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melville beach

jpss/91..rssmk6/6.4..jp/.29.

stoked to break the 35.pretty wild at times session finnished with a 33/kn.tap on the sandbar up in the cove causing untidy dismount.no broken gear or bones just b a bit sore.2nite.still smilin though.happy sailin 

EDIT: 2sec pb confirmed after excluding trip home

The curse of the dance concert. It continues.

As I was about to leave today my wife told me not to get hurt because my daughters' had their dance concert. Forgetting (or was that ignoring) the string of accidents/tragedies that have happened on the eve of the yearly dance concert (major concussion for daughteris how #2 some years back and putting the pony put to sleep last year after it became too ill to save) I headed off in search of pb's.

Arrived to find it was pretty solid and got a thumbs up and shouted '6.2' from Damo as he pulled up from a run in.

Rigged up and headed out to find it lumpier than expected. Enough depth over the sandbar (I walked it to check) for a change.

One gybe out the back and then a run in which was bumpier than I've experienced at Melville in quite a while. The gusts when they hit were full on and the board sure picked up on the bear away. Got back to the outsisde of the sandbar dreaming of a pb when all of a sudden I'm flying forward. A glancing blow to the jaw from the boom, knock of the hip on the board and finally a great wack on the top of my foot (as it smashed the board too I think).

I stand up, feel the jaw (all OK) and check the gps. Damn, ONLY a 33 - no pb. Foot is starting to hurt now and when I look down there is a nasty gash across the top and blood running out faster than I'd like. @#$% - The dreaded curse has struck again. About 5.5 hours to concert time and I'm looking at a trip to emergency. Thank god I'm not down in Warnbro Sound right now though.

I step on the board, nurse it back to shore (out of the footstraps) and dump the rig on the grass. After opening up the car my towel goes on the foot and I make the call for the ambulance.

Help arrives from another sailor who overhears the call and gets his first aid kit and bandages the foot to stop the bleeding. Thank you Shane - I owe you some replacement items for the first aid kit and at least a six pack of cold ones. I'll keep an eye out for you. If anybody knows Shane (metallic blue hilux dual cab and sailing a yellow F2) I'd appreciate being able to get in touch with him.

With the ambo's on the way the next call is to the wife. Still reckon I have enough time to get stitches and make it to the concert but I now have the added complication of needing surgery to remove my wife's foot from my backside. 

Expecting the ambulance any time I imposed further on Shane and  also Glenn (from Southsiders) to de-rig and chuck the gear in the car. Thanks again. And a special thanks to Glenn for helping unzip my wetsuit as I lay on the ground with my leg resting up on my toolbox (I wanted to get into proper clothes before heading to hospital). Glenn, despite what you may have heard that was the first time I've let another man unzip me and you were so gentle . It is a one time thing though.

By this time Borgy and Paul have arrived and plans are made to leave the car at Paul's place until I can pick it up later (assuming that the car and all items contained within have not been sold on Gumtree in the mean time). Of course this would have been after the sailing gear was thrashed out on the water first.

The ambulance arrives and carts me off to Freo Hospital. The place is flat out but the fasttrack process sees me stitched up and back on the street by 3:45. Best news was only stitches needed as the tendons were ok (by a whisker). Excellent treatment but I am going to be scarred by the experience and not in the way you might expect. Unfortunately the elderly gentleman in the bed opposite mine had a hospital gown that did not want to close. Thank god he had jocks on but it was not a pretty sight.

Tried to hail a taxi but it did not stop (no surprise given my appearance - no shoes, bandaged foot, pronounced limp and hospital tag still on the wrist). 2 buses later and I was back at Melville by 4:45. Grab the keys from Borgy and Paul, share a laugh at my own expense and head off home.

Get home in time to shower, change and make the concert with 5 minutes to spare.

Once again a very big thank you to all for the help (I've probably missed someone - like the lady that was walking the great dane who kept an eye on me while Shane packed up my gear).

Finally - no speeds recorded yet because the gps was not turned off until after I got home. As a result of a system reinstall a month or so back I am without realspeed at the moment. Will post when I can separate the sailing (what little there was) part of the file.

p.s. what I have learnt from this experience is that windsurfers are great people. Oh and that I need a 5.4 Koncept (PLEASE SANTA)