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Pelting rain all day!

Very low tide today exposing some very dangerous sand bars right on the easterly speed course. They are more like little underwater mountains. At low tide the tops were dry but you step off them into 2m of water! Becasue they are covered in weed and dark coloured, they are very difficult to see. Bad luck to Simon who found one at top speed and broke his boom. Lucky it was just his boom!

After a couple of runs we all got a bit nervous and started to walk the course to find the shallow bits. We found so many we got even more nervous! I went and got some sticks and marked the worst ones. It left a gap about 3m wide to thread at top speed! Pretty mind focusing!

I gave up on speed runs anyhow as the wind was too light and holey.

Tried for some alphas on the IS87 but was strugging to find a long enough gust to get out of the gybes and get up to speed gain.

3 Speed runs on CA40 with KA 20 ass. Alpha runs on IS87 with KA 30cm slalom fin.All runs with 2012 KA 5m Koncept. (too small today!)

The wind station at the Prom was showing 40-50 knots ENE. In the past the wind reading there has been very close to what we get at Sandy. Since they repaired it a month ago it seems to be waaaay out!

Sandy Point, Vic, AU

Woke up early this morning at Wonthaggi to here the rain belting down, thought that I had travelled 500kms to get away from it.

Sat about waiting for the tide to drop a bit and more team members to show up   (probably my security blanket).

 First coupla of runs on the eastern bank very cautious as only ever sailed that side once before on a 133l slalom. Daffy told me of the new sand banks that had developed last time that he sailed this course and to be careful. No worries mate all taken in, all good i'll be right.

Started hooking into a nice gust and bearing away picking up speed, felt a little touch of the fin then bang straight around the hangers at almost 34knt with a 21cm fin. One busted boom that snapped like a carrot, thank god that I always wear an impact vest and helmet.

Think that I have gone out in sympathy with Kato after his broken mast yesterday., at least my body didn't suffer any damage. So put my tail beween my legs and went home.

Great to have a sail two days in  a row on speed board, crazy weather pattern pissed down rain the entire 500ks home non stop.

Also thanks to Ian Fox for some very useful advise on rigging and masts with severne sails, much appreciated

Is 49 sp, 5.4 overdrive @slingshot 21

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Sandy Pt east bank, lots of rain and bleak conditions, checked out the very narrow channel Daffy had warned of created by some weed/sand banks sitting off the main east bank.   There was too much north in it to make the most of the flat water, and hi speeds only when you hooked a gust as you exited the nasty little channel and beared off into the main one.  Just as well cause if you kept heading straight theres was another table of sand/weed inches deep waiting to smash you and your gear another 50 yards on sitting well out from the bank.

2012 Koncept 5.8, 23 asym, 44