Nicely powered up on 6.5 with 20-25 at Peli Point. Got a new harness after trashing old one yesterday - holds weight down really low - helped meheaps with board trim.

Futura 93, Overdrive 6.5, MFC 36

Silly spot - lucky bay... wind is silly... rigged too big... has a blast trying to hold the 7.5 down though

Lucky bay. couldn't get settled today, highlight was some d***head in a power boat who powered on towards the shore line, me yelling at him as he went past "SANDBAR!!!!!!!) He gave me the finger, and promptly hit the sand bar What a fl***er !!!!  Snides from SRM would have wet himself laughing.

Got a few gybes in, when I swapped back to NP boom from the modified Fibrespar

2 categories

Ledge to Lancelin.

Day didn't start off well when I slept through the alarm, to be woken by a SMS from Evets.  Packed the car in a mad rush and got to Lancelin a bit later than I had planned.  As we were swapping cars I realised that in my haste I'd left my 6.0 at home  Luckily Bender came to my rescue with the kind offer of a 6.0 Tushy Rock, which I was most grateful for... I owe you one mate 

Signing in I had to convince the scrutineer that a "Type 2" lifejacket was OK to use, she wanted a Type 3.  "Double yew tee eff"?

I did a couple of practice runs to see if my broken toe would let me compete, it felt fine which was a huge relief!  Wider straps really help here.

At the start I did my usual trick of getting into the wind shadow of 100 other sailors, so I left the start line in the back 25%.  Fluffed most gybes, and was on and off the plane all race.  A better decision would have been to take Lemony Snickets instead of the wave board, but hey at least I finished.

I'm not entirely sure what happened in the middle of this track, it just goes to show that you shouldn't use a GPS for navigation!  I think I had a stack and the GPS took a while to sort itself out.

The party afterwards was great, I'm still recovering 

Ledge to Lancelin, all went well except my largest sail is a 5.8, I think I need to do something about that. Planed 20% of the time, both feet in straps 10% - but as I kept saying to myself as I bobbed along on the first incoming leg, "any one you finish is a good one".

There were moments where it was great and I was passing people and then I would hit a lull and the same people would all pass me 

Hilight was the jibe on a face at the last inside to get back down to the mark, including some clue first sailing before jybing again and getting around the mark. You can see the extra turn on the track.

Then on the run in to the beach I have a sailor each side of me, just for once I am planing (20Knots) and then WHAM - cray pot float rope right in the centre of the track, I catapault over the nose (instantly 0Knots) - I dont think anyone saw, very embarresment.

But all good fun, ready for next year now. 

LOC: basically the race was going ok for the first 90% then 200 metres before the last gybe I was watching ahead where I was going to gybe... then this monster wave (easily mast height) side swiped me... snapped my carbon boom and got rinsed.... I even lost a bootie. Those rinsings are usually the sort of thing I get a scarbs not 3 k's off shore!! Lay on my back for a few minutes to catch my breath then... assessed the rig. I wasn't quite around the marker and wasn't able to use the boom on the port tack.. Had no choice but head straight for land.... I ended up getting to shore about 500 metres south of the finish.... arrgghhh... so close but so far... That was my first LOC so I'll be back.
Good news is I'm now in the market for a new boom...

Goya FXR 125, Ezzy 6.5, MFC 34 Weedburner

2 categories

Sneaky session at Pt W while everybody else was distracted elsewhere

First run was 36.37 on the dial but realspeed killed it to 35.6  10sec 34.53

Wind dropped from there 35.47, 34.05. Stribo and Graceman appeared and then left.

Too many stinkboats but worth the effort.

Thanks Snides

100 sessions on GPSTC!