A touch overpowered on saturday, but enthusiastic to be on the water again, I popped a chop-hop coming into shore, lost control and landed nose first. I got pulled front foot and teetered in the 50/50 zone before stacking. Not exactly sure how it all happened but I think the sail went windward, almost perpendicular to the board. This formed a wall of mylar that I went head first into like a javelin. I felt my neck compress and it made a solid thwack.

I got up, shook it off and kept sailing. About ten minutes later I noticed my third batten up was busted. That was the motivation I needed to change down from my 7.0 and saw out the next two hours really comfortable and in-form on a 5.8. If that batten hadn't broke I would have persisted with the 7.0 and probably not had such a killer session.

The crown of my head and neck is tender, and I got a replacement batten on order, but all that is more than compensated for with a gigantic grin. Yee-haw for sea-breezes.

A bad habit you pick up from sailing in Canberra, As you know we rig for the lulls and tend to sail overpowered. I've spent a lot of time down the coast this season and have found similar joy just blasting along in consistant wind on a 5.8 or 5.0. It's much more fun when your in control and not fighting with everything.

Cheers.

Ian K said...

Ah it's a skill, not a bad habit. You pick it up quickly in Canberra, don't let it lapse. Needed it today, a car load of biggish gear looking for somewhere doing something in a 15knot forecast. 15 knots everywhere except Kanahooka Point, 25 at least. Changed my mind about where you should go in the Gong JH. Check out the house right on the point. A sniff of NE in the forecast and, for each time I've been at least, it's cranking down there.

Ian I second your comment RE Kanahooka and the NE wind, as we were talking about the other day. I was looking at the Bellambi obs at work today...and it looked pretty average, then I happened to drive past the lake after lunch and it had to be easily 25kts down there, cranking.

I'm going to be honest though i've never noticed this in the 10 years i've lived down here, so i'm not sure if it's as reliable as Gerroa, that said, I've only really sailed in the lake about 20 times during that entire time so my exposure level is low.

I should also note the Gerroa wind meter is busted, it's been all over the place for ages and knowing the correlation between the Pt.Perpendicular wind reading and what it is at Gerroa it's WAY wrong. Would have been 30kts-ish there today I reckon.

*/should note this is entirely off topic but oh well.