Violent Storm 11

Violent Storm 11....

Well the forecast for today was pretty much off the scale, not often you see violent storm 11 in the met offices inshore forecast...

I first rigged my 4.2 and pocket wave 84, but one try and decided it was a day to use the 3.5 so rigged that instead. Well I say rigged, I pretty much got grit blasted by the sand whipping along the beach, my board took a little trip of it's own downwind (Big thanks to Justin for catching up with it before I got there). It was certainly a battle to keep get the thing rigged in the gusts, but it's all part of the fun.

Having headed out again I still found the wind so strong I was still overpowered on the 3.5, but my biggest problem was the board, at 85 litres and 58 wide every time the wind was getting under it I was getting slammed. Then again we don't get many days like this so it's no real motivation to have a smaller board

Not sure it was fun but I sailed and the sea was imense, mother nature certainly delivered. Of course if the same weather arrived again tomorrow morning I'd be out there sailing again, although maybe not quite so wild for tomorrow wouldn't be too bad.

The pics below of Andy Fawcett sailing don't really do the conditions justice but it does add a sense of scale.