Windsurfing - Richard's Bay Harbour, South Africa

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Forces-of-Nature » Personal Diaries » Windsurfing - Richard's Bay Harbour, South Africa

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Owner: axxis
Member

Member#: 507
Location:
Registered: 13-01-2004
Diary Entries: 24

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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