Two boards, three boards, four boards ... loading ... wind chase on ...

The "water bikes": two boards.
one spare tyre. All loaded up.
Fading wind to play with.

So the wind chase was on. Phone started ringing early. "Wanna take a ride out to Bayville? when are we sailing?" said Lenny the Squid.

"Urgh! Last night was rough." Such is life with teenagers in the house. Expect a disrupted routine. Comes with the territory these days. You're blessed and lucky if there is no trouble. 

Hurricane Hermine was supposed to hit Long Island — and still could — as a tropical storm or tropical depression. 

three boards, one spare tyre/tire. loaded.

The weather was fine, the breeze was looking promising for a perfect day of windsurfing. A can't miss affair. Warm, windy, sunny - like a day in Hawaii. 

So, having just emptied the van of all equipment to take R. back to college, I set about reloading it with all the stuff you need for a major day of windsurfing. 

But that bit about the wind...?

"it's filling in!" said Lenny. And he was right. For half an hour he was right. And it reached its climax ... and pooped out.

four boards, one spare tyre/tire. loaded ... still
plenty of room for 5 sails and 3 booms. minivans getting it done.

If all else fails, go paddle. sometimes it's just the ticket.

The best laid plans of windsurfers, mice and men. Our phone chain fizzled as the wind faded. Bruce is on a 7.8. What??? That was the death knell. "A complete bust!" said Domer.

The text messages stopped, and some of the boards went back into the racks. (To be replaced a a few hours later with the standup paddle board). Some will stay in the van just in case tomorrow morning or tomorrow after work delivers the goods. 

But it's not looking likely. Hermine has tracked further east, and truth be told, that's fine with me. 

Paddle upwind, paddle downwind,
paddle all around; whichever way takes your fancy

I used to drive into the teeth of tropical storms and get busy. On the ocean, distant hurricane swell and wind was best. Windsurfed or surfed quite a few of those. 

But these days I've had enough of hurricanes, especially after Irene, which took our buddy Joe Rocco, and Sandy which put the region in the cold and dark for weeks.

So if the wind does not go nuts I'm OK with it. Plenty of porch repairs to do, and really don't need any rain there to screw things up any more than they are already. 

Think I'll crack open a cider or a beer, or both, and bathe that splinter in my finger with a bit of tequila Jimmy Buffet style.

Check out that Oldsmobile in the background -- learned to
drive in one of those in 1985 or so. Good to see one still
in service, and pulling a boat trailer no less.