Defeated by a little nut

Grrrrrr…. that’s all I can say.

Usually living here on the beach in West Wales and working as a freelance website designer is perfect for me as it means I can pretty much go windsurfing whenever the wind blows. Unfortunately there has been very little wind for the last month or so, but all that has changed this week so I’ve been looking forward to some proper autumnal windsurfing conditions.

Sure enough the forecasts and charts were right and the wind filled in beautifully yesterday. I didn’t have much work on so by midday I was ready to go out and play on the sea. On went my wetsuit (not a simple task as it was the first time I’d worn my full winter suit for a while). I loaded up the wheelbarrow with my windsurf kit and walked across to the beach. I rigged my sail then went to fit the fin into the bottom of my board only to find that the thread on the nut had worn away and wouldn’t hold the fin in. So, I walked back home leaving my kit on the beach to find a spare. I vaguely remember giving a spare one to someone a while back after the same had happened to them and sure enough I couldn’t find a spare anywhere. I even had a sneaky look in the next door neighbours garage but they use different types of fins so they had nothing that would fit.

All of this meant I’d been wandering around in my wetsuit for about an hour with the wind blowing perfectly, but I had no choice but to walk back across to the beach, pack everything up and head back home without getting out on the water. Worse still, the wind was due to increase over the next few days and there was nowhere that I could buy a replacement.

So, I’m sat here again today with the wind howling, the weather station here is recording 40 knots at the moment, unable to get out on the sea. Thankfully a friend is hopefully bringing a spare with him this afternoon so I might be able to get out tomorrow but at the moment I’m sat here being tortured by the wind. Conditions are wild, the sea is only a hundred yards or so away, I have time on my hands but I can’t get out because of one silly little nut! Grrrrrrrr….

1 Response

  1. Avatar forComment Author Alan says:

    Phew… Simon turned up with a little nut and bolt just in time. It allowed me to bodge the connection between board and fin and at least get out for a quick session on the water…. Dunk then turned up with a few other nuts and bolts so I should be back in business for a while.

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Alan Cole

Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.