Melville - IS101, CR6.5, Drake 36.

3 categories

Nice little session at Liptons with a whole bunch of crew. Wind was lighter than expected but the water was beautiful 

Great sail with a number of Pinnas today and it was nice to catch up with Tomski who I haven't seen in a while too!

Iso90, RB 7.0, FO 32

Safety Bay, WA, AU

Fun summer sesh at The Pond practicing jybing. Lots of people on the water, windsurfers n' kites, but had no conflicts, by and large the kites kept to their, unofficial, side of The Pond. No awesome Beaver today, bit choppy and not enough grunt in the wind.

110 Mistral Energizer followed by 280 Sputnik - Various fins - 5.8 KA Koncept (test drive, felt quite nice in the gusts but need some stronger wind to give it a real workout).

Peel Inlet, WA, AU 7.0 Overdrive, 90 Xfire, 29 speed weed.

Just trying to down load Jasons file, but having a few problems at the momment. might need a bit of advise/help on Navilink, as his tracks won't save to the merory card. He had a PB 34+ Knt on the screen and I would guess a much better Alpha than me.

More later

1 categories

Peel Inlet, WA, AU 105 rocket, 31 jp weed,7.5 easy. It was good fun to be on the water again. Looks like more alpha training would help. Good to meet Leon.

5 categories

Peel Inlet, Liptons

Team alpha mission - first time I've ever had flat water for the whole alpha distance - too much fun, reasonable gybing speeds for a change.

Happy to get a PB as I was a bit under-powered all afternoon - the wind got stuck at around 22 knots. Flat water makes the difference.

No speed runs today, peak speed was in the naughty.

Great team turnout (Andrew had his first team session) and good to catch up with Stroppo, Tom and David.

Mistral 91, KA Koncept 7, CL SW 28

Peel Inlet, WA, AU

1 categories

Pinnaroo Point, WA, AU

A bit of a frustrating sesh at Pinnas.

Rigged for the forecast...IS97 + 7.0 TR9 + 36 VSW.

One run out and back intermittently planing, so grabbed the M112 + same fin.

Better, but I was still wishing I'd rigged the 7.6.  After a bit of a plod from 2.30 til 3.30 (I actually came in to grab the 135), Huey finally came to the party and I was well lit for the last 45 minutes.

I usually tack upwind to the breakwater at least once per sesh at Pinnaroo, and have a crack at a naughty going back downhill.  Didn't manage that today, so the sesh felt kind of incomplete. 

Would've liked to sail SB today, just couldn't escape for long enough.  Still nice to get out and re-acquaint myself with the Pinnaroo moguls 

Peel Inlet, WA, AU 85 Sonic, 5.7K, 17 delta slalom then 26 choco weedy

The team speedsters decided on Liptons for an alpha mission, although I was very tempted by alphaland which looked perfect when I checked it out on the way. Wind at Liptons was about 18 knots when I arrived, and the water good but not as flat as alphaland.

I was families day yesterday, with three GPS sailors with sons in tow, including me with mine. My son Leon is just getting back into windsurfing so some coaching was required before I could go out, and then Leon was stung on the toe by something we thought might have been a cobbler, as it drew blood and the pain was severe. Some helpful kiters boiled up a kettle of hot water for treatment (thanks Marty) and the pain subsided after about 20 minutes, so it was probably only a devilfish, not a cobbler. So, about four Oclock I got on the water (after arriving at 1.30). By that time the tide has risen, and the wind had strengthened and the flat water had gone. I had to fight the urge to put on the speedboard and go for speed runs, but as alpha was the mission of the day I thought I'd better stick to it. First run our from the beach I was very powered up (peak speed was in this first run, across the wind) and the delta fin was spinning out in the chop. Second run, even worse. Came in and changed to the 26 Choco weedy which was much grippier. I was very worried about gybing whilst so powered up and was gybing terribly - feet kept getting stuck in the straps (that never happens!), and I was thrown about quite a bit. Eventually the gybes started coming together but by that time the wind was dropping off and the only flat water to be found turned out to be in a big lull. I would go in powered up and gybe nicely and then there would be no wind to get going in.

I had some exciting times playing chicken with power boats as I was tacking back up wind across the boating channel. There was one towing another, so I couldn't go between, and to go behind would mean losing a lot of ground and having to cross the wake. It seemed they were making ground at about the same pace as I was and I kept having to cross just in front of them, hoping that a lull wouldn't slow me down or drop me in the water.

So a disappointing day for me on the gybing front - too many commitments lately and lack of wind has meant I can only sail once a week which is plenty of time to forget what I learnt last time. 

A great day on the team front with a 25 knot team alpha average - that's huge guys! and a couple of PBs.

Leon got some speed up and came in with a huge grin on his face - he said he now understands why I enjoy this so much.

Thank God Leon's sting wasn't a cobbler or I wouldn't have got on the water at all, and no sharks. I guess that makes it a top 10 Liptons day!

Pinnaroo Point, 115L/7.5m - arrived too late and ended up underpowered...