Boxing Day Windsurf with Mast Mount for GoPro

My Christmas Day windsurf wasn’t great as I had too small a sail Boxing day was perfect though. I managed to get out and give my new Mast Mount for a GoPro camera a trial in perfect conditions. It was a glorious day with wall to wall sunshine and a decent 25-30 knot WNW wind blowing. The waves weren’t too bad either. The wind was forecast to drop during the day though so I headed over to the beach after breakfast.

Mast Mount

I had a new Mast Hero mount for my GoPro camera that would allow me to attach it to my mast and therefore take footage looking down on me. It’s a poor mans substitute for a personal camera crew in a helicopter following you around all day! Actually, it’s really a poor mans substitute for the Fly Mount which is a mast mount that costs about twice as much. They both seem to do the same thing though.

The £35 for the Mast Mount seems a bit steep considering what it actually is, but it’s the best value option. It’s composed of 3 small pieces of moulded plastic and a nut and bolt. It clamps to your mast and provides 3 different mast mount options for your GoPro camera. There are mounts on either side and one in front. The side mounts are angled to point directly at your sailing position. It’s lightweight and easy to attach without causing any damage to your sail or mast. It also allows the sail to rotate freely once attached.

Mast Mount

Mast Mount

Mast Mount Footage

The Mast Hero mount seemed to clamp on securely and was easy to adjust, but I must admit that I attached a safety leash to it as well just in case. I didn’t want it coming off mid-wipeout and disappearing complete with my GoPro camera. Once on the water, the shots from it were good. I quite like being able to actually see the camera with it’s reassuring red light showing me that it’s on and recording. When I have the camera on my helmet I can’t see it and often start it when I mean to stop it and vice versa. Here’s the footage from Boxing Day using the mast mount, interspersed with some helmet mount footage too.

I think next time I’ll try it with the camera a little closer to the top of the mast. This should give a wider field of view so that the back of my board is in the frame. Hopefully it’ll still have the horizon in view too so as to give a little bit of a reference point and perspective. I don’t think there is anyway of making the horizon horizontal though, not with the camera pointing down at me anyway. It does make a change for you to actually be able to see me in the footage though. I think I like it!

Boxing Day Windsurf

For those who like to know these things, I was out on my 85ltr Naish Hybrid Freewave board with a 5.7m sail. I was well powered the whole time and loving it! It’s so much nicer when the sun is shining. The water temperature is still around 12ºC as well.

1 Response

  1. Avatar forComment Author Mum says:

    Footage looks good , at least I can see its really you lol, but you see what I mean about the look/ price of the clamp, but I’m guessing it stayed in place ok

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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.

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