THE NEW YORK JOB
Text:Fabrice Beaux Photographer: Andreas Pastor
Pro Riders: Jace Panebianco and Fabrice Beaux

Andreas had been casing the place for couple of years. He knew that if we scored in New York, the rewards would be big. So he called on the pros to do this job.

Jace grew up in the area and he still had his old crew working the shoreline of Long Island. He had the local knowledge and the right contacts; he was the perfect guy to pull off this mission. However they still needed a light-wind specialist.


That’s when I got the call from Andreas: “The Montauk Jewels are up for grab man. It’s risky but I know we can do it. Are you in or not?”I had just come back from Asia where I got lucky all summer.
I knew I was on a roll so I took the offer.

Jace and his boys were not really sure that we could steal the Montauk goods without facing serious risks. They grew up there and had thought about it, but never went for it.

The Montauk cliffs are high and rocks cover the entire coast line of this peninsula, with heavy white water crashing on them and guarding the in and out access. The wind would need to be at an exact angle to fill in on the inside, and the swell big enough for the waves to break at a safe distance from the rocks and around the point. With the ever-shifting wind conditions in the area, the window of time we had to pull of the deal would be small. We would have to keep our eyes on it, and be ready to move into action when the conditions were right.

In the meantime, we went back to Andreas’ hang-out building in Brooklyn and warmed up with some other job we had lined up in the Big Apple. As with the couple of shots that we stole in front of the Statue
of Liberty, the cops never figured out what hit them.

Then the time came.

We were tracking that storm for a week, and anticipating the exact moment the swell and the side-shore wind would strike the Montauk Point Break. All day we had to wait around the cliffs, keeping a low profile.
Pretending we were only surfers and hiding among in the crowd of Sunday visitors. The waves were there, mast high with crystal clear lips, like gold nuggets waiting to be picked up. Those were ours, we could feel it, the only thing between us and our reward being a couple of big walls of white water crashing painfully on the rocks. Later that afternoon, the wind kicked in right on schedule, just like we had timed it… and it was the moment to make our move.

Did we make it?

I’ll give you a hint: I’m writing these few lines while enjoying a Pina Colada and a beautiful Costa Rican sunset. So what do you think?

The complete story and photos, soon in your favorite windsurfing magazine.

Special thanks to John Ford at Windsurfing Hamptons www.w-surf.com Richard and Chris Panebianco, Eric, and Kurk for making this New York trip a perfect hold up.