3 categories

The Entrance North, NSW, AU         CA/SL 62       Warp 5.8    

Wild day on the water today , where do i start , i was rigging up the wind was getting stronger , was talking to Mick Kay watching the breeze

trying to decide what to put up , ? I heard a massive snap , did not sound good , about 15 mins later i saw Byron wading in the water heading back to shore , He did not look in a good way . went out and helped get his gear back to shore . Mast broken and bottom panel of his sail was shredded , he was limping and his foot started blowing up straight away , I just heard from him !!! Broken foot in 3 places !!!!

Not good mate . I will let him tell how the stack came about .

My stack , first run out hit a sandbank and catapulted , not a good start to the day , was a bit shaken up , kept going , the wind direction was not quite right for this tight channel , had to do about 3 tacks up wind , then you could do a very bumpy and at times 40 knot speed runs , ended up not a bad day , and good to catch up with the marauder crew

Canton Beach, NSW, AU

casl 62,  6.6 sail.  very strong NW when I arrived but only got one good run before it dropped & became dodgy

3 categories

Marmong Point, Fanatic 89, Maui Sails TR8 6.6m and C3 Sting 32cm fin.

Wind was W/NW gusting from 10 to 38knots.  Very tricky conditions with steep chop, so hard to peg high speeds without sailing on the edge.  Wind came in at one point for about 30min sheeting the water at a solid 35 plus knots. 

Good to catch up and sail with James and Hugh.

Marmong Point, NSW, AU

Initially sailed about 200m on 55cm Fanatic Falcon with 5.9 Loft O2 and 32cm F4 D2 fin. NW wind had dropped to 10 knots just before I launched so after the first aborted attempt at a sail I changed boards and stuck 68cm JP Slalom IV with 40cm fin under the rig just so I could have a sail. Was going well until breeze kicked in and blew me off the water. Bloody strong and I couldn't even sheet the 5.9 in...not that it was fully downhauled as that wasn't necessary when I launched. Got nearly 30 knots with that big board, big fin and small sail combo. Most unexpected.

Marmong Point, NSW, AU

iSonic 97 / Exocet Sting 134, Mauisails TR5 5.5 - Wind WNW 10-25 kts

First sail in June!  Very up and down.  Got there in the middle of a big squall where Steve and Hugh were smoking.  Rigged the 5.5 in anticipation but by the time i got on the water it was back down to 15 kt average with some decent gusts to get planing.  Swapped over to the big board and was more fun not having to slog so much.

1 categories

Marmong Point, NSW, AU

5 categories

The worst day of my windsufing history. The Entrance North, NSW, AU

was on my speed board with 6.6m blowing 35 knots plus "sheeting water" Hit somthing in the water and board jumped out of the water and side ways. was just starting bear away and wind it up was doing 32.5 knots to zero instantly. went through my sail and mast and broke 3 bones in my right foot.

At the time I knew I had damage to my foot by I thought it was just ligamints. Iced foot for an hour then drove to hospital one foot on accelerator other on the brake. got the bad news.Nice to see Michale Lancy another very good windsurfer in the hospital working in the x ray department.

I am on crutches for at least 4 weeks and in a boot for at least 6 weeks. Not happy at all. I have been windsurfing since 1985 and have been lucky not sustaining injuries untill now. life is hard on crutches.

Thanks to Greg and the guys for packing up my gear and puting it in my trailer as I was not walking very well.