Windxtasy (14093km):
3517 days ago 1 categories  Point Walter, WA, AU
iS111, JP weed 31, T4 6.5 15-20 knots
An interesting day sailing up and down the Attadale foreshore with Lunny, Ricey and JJ. Perfect direction for the inside run up to Melville, square all the way. To get good wind in that direction (NE) on a full tide is a rarity. It has been a couple of years since I have done that run, but I love it, and it is one I go for when conditions are right. Tide was good early on (for clearing the shallow spots and weed clumps) but became a bit of a russian roulette by the time we stopped, and Ricey and I both got catapulted from hitting the bottom. On the water at 9.30 and off about 1PM, by which time the wind was becoming holey, the holes were getting bigger and the scrapes on the bottom were getting more frequent. I knew I had done a top 5 distance and was keen to go further but the last run which had us dogging most of the way from Melville to the carpark at Attadale decided it.
The sailing was interesting because at the Attadale end there was big swell and strong wind, at the Melville end flat and strong wind, and in the middle flat and light wind. A delta fin would have been good for the shallows but it would have been difficult to get there through the swell.
I thought I would go for an hour in the flat water and practice gybes. The gybes at each end were in the strong wind and made it a challenge to hold on, especially toward the end of the hour. I gybed well today - my timing was better than it has been for some time. Unfortunately the alphas were slow. 35 gybes in the session. Good practice.
A top 5 distance and hour for me, and my best for the year so far, so it was a good session.
I am really feeling quite weak and tired in the muscles now, but I could have sailed longer if the wind had kept up. Lack of lunch (because I hadn't planned to be out that long) is the problem I think.
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