WINDSURFING E-NEWSLETTER
CONTENTS
No Room on the Rigging Area
2009 GPS Challenge
BIG TURN OUT FOR THE RACES!
NO ROOM ON THE RIGGING AREA
Maybe it was the forecasts, maybe it was that word got round that we were being served Bin Laden soup or maybe it was just Pat's excellent organising - but the crowd turned out for Saturday's races - and as you may just about have guessed by now the rigging area was bunged!
The races were of course a feeder to Maurice's slalom event 4-5 April at Malahide, but in fact it was glorious combination of the fast and the furious (the serious racers) and the rest of us just out for a bit of fun. Pat's plan was two fold. Firstly to get his entire extended family (including his bored wife) to come down and do all the logistics and food and secondly to run as many races as we could fit in around the highest tide. Lawrence and Brian ran a rescue boat which was actually fairly busy and Pat looked after the races.
The first race stared from the slipway and was won by Mr Wookie, aided by a fantastic crash by Maurice Owens. The conditions were to say the least difficult. When we all arrived around 10:30 the wind was light and 7.5m were being rigged. Then it came up and 5.5-6.5m were being broached. But it never made up its mind and in fact it was one of those days when you thought that some bored teenager had been given the wind knob and was just randomly turning it up and down. There were times of near flat calm followed instantly by 25-30 mph. Crazy. And of course the way to win races (not that I'd ever have anything to worry about in this department) is to rig a stupidly big sail and then somehow hold it down in mental conditions. Maurice did the first bit, but rather failed on the second.
The highlight of the first race was naturally enough at the first outside gybe marker. Once the serious bods had whizzed through about 10 of us fun racers converged in a pile up around the marker. I got round but didn't lean forward enough and so was exiting slowly out the back door only to find my bottom instead of dipping into the water, landing on Pat's board. 'Get out of my f**ing way', 'no, you get off my f**ing board' - anyway it was highly comical and of course ended up with our boards and rigs locked together - bang went out (non existent) chances of winning.
The second face was won by Maurice with Mr Wookie second. But it was characterised by a huge rise in the wind. I was on 6.3m on my Z-ride (120) hanging on for dear life when I saw the gust hit. The sails all went down like 9 pins and the next thing I know my kit is ripped from my hands and is somersaulting away from me. I'd no chance of catching up with it so I had to wait for the rescue boat plus the inevitable abuse that goes with it.
Lunch was called and 20 windsurfers sat in the conservatory and drank the chief terrorist's soup - which was delicious and not a hair of his beard in it either.
We moved now to handicapped races, something quite a few of us felt particularly well qualified for. Various cripples were dispatched at intervals as Pat and Maurice saw fit and then the real racers tore after them and of course overtook them. The idea was that we'd all finish approximately together but of course this didn't happen.
The next race sort of disintegrated as the wind became even more flukey and I'm not actually sure who won. Various boards were floating around and for once the racers and the ragged rest of us were equal in lack of speed. When the race was over there were still quite a few boards out with various people stuck waiting for enough wind to waterstart. Most uphauled and got back, but Fanta Pants had been stupid enough to go out without an uphaul. So even on his 120ltr board, he had no chance of getting home. In the end he joined the swollen ranks of people 'rescued' by Lawrence and co. Phil 'Casper' McConnell arrived late, rigged and promptly shot off down wind until eventually the rescue boat felt sorry enough for him to go fetch.
Lots of people were about. Paula represented the fair secs, while Guy and Harry (yes, Mr Doorknob is back) represented the secs that dare not say its name. (Yes I can spell, but spam filters are a real curse). Shipman was rocketing around on his JP while Ming wasn't so much merciless as grimly awful looking, even for him. Just out of his bed with flu, clearly still ill and full of narcotics, he'd been forced to swear to his good wife that he wouldn't sail. So he's now Ming the Truthless. We had some non-sailing visitors including ex-fireman Richard who says he's loving it in his new job. We suspect this means he now works for McDs... And Lewis wandered down to give abuse and remind us that this year's GPS challenge is running. We were also amazed to see Tim McCartney out so early, indeed he had a good sail, while NZ Tim had an even better one. Maurice, Simon and other visitors swelled the ranks and as I may have mentioned the rigging area was full.
Raptor seemed to have a strange racing technique in that I'm sure I saw him doing the odd forward loop. Maybe he thinks he can fly though the air faster than he can sail?
The only person missing was Andy who preferred swopping bodily fluids with Mr Yeates in Donegal to supporting the races.
The prizes were given out in the clubhouse in between the rugby internationals with Mr Wookie and Maurice sharing the goodies. The rest of us weren't too worried as we tucked into our burgers and chips.
A good day at the races and Pat is threatening to run another one even before the regatta in June.
2009 GPS CHALLENGE
In case you'd forgotten, the 2009 GPS challenge is under way. Same rules as last time ie handicapped and open, £15 to enter and you've got until October when we all have far too much to drink at Pier 36 - who are generously sponsoring this again. Prizes aren't sorted yet, but will of course be wonderful. And the club has 2 GPS units (thanks for Pier 36) which members can book out at any time.
One witness required at the club, 2 (members) if you're sailing somewhere else. And 4 year old son's don't count Trevor.
The current leader is Paddy Pole Dancer with 26.4 knots, but we know the winner will be well into the thirties, so sign up and get speeding!