New Online Adventure Magazine

I've been subscribing to Wide World Magazine lately. This is an outdoor adventure magazine out of the UK. They have a pretty cool e-mail newsletter that I recommend. It doesn't have much windsurfing on it, but there's a good spread of outdoor activities.

Wide World Magazine did have one page on Windsurfing. They didn't say much new except to comment that it's not the best all-body exerise. It doesn't condition the lower body that well; it's better for the core and upper body.

Got to agree on that. All that uphauling (I'm so ashamed!) definitely exercises the core and lower back. The arms get a serious workout from holding the boom.

I got out a couple of days ago but the winds were lousy. (Does that mean the winds were covered in lice?) I spent the time mostly practicing jibes and tacks.

Since I'm still practicing some basic moves, I'm going to post this YouTube video of learning to windsurf. It comes originally from the Starboard website, but it has a good demonstration of the basic skills. Windsurfing isn't that hard if you start with good basic equipment: a wideboard of sufficient flotation with a daggerboard.

Oh, that reminds me. Speaking of wideboards: my Exocet Cruiser was lost in transit while being shipped to me. The-House customer service told me that this was only the second time this has ever happened. It will arrive too late for my Florida trip, so I'll have to have them send it when I return.

Yeah, I ordered that Exocet Cruiser The-House has been advertising like crazy. What can I tell you? It was was exactly the size board I wanted, and the price was right. I even bought the 6.5 rig too. Since my trusty 6.5 tore at Windfest, I wanted to replace it. It's also good to have a spare rig for teaching.

In Defense of Daggerboards

The lowly windsurfer daggerboard: a device sure to attract scorn and derision. (Photo courtesy of James Douglas, who has an awesome windsurfing blog.)

I just got a new windsurfer, a slightly older model Exocet Cruiser, which I discussed in a previous post. The critical thing for me about that board was: 1) It was floaty but not too floaty, maybe 160 liters or less, and 2) it had a daggerboard.

What? A daggerboard? Are you some sort of newbie that you need a daggerboard? Real windsurfers don't use daggerboards! I've noticed that that's mostly true: experienced windsurfers eschew the daggerboard. It adds weight to the board and clutters up the deck, especially true on a shortboard.

But what about the advantages? On the Hudson it has a major advantage. The river is a place where the current + tide + wind direction can lead to some serious planning of excursions. What often happens is that windsurfers end up sailing back and forth in pretty much a straight line. You need to take care, especially when the wind is flukey, to not get blown away from the launch site, which can be pretty small. A daggerboard increases your flexibility in this situation. It gives you an extra 30º or so in either direction upwind, which can be an advantage when dodging rocks and moored sailboats.

A daggerboard also gives you more ride flexibility. (I sound like a car commercial.) My home launch site, Peekskill, is under a serious wind shadow when the winds are out of the south. I had a situation where I saw good winds maybe 150 yards away from the my launch site but I couldn't reach it in my daggerboardless Go board. The one time I ever had to get a tow home could have been avoided with a daggerboard.

Now I'm not arguing that every board should have a daggerboard, but I think the point should be made that it can be a handy board accessory, and not just for beginners or longboards. Wideboards can be especially annoying to sail upwind in low winds, especially when you're underpowered.

A daggerboard also turns a wideboard into a teaching board. If you think there are too many windsurfers crowding the beaches these days, you can argue this point.

Clearly there are a lot of boards which don't need daggerboards: high-wind boards, wave boards, freestyle boards, etc. The point I'm trying to make is that for a day-to-day short/wideboard, it's a great thing to have. And just because I sail with one doesn't mean I'm a newbie! It means I like a flexible board.

Rock Snot

The New York Times is reporting the spread of a single-celled algae called Didymosphenia geminata or Rock snot. This invasive species most likely from New Zealand (where it is also an invasive species) has infected the Esopus Creek, a vital tributary of the Hudson River. The Esopus is also a major source of water for New York City as well as an awesome creek to tube and kayak. Here's a link to the EPA page on this species.

Man, these invasive species are difficult. The Hudson is already inundated with water chestnuts, which make a pod that looks like a caltrop and can pierce the thickest bootie. Now we've got this:

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.

Oh, so that's why they call it Rock Snot! (Photo courtesy of Popular Science.)

Wife is Now a Butternut!

My wife recently completed the Butternut Challenge! She swam five hundred yards of the butterfly stroke. This officially makes her amazing. And an Amazon, but we all knew that.

Kiting on the Hudson

I'm stuck grading final exams and finishing up grading all my students' final papers. Haven't had much time to get out, not even on Father's Day. Arrh!

Got a good video of people kiting on the Hudson at Croton Point Park. That's one of our regular sites, a place I've been to many times as a boy.

Yes, we windsurfers often ignore the kiters on the Hudson. There's a rivalry between the two sports, one I don't quite understand. (I've always been a lets-all-get-along type of person.) Personally, I've never been interested in kiting. It's a spectacular sport to watch, but it's not for me. I like the idea that windsurfing is piloting your own little sailboat. Kiting is also more dangerous than windsurfing. Windsurfers mostly die when they hit by drunk idiots in motorboats. Kiters have a few more hazards associated with the sport.

One of my Hudson River crew, Stoil Popow, died while kiting in Long Island Sound in January, 2004. The news saddened all of us. I have to say this put me off the sport permanently. After this happened I always wore a PFD. I'm also happy to stick with my big, stupid windsurfing board. It's not sexy, but it's so floaty it keeps me safe.

Hudson 400 Year Anniversary Sail

Last weekend was a sail up the Hudson river celebrating Henry Hudson's discovery of the river, 400 years ago. A flotilla of tall ships sailed up the river. I took some pictures of them and made a slide-show.

Got a video of a fire boat cutting loose with its jets.: pretty spectacular.

A family outing isn't complete without photos of my lovely wife.

Lovely wife.

Lovely girls.

Gabriel and his buddy Ronin frolicking in the Hudson. Why doesn't the city clean this shore up and make it into a real beach? Gabriel's lucky he didn't cut his feet on broken glass.

Awesome Windsurfing Van

I bought a Neil Pryde V8 7.0 off Steve, one of the upper Hudson River Rats. He had it stored in his windsurfing van, which was something to be seen to be believed.

From the side door. It has a special rack just for dry wetsuits. The rack for wet wetsuits is by the door, so they can drip into the gully by the base of the door.

Let's see, I count nine mast extensions on that door.

The right side of the van from the rear. I like the little plastic drawers for tools, screws, rope, knick-knacks and anything else a windsurfer might need.

Is that six boards in one car? I am green with envy. I'm lucky to get two on the roof of my CRV. I could say this is something to aspire to, but I can't even consider that. My vehicle has to be family transportation first, windsurfing transportation second.

Got A New Shortboard

I finally replaced my Starboard Go, which I sold last fall, with an Exocet Cruiser 150. Yes, this is still a beginners' oriented board, but I really want a wide/short board with a daggerboard. That was the problem I had with that Go board. It sailed so nicely, except when I had to go upwind.

Exocet has three models of the Cruiser: the 100 liter KJ (Kids' Junior, I think), the 150 liter M, and the 205 liter L.

The House was having a sale on these models, so I snatched up an M. These are 2007 models, which is fine. There's a good package deal with a sail and rig, which I picked up too in a 6.5 size. You can never have too many sails, especially in those Hudson River workhorse sizes of 6-7 m.

The House has a neat video demonstrating the model. I like the midwestern accent of the demonstrator. Makes me think of Garrison Kieller.

I imagine my experienced friends will laugh at me for buying another wide-style, big board instead of a high-speed, small shortboard. The truth is that I need to practice shortboard skills so I can actually progress to one of these models with confidence. (I also have a couple of old shortboards in the garage, but I don't sail them. Yet) I think this will be fine. Actually 150 liters isn't much bigger than the boards lots of people sail, especially when the wind is 13-22. Plus, I still have the weed fin and board bag from the old board, so I'm pretty much set. Looking forwards to sailing this soon, maybe Father's Day weekend. I'll post pictures of the actual board when it arrives.

This will also make a nice training board when my brood gets old enough to sail. The question I have is: Is this a wideboard or does the inclusion of a dagger board make it a wide longboard? I tend to think the latter, but maybe some of you more experienced sailors can answer that.

Finally, A Windfest Report

I should have written this earlier but the school year is almost up. That means: no time, and I'm grading mucho papers! (Then I have the summer off. Poor me.)

Windfest was a lot of fun. I spent the day with Scott and Dave Rogers as well as Dave's family. Dave's family was very generous with food, even though I had made sure to provide for myself pretty well. Here are photos:

Scott and Dave setting up Dave's Bic Hybrid board.

Glad I wasn't the only person uphauling.

I love seeing all these boards laying about on the beach.

Gorgeous conditions.

Lots of sailors.

Setting up for freestyle.

People who sail much better than I do. I was struck by how big the freestyle boards were. Somebody was on a big Starboard Start. Another had a Go.

The judging stands. The dude in orange, just to the right of the green sign, is Michael Alex, the Peconic Puffin.

These are the rigs of the experts.

Men's professional freestyle.

Women's freestyle.

I did enter two races, and I wish I could say I made the Hudson River Rats proud. I had bought a new weed fin for my Kona just for Windfest. When I unwrapped it, it looked a little small, but I figured the guys I bought it from knew what they were doing. It turns out I got sent a really small fin. I tested it out before the race with my 8.5 rig, and I fell all over the place. I assumed that was just a result of my stupidity: not an unreasonable assumption.

Turns out it wasn't my fault. The fin was a 29 cm fin and I needed about a 40 cm fin, even with the 6.5 sail I rigged for the race. (The winds picked up a little.) I fell all over the place. I even fell right by the buoys. It was a very embarrassing situation, especially when the experts were planing past me at about 25 mph. When I said they were planing past me, I meant they were planing right past me! Then, (Oh Joy!) I had a mast-base separation. Could the situation get any worse?

I limped back to shore after finally reacquainting my mast with my board. I felt like a fool, and Dave's encouraging words actually made my feel worse. Then we talked about the fin, and realized how small it was. What a relief! I slipped the old fin on and went sailing. It was like a religious experience. I could sail! And I nailed my beach starts.

The rest of the day I sailed around on my Kona and hung out. It was a wonderful time.

One criticism: I wish there were some non-competitive events. I'm honestly not into the competition. Maybe some group sails or something like that?

Windfest Checklist

Heading to the East Coast Windfest early Saturday morning with Scott. I've been assembling a checklist of stuff to bring.

1. Kona board
2. Rigging (sails, booms, masts): 
3. Weed fin
4. PFD
5. Harness
6. Light wetsuit
7. Booties
8. Rashguard
9. Bathing Suit
10. Contact lens kit with extra lens-wetting solution, 'cause I'm blind
11. Binoculars
12. Sunscreen
13. Hat
14. Water
15. Energy bars
16. Lunch
17. Change of clothes
18. Towel: the most useful object in the universe
19. Tape to repair sails (Oh how I hope I won't need that)
20. Camera
21. Mask, fins, snorkel to take underwater pictures

NOAA and iWindsurf predict winds to be in the high single digits or low teens, which means bring the big sails. I'm going to be buying a Neil Pryde V8 7.0 tomorrow to fill the recent hole in my sailing quiver. I imagine that or the Sailworks 8.5 will be the sail of the day.

This will be my first windsurfing event. This is very exciting!