Spring is here?

                                            Photos courtesy of BlueHarborCat

I woke to 3 inches of snow this morning. WTF? It was just 60 degrees on Friday, You know Friday… The day we all had to work. Go figure; I was hoping LL and I would go for a sail today. I guess not.

No choice visuals from me today. Instead you will have to endure the excellent photography of Blue Harbor Cat. A man who never Windsurfed himself, but has become quite skilled at capturing the moment. We are always happy to see him and some of us have that ability to bring on that Kodak courage when he is around. The shots are of Brook and Pete at West Neck. But I also have reports of great sailing at West Meadow, as well as out on the East End. I really have to make it a point to sail out East before the summer crowds invade the place. [They are certainly not the Hamptons I remember from 20 years ago], I doubt I could even afford a parking spot out there now.

I myself was unable to take part in Saturdays 3.5 to 3.7 weather. Having just finished a course of Cipro for a persistent sinus infection…I just didn’t have it in me. I remember drifting in and out of sleep all day. Waking up once in the middle of Animal Planet’s “Bringing Up Baby” Where I had the privilege to watch an inbred White Tiger be neutered and spayed. And they say there is no quality television on anymore.

But don’t feel sorry for me. Yesterday I finally went Ice Sailing. My original plan was to drive all the way out to Bud Lake NJ. [a three hour trek at best].

By 11:00 I figured it was to late, and the ice would be too soft. [No Ice for me this season] But then as I was eating lunch, I received a text from the infamous Marty and Arty that there was still sailable ice in Lake Ronkonkoma. [I can do Lake Ronkonkoma in an hour and change if I don’t get nailed for speeding.] So I was off! The ice was less than perfect: lots of cracks, Styrofoam, and soft spots. It also seemed like someone had been out there during this past weeks thaw, on slush runners. So we can safely say it was not a smooth surface like they enjoyed last weekend, or we had last season on the Great South Bay. But it was still fun.

The two major modifications to my ice board worked out well. First off; I stretched it about a foot longer than its original length. This enabled be to set the mast farther behind the front runners. This allowed me to put more pressure on the stern and kept me from skidding out. [Of course that could also have been due to the softer ice, and the extra rocker I added to my blades]. Next I cut down some rubber stoppers, and used them to replace the original urethane bushings that came with the board. While these are fine in the summer with wheels…they tended to harden, or freeze up when it got cold. Both modifications worked well in the less than ideal conditions. I used an old 5.3 North Volcano for power[I can’t believe this thing is still working, and patch-less after 15 years of service.] 

No pictures from me. You will just have to take my word for it. After two weekends and three weeks off the water: the last thing I wanted to do was fiddle with me camera. So enjoy the pics BlueHarbor took of the crew on Saturday. I’m bummed I missed it. But I just wasn't ready.