Why Opposite End Windsurfing?

Long Island, NY
I really,really like to windsurf. It is my favorite thing to do, except for teaching kids about physics, that is. The only problem is that I am not so great at windsurfing, at least right now. Several people in my area have created windsurfing blogs, but they are really, really good at windsurfing (and not too shabby at blogging). So, I've decided to give a perspective from the opposite end of the windsurfing skill spectrum, hence the name Opposite End Windsurfing for my blog. In it, I will share the experiences of someone who is trying to become a really good windsurfer.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

More Progress...

(The theme song for today was "Livin' on the Edge of a Hurricane", by Randy Naish and the Ultronz.)

Last night I checked the forecast for today and it said SW in the 20's. The only fly in the ointment was that I almost had to stay late after school. So, I moved some things around, and checked the wind right near the end of, the day. The promised wind had come. This is quite unusual, but I was ready. Contact lenses in, bathing suit on (yes, I wore my bathing suit under my dress clothes to save time later), wetsuits in van, and ice and drinks in cooler.

So, I basically followed the buses out of the parking lot to get down to the beach as soon as possible. All day long the trees outside the window were moving around ALOT, so by the end of the school day I was very antsy, to say the least. You know the drill on the half hour or so drive to the beach on a windy day, right? Temples get all tight and achy, fists clench steering wheel, heart pounding out of the chest, basically a heart attack. Well, for some reason, I was all calm today, and focused. Today was the day I was going to do, not try, not attempt, but do a planing jibe.

When I arrived at the beach, the parking lot was full with the usual suspects all out sailing already. (Some people did come even later than me, but most were already there). I saw Allison rigging, I said hello, she said "everyone is out on 4.2's". Awesome, I thought, this is the day.

So, rigged up the 4.2 and headed out on the 102. There were big puffs, and for the first couple of runs I felt overpowered, or over-boarded, or both. But, it got my attention. I should say right now that when I first saw the chop, my first thought was, well, maybe I won't do my first planing jibe today. That was it, the die was cast. It was not to be, I had psyched myself out yet again......but, I am feeling so much more confident and free, yes free, in these very windy conditions than I used to be ("used to", meaning last week, I suppose). Anyway, made first 2 jibes, not planing but the ever popular flarve where you carve in and flare out. It was fun going back and forth a couple or three times without falling. It will be so much MORE when I can stay planing the whole time (or more nearly so).

Of course, I was so excited I told a couple of people on the beach that I had just made 2 jibes in a row, and that was it for a while. But, it was 100% fun, all the time. Took a break for awhile, went back out and made 3 jibes in a row. Also, I started thinking that besides looking where I wanted to go, I needed to flip the sail earlier. This was later confirmed by Pharmacist Al (who I really look up to, cause he's like 68 or something and rips it up out there), who said two great things to me:

1. "You are sailing as well as I did after 8 years in only 4 years" (to paraphrase)
2. "If you flipped your sail sooner you would have a perfect jibe" (well, maybe not perfect, but acceptable).

Also, I need to credit Andy Brandt of ABK Boardsports once again. He had us doing some recovery drills in light wind on our raceboards last weekend. Well, when the 102 nose popped up a couple of times in the flare phase of my flarve jibes, I just leaned forward, down it went, flip the sail, and go. It sounds smooth, but believe me its pretty rickety.

I was also able to finally thank Joe (he of the Angulo board), for suggesting to me several weeks ago to use a single backstrap. It really changed my life. (my windsurfing life, anyway - or should I tell my students that I am much happier in class now that I can always put both feet in the straps and can really motor on the water - or relatively so?) You see, I had this phobia all last year, and even the first part of this year, about getting my back feet in the straps. If I didn't do it at precisely the right time, dire consequences would happen, or so I thought. The single backstrap made it so much easier, and now I do it almost with thinking, even on the 133 which has double back straps. This, along with getting my boom up a bit and slightly shorter harness lines has unleashed my inner personal speed demon. woohoo. (which is not to say I am the fastest, or almost the fastest on the water by any means, it just means that I can more closely keep up with the other people and in some cases keep up or go a bit faster than others in some conditions)

Not only was the sailing great, but it's always inspiring to watch the more experienced windsurfers do really cool maneuveurs. Trying to emulate them, and trying to keep up with them speed-wise has made a big difference in my sailing. When sailing alone, I would think that I was going fast, but its not until someone passes you that you realize just how much faster one could be going, or how much better one can turn, etc.

So, all in all, another wonderful day in the universe. see ya next time its windy and I can get out sailing.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Catchin' UP

Hello there. Haven't posted in a little while so I figured I would catch things up. Last weekend, Sept. 19 and 20, I attended the ABK Board Camp Racing Clinic out at Napeague. As I think I have posted here before, I am a (wannabe) racer. So, of course I had to make it to this clinic, as there is the East Coast Fall Windsurfing Racing thing coming up Oct. 10 and 11. I turned 54 during last week's clinic, so I will be signing up for the over 50 class.
Still not sure if this only for the 7.5 and under class or not. The Pacer sail is 9.5, which would put me in the unlimited class. If its blowing, I guess I'll go with the  7.5 and under class. Just hope its not windy enough for slalom!

Anyway, the clinic was great fun. Who knew that Andy Brandt. awesome freestyler and teacher, is (or was and may be again) one of the top windsurf racers in the country. He had us doing some really cool light air drills to get more comfortable on the board, and to be able to stop and turn quickly in light air. He also gave me some tips on how to get the Pacer moving better in light air with the 7.5. The flat water at Napeague is very confidence boosting I might add. So, on Saturday we did some triangle light air racing, then a "long distance" race around the island at the entrance to Napeague Bay. Besides learning alot about upwind speed and tactics, the effect of current, and the effect of shallow water and choosing the right strategy to maximize speed in light air, the two things that really stand out from the "race" are the following:
a. getting back in the bay against the tide through the little cut to the north of the island when board speed was only a tiny bit above the current speed. The board was basically planing in the apparent current "wind" but forward progress was very, very slow. Two people came walking down the dunes towards me and were probably wondering what was going on. There was a rooster tail coming out from the stern of the Pacer ("flux linkage", is its name, like it was a racing yacht or something. oh well, I am a geeky nerd after all), and yet I was barely moving relative to the shore. Wish I could have had a camera to show my students. This was a great example of adding (or, rather, subtracting) vectors.
b. The deer that came bounding through the water and over the sandbar, and swam right across water right in front of me. An amazing sight. One I'll never forget. So, its true that deer swim from Ct. to LI after all.

Sunday was actually pretty good. We did one triangle race, and then since it appeared that the wind was going to build, Andy set up a little figure 8 slalom course. The wind dropped a bit, but I was able to get planing with the c/b down (ran aground a couple times so pulled it halfway up), and it was great fun. Didn't realize how much I miss timed starts and rounding buoys in (or on) sailing craft.  The only thing I realized as I was driving home was how come, yes how come, Dennis, you didn't do port tack approach starts? You used to be awesome at tacking into the hole in the line. Next time, don't forget.

After the clinic ended on Sunday afternoon, I stayed out on the Pacer for a while flying on close reaches across Napeague Bay and back. I have never sailed the Pacer that fast before, I don't think. The perfectly flat water is perfect for speed runs. When I finally came in, Tom L. called me "speed boy". Well, the only thing is that I am sure that all the good windsurfers would have been able to beat me, but it sure did feel good.

My "ace" move of the weekend was jibing early and wide at a leeward mark to get inside of a guy, pass him, and then kill him upwind. Of course, I did this for 42 years in boats, but it did feel good to do it on a sailboard. Also, Andy had gotten hold of a 20  year old custom carbon 13 foot long course racing board designed by Bard Chrisman. What a weapon!! He let me sail it, and the thing felt so stable for something so long and narrow, and it just glides upwind at very close angles. I need to get ahold of something like that. Of course, then I would have to get racks for the hitop van, figure out someway to get the board up there.........Guess that's one of the things that led me to the Pacer in the first place.   But I was able to almost hold his angle (at slightly less speed) non-planing on the Pacer. Even though Andy made me use a 36cm weed fin instead of the upright 60 cm its supposed to have.

Next sailing day was Friday afternoon at Crab Meadow in a somewhat less than expected NE, Of course, I should expect NE winds to die as the day progress as they always seem to do. Rigged the 7.5 (desperate to get out) on the 133. The worst windsurfing I have done in a long while. I just felt out of sync and couldn't do anything. The less said about this day the better. Even Greg the kiter had his spreader break and Jeff T (old sailboat racing friend and all around nice guy) and Dr. Bob (pediatrician and all around nice guy) ran down the beach and helped him out. But it was nice to meet Chris and Dana, and even Greg, and have a good talk catchin' up with Jeff T.

Today, Monday, Sept. 29. I hope I never forget this day. The wind was expected to be SW and build, which it did. Almost wish I had driven out to Napeague early in the morning, but went to Heck early afternoon instead. I wasn't feeling so good, maybe just the anticipation or maybe because I hadn't sailed well in a week (or sailed at all except for the crappy sesssion on Friday). I even went back home after I left for the beach to make sure I had taken all my medications! (I had)

Anyway, got down to Heck sometime after 12, I think. To my immense surprise, ardly anyone was there , but it wasn't that windy yet and not that many people had today off. It was not surprising, however, to see "The Captain" cruising around and even getting on a plane once in a while on her Starboard Phantom. So, I rigged the 7.5 and went out on the 133. Right away, I could tell this was going to be a good (if not great) day. Everything just felt so comfortable. Even the chop seemed fairly small and manageable ( I retained this feeling all day even as the wind built, to my enthusiastic surprise). I was even getting around and making most of my jibes (not quite planing out, but almost). Then, the wind built. Rigged the 6.3. It took awhile, had to redo the mast extension at least 4 times, but finally got it set up right. I did remember to right down all the settings at the end of the day. I think I finally have this sail in its sweet spot. It felt light and powerful all day.

At first, I sailed the 6.3 with the 133 but pretty soon went to the 102. What a treat! I was having fun blasting around and carving up and downwind in the little chop-swell. Just a great time. I was even making most of my jibes (at first) and started coming out of the carves on a plane, and I THINK, maybe, not sure, but just maybe I completed a carving, full planing, jibe. Not really sure though. Here's what I have now learned. Jibes are a whole lot easier when you look into the direction of the jibe. In other words. look where you want to go, and you will go there. I learned this a long time ago when learning to ski trees, and then a little less long ago when riding mountain bikes. I guess I have to learn it every time I try a new sport! Everything the hard way, that's my life. But, so much more satisfaction when I do accomplish something new.

I was even looking for "ramps" and trying little jumps as best I could. I THINK, maybe, not sure, but just maybe on or even possibly two of these attempts that the fin may have cleared the water. In any event, I was able to turn the board off the wind before the board contacted the water during these attempts and avoided the dreaded spin-out. All in all, a good day, and progress made.

So, the day was awesome until I noticed a little crack in the nose of the 102. Fixed it with some ding stick, but it took an hour to dry, it was 5:30, heavy clouds moving in, wind dying off a bit. But, went out for one more planing run, and had to schlog back in upwind, but what a great day. Then, on the way home, I got within a couple of minutes of home when the heavens opened up. So, had to run in during a torrential downpour. Of course, it let up quite a bit several minutes later. Like I said, everything the hard way.

A great day. Just wish I didn't have to wait for the weekend to go sailing again. Oh wait, class at Stony Brook on Wednesday has been cancelled (you should see chlorophyll fluoresce at 669 nm under black light, very cool),
maybe there will be afternoon wind. 

Until the next time!!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A Tale of Two Sundays

As Joe4.7 had said on Saturday, "Manana". He had then pointed down, meaning it was going to be happening here, at Heck, on Sunday.

Sunday, Part One.

Woke up, got out of bed, checked the iWindsurf meters. 26 NE at Bayville. 23 NE at Gilgo. 11NE at GSB. What to do? First of all, when its NE, I historically have missed it because either 1. the weather is lousy (rain and all that stuff), which takes the stoke right out of me, 2. I don't get up early enough (NE seems to always die pretty quickly around here), or 3. I just simply don't know where to go.

Then, I checked the Long Island Windsurfer's Group forum on Yahoo (LIWGF). This REALLY bummed me out. It was 8:11 AM, or thereabouts. George and Pete (and probably others) were already sailing 4.2's at Overlook. Overlook? What and where is Overlook?

So, I went down to Heck. Heck, Joe4.7 called Heck yesterday, and he always seems to know what to do, right? Arrived at Heck at 9:30 AM. No wind. No cars. No people. Drove back up to the north shore to Crab Meadow. There was some wind, woo-hoo!! Bummer, though, the only two windsurfers were just leaving as the wind was starting to die. Was I going to miss yet another NE day? Even the kiters were preparing to leave. Well, since I had to go back to work in two days (today), I better go for it, I thought to myself. The guys who were leaving had been on 5.8. So, I rigged a 6.3, pulled out my beautiful and lovely RRD FSW 102 (that I really can't jibe) and went out. It wasn't constant, but I was planing most of the time. The water was, for me, super. Large (for me) swells, well spaced. Not the choppity, chop-chop stuff like Heck. Jumps (well, sort me, at least it seemed like it to me) on the way out, wave riding on the way in. Changed my life. Seriously. All my life I've had this thing about surfing and surfing lifestyle. I've been surfing like two or three times (not including body surfing). Over 35 years ago. In high school. Down at Tobay. My friend's Dad took us. He was real good. It was awesome.

Well, that's the feeling I had Sunday morning. Three runs in and out. Made 2 out of 3 jibes. Amazing, now I can jibe, awesome. Then the wind died out some, so I headed in. One cool thing is that a lifeguard was watching me, and as I walked by him he said "Are you Mr. G?". Good thing it was the best windsurfing I've ever done on that board. Turns out he is a student at the school where I teach. Today he was telling everybody what an awesome windsurfer I am. Just lucky, I guess.

So, I headed home just before noon, prepared to quit for the day, but happened to check iWindsurf one last time. GSB at like 25, ENE. This is it!!!

Sunday, Part Deux

I ran, as fast as my van would take me down to Heck. You know the feeling when it's blowing and you can't get there soon enough? The arteries around your heart are tense, your mind is blowing itself out through your ears, your legs are twitching, you feel like you are going to die if you don't get to the beach NOW. Well, that's what I was feeling. All thoughts of the morning are gone. Just MORE, MORE, going through my jellied brain.

And then, of course, some guy in front of me at the gate guard shack has to give the gate guard a hundred dollar bill or something, the gate guard is probably texting during the transaction, then the guy has to ask her an hour and a half of questions about who knows what. Finally, after about 5 hours, I finally roll through, go 25 times the speed limit to get to the beach, AND.... the parking lot is crowded and everybody has been sailing on 4.2s for hours. "Where were you?"

So, quickly rig the 4.2 and head out. I'm feeling all flushed about my newfound jibing ability from the morning. But this is Heck. Things are different here. The choppity chop-chop is worse than ever before. But, speed is good. Jibing is not so good. I think I made about 2 jibes all day. But what fun, oh what fun!!

Laughed it up with Curt, Sesel (sp?), even John M., who was doing amazing stuff like an Essex duck jibe. Really cool. Curt sailed across to other side with a few others. Joe4.7 was out on his old Bob Dill board. Some guy on a Maui Sails sail was jibing, tacking, doing amazing maneuveurs. Upwind Mike was doing his normal thing cranking out jibe after jibe without, seemingly, losing any speed whatsoever. Everybody was having an amazing day. "Someday", I thought to myself as I crashed for the umpteenth time.

But, you know that foot thing I talked about in my first post, well, that works. Helped me in the morning and I did it all day long. I am almost there. So close. Just need to do a thousand more jibe setups and entrances, and I am sure I will be able to do a carving, planing jibe in the not so distant future.

Yesterday, Monday, Labor Day:
Nothing really to talk about, except for talking to a few people. Then headed out on 7.5 , 133l to practice tacking, trying to get footwork right. Frustrating, but some progress made. Then laughed it up for a while before heading home and getting ready for the big day today. Wind tomorrow, they say, but I can't make it. Maybe Thursday afternoon. I sure hope so. If so, see you all there!!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Asphyxiation

After listening to Roy Orbison's magnus opus Windsurfer several times this morning, I just had to get wet. While driving down to Heck on Sagtikos Parkway, I noticed that a giant caromboulage had just occurred on the other side. Some poor person's car was completely smashed in and ambulances were on the way. Serves to make one feel lucky when one is in good health and can think about going windsurfing.

When I arrived at the beach, there was a bit (a wee small bit) of wind that the Captain was making use of on her Starboard Phantom along with a couple of other people who looked like they were on their maiden windsurfing voyages. Good on them, I say!!

Anyway, I decided to rig the Pacer/Pacer combo and went out practicing railing and longboard tacks and pivot jibes. It was okay for about 20 minutes, then the wind (if I may call it that) got so light that it wasn't even blowing anymore. It was more like a sucking effect. Sucking out all of the oxygen in the air. It was getting hard to breath. I was hoping that an oxygen mask would pop out of the boom. I started feeling a bit "high" and began to realize that if I didn't get back to the beach soon, that I would soon pass out. This "high" is the first indication that one is being asphyxiated, and is similar to the effect of diminished oxygen in high altitude flight without an auxiliary oxygen supply.

In addition, even though the insolation from the Sun has started to diminish because the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the Sun has begun to move the Northern Hemisphere into a position where the incoming solar radiation is spread over a larger area as fall and winter approach, it was still hot enough that I was thinking that when I did get asphyxiated from the sucking effect of the "breeze" that someone would eventually find a dessicated human sailing along on a really cool windsurfer. A gaggle of jet skiers thankfully interrupted this reverie and I headed in.

Joe4.7 then opined that "Manana" was going to be good. Can't wait to fall asleep and wake up to lots of wind.

(Some names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Back to Summer weather...

Pretty light wind today, so I put on some windsurfing music to get myself stoked a bit. My favorite windsurfing song of all time puts me in the mood and I've been listening to it over and over again today. Thought I'd share it with you (hope I don't run afoul of copyright laws):

Windsurfer
Windsurfer
All he wanted was to ride out on the wind
Windsurfer
To be one of the guys and to look good in her eyes
He practiced in his dreams
trying to catch the waves
Most of the time he sailed alone
Endless summer days
flying in the sun
He'd ride and wait for the wind
to take him home
Windsurfer
Windsurfer
Windsurfer

He said let's sail away together
She told him no no never no
Wind Windsurfer
It was early one morning
on a lonely beach
He left a message and
he wrote in the sand
Why do we always go for
something out of reach?
Nobody ever really understands
Windsurfer
All he wanted to do
was outrun the sun
Wndsurfer
to take her in his arms
when the lonely day was done
Windsurfer

-Roy Orbison (Mystery Girl album)

Thanks for the stoke, Roy

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Wow, It got cold fast....

That's exactly (or pretty close to exactly) what I said to Judy when I got out of my van at Heck this late afternoon. Judy is the wife of George (I don't think their last name is Jetson) and they are a really nice windsurfing couple. In fact, just about all of the people I've met windsurfing over the past, say, four years have been really nice.

My goal for the day was to practice tacking and jibing. (See information below about my desire to be a "racer")

I digress, however. It felt pretty cold this afternoon, and the wind when I arrived was from the SE or SSE, hard to tell, but side onshore in any event. Judy was out practicing tacks on her 109 liter board and 6.3, not planing, just practicing tacks and doing well. So, I decided I was going to, once again, practice tacking my Exocet Pacer 300 hybrid raceboard as I am a wannabe racer. More on this in upcoming posts. I rigged up my 9.5 custom Aerotech cuben fiber Pacer sail and went out. Well, the wind as measured by my wind meter on the beach was only about 9 knots, but was stronger the further one went off the beach. I was planing the whole time, no problem. Oh, I forgot to mention that just after I beach started for the first time today, I glanced at my watch and it was 4:52 PM. So, I had some fun trying to figure out optimum speed vs. angle upwind for maximum VMG (I may be relatively new to windsurfing, but not to sailing, more later on this also). This is extremely hard to do, if not impossible, without someone to gauge off of, but I was just seeing what angles felt better vis a vis speed. So, I tacked upwind for a while and tried to put into effect the ABK tacking method. (This can be viewed at windsport.com) I did this with more or less decent success, then turned downwind and did a bunch of "flarve" jibes downwind. Flarve is a type of jibe where you sort of carve in to the jibe, then finish with a flare. These seemed ok as I wasn't almost, but not quite planing off the wind.

Then, the wind picked up and I was flying! woo-hoo! I could easily have been on a 7.5 and 133 liter board, but I wanted to get some experience with the whole raceboard setup. I must tell you, dear reader, that over the past couple of days of non-sailing, I happened to look up all the information I could find on planing jibes to try and sort out some of my problems that are keeping me from the completion of this most elegant windsurfing maneuveur. Once again, the ABK videos at windsport.com are very helpful and awesome. I also looked at Peter Hart videos a few times which are also good, but no substitute for real instruction. Andy Brandt of ABK has obviously spent a lot of time figuring out the best way to teach windsurfing which is a wonderful thing. Sort of like how us classroom teachers try to figure the best way to present content to students so that they can learn quickly and easily. Unfortunately, for an athletic plodder like me, windsurfing is superhard and it is going to take me some time to get this whole carving jibe thing. I need to concentrate on one step at a time.

At this point, I should like to put in a plug for ABK board camps. I have been to three of them over the past couple of years and they are really great. At the first one I attended, I was initially disappointed to not be in the learn to jibe group, but they did sort out my stance which was in dire need of straightening out, literally. The "7" stance that they teach is the best way, IMO, to sail.

Back to today. When the wind came up to maybe 14 or 15 knots, I was super powered on the 9.5 and decided to try some carving jibes. Well, in addition to online videos mentioned above, I found pictures I took at an ABK clinic last year of master instructor Tom Lepak showing the foot work involved in a carving jibe on the beach simulator. I noticed that he put his old front foot in FRONT of his back foot when stepping over to the other side of the board. For some reason, I have been putting that foot BEHIND the old back foot first. I wondered how all these windsurfers could stay so far forward driving the board through the turn. Now, I know.

So, I tried this technique today. Amazingly enough, when I carved into the turn (which I think I have now just about figured out thanks to a few tips from Pete Roesch a couple of weeks ago on a windy day at Tanner Park) and stepped across as described above, the board stayed on a plane, and if had done my sail flip sooner and quicker, I would have planed through and out of the jibe. But, as I said above, one step at a time.

All in all, a fun time sailing. I sailed until around 6:20 or so, so I got in almost a good hour and a half with only a couple of short breaks. I am only sorry that I forgot to bring a camera as it was a beautiful day and sunset. I will post those pictures of Tom Lepak tomorrow or Saturday to illustrate what I am talking about.

Another lesson learned today, is that to practice tacking and get more efficient at it, I need to get on my 70 cm wide, 133 liter board with a fairly small sail to get all the steps down properly. The big sail and board is somewhat unwieldy for learning the subtleties of maneuveurs.

Thanks for reading.