Great fun sailing with you John and good to meet Adam. Light winds yes, but less gusty than Manly yesterday so more enjoyable. Really is a great spot.

Thanks for the photographic evidence. Maryana generally a shutterbug but she prefers sailing so we don't have many photos yet. Plan to get out again tomorrow.

Wow! I can't believe that's all the wind you got there.
Great for you guy's though, Tod and Maryana and what a beautiful day.
Take everything Pad's. I pulled an old board and fin out of the closet and dusted it off last night.
Hopefully will be good for the waves/bigger day's. Starting to think more on building a trailer and emptying my car.
Tod and Maryana, you should start building yours.

Brad and Jeff doing some light wind turns.

synchronised gybing??? there's a utube video just there!!!!

Good stuff Todd and Maryana, time to get those footstraps out of the packet and onto the boards too hey. Maybe drop that learning sail back to Simon and grab something a bit bigger as well. Once you start using a harness you will improve really quickly because you take the load off your arms and can sail heaps longer without getting tired

waricle said..
Adam's bull shark looks a bit puny compared to the one in Lake Macquarie



Pic from huffington post

There's been a great white about that size in the lake too

Forecast is looking really good for tomorrow afternoon gents (and sometimes ladies). Should be enough water from 2pm till dark

Janet and I haven't sailed since December 23rd, the day I smashed my ribs at Sandstone and ended up in hospital for Christmas! We are contemplating rearranging our priorities and going up to Elanda or Boreen tomorrow. Anybody else going to be there? I'm definitely scared of going sailing again and keep thinking of reasons why we shouldn't go!

Finishing mowing the lawn early in the morning, and then up to Bribie for two day's.
Starting at Bongaree, and I'll see if I have enough left in the tank for Sandstone in the arvo.
Repeat the next day. As for fitness...

Another top late afternoon sail this arvo with a few guys coming out of the woodwork to join Adam, myself and Jeff. JV Jonno made an appearance and Dag's flew over from Bongaree on a board the same width as a paddlepop stick. Plenty of wind, very gusty ahead of a squall in the bay and then it settled to a solid 15-20 but probably closer to 20 most of the time. Sail sizes in the 6.2 to 6.5 range except for Jeff with 7.5m. My "less sails is better" plan seems to be going ok, today I just pulled the 6.5 down as hard as I dared when it was really gusty and then jumped off and let some downhaul off when the wind got a bit more steady

I forgot to mention Parso the new learner guy showing up and having a crack in some very testing conditions too

I forgot to mention Parso the new learner guy showing up and having a crack in some very testing conditions too

Thanks all for another bunch of great tips today. It was very hard work. Thinking about a smaller sail. Any thoughts on the following? Aerotech All Around 5m?

Hey Mark, Jeff is right, don't bother buying that sail it's way too old. Take him up on his offer to loan you a smaller sail, don't forget to grab something with an adjustable head so it will rig on your 430 mast.

Mark, don't spend a lot of money on a small sail because the chances are that you'll either hardly ever or maybe never use it again once you're up to speed. If Simon has got something cheap enough that you can trade back in later on then it's not a bad idea to grab one from him if you think you'll get your money's worth out of it.

Dag said..
That was a really good two day's.
snip....
Jeff, you looked pretty happy on your set up today mate. What was your pick? Tony said Shark and a weed fin?

Yep Sandstone delivers - 3 afternoons of sailing fitted around managing sleep for night shift

last 2 days been in the fanatic shark 150 with lessecher weed fin

really impressed with this combo a few months back with ability to smooth the board out over chop in 7,5 days - got PB of 26knts on it

Funny thing at the beginning of the season I couldn't make the Shark work - now I'm amazed at how well it works as a step down from the JPSLW. The board has learn how to get itself planing with this old fat fella on it

Thought I'd see how big a sail the fin can handle so was on 8.5 Ezzy lion yesterday - fin kept delivering even as wind died in the latter part of the evening. Very happy

Reckon it may even go a 9.5
The fin introduces a shallow water option for sandstone - get in water 30 or more minutes earlier

life is great ,,,,,
3 days of sailing with my Sandstone mates

days off all next week - early morning high tides plenty of SE winds predicted - YESSSSS

cheers Jeff
ps. off to RQYS this morning for team windsurf and Max working on his BIC techno skills

Great morning session on the low tide at sandstone with Pete and Adam

Decided to to go off sandstone as I was worried about navigating the swell off bongaree given the predicted winds

Wind was a little all or nothing with the squalls going through. Pete had some short runs. Adam was time pressured and was skunked a little

i stayed out and had some smoking runs ;-) when the squalls came through. On the shark 150, weed fin and Ezzy lion 8.5

Had the best run across the flat water into the rolling disorganised swell fully committed on the plane - wahoo

Really enjoyed staying on the plane through the waves in the passage - normally im being bounced and loose my composure. Today I enjoyed picking my way - down the troughs and up over the waves

Ended up at the jetty by choice rather than being swept under it

Run back was exilerating - was able to schlogg back through the passage and then back on the plane in the flat water towards the sand flats of Sandstone

Loooong walk back in with a grin from ear to ear - life is great

topped off with coffee chocolate and biscuits with Pete sharing the stoke

now feeling more confident to tackle the passage off bongaree with the shark150

cheers Jeff