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| Member Details | Session Description |
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| Owner:
mas Member Member#: 7693 Location: Registered: 29-06-2008 Diary Entries: 381 |
11th June 2020 Windsurfing: Bradfield Wind Direction: ENE Wind Stength: 15-25kts Surf / Sea State: flat Air Temperature: warm Sea Temperature: warm Weather: Sunny / cloud Max Speed: 19.4 kts (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 13.8 nm (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise) Nice day out at Bradfield but as always was late with tide at 4pm had to get my skates on arriving at 3pm. Loads there already, with some coming in to change down and some up! Ffs it was going to be one of those days 10 to 25kts. It was windy on arrival and all out was planing or flying fast. Thought 7.2 or 6.7 foil or 7.8 fin. Took 10 minutes to make my mind when Keith (same weight) came in to go big as the wind went light. Ffs – as part rigged 7.2 went with foil. Next decision big 84cm or small 76cm front wing on foil because the wind got up again, so had fin board and foil board on ground waiting to make the call. The wind dropped again so went foil. Loads of foils out and Dave White was taking pics. Shaun and Charlie were racing each other at full pelt sometimes, think Shaun used both fin and foil. Fitted the big Slingshot 84cm wing, and the inverted larger 48 rear wing for the first time combo. Took off from the beach up into flight, but it was def too much lift in the gust and I had to head up wind every time which is just a pain. I should have used the smaller 76cm foil. Think this was going to be a hard day, as I had plans to change mast foot position to middle, so I could get the Exocet RF91 balanced so I was comfortably at the rear of the board over the mast. The fin box is too far back – as the Slingshot brand manager said, so when you rake the sail back in a gust – your posture is crap in that bent awkward stance. Had some nice runs but couldn’t overcome 1 front door exit – massive at full pelt as the board hit a swell as I wasn’t high enough to clear it. Twisted my ankle as stuck in the straps. Had several other crashes, but to windward as the wind shifted and died several times, so just flopped in the water. I couldn’t handle the gust conditions. Others were coping great, Steve M was on 4.7m! Andy on 5.7 so when the gust came these guys were luving it, where as I was flattened! James had some decent runs on fin – but today was def not a fin day, as Keith and Pete confirmed. Am still trying to keep sustained flight so tried no gybes. Am in both straps all the time except downwind – so thats a big improvement for me and completely confident on the foil, but I still cant understand why I crash so regular down wind. Easy to blame the board nose diving (a trait of Slingshot foils tending to point down at speed), but I think my mast positions and harness lines are not in sync, so not always comfortable in both straps, harness lines when going off wind. Practiced stall flying which is just dragging the back in low whilst the nose is way up then release to speed. Works great until you get hit a gust. Also was flying a little too high at tims today so breached a few times. More practice needed in height control, Friday at Bradders. The land owner came at the end to set up the Bradders membership for eventual gates to be fitted in a week or so. Members only will have access to the field. Think a few joined on the day – although I paid last week. |
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