Owner:
squiz
Member
Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3071
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30th June 2013
Windsurfing: Eoligarry,Barra Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny periods Max Speed: 28.34 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 24.28 (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Sunday 30thJune – walk **** then windsurf ***** sunny periods
OMG what a night! We hardly got any sleep at all because the wind was
horrendous! Gale force and at one point I got out and measured it and it
was gusting 53mph! Had to get out several times to tighten the straps on
the long board and the roof was creaking and the van was shaking because we
were on quite an exposed, raised piece of ground. The people in the other
camper van parked here had their light on as well so don’t think they
slept much either! Goodness knows how people in tents got on! We got up
really early and moved the van a bit to be more sheltered by the toilet but
it still blew like crazy for another couple of hours. Eventually it did
start to decrease and we decided to do the walk from Eoligarry. We had to
go round the beaches including the beach where the airport is. Still very
weird seeing the airport on the beach and walking on the runway,the tide
was only just going out so we didn’t see any planes:( We had to cross
the dunes to another beach and as we were quite shattered by the time we
got past the airport we stopped in the dunes for our lunch and a rest! The
sea on that side was very rough and beautiful with the sea crashing against
the rocks and spraying up 20-30 feet! Back across the dunes to the car
park but it wasn’t the official end to the walk – yet again the posts
which should have lead us to a small monastery chapel called Chillie Bharra
let us down but we were prepared to miss that to cut the walk a bit short!
Back to the van for a cuppa and a doze then I sailed again! Had a chat
with another nice camper owner and it seems everyone has noticed how awful
the manmade aspects of the islands are!
My windsurf Report (Xantos + Ezzy 7.5 34 fin)
After last night’s wild and windy night in the van and then a long walk I
was knackered and with the wind still gusting to 30 mph I had a rest for a
couple of hours when we got back to the van :) But the call of Eoligarry
Bay became too much as the wind eased a bit so I rigged the same as
yesterday my big freeride kit but with a smaller fin to see if I could gain
a few knots. I set off in the little bay just to the right of the jetty and
spent the first hour sailing from the speedstrip to the left right out into
the bay near to where the ferry to Eriskay passes between the small islands
– very beautiful:) Most of my fastest runs were in the flat water round
the corner to the left despite the wind being lighter and gusty there but
the runs far out into the bay were mega – flat out over the low swell –
this is a top slalom blasting spot and I managed 5 n/mile runs over 20 kts
:) It is great to be out with the Arctic Terns, Gannets and Razorbills and
I sailed through a large flock of Eider ducks putting them in the air!
There was also several seals about keeping an eye on me, I then spent the
last part of the session with short run practising my gybing which is so
much better up here than at bumpy Felixstowe and am disappointed with only
a 18 kt alpha:( as I was planning well round but might be losing some speed
on the exit, perhaps heading upwind too quickly? Still another great
session and I think we are moving onto the Uists tomorrow. Fingers crossed
for a quieter night!!!
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