Up close and personal at VK

Rec Race at the Alex Caviglia Bluewater Classic

Organizers for the ACBC are considering adding a fun or recreational race. Various options are being discussed regarding location, types of equipment, how many days (could be 1 or 2), but they need some feedback to get a feel for how many people might attend.

Assuming it is open to any type of windsurfing equipment other than formula or full-out race gear and realizing that it is a fund-raiser, who would be interested in attending? Keep in mind, registration would include the famous Friday (or is it Saturday?) night party.

New Starboard Formula 2012 !!!

I Believe it's time to start saving...

Sad news about one of our own.

August 31, 2011

What Happened To Joe Rocco?

Joe Rocco, "the Mayor of Heckscher" died windsurfing Hurricane Irene on Sunday. To meet Joe once was to have a great new windsurfing friend, generous with information, stoke, spirit, you name it. The new article inNewsday begins "Joseph Rocco, the only Long Islander to die as a result of Tropical Storm Irene, was a friend and mentor to many in the local windsurfing scene, said those who knew him." And he could sail! So what happened? In the Yahoo Long Island Windsurfing bulletin board, his very dear girlfriend Marianne tells this story:

They drove to Shirley and found one windsurfer already there (James), sailing a 4.1 on a 78 liter board. They took wind readings of 20-28 mph. Joe rigged a 3.7 for his Dill, and Marianne rigged a 3.2. Joe launched to take a few runs “to see if it was too much for me to handle.” Marianne took another wind reading, and got 45-50. James came back in as the winds were now too much for him, and Marianne decided not to launch.

Visibility was limited. A nearby spectator with a telephoto lens on his camera said it looked like Joe was separated from his rig and was following it to shore. Marianne and James tried walking along the shore to meet Joe where they thought he’d come in, but the beach was mostly gone or covered with debris so they walked down the road. The police and EMT’s showed up, went out with James to look for Joe, and told Marianne to meet them at Brookhaven Hospital.

Neither the EMT’s nor the hospital was able to resuscitate him. Marianne said Joe’s head “was very badly banged up, nose probably broken, bruising around his entire upper face. Something had obviously hit his head very badly and he hopefully didn’t even know what hit him. “

Joe was a skilled windsurfer. My guess is that he hit a piece of debris floating just beneath the surface, and was catapulted badly into something large and hard in the water. Floating debris is the hazard we usually don’t think about when storm sailing. I know I wasn’t looking for it at Mecox during my session, even though I remember things floating around out there after storms in the past.

Like Rich Simons said in the Yahoo group, this could have happened to any of us.

(photo of Joe on a better day courtesy Bill Doutney)

Posted at 09:51 AM in The Prudent Puffin (Safety), Windsurfing | Permalink | Comments (14)ShareThis

Fall Racing Season

 The event will be held in Virginia Key ( Miami )  from October 21-23. 

IFCA North American Championships 2011.
www.windsurfingtour.com for more info...

Mark Munro, A friend to all.

Ride the wave, my friend.

Just got the news and felt to pass it on to all of you Miami windsurfers. Our snow bird water brethen from Canada never failed to have a good windsurfing session, he will be miss. The article is in French

Hi Ovidio,

I am writing you this email to inform you that our friend Mark Munro passed away today of a hearth attack while windsurfing in his home town of Quebec City.

Our windsurfing community is in shock. If you want to pass any messages to Germaine his wife, I can do that on your behalf.

I do not remember if you can read French but this is the story:

http://www.akvq.ca/profiles/blogs/triste-evenement-a-st-jean-auj