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Another day, another windy ride
Posted 7 months, 4 days ago
Another day, another windy ride
Saturday threw up some conditions that were again less than ideal to get an accurate feel for the new setup. Conditions definitely weren't extreme, however they were not for the faint of heart being in the consistent 20-25 knot range. Once again the Georges River also provided low tide on a Saturday, pretty much excluding 25% of the sailable area, and making the first half of the work in a small narrow channel between the navigation markers. With a handicap start, I left the beach whilst everyone else was still rigging, expecting to be at the line just in time for my start. I was a couple of minutes late and managed to get a lap and a half in before the next boat had left the beach. New setups pose an interesting problem, do you trust them ? An by that I mean first time out in a 20 knot breeze are you prepared to push the bow down, and reduce the drag then trust in the wand to keep you in the water? For me the answer was no, and I opted for the sit back and foil slow approach upwind, and the tack downwind (until I returned to the narrow channel ) approach. Well that worked until the breeze built to 25 knots and I found myself being launched three boat lengths away in a huge get too high, then ventilate then nose plant. After that I decided that sailing low and square would be the better part of valor. By the time everyone else had left the beach I had completed two laps as they formed up for a start, and with the breeze now a steady 25 and rain squall imminent I decided that whilst neither I or the boat were broken, it would be a good time to head back to the shore in leu of starting the whole "race" over again. So do my setup changes work? Dunno ? I still need a 15 knot day to know for sure. The last day of the season is Anzac day this Friday so fingers crossed that it will be a good day before the boat comes back home for some winter TLC.
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