Zev, Westchester George, Thandi, Marianne, Frank, Jon Sassone, Pete R., Titus, Basha, Mike Burns, Lauralee, Jill, Jeff T., Terminator Bruce, George M., George M Junior, Sleepy Joe "Bayville" Elvis, Rich S, John S, Bellport's DDM Phil, Arty (Adrian), Marty, Leonardo, Ira, Lenny the Squid, and Thandi's students...and many more.
And my student, Robby, who travailed and who I defintely owe a flat-water session, because this weekend could easily have been named "Chop Fest 2013, or, "Chop Happiness," depending on how much mashed potatoes you like with your Great South Bay water.
For instance, any of us who were caught in Jill's prodigious wake — mad woman, speed demon, wave generator — as she made ferocious cross-chop the size an equal of the incoming wind chop, were humbled by her unhesitant windsurfing prowess.
It was great to see the Marr boys getting their wind on. George Jr. was flying by the end of the day. Heads-up people. another Marr is coming.
Uncharacteristically of me, I rigged big both days. It's good for the soul, if not good for the teeth. But I only took the mast to the face once, and it did not dislodge any fillings, although the lips stung for a while.
The real reason I rigged big though — a) I wanted to try some new sails, and b) I listened to Pete Roesch.
But it mostly worked out. The 6.3 Ezzy on "appetizer" Saturday, was a bit much, but it spilled wind like a champ and sailed a 1/3 -size small — like a 6.0. And the 5.0 Ezzy on wild front Sunday hung in there very steady. I like the sail a lot even if the boom cutout is insanely high.
The 6.3 also sailed a little small for its size, but I will have to experiment with its tuning for light winds. Overall I still prefer the Gaastras that sail big for their size but are stable and deliver plenty of low end. The big difference — Gaastras I've owned were light and used a lot of monofilm, the Ezzys were heavy and built to last.
Haven't sailed a small 90Lboard in a few years at wound out wind. So it was a shock to deal with the rapid acceleration.
In heavy air, you are tempted to hang back on the tail, which will bog it. Straighten it out and it flies in a second. But the risk of going over when you do is high. The beauty is, when you press the tail you can control the speed a little, and the Ezzy 5.0 allows for oversheeting downwind, to kill the power a bit.
Ramps for jumping were plentiful on the outside and I got the best air I have aired in years. I look forward to more.
Jibes still leave a lot to be desired. OK everything to be desired. All my boards (except the glass one) have lots of rocker, jibe tight, and I prefer a long drawn out jibe, so I have some adjusting to do. Bring on the adjustments...that's part of the beauty of this sport—along with the people.
At one point near the end of my Sunday, I said to myself, "there's only one thing missing from this scene and that's Lenny." Guess who turned up a few minutes later. Just look for the green PFD and hood in the middle of summer and you have the Squid. Don't blink, though. He moves fast.
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