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Way over powered on my 6.3m strted off about 20 to 25kts ended up 25 to 35kts.  Best run first run again, then couldnt handle the stronger gusts with the 6.3 and was oversheeting to save my life, and the other runs were underpowered, then it PICKED UP, just survival sailing to get back to shore.  The Big guns were milking it with more than a few 40's  achieved.

Mistral Speed 55, TR9 6.3m, Pepeweed, 22/48.

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Liptons with everybody who's anybody ------ almost.

Rigged when the wind was 20 gusting 24, tossed up whether it was worth relying on the forecast and rigging the 5.4. But decided to go with the 5.8 on the 48 with the 17cm 55deg assy, and see what happened.

First run I sailed across to PT Grey, found some nice flatish stuff but it was in a wind shadow, so sailed back to the little bay on the other side to see how that was, more wind in there but not as flat. Went for a NM run to Ward Pt to check that out, fell in a bit of a hole half way there, picked up another gust, but tran into more choppy stuff as I approached the Pt, chickened out a bit early and went back upwind, before tacking my way back. Wind had really started to gust up by then, and the 17cm fin was having trouble getting me upwind in the chop. Decided the 5.4 with a 23cm fin would be much more manageable, so went in for lunch, with the intention of changing down. But wind just kept on building, water continued to rise and chop got worse. Didn't have my 5.0 in the car, so decided to call it quits. Just didn't look like fun anymore.

But some of the gamer/heavier guys were getting good numbers.

Glory Holes, Australind, WA, AU. CA52/Tushy5.8/Weedster26.  sailing with Bender, Rat, Ian and Henry, with Slugger a late arrival. Good wind and choppy conditions made for an exciting ride .  Wind dropped and then I got cold, real cold (in january with a wetty on???), so eventually pulled the pin.

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Tabou Rocket wide 108L, NP RSR E6 6.4m, JP Weed 31cm

Well that was interesting!

Forcast looked dynamite, got up this morning expecting to see small dogs tumbling down the street, nothing, think it had something to do with the monster trough overhead.

9am, still nothing

10am the trees are starting to move so I load up and head down to Liptons, get there and note a few of the Perth crew have landed so I text people for parking.

After much procrastiniaton I finaly pull my finger out and rig, put my happy cloths 300kg of assorted additional paraphernalia and went out.

Straight up plenty of power from the shore so I headed over to Pt Grey where I suddenly found a distinct lack of breeze on the sandbar, did a few unispired runs the headed back to base expecting to change up sail size.

Back at shore after a bit of a chat the wind filled in a wee bit so I went back out again.

Now we are powered up a bit, then a bit more and a bit more and more than a few mmuuuuuuuummmmmmmmyyyyyyyy gusts, after that it started getting realy windy.

I found a nice little riun on the LH tack which was fun but overall it was freeckle twitching for me so I flagged it, as I was sailing back the wind went into the mental zone which was a whiolle lotta fun getting across the chanell intact.

A good day although the lumpy evilness killed any chance of serious speed for this mear mortal.

There was some good numbers achieved today, I'm just not at that level when the winds get that strong.

Had some major data positional issues which had me deleting a lot of track.

Coodanup, WA, AU

Wamba St with Fangman and, later on, Gav.  Fangy was ready to go, rigged with a KA 6.6 and it was fair howlin'. No shortage of water either and lookin' not too smooth. I had decided to give the old McTavish 1982 waveboard a run and , having picked her up from the old boards home and faffed about trying to get the US box fin in and faffed around  a bit more trying to get the universal nut into the mast track. Well, what a palaver....and all the time watching Fangy banging his way through the lumps out wide. There were lumps in close too but he left those ones alone. Then I decided to alter the batten tension on the North Idol 5.3 but eventually got on the water and the rig felt like it had been tuned by a deaf monkey. It was a-bangin' and a flappin' ever'where. Lordy lordy!  The ol' McTavish had more drag than Danny La Rue on opening night. Gawd, it was just  awful so, sad as I will be, she's off to the knackers yard.  I returned to port to load the Waihau with the Choco SpeedWeed 26 which proved to be, unsurprisingly, a big improvement. Up to the top banks and around Boundary Island looking for less lumps but no real luck. Fangy was just racing past me, be it upwind, downwind, whatever, I was getting blitzed big time. In desperation I showed him my seniors card but no luck there either. I had a good downwind run through the cross lumps which gave my rosary beads a moderate workout but I've survived to sail badly again another day. Life is good.

I wanted to make Elmo proud but in the end I ate shit.

I slept-in a bit, then got hit with the Sunday morning moving like a glacier thing, so by the time I got my act in to gear the car park at Liptons was full and then some. Wazzakamikaze joined me for the lumpy goodness at Fangys.

When I launched at Wamba St the wind was epic and I was feeling a touch like a red furry muppet. I had my Koncept 6.6 rigged so that it was bent double smacked into my Vintage Missy Edge with a 26 Weed Speed. I was dead sure the Muppetman himself would have been giving me the nod of approval for being massively overdone.

A few runs up and down and I started to get things sorted, but was always on the edge of wiping myself off the earth. Of course it felt like a million miles an hour but I was well happy with a host of 30 knot runs in the chop.

On one of these barely controlled runs a cormorant popped up just in front of me. It took to the air immediately and in an effort to lighten the load, dumped guano like an avalanche. I could do nothing. I ended up with shit all over my helmet, glasses and face. And yes just a little bit in my gob too.

At this stage its not looking like a Top Ten Fangy day.

Then Wazza finally finished bolting on  all his prosthetics and toupee and joined the fray. He then showed me the wonders of Wazza's Wonderland of weed and shallow bits up in the Boundary Island channel. There was certainly a couple of nice quick little runs but the lack of water in a few places coupled with some decent bergs meant that I bottled it too soon on some of the runs. But not before I recorded one of my finest mid gybe dismounts courtesy of a berg.

So off we charged with the control of cats on ice back up to the Nairns end of town.Interestingly the runoff from the rain has changed the water condition there profoundly. Firstly it was all Yeppoon like with lots of silt in the water so there was no visibility. Anywhere. And choppy as an abbattoir out near the channel.

Second the water was cool again, which was such a nice change after the last few outings in the hot bath.

Finally the water was almost fresh, in that the salinity was right back to a winter level.

So Wazza and I did our best to make some holes in the estuary and generally careered back and forth for a while. Unfortunately my first day back from a few days of man flu, coupled with fighting the rig a lot, meant I couldnt really do any distance but it was exhilarating flying down the chop lines. Towards the end on the day the tide and wind were retreating so things were looking rather nice. But alas I was spent.

Lots of lumpy goodness with Wazza, Top Ten Fangy day indeed

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    Peelinlet, liptons.    

  Just another nasty cold winters day,...  what, its the middle of summer!!!, sometimes nothing goes right.

I had rigged the ka kon5.8 on the 47/40board with 20cm 47 fin and went to put on wetty to keep warm and got out

to find the wind had picked up somewhat!!  Things didnt go well, did a lot of standing around. As things calmed down

a bit I was hoping to do some good runs but I was feeling the cold,... so pack it up,..  with no joy went home.

  NOT A TOP DAY

Glory Holes Crap Southerly (Should have gone to Liptons)

Iso 97, R4 7.0, 36carbon Volt

Crap southerly that dropped out after the first 10mins on the water. My first run was on the Speed board/ 6.2m combo but it dropped. Out of depseration i re rigged but if kept dying and ended with a nicely glassy 5knts. Of course it filled back in as i drove off!!

Liptons, Peel Inlet, WA, AU

Wow what a day, great to catch up with the usual, some old faces and some new faces 

My fastest run was my first, tried but couldn't go any faster. Wind was full on and a rare day like that for me, didn't matter if water was flatish or choppy my board was aiming for the moon and I was fighting it all the way, when I finially called it quits first session my arm was fully blown out, I don't think it has ever been that pumped up. Got out and lots of 40's mentioned and happy faces, too cool. After a very long rest I thought ferk it time to go again, this time I added some down haul and yes the wind had dropped but now 2nd session everything was perfect. 2nd session was a joy, everything great, wind was lighter and had a few holes but for me it was happy days.

I have to say a top 10 day, lots of fun, a few frights and mobs of great people 

CA SL58, 27 Speed Thing Fin, 5.8 Switchblade and boardies, only cold when I got out 

Melville Beach, WA, AU  JP MR 105, 6.3 Vapor,31 weed

Late posting sorry guys. Holier than a conclave of cardinals and lumpier than a Jenny Craig thigh workshop. Should have made the pilgramage to the chosen land but was a bit late on the yardarm. Will do better next time...