The Vultures Circle

So I took my Cruiser out in medium winds (15-18) with a 7.0 sail yesterday. Launched from Swamp Hole. I got my patootie kicked. I was having trouble staying hooked in because so many of my moves were longboard moves. I was having trouble adjusting to the shorter length of the board plus I was a little over-rigged. A 6.5 would have been better than cammed 7.0.

Then I got slammed in the head with the mast. This is something that's never happened before. I fell backwards while uphauling and the mast just clocked me. This is right after a converation with my opthamologist where I reassured her that I never get hit on the head. My first check was visual field because, quite frankly, this could cause my retina to detach. I was okay, but in little shape to wrestle the sail anymore.

So I floated down to Senasqua Park, the next launch site down. Northerlies out of Swamp Hole are good for this. They give you several recovery points. Then the vultures came...

No, that's not a joke. No less than ten vultures (I counted them) were circling overhead, waiting for my bloated corpse to wash on shore, so they could have a meal. Perhaps that' nature saying, “These are the consequences for over-rigging, stupid. Now you are nought but carrion!”

I beached at Senasqua. The vultures realized I was alive after all and went in search of some roadkill. I walked back to Swamp Hole and chatted with George, one of the lower Hudson sailors.

I missed my Kona. Today it's probably back to Swamp Hole, and this time I take the Kona. I'm also buying a helmet.

Some Shots From the Summer

Summer here in the Hudson Valley has been pretty mild. We've had our predictable August wind drought, and that's coming to an end. We're starting to get days in the teens on a regular basis, which is pretty encouraging.

A few shots over the summer during the mild days, trying out the wideboard. Still haven't taken this bad boy out in planing weather.

Serious Health Issues

I recently heard from my opthamologist and got some chilling feedback. I'm very myopic, this I've discussed, and it's leading to some serious optical problems. I have a hole in one of my retinas. This means that I might have to avoid serious effort and possibly windsurfing. The risk is I might tear the retina in that eye and go blind.

Wouldn't that just suck?

I'm Back!

Sorry about the unannounced sabbatical. I had to take a month off to finish a novel I've been writing: The Risen Sea. It's a YA science fiction that takes place about forty-five years in the future after a world-wide ecological disaster. I'll post more details on this later, but I just wanted to let everybody know I'm back. The book I'm writing even has scenes of windsurfing in it, which I'll post soon.

-Ian