5 categories

Ramsgate - Sandringham 20-25 S

Starboard S-Type 104, Loft O2 5.9, 30cm Select Viper fin

Rain. So much rain. It rained from the time I loaded the car up in the morning, until I got home in the afternoon.

I was originally going to head up to Kyeemagh and try for a good distance, but there's a whopping great pipeline running the length of the beach 300m off shore. I kept driving and decided to head out at Ramsgate. It was gusting to 30 when I headed out, and really choppy - a weird diamond shape chop, quite confused. I thought I'd head up to Towra Point for some smoother water. The closer I got to land, the holes in the wind got bigger. I knew the tide was low, and the speed strip would be exposed, so I thought I'd keep heading up. I was fully powered and on my favourite little fin.

The speed strip was a load of fun, but there's definitely five knots less wind than out in the bay, and I was totally underpowered on the bearaways. 29 knot runs in the bay are infinitely more scary than 31 knot runs on a good speed strip. Everything's smooth and seems to happen in slow motion. If only there was 25 knots on the strip!

Woohoo! a PB! They're so hard to come by these days! Finally break 30knots 5x10sec.

What was promised for today (saturday):

What was delivered:

3 categories

Speed Strip at Sandringham.  20-30knts South.  F2 SX med, NP RSS 6.8, JP Slalom 36cm.

A good day.  Fairly punishing stuff though.  Had about 1 meter too much sail for most of the time and kept getting taught lessons by Huey all over the place.  Kept trying to make it into the speed strip but having to abort the mission (often very ungracefully) as big gusts came rocketing through making my courage to bear away falter.  Lots of good stacks, arguably crash of the day in front of the lads at the end of the speedstrip.

Got some good speeds in the end but it was hard work.  Forecast currently looks like there might me the same sort of wind tomorrow morning so I'll hopefully dust myself off, pick myself up and do it all again tomorrow :o)

1 categories

10-15 knots ENE, Jimmys Beach, Hawks Nest

Starboard Formula 160, Deboichet R19 'Sam Parker modified fin', NP RSR 10.7 

Last day of the Nationals and only one race today. I was in the hunt for a 3 placing in the over all results in the FE+ class, but my boom broke heading to the top mark. Heard it crack, boom went wobbely, so flipped round the front quick smart & headed home! I think I was running 3rd in the FE+ class. Ended up running 6th over all in the division, so close and yet so far away!

Hawkes Nest for a bit of a blast. 12-17 knts. 7m Maui Titan. 40cm weedie.

Great sailing with the dolphins on Port Stephens & avoiding the guys & gals competing in the Formula Nationals.

Sunny with clear water, unlike Sydney.

FormulaNova didn't take out his GPS, in case Tim & I embarrassed him.... again!

Enjoyed watching the races, will post photos later