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Wind and Waves on Fire Island


Just about the time we start wearing wetsuits to sail on Lake Champlain, we get the invite from Gary and Shanley to head down to Fire Island where the water is still warm and the wind blows steadily. 


Jeff and I packed the sprinter with plenty of gear then blasted south to Long Beach, Long Island. That's where we met up with our friend and Soloshot rep Mike Rusoff who was pumped to take us out for some foiling. Mike borrowed a ski from a neighbor, dropped it into the bay, and raced out to the inlet. Three of us and a foil board packed onto a ski is a tight fit, but the glassy conditions on the bay certainly made it easier. 


The wind was blowing pretty hard onshore at the inlet, but there were some lines coming through. We took turns towing each other into the set waves well into dark trying not to think about what may be lying beneath.


We later shared a beer with Mike and Shannon, then had to hustle to get to Bayshore to catch the water taxi for Fire Island. Despite our best efforts, we were 30 minutes late for the taxi - probably had to do with the fish taco and marg stop we made on the way out of Long Beach and the constant chatter from our bar stool mate who was interested in our life stories.


We loaded the taxi with boards, sails, kites, and foils and headed for the island. We did a quick unload on the other side, then hit the sack. The next morning looked to be the windiest day of the trip according to the forecast so we had to hit it early. The Saltaire village of Fire Island is made up of a grid system of boardwalks. There are no cars on the island so everyone gets around by bike which worked out just fine for us. We had some solid northeast breeze all morning that sent us out to the oyster flats where we chased each other around until the wind started to die.


The beautiful thing about Fire Island is that you have a bay on one side and the ocean on the other. When you're done on one side of the island, its time to check the other. Tropical Storm Leslie was showing some early signs of swell on the ocean side which was part of the reason for making the trip down. Saltaire is blessed with a nice line of sand bars 300 yards off shore. At low tide, the building swell of Leslie was enough to create a perfect outer break that was ideal for foiling and stand up paddle surfing. The conditions were even more ideal for us Vermonters because the water was warm enough for trunks which always makes every session even sweeter.


This was the last weekend of the season for Saltaire so there were just enough people on the island to create options for sunset and dinner plans. The evening custom is to trade off on who's hosting dinner then meet on their roof deck for cocktails and sunset before settling down to some fresh fish and stories about our day on the water together. Its a real watermen/women kind of place. The days are filled with optimizing water time through various surf checks and predictions of wind, surf, and tide throughout the day. The nights are for story telling - making claims from the day while planning strategies for tomorrow.


We continued this wonderful pattern for the days that followed mixing kiting, windsurfing, foiling, and surfing based on what the conditions were serving at any given moment. The morning of our departure, the wind kicked up again from the east and it was time to get back on the bay to make a few runs before packing up the gear and catching the water taxi home.


Getting off Long Island at the end of a long holiday weekend is certainly no picnic, but being able to reflect back on all the time spent on the water on an array of different equipment puts a smile on your face that lasts well into the wee hours of the night.


Trips like these are the golden moments with friends. I chase those opportunities with vigor and never take them for granted because unfortunately they just don't come around often enough. But when they do, all the traffic in the world can't bring me down.


Thanks for reading.


Mahalo,
Russ