Melville Beach, WA, AU

Fun choppy sail with Scott, great to have someone to pace against on the outside of the bank chop of Melville

Manta 59 KAR 6.3 CL 33 Pointer

Melville Beach, WA, AU

Arrived at Melville to the lockdown news - I wondered why so many ppl where running across Canning Hwy like it was a zombie apocalypse.

Had some great runs with Boz when it started to crank and the chop went nuts - so good!

AV 62, S2 Venom 7.0, 32 Pointer

Sensational sesh at Peli.  So powered up! 

WT64 + 7.8 M3 + 34 CL SL2.

Coulda got away with the 7.0, but it was fun having max power on every point of sail.

Wasn't trying for an hour, so pretty happy with a near 22K, given I fell in a couple of times.  I guess being fully lit all the time helps 

That should keep me going for the next 5 days!

Bumpy and onshore at Coondanup but better than nothing.  Just got back to be greeted by Lock Down! 7 metre Mach 3, iSonic 90 and 26cm raked fin.  Happy with my nautical mile and Alpha bearing in mind the conditions

Pinnaroo Point, foiling, 5m zeta, 76 foil. Nice but the 5 was a bit big by the end. Lots of people on the beach, working on the gybes, pretty close to getting one now. 

Melville Beach, WA, AU.  Following Captains suggestion that distance is the main category to improve score and me being a rookie meant only possibly contribution from me was distance.  Maths seemed pretty simple.  I can average 27-29Km/hr at Melville consistently, just hanging out on the sandbar and having fun. If I can get 4-5 hrs sailing I would be up around the required distance.   Normally the limiting factor is wind or family so I figured there is a remote possibilitity if Aeolus delivered I can approach distance required.  Managed to convince family to get fish and chips and meet me for dinner at 7pm. The gods were looking like delivering so was suited up and sunscreened by 12:30 so was looking like a full 6hr window of sailing.  So far so good.. Heading out the door when daughters mates started texting that Perth was going into lockdown.  Bugger..lacking a few basics, got on the pushbike to the local Coles...car park was already in disarry and grid locked but managed to get into Coles before they shut their doors.  Spent the next hr getting out with a bottle of milk and a loaf of bread..with the rest of the mob with trolleys full.   In hindsight probably not worth the effort but I had brownie points to to sail until the end.

Got on the water on the new smaller board (3rd real day out on it) by around 2:30 so was behind the curve from the start.   Didn't start well with the fin grabbing reeds and then ventiating which required stopping and removing each time.  Seemed to settle down after 30 mins or so, did a couple of pathetic attempts at bearing off following Boz and getting some speed like advised, but the main mission was distance so wasn't really try'n.  Got in a nice rythym to about Km 51 according to the Apple watch odo.   Was feeling really solid at this point but of course it all turned to shit.  Got a really nice gust and headed upwind but at the most south westerly point of the run I hit the sandbank at speed, catapulted,  mangalated the boom plus breaking the boom mast rope attachment. Body no worries so all good. Looking at the satelite image on KA72 there is no way I should have been there as there is a clear high spot.  

Facing a roughly 1Km walk back I decided to try fix the rig so spent 20 mins or so tying bits of broken rope together to get back to base.  Managed to do this and the run back seemed fine so I kept at it.  No point stopping if it works as I had no spares anyway.   Now the boom was completly wonky so the whole rig felt weird and each tack felt completely different so started being a struggle.   Fin started cavitating and spinning out big time on the port tack (or whatever right hand forward is) and was about to call it quits when I shoved the mast foot all the way forwards and it seemed to settle down.  Kept going for a bit but the wind started dying plus the lockdown and knowing there was zero chance of any kind of distance called it for the day.  Could have been a whole lot better..but wasn't.   But still a day in paradise so no complaints.

Wanted to chat to Slowboat about new fin but he was busy and lockdown approaching so maybe another day.

2 categories

Cottesloe, WA (Dutch Inn)

Nice little pre-lockdown sail down at Cott this afternoon. Was the only one out on non-wave gear so headed up to Port beach on the Cruise Missile and a 7.0 Loft RB and 34cm pointer. Had fun on the downwinder back to Cott and dodged a bunch of flying fish, wing-dings, kiters and downwind surf-skiers. Almost as hectic as being on the Swan on a busy day! The wind swells out the back were awesome fun and the Missile was in it's element. Hopefully the lockdown will go quicky and we can get out on the water again. Stay safe everyone!!

6 categories

Carlisle St, Safety Bay, WA, AU

Arvo session around the bay and late session in a empty pond. 7.0 NX,98 Falcon,29 ws