Back on the water at last – Just
I seem to have been out of sync with the wind lately. It’s been promising much all week with some almost there NE’s in the morning and then plenty of wind around school run time only for it to drop as soon as I had chance to get on the water. I’d tried to get out a couple of times but the wind just hadn’t played ball.
There wasn’t much hope for today though and by school run time there was nowhere near enough. Dinner time came along so there was nothing for it but to have a huge curry and some cider. Then, later than usual the wind started filling in. Before I knew it the wind was hitting 25 knots so there was nothing for it but to give it a go. I was in two minds as I thought it would only drop as it had come through so late in the day, but if I didn’t give it a go I would only have sat there getting more and more agitated as it continued to blow.
I loaded up the wheel barrow with my Naish Hybrid Freewave 86 ltr board and a 5m and 5.6m rig and all of the usual spares. I rigged the bigger of the two sail, got on the water and there wasn’t enough wind. Great, it was going to be one of those wasted attempts yet again. I don’t give up that easily though so gave it another go and as I did the wind filled in. I got going and was soon blasting along nicely powered up as the wind continued to pick up. Before long it was a solid 25 knots and I was perfectly powered up and having a good sail. It continued to pick up, getting closer to 30 knots and then PING I snapped a footstrap screw as I carved into a turn.
Had it been anything else that I’d broken it would have been fine:
Harness lines? Yep, I had spares on the beach
Downhaul? Yep, I had spares on the beach
Outhaul? Yep, I had spares on the beach
Boom? Yep, I had spares on the beach
Fin? Yep, I had spares on the beach
Fin bolt? Yep, I had spares on the beach
Mast foot? Yep, I had spares on the beach
Mast extension? Yep, I had spares on the beach
The wind was now around 25 – 30 knots so I even had a spare sail and mast on the beach, but a poxy little footstrap screw? Nope, no spare! I could have ran home and got one but it was now 8pm and the tide was on the pebbles so I thought it was best to pack up and vow to always put a spare footstrap and screw in the wheelbarrow.
It was OK whilst it lasted, but I had hoped to be out for longer than 25 minutes.
