we missed evilc for a long time yesterday. its a long swim without wind
standing I the carpark wondering where he is was not funny
is there a lesson in this?
. 
Clive "disappears for a while" out there quite a lot....I reckon he's tending his illegal crop out on Green Island .....?....
(either that or he's got a mermaid stashed out there somewhere)....
It's funny you should mention this as Clive did this last year headed out on a 85ltr only to get stuck way out when the wind died. I kept my eye in him from the car park, after 45 mins I went to the marine rescue station, just as the guys were just about to jump in and get him the wind picked up and Clive sailed back in.
The temptation to sail out a long way can be very strong sometimes. I used to give in to it a lot, but lately I've tried to rein it in a bit. It's no good being kilometers out to sea when something goes amiss!
If you going for a long run then I think you should sail with a bud ...........
FYI Moreton Bay is about 25 K's wide in parts 
Another Option I've used is you de-rig the sail, put it all onto the board and tie it on with downhaul, uphaul etc ( I generally carry extra rope) and either lie on top and paddle or swim beside the board...
There are always options, all you have to do is get to land..
Since I tend to enjoy sailing all over the place I usually have a mobile and if I decide on a long haul (ie Wello up round Peel etc) then I carry a PLB and soon will have a Handheld VHF...
You just have to think through how to save yourself before you head out...
Cheers
Dave
Its amazing nobody has got into serious problems when you look at some conditions we go out in, keep safe everyone, getting to that time of year were wind is off shore and dodgy
I've had a two and a half hour swim back when the wind died between wello and lota creek. It happened on dusk also, not a lot of fun swimming back in the dark.
Not such an issue on a big board but on a small board it can be a real problem.
One method I have used before is to pull the downhaul rope off the cleat so the board can accidently become separated from the rig, let the board get blown back to shore a few kilometres from where you set off, swim the rig to where the board ended up and find someone with a ute to give you a lift back to where you started from. I used this technique in my first year of windsurfing when my mast went through the top of the luff pocket when sailing offshore at Viccy Point 
Hi Clive,
bad bad bad theory! I would never ditch the board. I can only guess your joking. It would be impossible to swim the rig by itself.
Just roll all your kit up stick on top of your board and start paddling or just get into the waterstart position and swim your kit from here (boom resting on board.)
All else fails hang onto a marker like I did one night until a boat comes and picks you up.
Soo" being a struggling intermediate, on a 130 litre board,what advantages do sinkers have that outway the possibility of becominga shark biscuit when the wind drops?
I' just wonder if the same trends and fads exist as they do in surfing. Boards got ridiculously thin and narrow in the nineties on and now I'm riding boards the same dimensions as boards of the late seventies plus a fin or two. Much more user. Friendly .
