Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready for the fastest Party Barge on the planet. Three Massive Metres of fast nauti mile destruction only rivalled by North Korea's mis -guided missile program.

Post the story later, feeding time at the zoo now.

I wanted to try out the walk out from the hook versus the walk out from Nairns, so I chucked the Party Barge armed with FatFangy 19 and Duct Tape 6.6. Actually before I started I needed to break out the tape again and then ran out of tape before I had patched yet another hole. The poor old thing is staring down the barrel of the bin now. Just to make sure, a batten broke halfway through the day. Methinks it might just be time to retire it.

The walk was crab free and gave me an opportunity to look at depths and weed. As a result I was pretty happy to sail in over the flats on the way home…just. The plan was the same as before, initially take the Party Barge out and then get serious on the little board as the breeze filled in. And once again I got carried away on the Barge. 

 The run was just deep enough, but it was really pushing the envelope of shallow in places. Early on, and well powered up, I heard the horrible rapid fire cracking of the fin on the shells when I cut across near the top carpark. When I inspected the damage at the other end, the fin tip looked more scarred and pitted than my high school photo. Ooops.

It’s a little surprising that with a munted fin, broken batten and a roll of duct tape, I still managed to have such a great sail. A while back Captain Calm was entertaining the idea of whether ground effect on the board in the shallows was an influence. I suspect it might be. The run was about a foot deep at most, and so the bow wave of the barge being compressed against the estuary floor and reflecting back doesn't seem unreasonable. The Barge riding its own bow wave is the only thing I can think of at the moment that makes sense when considering how 140litres and three metres of board is travelling a such a speed.

Whatever, it was such a blast lining up the big girl and travelling straight down the run. The Barge doesn't really like to be frightened with corners, so my game plan of dedicated Nauti mile runs suited everyone, except my legs. The reason, the other thing that the Barge requires, is a huge effort when hammering and so at the end of each run I had to crack a Hardy and have a rest. 

Eventually, my the commonsense side of my brain popped up the suggestion, that it might be a good time to jump on the little board. Which I did. But I couldn't quite pip the speeds that I had got on the Barge. This maybe due in part to me being really quite tired from my Barge pilot duties. However the little Missy Edge was so easy to ride, that I only put in a fraction of the effort for similar numbers. Note to self, get off the Barge sooner next time!

All in all, a great day and I am guessing that with such a fantastic breeze the Mobbers over at Liptons will have churned out some big numbers, so I reckon that it was a Top ten Fangy Day all around.

2 categories

Peel Inlet, WA, AU From KA72, you can check my tracks on that to see where we sailed.  Liptons, Wow what a session, broke an expensive mast, broke my pepeweed 21/48, and I still feel ecstatic.  Got over confident and thought I could gybe at 41kts, only to stack it and break my mast, or I woulda staid out.  Thats as good as it gets for me, never thought I'd be a 40kt 5 x 10 sailor, gotta stop talking my sailing down now.  Mistral Speed 95, MS TR9 6.3m, Pepeweed 21/48.

2 categories

Tabou Manta 54, NP RSR E6 6.4m, Pepe weed 23.5cm

Huge congrats to Hardz for some MASSIVE PB's.

Great Crowd out today and a special guest appearance of the legendary Kato and Jeremy and Evets up for Albanakastan, Good to see everybody digging out their small rag's (apart from Hardz).

Had some big off's today with the highlight being Jeremy practicing his own special Voodoo who unlike Franga does not need an efigy of yours truely to stick pins into (so last year) no he waits in ambush at the end of your run and then starts dancing the Funky Gibbon at you and I can tell you the Funky Gibbon is not to be triffled with that is some powerrfull mojo to be aimed at an Elmo, took me 10mins of clutching my board before I was able to attempt to stand up. Thanks to everbody who came to check on me, including the stingray which Jeremy was Gibboning about trying to warn me.

Got my best speed over on Pt Grey, some nice water over there and good breeze.

Sailed until the body told me it had had enough abuse for one day, the boys were still out there giving it rizz as I was packing up, hopefully we'll see some more PB's today

Praise the Lord (Huey) and pass the Nuerofin

      Peel WA AU      

  Wow!!!...  an epic day out in the wind & sun at liptons. Uhm... things went well ,dispite a few little problems,... 

but lets not spoil the buzzzz .  Verry happy with that.    

  Riged the 47/40board, ka kon5,8,(couda gone with a 5.3 but hey) elmo17cm/60 weed.

Glory Holes, Australind, WA, AU. Falcon113/GPS6.0/Choco30. Windy was pretty crappy really, full of holes and swinging SE to SW. Silly me rigged too small hoping the wind would come in, but it never really did. Should have gone the 7.0, would have been much easier to control in the chop.  Still, any sail is a good sail and it was good to be out blasting with Rat, Otts and Henry .

Saw Otts do a couple of blistering (and brave) down wind runs through the chop. Will be interesting to see your stats Noel.

Glory Holes, Australind, WA, AU

3 categories

Liptons JP45Sp RSSII 5.4 MXR20 weedy

Drove up fo a 2 hour session.... was it worth the 800kms, damn right it was.

Wind was up and down, measured ave 22kts and max 32 kts on arrival. I had left the mast for my 5.78 at home so went with the 5.4. In the end would hav liked a bit more wind but it was great.

Great to See Morts out for his first liptons sail, Stroppo was flying. I started a run at one point and Elmo stopped to let me past, thanks Elmo, that was the first of my 39 kt runs. Complained to morts that I kept doing 39s, craxy to complin about that. Great also to sail with Sammy, he too wantd a bit more wind.

Managed to gybe the speed board with remarkable suvccess until my arms gave up.

So it looks like 2 pbs for me.

Huge congrats to Hardie and Elmo for their pbs, awesome guys.

1 categories

Another fantastic Liptons day, Couldn't quite decide on which sail or fin, but I new it was going to be the 43cm board. The conditions when I arrived were more 5.8 than 5.4, but I had a feeling that 5.4 would be better by the time I got out there.

While rigging had two conflicting indicators. Man of came in and said he was maxed out on his 5.4, but the fin seemed to be sailing around quite happily on his 5.8. so decided to stay with the 5.4.

could have used my new 40/55 rake 21cm weedy, but Sammy offered me his special modified 18cm 50deg. As the tide was quite low, this was going to handle the flat stuff better. It's very similar to my 18cm starboard assy, but it was a port tack day. So took up Sam's generous offer and was glad I did, thanks mate fantastic fin.

5.4 ended up being the right choice, when I first started out, thought I should have rigged the 5.0, but more downhaul, and using the lower outhaul eylet. made things much more comfortable, still just on the overpowered side in the bigger gusts, but managed to translate a few of them into speed.

A very satisfying days sailing, with great company, including Evets and Morts come up to the big smoke, and Kato who must be getting towards the end of his WA trip.

here's my tracks.

2 categories

Liptons, Peel Inlet, WA, AU

Koncept 5.4, Sonic 56w & Delta 19, CA44 & Delta 17

Firstly many thanks to Mike for bringing the 5.4 up from Albany, dropping it in at Avalon Sails for repairs & to Phil & his team for fixing it up. Managed not to go thru it today!

First sail at Liptons & I managed to fluke a very good day. Was awesome to see lots of very good sailers absolutely smashing out huge speeds everywhere.

Started on the Sonic as that's the board I'm most comfortable on, probably should have listened to Stroppo & used the CA a bit earlier or right from the beginning. Takes a bit of getting used to sailing in shallow water in new & unfamiliar waters even though we do it often back in Albany. Did find it a bit tricky to line the gusts up & had a few occasions where the Deltas let go on both boards, annoying it seemed to be in the transition from chop to flat & trying to bear away. Thanks to all for all the advice & tips, learnt a lot!

All in all had a lot of fun, got to sail with some great people & managed to sneak my numbers up a bit. So that's a very good day in my books

For Elmo

Come on everybody
It's gibbon time

We're the Goodies
How do you do?
We've just been down to the zoo
We saw a monkey in a cage
Doing a dance
That could be the rage
It's not hard
So let's all do the funky gibbon

Ooo, ooo, ooo

Do, do, do the funky gibbon
(The funky gibbon)
We are here to show you how
Ooo, ooo, ooo
Ooo, ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
He's just like you
So come on and do
The funky gibbon now

Dogs are always howlin'
Cats are always yowlin'
But gibbons only
Like to sing and dance
Oop, oop, sh boop

You'll be like that monkey
Get a little funky
And in a while
Start to smile
Gibbon half a chance

Do, do, do the funky gibbon
(The funky gibbon)
We are here to show you how
Ooo, ooo, ooo
Ooo, ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
(The funky gibbon)
He's just like you
So come on and do
The funky gibbon now

Ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
Ooo, ooo, ooo the funky gibbon

Gee, the world would be good
I ?????
Me, with just a little gibbon tea
Sha, la, la

We slap that gibbon
Oh, feel the rhythm
And you'll groove
And dance up to the planet of apes

Do, do, do the funky gibbon
We are here to show you how
Ooo, ooo, ooo
Ooo, ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
(The funky gibbon)
He's just like you
So come on and do
The funky gibbon now

Ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
Ooo, ooo, ooo the funky gibbon

Ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
Ooo, ooo, ooo the funky gibbon

Now everybody get ready
To do the funky gibbon
Drop one arms down by your knees
And the other arm
Reach up to the trees

Let your wrist go limp
Like a bent baboon
Get ready to sing
This gibbon's tune

Will you give me an ooo
(Ooo)
Will you give me another ooo
(Ooo)
And will you give me an ooo
(Ooo)
Now put 'em together
What've you got
(Ooo, ooo, ooo)

Do, do, do the funky gibbon
We are here to show you how
Ooo, ooo, ooo
Ooo, ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
(The funky gibbon)
He's just like you
So come on and do
The funky gibbon now

Ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
Ooo, ooo, ooo the funky gibbon

Ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
Ooo, ooo, ooo the funky gibbon

He promised to buy me
A bunch of blue gibbons
To tie up my bonny brown

Ooo, ooo, the funky gibbon
The funky gibbon

Liptons.. At last some good wind for the speed board.

Great to be finally back on the speed board after been lagging on the slalom..

The runs was easy as, the problem for me was the lack of wind, needed extra 5knt to get the gear on fire. Stocked on a 39.5 most of the session wiz high 38s, just waiting for more wind.

Went on the other side few time, was stronger, more stable wind, but so shallow I was to scared to do any run. At the end of my session upset a little I decided to risk it and went for it on my LAST RUN... bingo.. 40.62 on the dial wiz 38.643 5x10. I should have sail there early  like a couple of people 

Was just fantastic after so long to get the board moving lap after lap, I cld had have a coffee on the way down 

Very happy for ALL got PBs CONGRATS guys , specially my mate Joe MOS (which that 5x10 was way DUE), and a touch sad for Mike my bod which had a 40 ready for him or a PB at least, pitty he stopped before me.. Great perf Mike 

Great to catch up with my bod Kato also for a last spin before him move back.. Great to see you again, safe trip..

Got punished for the fun last night, run out of fuel 10kms from home in the middle of nowhere , first time ever! was 21.30 when got home. I thought "She be alright mate".. nah she wasnt AH AH AH

Misty47, RSR5.4, Snail's SP21/50 - Happy daz , want some mooore