Waited until after dinner for the breeze to pick up and the tide to drop a little before heading to The Dip. It’s another overcast day here on the East Coast and when I arrived at the beach I noticed that the weilding on the front of my trailer had broken (strike 1) but nothing was damaged unlike when the front broke putting a large hole in my raceboard! With the wind ne it didn’t look that windy especially inshore so took a chance with the 133 and 7.8, launching at about 2 everything seemed fine and I was beating up toward kite beach by the Golf Club, on gybing my harness line rope broke so I carefully sailed ashore and replaced it (strike 2) I was soon out on the water again and made it to the sheltered flattish water and was having fun especially gybing right by the beach:) I was out all by myself for awhile then Peter Cutts arrived :) Then disaster out by the red buoy having just gybed there was a large snap and my mast broke just above the boom :( (strike 3) it was then a long swim back but I had the wind and tide helping me, Peter towed me a little way but it was hard holding onto Pete’s footstrap! I replaced the mast, lucky for me I had another 4.60! and was soon out on the water, Pete and I then beat into the river in search of flat water, as I was approaching the river I ran out of water in some nice waves and nearly took the front 3 inches off my Zantos :( (strike 4) it was a struggle getting upwind against the strong river tide, the flat water run is very short and there was not enough wind to get going so gave up and headed out to see to try for a mile run which was interesting in the bumps of the river mouth. Ian Clarke was out now so there were three of us out now, as the tide dropped to low it chopped up for some reason:( We stopped for a chat, Ian nearly changed down but continued with his 7m, we went out for the last few runs, Pete and Ian stayed in front of The Dip while I beat into the river again as the wind had filled in a bit, I had a couple of runs getting my fast max but it was still too light in close so headed out to sea again, there was some waves rolling in now and you had to go out with care but there was some flatter swells farther out where you could have ago at sailing broad and then my other harness line broke !!! (strike 5) It would have been a 4 star session even if it was difficult to get fast times and I had too many things break including a mast – so 3 stars it is !
|