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Nanna's were on my mind today and not for the reason you might think. I had resolved to be steely in my determination to not get sucked into chasing speed today but rather concentrate on my turns. A couple of the Coastal Nannas were out, the Grand Nanna of them all,Stroppo, showing what can be done when you have a chair better than anyone else's. Or so he thought.

Today I psyched him badly. For today he saw my Nanna chair. My Nanna chair monsters his on sooo many levels. For a start mine is waterproof:so that when you sit down with full bladder and swollen prostate (which is common amongst the older Nannas at Coastal) you can happily solve the problem with no repercussions for the long term health of your chair. More importantly, my Nanna chair can be used by muppets. It has a specially constructed rebate to allow perfect positioning and insertion of a new spine. This is important should you find that one day you have a spineless muppet in your team.

So I rigged at Wamba and after a brief discussion with ‘Slightly turning blue Fin’ I decided I would go with Koncept 6.6 and QEII with Decrepitpinnacleofmylifesworkweedy33. I was rigging small to remove the temptation to go blasting off on downwinders. I was there to do corners, nothing else. 

I was finishing rigging when I noticed the leaves in the trees had stopped rustling. A sure sign that Captain Calm was nearby. Sure enough he piloted the Commode into our midst and pronounced that all available minions were to go for an Hour today. I looked around, and was a little dismayed to find I was the only minion in sight. So I dutifully launched the QEII down the slipway and proceeded to try to knock out an hour. 

I sailed over the horizon and ended up at Boombas where I hit a weed berg but saved it before being launched around the handle bars.This was my first Nanna incident. I remembered my kids G’ma D, in no uncertain terms, voicing her displeasure at team members making long runs unaccompanied. I comforted myself in the knowledge that if she ever does find out I can blame the Captain. In fact it might almost be worth having a decent stack over here in the Antarctic wastelands just to get him in the poo.This triggered a check on my surroundings to see where the Captain had got to. No sign of him. 

I headed North across the estuary in search of my Captain and eventually he came into sight. It appeared that he had not left the flats at Fangy’s. Probably just tuning I thought. I noticed the real estate was starting to get rather close so I threw in a gybe and headed for Albanakhastan again.

After completing another spinal fusion session on the chop across I was enjoying the smooth at Boombas when a some fins broke the surface. Hmm, not dolphin,…get closer, ..hmm not shark…hmm get closer, what the hell is it?

 Now Boombas is copping a bit of run off these days and has the water clarity of the Mekong river. This means that the a lot of earth is suspended in the water, but there is still a lot of it underneath too…that you cant see.

Back to what are these fins breaking the surface? I am happily cruising at a respectable pace on the big girl so as I go over the top of the fins I see the answer. It’s a stingray with its wing tips breaking the surface. A millisecond later it occurs to me that I have only ever seen that occur in really shallow water! I pulled off an emergency gybe and still did not hit the real estate. I think I am starting to have a Lego Movie day (everything is awesome). 

Back across the estuary Northwards. Shorten a few more vertebrae and get ready to wave to the Captain, who must be following me across to knock out his hour. Oddly still no sign of the Captain until I get to the flats again. I am a minion, so I do not wonder why.

And so it goes on until on the final run across I spy the Captain charging off down into Boombas a bit further downwind. I throw in a gybe a head north looking forward to having a rest as my legs are starting to complain. I pull into shore and have a natter with Nanna Stroppo who is having a little chuckle about something to do with chairs.

After a few minutes there is still no sign of the Captain. A brief discussion follows and Stroppo breaks out his GoGo Gadget front pack. I am loaded up with spare harness lines from Stroppo and spare rope from BlueFin and set off to go and find him. 

I charge off south again and immediately my legs are having a whinge. But the thought of G’ma D berating me for losing her husband drives me on through the discomfort - it still seemed the easiest option despite the pain.

Of course the wind picked up and swung a little at this stage so I had a mental downwind run for 8kms, desperately searching for a sail in the water or a dejected figure walking through the shallows to the east. I start wondering how I can fashion a splint for a broken arm.

On and on I went and started to make plans on how to break the news to G’ma D. This kept me going. My back leg started to cramp a bit but I was to scared to admit defeat just yet. I considered just stopping and floating for a bit on my board so I could get a better look around for a sail in the water, when I spied a channel marker over near the Boombas shoreline. 

Wait a sec, there is no channel there!? Oh thank the Blessed Mother of Windsurfers, its the Captain! And yes he is sailing back, and yes he seems to be sailing quite well and yes he has just gone straight past me …going north …at quite a speed….

He does not appear to be in any strife at all…At least until I catch up with him…

Chuck in a gybe and head northwards and home. The wind is still a bit stronger and I had visions of battleships in the North Sea ploughing into heavy swell against leaden skies and driving spray. Finally over to the calm of Fangys and I am well stuffed. I simply sail into shore and go and sit with the still chuckling Stroppo - this chair thing has him well amused…

The Captain meanwhile dose his usual beautifully balanced gybe and heads out again. 

Bugger me !

I am not going after him this time, so I just sit and watch and breathe a sigh of relief when he simply gybes at the outer bank and knocks out a few alphas.

Eventually the Captain comes ashore and is well chuffed with his day. In fact I think we were all well chuffed with the days sailing. A Top Ten Fangy day for sure.

I still cant quite figure out what Nanna Stroppo was chuckling about with the chair thing …I guess I will see the photos soon… 

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                          Mama gave me a bandage and said it was allright to go play outside.! 

A nice day for a sail, Strop was alredy out with, I think it was Fudge,and some others.Later joind by Fangman and Decrepit,

for some fun on the water.

       old Carve 99,  6m Lightnig,  26- 45o bitsa custom weed.   Max spd-28.302kn.    Wind mostly stedy,from 13-25 kn.?

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Tabou Thunder 70, NP RSR E6 6.4m, JP Weed 36cm,

Woke up this morning to the heavens unloading, and water coming through the roof in my kitchen a great start to the day.

By 8 oclock the wind had blown itself out not that it mattered there was work to be done.

Went to check the damage on the roof about lunch time surprised that it was still a bit blowy, finally found a use for f'ken booties they're brilliant for clambering around on a wet tin roof.

Eventually I was able to get out only to find Decrep back in his cunning disguise of a mild mannered retiree, who advised that hours were the target, I optemistically said I'd give it a go knowing that I'd be cutting it fine with daylight and not wanting to go to far at that time of night have the speed knocked about by many many gybes.

Still gave it a bash, never realy powered up the whole time had to seriously picked the gybe spots in the gusts even then it didn't allways get me going. Found something which F'ken booties aren't good for..... Windsurfing!!!!!!!! bloody clown shoes!!!!!!

Was going alright till I hit a monster hole and had to chug back to shore, when I got there a bit of a squall came through and I was able to give it another go where I got my peak speed, then flagged the session.

Thanks to Nanna Mike for hanging around and kepping an eye on us (I'm a limp dick who doesn't like sailing alone)

Congrats again Fangy and Fin for some sweet PB's

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Had a lot of fun today, but firstly thanks to fangy for convincing me to rig the 5.8 and not the 6.6, and also of course coming to check on me through all that horrible chop.

When I arrived the wind was fairly light, but fangy reminded me it was forecast to pick up, so the 5.8 went on the 53 with the 26cm weedy.

Plan was for hrs and alphas with maybe NMs if possible.

Had a run into south yunderup saw lots of weed burgs but going south with the sun behind they were easily avoided. If I'd been thinking clearly, I'd have realised that going north was going to be a very different proposition!!! So on the way back I kept feeling some heavy thumps on the fin, and couldn't see the burg until I was almost passed it. Then of course the obvious happened and I hit a big invisible one and straight over the handle bars I went.

Made my way carefully back to fangy's but all I was going through was chop, no good for an hour! So this time instead of heading for south yunderup I pointed a bit higher towards boombas, this time once through the chop I had 4.5km of flat water and no weed burgs, so I played around there to my hearts contrent. It ocurred to me to check the time and found I'd out done my hour by over 20mins, Thought the boys may be getting a bit worried so headed back to meet Fangy halfway there, went for a few alphas when I got back, but was a bit tired by then so nothing exceptuional happened.

Gps visulizer image, don't know where the speed colour code went, anyway pinky violet is the fastest, the orange the slowest.

 Longest run 8.9km