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New Jersey Windsurfing and Watersports Association Newsletter Vol. 7, Issue 4. Winter 2015/2016

Editing and Layout: Alasdair Gilfillan Contributors:

Stephen Acunto, Alasdair and Corinne Gilfillan, Tom Latham, Eileen Pfaffman

Photographs:

Alasdair and Corinne Gilfillan, Eileen Hoff, Eileen Pfaffman, Jacek Polubiec

Contents: Page Article 2. From the President 2. 2016 NJWWA Calendar 2. 2016 NJWWA Schedule of Events 3. ABK Camp Schedule

3. New Windsurfing Magazine Launched 4. Club News

4. NJWWA Gala

by Tom Latham 5. Windsurfing Destination/Trip Report: St. Martin

by Alasdair and Corinne Gilfillan

10. Special Feature:

Cold weather watersports by Eileen Pfaffman 12. NJWWA Classified: Hatteras Co-rental 12. Disclaimer 12. Past and Future Issues 13. Sponsors

Corinne, December windsurfing in St. Martin (see page 5)

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From the President by Tom Latham

Happy New Year! As I look back at my time on the water this past year, I think I wore my wetsuit twice in 2015. My best session was at Sunset Park in Harvey Cedars in August, all by myself. Aside from the winding channel to navigate through, it was awesome out in the bay. For many of us, El Nino extended our watersports season well into December with record warm temperatures. After wearing shorts on Christmas Eve, winter seems to have finally  settled   in.   I’m  hoping   it  stays   long  enough  to  salvage  the rest of the year for iceboarding and skiing adventures. We’ve   always   welcomed   the   photographic   talents   of   our  members,  and  now  I  can  finally  enter  into  that  group,  as  I’ve  recently received an SLR digital camera. So while I resolve to use my wetsuit more this year, I also hope to see my photographs recognized in the media, both locally and nationally.   And   maybe   by   2017   I’ll   graduate   to   a  smartphone?

NJWWA 2016 Calendar As mentioned by Tom, a limited number of the 2016 NJWWA calendar is still available for purchase. The calendar includes photographs taken by, and featuring, club members.

To order your copy, please visit: http://www.windsurfnj.org/membership/

calendar_1.cfm

2016 NJWWA Schedule of Events

Spring 2016 (Data and Location TBA): “Spring  into  Windsurfing”  Season  opener.

Sunday July 10th (tentative): NJWWA Windsurfing Fun Fest @ Bayview Park, Brant Beach, NJ.

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August 2016 (TBA): NJWWA Windsurfing Fun Fest @ Lakes Bay/Atlantic City.

October 2016 (TBA): NJWWA Windsurfing Fun Fest @ Sandy Hook.

November 2016 (TBA): End of Season NJWWA Gala.

Our club schedule can also be viewed online at: www.Tinyurl.com/NJWWACalendar

ABK Camp Schedule:

Early 2016 dates are as follows: Bonaire: Mon, Jan 25 — Fri, Jan 29, freestyle available. Bonaire: Mon, Feb 1 — Fri, Feb 5. Bonaire: Mon, Feb 22 — Fri, Feb 26. Bonaire: Mon, Feb 29 — Fri, Mar 4. Bonaire: Mon, Mar 14 — Fri, Mar 18, freestyle available. Bonaire: Mon, Mar 21 — Fri, Mar 25. Bonaire: Mon, Mar 28 — Fri, Apr 1. Local fall 2016 dates are as follows: Hyannis, MA: Fri, Sep 9-Sun, Sep 11, freestyle available. Long Island - Napeague, NY: Fri, Sep 16— Sun, Sep 18. Long Island - Tiana, NY: Fri, Sep 23— Sun, Sep 25, freestyle available.

West Atlantic City, NJ: Fri, Sep 30 — Sun, Oct 2, freestyle available. Hatteras, NC: Mon, Oct 17 — Fri, Oct 21, freestyle available For more informationand other dates, please visit: http://abkboardsports.com/

New Windsurfing Magazine Launched We are happy to announce the launch of a new windsurfing magazine  “Windsurfing  Now”  by  Pete  Dekay  who  previously  was the editor of the Canadian windsurfing magazine “Windsport”. The first issue has a special report on our club activities drafted by Tom and written by Stephen Acunto our VP.

Steve has negotiated a special subscription offer with Pete for NJWWA members: Any NJWWA member who signs up for a subscription will receive one additional copy at no charge! One year subscription (normally 4 issues) = 5 issues Two year subscription (normally 8 issues) = 9 issues 1) Go to http://www.windsurfingnowmag.com/product/print-subscription/ 2) Choose your 1-year or 2-years 3) Upon Checkout = Type the code “NJWWA2015”  in  the  “Additional Info”  box

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Club News

NJWWA Gala

by Tom Latham photos by:Jacek Polubiec and Eileen Hoff

The NJWWA celebrates the end of the season with their annual Gala. Each year since 2009 we have donned our best casual attire, dug up a favorite recipe for an appetizer or dessert, and shared our watersports stories with friends & family. It is a very popular event that has seen steady growth in   attendance,   so   much   so   that   we’ve   outgrown   the   large  activity room in the South Harbor Facility of the BBYC on LBI.

With Jim Karabasz’s   influence,   the  Comfort   Inn  generously  offered their Main Conference Room for us to use. Extreme Windsurfing opened their doors for the day, offering a 20% discount to NJWWA members on rentals and sales. Lakes bay delivered awesome conditions with NW 20-30 knots midday, backing off to 10-20 knots in the afternoon. Comfort Inn provided a changing room, which gave our in-house band   “More   Downhaul”   the   ability   to   change   out   of   their  wetsuits, and into a variety of denim, beads, and spandex. (spare us). As the first revelers began to show up, NJWWA Event Chair Jacek Polubiec, aka JP, entertained us with assorted jazz guitar numbers throughout the cocktail hour. The light background music allowed for introductions and conversations to abound. While the main dish was catered from  Jo  Jo’s  Italian  Grill  in  Pleasantville,  the  real  treats  were  the appetizers and desserts provided by our members.

What the room lacked in atmosphere and amenities, it made up for in size and convenience. With her drums set up in the corner, Barb Bauer started the beat, with Ken Hoff on bass guitar, and Jeff Bauer and Brian Rauch trading off as lead guitarists. I believe all 3 took turns with vocals, with Eileen Hoff joining in for a few numbers. Music ranged from rockin favorites from The Clash and Tom Petty, to the Irish Jig “Galway  Girl”.

With nobody willing to take over the much-coveted Thermal Blues, a new performer stepped up to the microphone- Frank   Siri   performed   the   90’s   Rap   song   from   Young   MC- Bust A Move, with help from his wife Lu Ying, and assistance from Eileen and the entire More Downhaul band settin the beat. It certainly became a highlight of the evening.

Tom helping Brian with his performance at the Gala

Barb, Brian, Eileen H, Jeff, and Ken H (L to R)

Eileen H taking lead vocals

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A few of armfuls of giveaways were provided by Extreme Windsurfing, Bill Morrissey from DaKine, H2Windsurfing, Windsurfing Now magazine, and our own NJWWA promotional material. The NJWWA 2016 Calendar also made its introduction to the masses. We have sold over 35 so  far,  with  15  left  for  sale.  Several  attendees  didn’t  have  far  to deliver their swag- the elevator was their designated driver for the evening. The Comfort Inn generously provided room discounts for the many who availed themselves to stay overnight.

Windsurfing Destination/ Trip Report

by Alasdair and Corinne Gilfillan We visited St Martin for a 10 day trip during early December with the intention of not only relaxing in the warm tropical waters, but also getting some windsurfing action in.

Our initial impression of the island was far from stellar. This was primarily due to arriving mid Friday afternoon just before the local rush hour, getting stuck in a traffic jam just outside of the airport due to an open draw bridge, then taking almost an hour to drive the approximately 10 miles to where we had rented our condo. Although neither of us expressed our concerns at the time, both of us were wondering what we had let ourselves in for. However, our impressions of the island quickly changed and we ended up loving the island and really enjoying our trip. The Island

St. Martin is part of the Lesser Antilles and Leeward Island groups,  situated  between  St.  Bart’s  (to  the  S.E.)  and  Anguilla  (to the N.W.) in the eastern part of the Caribbean. It is a relatively small island (max: 8.5 miles long and 10 miles wide, area ~35 square miles. The southern part of the island is Dutch (Sint Maarten; capital: Phillipsburg) and the northern part is French (St. Martin; capital: Marigot). There are no border crossings between both sectors though. The island is quite populous especially near the two capitals; however, the interior and the north are much quieter. We found the people, especially in the north where we stayed, to be very friendly.

Frank Siri taking command of the stage

Enjoying windsurfing in St Martin

Adapted from Google Maps

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St. Maarten/St. Martin is actually quite beautiful with a green mountainous interior and with many sandy beaches (the tourist guides claim there are 37 beaches on the island).

Daytime air temperatures around the coast are generally in the  mid  80’s  F  and  the  ocean  temps  in  the  mid  70’s  F.    It  is  generally sunny but sporadic rain can occur during any season. The  “wet  season”   is  considered  to  be  from  June  to  November”  and  the  “dry  season”  from  December  to  May.  

We decided to rent a condo in at Mount Vernon on Orient Bay near the major windsurfing spots on the N.E. coast. Compared to the more densely populated south part of the island, this area was fairly quiet and laid back (when we were there), but there is still a fair share of hotels and particularly condo complexes. Nevertheless, the local towns, beaches and restaurants were all relatively uncrowded. There are several reasonably well-stocked supermarkets/convenience stores/wine shops/bakeries around Mount Vernon and in the nearby Orient Bay village and Grand Case. Prices (on average) are equitable to the USA. In Grand Case, and the neighboring town of Cul de Sac, there are some terrific restaurants (primarily French Cuisine but also some local jerk/bbq joints) and beach bars.

The village at Orient Bay also has a number of restaurants, but we found these to be a bit more touristy and expensive. Generally, again, the price of eating out is quite similar to the States. The local currency is the Euro but most places accept the American Dollar. It may be best to check the exchange rate at the particular establishments though before deciding which currency to use. The Windsurfing

The Dutch capital: Phillipsburg

The green interior from Mount Vernon

A typical uncrowded beach: Friar’‛s Beach

Orient Bay from Mount Vernon

Unknown windsurfer at Galion with St. Bart’‛s in the background

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The island has two main windsurfing spots on the N.E. coast: Orient bay and Galion Beach (There is also one in the south at Baie Nettle). Both spots on the N.E. coast experience side-onshore winds but sailing at Orient Bay is a bit  less  “user  friendly”  as   it not protected by a reef therefore tends to be very choppy especially when the winds pick up. In contrast, the bay at Galion Beach is protected by a reef and therefore, the water is flatter while still offering some small swells inside the reef and some great breaks for surfing at the reef.

Apart from the immediate beach areas, the depth of the water is generally overhead at both spots. There are some shallow reef areas at the Galion Beach site, however, which can be hit at low tide so it is advisable to check with the windsurfing rental establishments where these areas are before setting out. When we were there, there were some patches of seaweed floating around so weed fins were a necessity.

Windsurfing and SUP rentals are offered at both Orient Bay (http://www.velawindsurf.com/html/pages/destinations/st-martin.php) and Galion Beach. After some on line research, we decided to check out the Windy Reef Center/SXM Surf Club at Galion Beach (http://www.windyreef.com/windsurfing/).

Orient Bay

Galion reef break (center) with St. Bart’‛s (background)

Young windsurfer on a quiet day at Orient Bay

Galion Beach

Windy Reef windsurfing center at Galion

Equipment Racks at Windy Reef center

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The sailing spot at Galion is truly beautiful with aquamarine water, a dramatic mountainous backdrop and great views of the  adjacent  St.  Bart’s  on  the  ocean  side.  The  center  is  well  stocked with a wide range of Fanatic boards and RRD sails, all of which are in excellent condition (or even brand new).

Several options for rentals are offered e.g. by the hour, by the day or for 5 or 10 hour incremental periods. This latter option is like a debit system and is a great option when the wind may be a bit unpredictable. The week we visited fell into this category so the 10-hour option was ideal for our requirements. The center is designed for smaller groups (16 people being the max) so it would be best to check about availability and reservations during the peak (for wind and for visitors) period from late December through spring. The Windy Reef Center/SXM Surf Club is a family owned business which has been in operation for 20 years. We found the owners, Jean Seb (a Fanatic National Team rider) and Helene Lavocat to be incredibly friendly and most helpful in getting our gear ready for action.

They offered excellent advice about the sailing conditions in the bay and were only too willing to change harness lines etc. to our own personal preferences.

The atmosphere is very laid back and the bay is totally non-crowded (also there are few if any kiters: they tend to focus on Orient Bay); much like Bonaire used to be before it started getting really popular. Helene provides windsurfing lessons and, based on the speed by which beginners were mastering the sport, it was obvious that she is a skilled teacher.

For the low-wind days, surfing lessons are offered out on the reef and, although we did not take advantage of this option, it seems to be a great place to learn this activity.

St Martin is subject to trade winds and the best time for winds is December thru July when the winds average 13- 18 mph   reaching   up   to   the  mid   20’s  mph   (according   to  Vela).  We went to St. Martin before the trade winds had really kicked in (usually the end of December). Nevertheless, we managed to get 4 nice days of windsurfing in with Alasdair being on 110 to 120 L boards and 6.0 to 6.5 sails and Corinne on a 110L board and 4.7 sail. Winds on the other days were between about 12-18 mph (but really picked up a week or so after we left: see chart below) so we could have extended our time on the water if we wanted by using available bigger gear.

Beginner and experienced sailors at Galion

Owner, Jean Seb in front of his action shots at Windy Reef

Beginner windsurfer at Galion with St. Bart’‛s in background

Surfing lessons prior to tackling the reef break at Galion

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We used the lighter wind days to take advantage of some of the other attractions that the island has to offer: i.e. touring round the island, visiting Phillipsburg and Marigot, walking nature trails, swimming, visiting the nearby Pinel island (beautiful beach and water for swimming and snorkeling and a nice nature trail round the island), visiting some of the other beaches and walking along the beach at Orient Bay, etc. It is also possible to take day trips to Anguilla and St. Bart’s,   but   we   did   not   have   time   to   take   advantage   of   this  option. For other things to do while visiting St. Martin, please refer to the following sites: http://www.st-maarten.com/, http://www.vacationstmaarten.com/#/ http://www.stmartinisland.org/

Travel There are direct flights from Newark (around 4-5 h duration) to Juliana airport which is situated half way between Marigot and Philipsburg on the south west part of the island. Renting a car is a necessity to get around St. Martin. We rented a car from Alizes Car Rental (https://www.alizes-car-rental.com) and found this a great service as the car was personally

Wind speeds at St Martin last week of 2015 (from IWindsurf)

Beginner windsurfer at Galion

SUP’‛er at Galion

Corinne windsurfing at Galion

Unknown windsurfer at the reef break at Galion

Unknown windsurfer with the reef break at Galion

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dropped off for us at the airport on our arrival and picked up from us when we departed. In summary All in all we had a great time in St. Martin. Although the winds tend to be a bit lighter than other better known windsurfing spots further south in the Caribbean such as Aruba, Bonaire and Margarita, the overall ambience and beauty of the spot, together with the facilities offered and the friendliness and helpfulness of the owners makes Galion Beach and St Martin in general a really nice place to visit. Having many fine sandy beaches and other attractions, it is a great destination for couples (or even families) where other family members do not windsurf or enjoy other watersports

For more information on places to stay, places to eat, car rentals and on St Martin in general again please refer to the following sites:

http://www.st-maarten.com/, http://www.vacationstmaarten.com/#/ http://www.stmartinisland.org/

Special Feature

Cold weather watersports-- sort of:

Warm winter watersports /Windsurfing by Eileen Pfaffman

The El Nino weather pattern is a contributor to mild fall and winter temperatures extending watersport activities into early winter. The El Nino front is a warmer than usual weather pattern in the tropical western Pacific. This weather system causes extremes of temperatures and weather. http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/Pacific. New Jersey's weather has been exceptionally warm for fall. The higher

temperatures kept the bay water from cooling which also made watersports for fall and early winter very comfortable. You can use a lighter, less bulky wetsuit and booties. Even if you don't own heavy winter neoprene- this year you can expand your watersports season.

I am still paddling and windsurfing using a 4.3 wetsuit. For the first time ever - I paddled Christmas afternoon on an amazing, warm day ending with an incredibly beautiful barrage of cooling raindrops.

The afternoon was so warm that I paddled with only a bathing suit on and the bottom half of a wet suit. I was able to test my Christmas present of a waterproof whistle on Christmas day!

A variety of other LBI people turned up also: a family that packed Christmas dinner and ate in Bayview gazebo looking out through the fog and eventual storm at a lone paddler. Thermal Bob kayaked on December 27.

He had his Old Towne Kayak, repaired at the Jersey Paddler, and paddled it for a 3 hour sea worthiness test. I windsurfed. Neighbors Carol and Dave from 66St, who were transferred to Colorado returned for Christmas week.

Alasdair enjoying some nice winds at Galion

Christmas paddleboarding – too warm for hood, gloves and sleeves

Whistle test

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Windsurfing was fun New Year's Eve and again Jan 3- the first sail of 2016. I met 3 Standup paddlers who had paddled several miles hugging shore as part of a 100 mile paddle challenge (see later). A man on a Fat Bike rode across the sand and inquired about what wetsuit to buy for winter SUP use. What a fine day; meeting four new watersport enthusists...

Fun dilemmas of cold weather watersports -

1. You know why Santa needed "Rudolph with your nose so Bright" for guidance through banks of fog created by warm air.

2. Which of 40 empty parking spots should I park in? How to use time saved by NOT being stuck in seasonal traffic?

3. I use my Glacier Gloves curved- finger "biking gloves" for Windsurfing. Windsurfing gloves are used for biking.

4. Must learn how to defrost a frozen wetsuit because you fall asleep before you bring neoprene in for evening.

5. Use the heater vents in car to strategically direct warm air at wet neoprene items on drive home and the way back next day. (Plan B: "booties were hung by chimney with care" picture").

6. Stutz Candies is still open.

2015 watersport season was wonderfully extended. The 2016 watersport season had an auspicious beginning. Maybe this year I will paddle my SUP in ocean and plane out of my jibes. Life is good! Addendum

As mentioned above, while enjoying the nice weather at Bayview  Park,  I  met  a  group  of  intrepid  SUP’ers:

They described themselves as follows: "We are the 55+ SUP Tribe and participating in the 100/100 challenge. The 100/100 challenge entails the standup paddler to paddle 100 miles in a 100 days. This challenge was initiated by Distressed Mullet (www.distressedmullet.com) three years ago. John Beausang is the owner and "The Mullet" who provides stand up paddle news and offers a variety of information for stand up paddlers across the globe.

Thermal Bob and Eileen getting ready to set out

Thermal Bob: December kayaking

Eileen: December windsurfing

Drying booties at the end of the day

L to R: Eugene Boyle, Marsha Worthington and Susan Castiglia

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NJWWA Classifieds From Ron Bower: This spring I'm going to be sharing a windsurfing house in Avon NC with Brian Rauch and Jaroslav Jelinek. We are renting the house for two weeks from April 23, 2016 to May 7, 2016 and we have vacant slots that some of the members might be interested in. We have two slots available the first week and one slot available the second week. So if there was interest we could accommodate either a couple or two singles the first week and a single the second week. If we got singles, the option would also be available for one of the singles to book for two weeks.

The house is on the water with direct access to Pamlico Sound. There is storage under the house for all the equipment with room to store fully rigged sails if preferred and a nice grassy area for rigging. We prepare our own meals eating family style and share the expenses for the food. The house comes with a fully equipped kitchen including a dish washer and microwave oven. There is cable TV, high speed internet, air conditioning, a washer and dryer, and an outdoor shower as well as the regular bathrooms.

The house is called Laytons Pier 1 so if anybody wants to check the location they can find it on Google Earth. The house sleeps four so the price per person would depend on the number of occupants, as we share the rent equally. With full occupancy the per person share for one week would come out to $ 218.

Contact information for me is either email at ron@bowerusa.net or phone at 970-468-9573

Future ads Those that wish to submit a classified ad must include a title for their ad, details, prices and full contact information to info@windsurf.org. NJWWA will choose to select ads appropriate for publishing. The Club (NJWWA) assumes no obligation for the ads that get posted.

The Club (NJWWA) assumes no obligation for the ads that get posted.

Disclaimer of liability NJWWA, its contributors and its advertisers make no representations or warranties as to the completeness, accuracy, or suitability of any information supplied in this Newsletter or hyperlinked web site. Use of the information is at your own risk. In no event will NJWWA, its contributors or its advertisers be liable to any party for any direct or indirect damages.

Future Issues If anyone is interested in submitting an article for future issues, please contact: ancwsurf@gmail.com.

Past Issues Previous issues of the NJWWA newsletter can be found at: http://www.windsurfnj.org/news/news.htm.

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Sponsors

http://www.aquavidasup.com/

www.alohaguides.com

http://www.dakine.com/

http://www.extremewindsurfing.com/

www.greenhatkiteboarding.com

www.h2windsurfing.net

http://www.hobiepolarized.com/

http://www.islandsurf-sail.com/

http://www.iwindsurf.com/

http://www.ikitesurf.com/

http://www.paddlegroove.com/

http://www.sailworks.com/

http://www.windsport.com/