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Tried out a smaller board w foil- BAD PLAN!! Then went out with same gear and a conventional fin which was really fun ( but short)

Port Douglas, QLD, AU

the phone call came from Benny Mc Carthy who was planning a trip up north.  Benny generally has a habit of bringing no wind up from Cairns with him - this was a pleasant exception to the rule.  He rolled up with his new 7.8m Severne Slalom.  I got there before and said rig big - I rigged my 7.8m North S Type and my green board, still running my brand new/used weed fin.  Tides were awesome and water was very flat.  Had one run and came in to change down to my 7.2m  I advised Benny to do the same but he persevered.  We had a great couple of hours out there - overcast, but not too rough at all.  Another great preseason run.  Ed Wheatley came down later for a chat - I told him he missed another good session.  Hopefully this means we're in for a good season when those Trade Winds arrive.  Good call, Benny.

Port Douglas, QLD, AU

The phone was silent after sending the message out yesterday evening...  I was guessing it was due to my track record of scaring away the wind- but alas, today the curse was broken!

Being the eternal optimist when it comes to getting a sail in, I made a quick early afternoon phone call to Andrew then decided to venture north to PD to try and catch some wind.  Bugger all wind seemed to be around until I reached the part of the road which winds around the coastline where white caps were then in abundance.

So it was just the 2 rookies hitting the water where the rich & famous frolic.  Billy couldn't make it as he was doing something with his bikini line & unfortunately the Mayor Ed Wheatley was busy at work toiling away somewhere near the boulevard of broken dreams.  Ed managed to duck down for a quick chat at the end of the day and gave me a sail to hand onto our newbie Johnnie McGlashen- I'm sure he'll really appreciate it.

Wasn't expecting much, so just took the now old party barge Exocet 135 & rigged the Severne OD 7.8 with 47.5 black project fin.  What a pleasant surprise it ended up being!  A solid 16-18knots at a guess.  Plenty of power with the 7.8 sail, with front feet in the straps most of the time.  Fitness condition giving in at times- got flung over the handlebars once resulting in a dead knee for 5 minutes or so...     

All said and done, it ended up being quite a fun afternoon out on the water.  Thanks for the company Andrew!

"Long May our Big Jibs Draw!"