2 categories

Westerly. Say no more.

1 categories

Stingray 140, Flow 1500, Naish 5.4

SW 15-30 kts

Gert, Swoozzi and I. Plus some dude on an LT

5-23kts Sw level 0.42 Buff Pt - Budgewoi Lake, NSW, AU

 5m Mach2 - RS1 ( 80ltres)- 20cms Atomic delta

 then RS2 ( 90ltres) - 22cma Atomic

1st sail of the flats since pre wrist break ( > 2years). Wrong choice. The 80ltre was too small and the 5m only got me going in an occasional gust. I hate underpowered racesails! They are so dead and gutless.

 Munted my 22cm fin hitting rocky islands as I beachstarted at Buff.

Came in and got the 90ltre. Should have put a smaller fin in. as the 22cm was a bit long and also almost stopped when I hit the thick weedbergs. There was some nice flatwater but I wasn't game to use it because of the fin.

 I thought I'd be more sailing fit but my arms weren't strong enough. Sailing underpowered didn't help.

 Budgy water is a lot colder than Lake Macquarie 

 Tried a gybe and it was the best I've done for ages.. It's so easy in flat water on a slalomboard. Lousy alpha though.

 The 2nd gybe attempt a strong gust grabbed the sail as I entered. I should have let it go but I think I tried to hang on. I got ejected sideways and hit the shallow sandy bottom but I think I did  damage to my R intercostal muscles 'holding ' the sail. Grr. No more gybe attempts. 

 I had a bit of trouble holding the sail after that and I was really cold so when a storm was coming I wnet in.

 It then became ballistic just as Byron went out.  Byron , Matt and Greg were flying! They should have 40 + kts.. It has swung more  S.

 Hope I can still sail.. I can cough ok but the muscles are sore.

 Oh well.. lesson learnt. Hopefully next time I will use the right fin.

Hawks Nest, nsw. Myall River, Ian's place 😁 1st try new spot. After searching far and wide, it was super cool to discover a little nook at home that I’d never thought about before.
Ian, who gave me my first sail to lure me from kiting a few years ago, came into the servo where I work and suggested I try out the front of his house. Wind today, so why not. Try I did, good it was to try!
He sat on the chair and claimed 15 - 30kts.

I was not ready to get set on a run in the short space with in that wild shiftiness today and not knowing the bottom atall.
The area is about 500m across, enough for some fun on a less hectic day I think.

I didn’t have the most appropriate gear, for sure I would have taken my 100ltr board out today, but the fins for that were in the mrs van not in town. So all I had was the 120ltr f-race. And a newly acquired Pepe 23.
I thought all I’d be doing with the Pepe for a long time would be cutting pizza’s, but today it got commissioned.
Hardly got a go at powering it up, but It worked well in some chop for sure.

The sail was another Ian hand-me-down, 5.3 NP Combat.

It was very sunny and warm but soon after coming in a big nasty storm approached. As I drove out of there into the green orange stormy sky, I looked back over my shoulder and saw some smooth in between the mangrove islands, a smile hit my dial, I’ll go back and find out asap if sailing through the little channels in smooth and is possible.

3 categories

Budgewoi Lake, NSW, AU. Ca/sl 62 . Warp 6.2. Pepe weed speed 20