Good to hear you survived Al. Them big swims are scary

Has the rig turned up?


On 25th October 2008, justal wrote:

quote:

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Windsurfing: Ynyslas
Wind Direction: SW
Wind Stength: 25-35 knots
Surf / Sea State: 4-5 foot messy surf
Air Temperature: 11¬?C
Sea Temperature: 14¬?C
Weather: Cloudy

A pretty mad session in mad conditions. One guy had already been out butb decided it was too much for him. Richard was rigging up when Steve and I walked over to have a look. Decided to take the 5m and JP across to the beach along with my 4.5m and Naish board.

I expected to see the others out on the water by the time I got back to the beach, but they weren't so I rigged my 5m and little wave board and got out there. I was perfectly powered but it was pretty big out there with some gnarly looking waves. I made it out the back in one piece and had a few more runs in and out but still no-one else was out so I sailed upwind to the car park and went to see where they were.

Richard and Steve were just about ready to go out and I don't think they believed me quite how big it was... that was until they had a go themselves. After his first run Steve said it was pretty scary out there and Richard went back to the car and sent a while changing down to smaller kit.

Meanwhile Steve and I were having fun and quite an adrenalin rush contending with the waves and tough seas.

Then things went wrong for me. Out the back I did a small jump off the back of a wave and my UJ snapped. I was still hooked in and holding onto the sail so my board went scooting off in front of me leaving me floundering with a detached sail. I then got hit by a big wave and rolled over a few times and when I surfaced my board was nowehere to be seen and my rig was slowly sinking. There was no chance of swimming back with my rig and then I saw my board about 100 m downwind and slightly inshore of me. I started swimming after it but after getting hit by a couple more big waves it disappeared from sight, so the only option left was to swim back to shore. It took quite a while battling through the waves and the rip but I eventually made it back to shore and thankfully my board had already washed up on the beach as well.

Steve and I took a walk along the beach later in the day looking for my rig but it was nowhere to be seen. Quite an expensive day, one 5m sail, a 100% carbon mast and a boom lost at sea!

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Thats sucks the big one, scary swim as well I bet. Just be stoked that your cyceling loads and quite fit, or it could have been harsh!!!!!!!! It must be a year since I last called the rnli for you as well Al, LOL

I looked at the sea up at shell Island on Saturday thats all I did do stuff stayed in the car very big and scary, no one else out, wrecked tents all over the campsite.

Al, i think you have forgot about the 4/5 kitesurfers who were out having a ball!!!

And Sunday was even better lots of kites out a 2 Windsurfers!!.

The swim wasn't quite as bad as last time I lost a rig out there... That time it took me ages to get back in even with the board. What made it worse this time was that I didn't have my board either, but it wasn't too bad.
I always knew that I wouldn't have any problem with the swim, it was just an expensive afternoon!

If anyone finds a 5m rig washed up then its mine! I phoned the coastguard when I got back just to let them know... Wouldn't want them sending out a search party when the kit washes up somewhere.

Steveo... I may have gone out on Sunday as well if I'd had any kit to do so!!

Al.

had this happen to me as well Al
board never turned up ,
rig I got back next day ! it travelled all way to weston super mare from barry , still have rig it was completly undamaged .

One local guys lost all his about 5miles out few sesaons back ! to far to swim , got picked up by rescue chopper few hrs after going missing sitting on one of the ship markers out in middle of bristol channel !

Glad to hear everyone else on Saturday found it tough. I'm only really starting to tackle waves and it was my first time in Borth on Saturday... didn't look too bad on the shore but, once out I found myself in the maddest conditions I've been in, being constantly hammered by waves. Then after falling in on my 2nd run out, my board shot off after ducking the rig under a crashing wave. Thankfully it was only about 30m swim with the rig to where i could stand up and a walk down the beach to my board. But it knocked what ever was left of my confidence so I decided to call it a day.

Hope to be back in slightly calmer conditions

Nice one... We saw you out there and then walking back up the beach whilst we were rigging.

Good to see you giving it a go, but those weren't the best of conditions to get to grips with sailing on the sea!

Al.

I've just bought some new kit to replace the lost rig.... Couldn;t stand it any longer sat here listening to the wind howling outside...

A new 5m Gun Hammer, 400cm 100% Carbon RDM mast, Aeron wave boom, 100% carbon RDM extension, wave base, harness lines and boom bumper are on their way to me now!

Hopefully I'll be back on the water soon.

Al.

Good to hear it Al. I'm sure you got your moneys worth out of the lost kit as well. What were your toybox stats saying?

Good point Jonny... Although

Sail had only been used 12 times
Mast: 62 uses
Boom: 19 uses

The mast was getting close to needing to be replaced but the other kit was all pretty new 2008 kit bought in May.

Al.