First speed session since my accident (june 2012). New board and new sails. Arrived early (ard 9am) together with Edwin & Robert for some high wind speedsailing with left in front (SW). Around noon there was a little wind dip predicted (still 20-28 kts) with a nice steady 35kts wind coming from the west (square course) in the afternoon. At least that was the forecast... The reality? The wind was steady blowing 5 knots from 9-12am !! 

Luckily the wind picked up slowly after 12. Still with the forecast in mind, I decided to rig my 5.6 + F51 for some relaxed high wind speeding. Just got it into planing mode (50-55 kmph) and after waiting another 1,5 hrs for increasing wind, decided to rig my 6.3

Both sails are tested today. The 5.6 has a much flatter profile then the 6.3 and the recommended settings (dowhaul) are not correct. With the 5.6 i rigged the sail with the recommended downhaul but even with 2cm to go, the leech was already there for hardcore weather. Cannot imagine that the sail will work with even 2 more cms downhaul. The opposite with the 6.3 sail. If you use the recommended downhaul setting, you have very little leech (low wind setting), so there you need to extend your extension another 2 cm for normal use. Both sails are rigged on the TE RDM masts (without spacers). Very smooth rotation and lots of power in the 6.3

Speeds were maybe a bit disappointing, but with the square course you had to bear off into the chop to do your run. Didn't search for the topspeeds like I used to do in the past (in the past my topspeeds were always 10% higher then my 10 sec-runs when bearing off drastically into the chop from a square course). Still thought about my spinout a few times when bearing off... I think it just needs time.

Used two wrist braces today, but tensioned them probably a bit too much with two cramped fore-arms as a result. Did all my runs solely on my harness lines. Probably lacking muscle power in my arms as well after doing nothing the last 6 months...

Still enjoyed it alot today with almost 70 kms (= 100 x along the dam !!) in sunny weather with alot of smiling faces around. Used 2 wetsuits today, but this was too warm !! Summer time is coming !!