sboardcrazy (25098km):
1384 days ago 10 -25kts N 5 Mile Lake George, SA, AU
Sailed 10-3pm with rig change
7m ODM2- RS2 ( 90ltres) first 30mins) - 21.5cm FF
then 7m- Windtech 57 ( 90ltres)- 21.5FF
then 6.2m OD - WT57 - 21.5 FF ( cutdown 24cm)
Epic day! All the stats except distance are from the WT57.
It was a great adventure and I'm glad to still be in one piece.. The hardest day so far.
I got there early and was the first and only one out. Blowing a patchy c 13-18kts N so I rigged the 7m - RS2.
I was going to go for an hr but the wind was a bit patchy and I was struggling to keep ground. I was going well until I went too far in and stacked it in the shallows and had a long walk out. There was a bird hide?? out in the water so I thought it was deeper than it was. No weedbergs anymore so there is no reference to tell you when it's getting shallow.
I then hit bottom on the other side and decided to ditch the hr attempt..
The RS2 is a comfy slalomboard but I wasn't game to go into the flatwater after the stacks and I was getting shinsplints from the 15cm chop .
I bought the WT57 with me hoping to get some flatwater gybing practise to get my head around it. Yay! WT day..
Plugged it in and decided to work my way up to the Spit where there would be some flatwater.
I don't know whether it was me or the patchy wind but it wasn't until I got upwind a bit that I started pointing well. I think it took me a while to find the boards sweetspot too..
Worked my way up and it got stronger and stronger.. I had one go inbetween the islands but there was still 10cm chop and it was blowing 25kts ( Robe graph) and I was struggling to keep the board from being lifted..I put the mastfoot forward, put full tail flex on and cursed that I hadn't put an applecore fitting in the lower clew hole..
I decided I better get back down before I got injured.. One bum clenching ride tthrough the flatter water ( couldn't see when the gusts were coming). I was in survival mode hanging low to the water with all my weight on the rail trying not to get thrown / lifted clear out of the water in tthe strong stuff..Pity I was so overcooked as I could have got a better nm..
Headed down the lake.. Holy hell! Only a little bit of the fin sometimes in the water as we flew over the back of the chop hoping like hell I could stay on when the biggest stuff hit..Finally got in .. Phew.. Wow now I'm in in one piece and safe on shore Cripes that was epic!!! Bounce bounce..Things could easily have gone pearshaped though..I could see another stuffed ribs incident coming..
I'm proud of myself for getting up there and surviving the trip back..
There was someone on a purple sail who was eating it up at the top when I was there.
The smaller board would have been faster but I don't think I would have survived the trip back in one piece. i wouldn't haved been game to bear off.
I got some ok gybes on the WT. I planed slowly out of a few ..I seem to do much narrower gybes on it which is great as then I'm well withing the 50m and can then get some speed on the exit rather than pinching up to make the 50m like I do with the other boards.
I had a bite to eat and decided to try and get some more mileage although I'd pullled an arm muscle in my first stack and had a bad headache by now..Rigged the 6.2m and that was much better but still pretty powered up and not the cruisey finish I had hoped for so I ran out of gas pretty soon.
C 5hrs being thrown around in the small chop was all my body could cope with..
I told the guys how good it was up there ( the wind was patchy out the front of 5 mile) and a pile of them headed up. I'm expecting some good stats tonight. The lake seemed to have flattened out a bit later in the day so if they timed it right ( before the rain) there may be some good nms'too.
Top lake is full again after rain last night and I sussed out the lower road to the Spit and it looks too deep to risk going through the water.
Painkillers tonight..ZZZZZZZZZZ
Andrew, Nic , Alan , Chris and some others at 5 mile plus extra ( sorry braindead)
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