Owner:
axxis
Member
Worst Wipeout Award 2003
Member#: 72 Location: Registered: 28-10-2002 Diary Entries: 184
Mood: needing time out
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8th November 2003
Windsurfing: Richard's Bay Harbour, South Africa Wind Direction: NE Wind Stength: 18knots Surf / Sea State: Chest-high swell Air Temperature: 27 Sea Temperature: 26 Weather: Clear Max Speed: Distance Covered:
First time in Richard's Bay. Bit of a stuff up but good for experience.
We were probably a little late for the wind. Launched at about 2pm and it
was slowly dying.
Second mistake was the launch point. Launched from Pelican Island and with
that wind direction it was roughly side / offshore which made it gusty and
meant an upwind slog back.
3rd mistake was letting Hal rig my outhaul. He doesn't believe in a 2:1 and
it was way too loose for my liking.
Slogged / planed for about 100m and then got onto a lovely smooth plane.
Hit the first of the swells and jumped aggressively. Did one of my
around-the-front maneuvers which leaves me with the harness under my
armpits. Leg strap clips are particularly useless on this model. Sailed on
a bit useing the seat harness in a sort of waist harness mode, gybed and
tried to head back on a starboard tack to the launch point.
No luck. Settings just didn't seem right. Plenty of wind but struggling to
plane. Decided to sail until out of the bigger swell & try to sort out
harness. Jumped off and bobbed around for a while getting the harness
right. Got back on and headed for a nearby beach to sort out outhaul. Got
that done, decided that this beach would have been a much better launch
point. Remember for next time. It is the beach reached by taking the
"Commodore's close" road, I think.
Some local redneck suggested I put a motor on my board. I suggested some
other locations for that motor.
Took off on another screaming port tack straight into the swell. Lovely. It
hardly ever breaks but gets very steep. No nasty chop. steered around a
few, jumped a few but landings were always spin-outs. Sailed out into the
shipping channel, gybed and came back. First starboard tack and snap!
harness line. It hadn't actually separated but I knew it was broken inside
and only being held by the sheath. What now?
Long slog / tack / balance back to launch point. Amazed I made it back.
Arrived, cursed Hal (for selection of launch point and outhaul rigging),
put on new harness line and convinced him to come out with me. Poor guy
agreed. By then wind was dropping and it became mostly a slog. Also board
was taking on water. It seems it is on it's last legs (again). So more
slogging practise.
Overall, can't give more than 2 stars for fun:frustration ratio but the
upside is that I've found a place with plenty potential and now I'm forced
to forgo luxuries like food and shelter and buy that new board.
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