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axxis Member Member#: 171 Location: Registered: 12-03-2003 Diary Entries: 18 |
5th October 2003 Windsurfing: Ski-Area, Midmar Dam, KZN midlands Wind Direction: NW Wind Stength: 22 knots Surf / Sea State: flat - small chop Air Temperature: 33 Sea Temperature: 21 Weather: Clear Max Speed: Distance Covered: At last, I have successfully sailed a Berg wind at midmar. And what a sail. The usual launch spot for the Easterlies is Blackhurst peninsula and all attempts to sail the NW (Berg wind) from this point have been disasterous. It is gusty and offshore and makes getting back to the launch point very difficult. As a result I had branded the NW as unsailable. Rumours were, however that the wind could be sailed from Orient Park or the ski-boat area. Blowing decently in PMB from about 7:00a on Sunday. The day at the dam had been pre-planned and we wanted to get going in good time. Got a call from Gareth at 8:00a, he was already there and rigging. Hal arrived from Kloof with the trailer, transferred it to the Hilux and arrived at about 9:30a. Still blowing decently and Gareth planing comfortably. Rigged 6.3 and went out in nicely powered conditions. The dam is very low but could still have runs of about 600-700m. Nice lengths, plenty of time to get up speed and hop off the chop before executing gybes. It was definitely gusty but far from unsailable. Most reaches would comfortably last the distance, going through lulls without a problem. Sail was a pleasure as always. Jumps - not too many but some nice ones. Only on port tack. Not sure if I just wasn't comfortable on starboard or the chop angle wasn't right. Lots of spin-out landings because I had to carve slightly upwind to hit the chop at the right angle and often didn't turn enough in the air to land at the right angle. Had one nasty one where my back foot came out in the air and wrenched my back on landing. Also tore the port-side front footstrap. Luckily had a replacement and was able to repair it rapidly. Gybes a bit more difficult than my last sesion at Bilene. Gustiness making it tricky. Have to try to time them in the gusts so you exit powered. Probably completed (ie didn't fall off) about 85%. Only planed completely through a couple, but when I did it was darned good. Just have to keep going over the basics. Bad habits creep in so easily. Sailed solidly until about 13h00 when the wind slowly started to die. Spent the afternoon teaching the girls uphauls and a few beach start sessions. Conditions weren't ideal but they're game and should get it sooner or later. So, had to eat my words - midmar *is* sailable on the NW if you pick the right area. Will have to keep an eye on this in future. 4 stars - One of my best sails at midmar. |
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