DunkO said...
An annual mag that nsw sailors could contribute articles and photos would be awesome, just a little reminder of the season and sessions gone down.
I've got to get a water camera, in the last year I have seem some crazy sailing at some serious waves whilst sitting in the channel. Then again maybe they are best remembered over a beer in the pub.
The best session of the season for me was watching Duncan and George trying to out do each other at a very heavy point down south.
35 knot southerly with 6-8 ft swell running and Geoarge makes the call on where to sail. I rock up feeling pretty unsure about the whole thing but Duncan is in the carpark ready to go. George then shows up frothing like a grom, telling us how sick it's going to be. His enthusiasim is infectious, so we rig like men possesed and we're out there in no time.
George throws caution to the wind straight away. He smacks the lip, gets caught in the foam and goes over the falls. Straight up on the rock shelf!! Ha ha.
He bounces around in amongst the rocks, gets washed into the channel by the next set and he's ready charge again. ......except his boom has buckled on the waveriding side. So he floats downwind, de-rigging in the water swapping the boom around so he'll be sweet for waveriding again.
Sailing in 35 knots with a f@cked boom is far from ideal yet George must have sailed 1km out to sea with this badly bent boom to make it back to the break.
Meanwhile, Duncan and i are getting dialled into the place. Smoothest waves i've ever riden but breaking meters from the rocks. I'm embarrasing myself out on the shoulder but Duncan is pushing it pretty hard. He drops into a solid mast high wave, turns hard of the bottom followed by a mid face carve as the wave hits the shelf and the bottom drops out of it. I reckon the nose of his board was at least a couple of centermeters under the water before it surfaced again allowing him to escape the solid lip following right behind. He disappeared in the spray for a few seconds before laying down another bottom turn then off down the line. Lucky escape.
By this stage George has made it back to us and gets some very solid rides. He is taking off way deeeep and soon pushes it too far, getting smashed by a set and washing up onto the shelf again. This time there's no coming back. Pretty much all his gear is pulverised onto the rocks. Lucky for Duncan though, because at least George is there to grab Duncans gear as he goes up onto the rocks two waves later after another one of those mid face carves beneath this heaving death slab.
Me. i watch the whole show, hooting at the sick rides then laughing at my mates misfortune. As the last man standing, I sail back down wind to get the ute so i can give the wounded warriors a lift back to their vehicles.
Smiles all around. What a day!!
Moral of the story : If you get the call from George you've gotta go!
, Thanks to all that got in front of my lens...I had over 10000 images to look through....There's a lot more that I'll add later.
