- Been to Margerita with Cribby
- Been back to Tiree, although not as a competitor
- Bought ANOTHER Spartan winter wetsuit, since the other got leaky owing to many tears
- Tried to get out lots but not been as successful as I'd have liked
- Bought a surf board - Bic pop-out miniMal
The Margerita trip was potentially really good, but I got ill in the middle which somewhat put me off my stroke, as they say. I must also admit to being a bit wimpish, rather than going for it as hard as I could have, but then it was a holiday, not an assault course! My gybe entries are lots better as a result, and Guy also got my waterstarts a lot better, especially the rig recovery, for which he showed me a very effective technique that has saved my ass many times since. In fact, on reflection, it was a great trip really, because although I went out with the aim of carve gybing - two weeks in the Carribbean you'd think you could handle that eh? - Guy was quick to spot my shortcomings and work on those. For example, I couldn't go up upwind very effectively. Our HQ was the most upwind of the on-beach centres, so this was clearly a problem, especially as the combination of rubbish waterstarts and no upwind capability meant I ended up down the other side of ALL the centres, walking around self-rescuing off a totally different beach! No wonder I was tired... And we did some cool light wind stuff at the beginning before the wind kicked in. So Guy focussed on upwind performance - "either you're going as hard as you can upwind, or you're blasting your t*ts off"... Which reminds me of the immortal Cribby words - "Uncomfortable?! Windsurfing's not about comfortable!". So, get the rig well forward, use the front foot to push the entire windward rail into the water for grip, look upwind constantly for gusts, then turn downwind and pump like mad if there's a gust. In fact my upwind skills have enhanced so much that Juan has commented on them, as being better than his, which is praise indeed. In respect of the troublesome rig recovery, lie on your side parallel to the mast and swim backwards, rotating the rig out of the water - works every time! Would I go again? Yes I think so, if only because I'd like to go for it harder this time and not waste so much energy on rescuing myself!
Tiree this year was totally different from last, mostly because there was no wind! This is the windiest place in Britain right? This is Triple Crown week, right? Well, only the wave prize was awarded, on the basis of the first and only windy day! Us non-competitors wandered around, doing things like speedsailing, kite flying, walking, shopping (yes, possible even on Tiree, Chocolates and Charms having a peculiar fascination for our female colleagues), and a certain amount of drinking. Lovely place. Would I go again? Most certainly. As a competitor? Sure, except I've realised in the intervening year how much further I have to go before I could say I was an anywhere near competent wave sailor!
I've not spent many nights away this year, not sure why, perhaps an attempt to maintain some kind of home life. And there've been family problems that involve my going to Manchester frequently, which takes a whole day, so I can't stay on the South Coast and easily get there, better to come back and take the car.
Too bad about Spartan going bust - I needed a new suit, since my previous one so celebrated in this blog was leaking like a sieve, and emailed them to ask if it could be refurbed. No reply, and then there was a thread discussing their demise on the Boards forum. Went to Solent Sailboards, down at Calshot, tried on a Medium, and it's a good enough fit. Not quite as good as my previous one, but still ok. So that's taken on duties, and I'm looking after it very carefully! Noticed there's some protruding bolts on the bed which I must cover up before they tear a hole in the backside when I bend over...
