; switching between my 110 ltr and 90 ltr boards. Most guys rigged two sails [~4.7 ish, and ~5.5 ish] I just changed my down, and out haul; and switch boards.

Tuesday night, the 24th; Dommer and I sailed Demo in a Nor Easter. It was cold. It was big at times. But it was not the epic, clean, side off, Nor Easter that Demo can produce.
As the Nor Easter’s weakened, LL and I shared a few evenings on Segue. Lastly; I tried to surf Sunday. But was denied, when I dropped my 9.6 in the parking lot and split the rail; ARRGH!. So this week I’ve been in repair mode for the upcoming storm. It’s gonna do something. What? I don’t know. But I want to be prepared.

I have a meeting with the State today, [Thursday]; we had an ‘incident’ Tuesday morning, where some surfers were ticketed, and ejected from the beach. Some were there Legally: some were not. But all were told they had to leave. This is not the first time the NYS Parks System, and the NYS Police have overstepped their authority. And while Surfrider was swamped with reports of this incident… we can barely get three people to show up to a meeting, or a beach clean up. Where were these people when we successfully lobbied NYS for the “Better Bottle Bill”? How about when we fought against the “LNG Island” the government wanted to build right off our shores. We dodged two bullets when ‘other interests’ [Donald Trump] defeated the “Wind Farm”, and when BP screwed up in the Gulf, creating a moratorium on “off Shore Drilling’… But as soon as someone gets kicked off a beach, they just come out of the woodwork.
I have been getting kicked off of the beaches for 30 + years. I have gotten sick from the water I so love, on countless occasions. In one instance I dropped 40 pounds in less than a month! This is why; despite the fact apathy among watermen, is at an all time high… I will continue to work with organizations like Surfrider, and LIBAG, the Long Island Beach Access Group.

This afternoon, I think I’ll take Segue for a sail. It looks sunny, warm, and breezy. Then I’ll remove the Genni from the roller furling, and make sure my ground tackle is in order. I am even thinking of daisy chaining some fenders around her hull to protect her from the boats that will inevitably chafe through their mooring lines. We will have to see what this storm brings… Great windsurfing, epic swell, closed beaches and erosion? Who knows? It could be a wonderful playground, or I could be stacking sand bags as the bay invades my street. I hope it is safe for us all and we don’t sustain too much damage.