Windsurfing General Pre 2013

NEWTOWNARDS SAILING CLUB

 

WINDSURFING NEWSLETTER

 

CONTENTS


Regata Races

Donegal Booking Now

It's June Jim - but not as we Know it!

25th July - Old Boot

Kit for Sale

Donegal Update

Pier 36 GPS Challenge

The Usual Bits at the End

 

REGATTA NEXT WEEKEND.
BOOK NOW FOR DONEGAL

REGATTA RACES

 

Anyone who was out windsurfing this weekend could not believe it was June - it felt like Winter. However June it is - and that means the club regatta. So what has a bunch of jolly sailors crawling along on the water got to do with us windsurfers? Well the answer is of course that it's a good excuse for us to have some fun too. Yes, it's race time. The details are simple :

Be at the club at 10:30 on Saturday 13th

Pay £5 and get your races and food afterwards

Various races and of course a masterblaster (across the Lough and back)

All abilities can join in - you don't have to be good to take part or even win. Sure I won it a couple of years ago, so anyone can!

Prizes for the winners both of the races and various other annoying categories that we'll make up on the day. Wookie won biggest wipeout a few years ago and he got to kiss a TV weather girls as a prize (she then ran off with a politician who in turn ran off with a Cheeky Girl - all because of one kiss from the Wookie).

 

So get yourself down to the club and just have a good fun day out! Weather girls and Wookie kisses are extra...

 

DONEGAL BOOKING NOW


The good news is that we've sorted out this year's Donegal Wave Clinic. The bad news is that we haven't sorted out this year's Donegal Wave Clinic! Confused?

What we do know is that :

The course will run 12th - 17th October
However it may start early ie 10th October
Open to NSC members and non-members
Jim Collis will be providing coaching, but this may not be for the full week
The format will again be Loch Altan hotel as an excellent base and driving to whichever location is firing
Cost will depend on the amount of coaching but will be a maximum of £250 plus the hotel deal (E40 per night bed and excellent breakfast)
We will take bookings for the full week or for 3 or 4 days chunks.

We know this must appear confusing, but the problem is that Jim has taken on a new career and won't know until nearer the time what his working rota will be. So, best case, he's free the whole week and we run as normal. Worst case, he's only free part of the time and we fly him over for say 4 days or whatever.

But we can't sit and wait until he knows. We need to make bookings and of course many of us need to book time off in advance from work, wives and anything else. So we've gone for this week and we'll make the best use of the time.

We anticipate fewer people this year, despite the excellent reputation this course has gained. So the quality of the coaching will be even better.

So start being nice to your wives and get a £100 non returnable deposit into me as soon as you can.

Get booking now!

 

 

IT'S JUNE JIM - BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

 

There have been various bits of windsurfing going on - but not as much as we might have expected at this time of year.

Friday night saw about half a dozen people down at Oxford Island braving the murky waters of Lough Neagh. An erratic northerly blew all day and most were on about 6m. When I arrived at teatime they were mostly on the shore talking bollox - a sure sign that the wind wasn't good. One guy was on the water, but when I commented that he wasn't going up wind much I was told 'Sure Kevin never goes up wind'. Now how true an Ulsterism is that - and how true of so many...

I rigged for what I saw, hence 9.4 and big board. Naturally the wind immediately came back and in fact flattened most of the 6m gang. By the time I'd also rigged by 6m, it was back to 9.4. Ever thought it wasn't going to be your night? It certainly proved to be like that for me as on my first run I hit something hard (but not rock) with a might crash. Limping in I found my skeg at 45 degrees to my board - but magically little damage. But could I get the one remaining screw out (Tuttle box)? So I just bent the skeg back into place, put in another screw and had a good sail. Only when  I got home did I manage to get the fin off the board - the 100mm screw being bent in 2 places into an S shape. It just shows you how strong a Tuttle box is.

Incidentally, I know many of you won't have sailed Oxford Island, but it's a good spot, especially if there any north in the wind. You head for the nature walks and then rig on the grass - usually to the amusement (and sometimes delight) of the people in the cafe. What is the fascination amongst elderly ladies in watching men getting changed in the outdoors? Well, I suppose it beats birds and rabbits - but not by much.

It's a pretty safe location, although shallow in a few places. But beware it isn't salt water. It tastes horrible, but then salt and seaweed aren't up to much either. Your kit will feel different (less float) and I have heard of one girl who came a cropper when she rammed a dead cow in the water. It wasn't the impact, but the job of getting her board back out again which caused the problem apparently. Mind you, the only interesting thing I've met on the lough was a seaplane which landed near Wookie and I.

Friday was the last of the very warm days we had all this week - but Saturday was windy and very cold. A large crowd gathered at Cloughy, most having toured all of the possible wave locations on the Irish sea coast but to no avail. And it was freezing! Winter suits were on and my hands actually started to freeze up. Where is global warming when you need it.
 
 
Shipman at speed, gybing at Cloughy.
 
Shipman mid gybe Cloughy
 
Most of the usual suspects were there. Ming the Merciless was out for speed and did break 30 knots, but never made the most of the flat water inside the reef due to poor board and fin choices. But he has now added to his metal collection. We know already that a large part of his body is made of Titanium, as doctors gradually replaced the bits he broke at various sports. Rugby was the main culprit, but even today he still jumps off mountains on skis and stuff. We were horrified when he smiled - not surprising really, it is enough to make most grown men sick - to find he's now got metal in his mouth. He removed this shiny metal thing which looked for all the world like he'd eaten half a cake cutter and the rest was stuck in his mouth. Jaws - that was it, not the Wookie-eating shark variety, more the James Bond baddy type last seen cast off in space by Roger Moore. Actually, does anyone have Roger's number, maybe he could do the same for Ming?
 
Ming the Merciliess Cloughy.
 
Ming Cloughy
 
Wookie, Raptor, Shipman and I played up near the reef in the hunt for waves. I watched Wookie do an immaculate wrong side move when, still at planing speed, he jumped round the mast, tacked the board from the wrong side of the sail and then blasted off. You could really hate someone like that, but then you also got to see the ones he tried where it all went wrong. And talking of crashes I had a few good ones myself - mostly caused by my FSW board being in dock (hurry up Ross!) and having to use an old style F2 Ride - one of the those yellow rocket jobs. An interesting board to be using in those conditions.
 
Pat, no doubt after another 'gybe' at Cloughy.
 
Pat Cloughy
 
Pat Lyner exhausted himself. Like many he was on 6m and, despite forecasts to the contrary 5.5m would probably have been better. Guy appeared and blasted about, the cold dictating that he covered himself up - thus sparing us from being dazzled by his usual bling. John Cunningham was also up near the reef, but quite a few stayed downwind and just blasted in and out of Cloughy Bay. Hern Dog was prepared to go up in the air on almost any bit of chop and Russell was outstanding - or at least his rear end was as he seems to be going through a phase of reverse pelvic thrusts being an integral part of his carve gybing technique.

We were on the water from 11 to 4 and there were some tired and seriously cold people by the end of the day. Still, at least it didn't snow, but it felt like it might.

25TH JULY - OLD BOOT

 

We're pleased to announce that there will be a car boot and Try Windsurfing Day at the club. The details so far are :

Windsurfing Taster Lessons at a very low price
Car boot sale for windsurfing kit
A sales of Ronnie Miller's kit for charity
Hot food

More details to follow - but mark 25th July in your diary!


KIT FOR SALE

Now we get some good excuses for people selling kit, but how about selling because you've just taken a job at a windsurfing centre on Fuerta? Well, the lucky person who's parents weren't married at the time of his birth is Andrzej - whom many of you will know on sight but perhaps not by name - and certainly not by spelling. Andrzey is keen to off load this gear quickly as he's off shortly :
Hi!
I have lot of windsurfing equipment for sale.

Can i place my advertisement  on the Newtonards Sailing Club websaite

Many Thanks  Andrzej.

Boards
F2-Eliminator 103 l  /2006/ Good cond. 300,-
F2-Spice         86 l/2008/exelent cond. 400,-

Sails
Neilpryde Hellcat  7.2 /2008/Very good cond.200,-
Arows Trixx          7.2/2005/good cond          120,-
Naish  Sprint        6.6/2006/good cond          170,-
Maui Sails Switch 5.6/2006/good cond           150,-
 
Boom
Neilpryde  X9   160-210/2008/   very good cond    250,-
Maui     aloy T8 135-195/2008/ very good cond      80,-

Contact :Andrzej  mob 07912253183 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


I feel it is your duty to grab a bargain here - it serves him right for going off to enjoy himself windsurfing like that!

 

2009 PIER 36 GPS CHALLENGE

 

The challenge is still running and score are improving. Shipman is knocking on the door of 30 knots and lot of others are returning scores.

Ming is still in the lead with 32.6 nots - and trying hard to improve this.

For up to date scores go to :

http://www.newtownardssailingclub.co.uk

And click on the link at the top right corner.

 

And why not join in - any member can take part  for £15.