Here Comes Winter!
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AUTUMN 2013 HERE COMES WINTER! What a wonderful summer we have had this year with plenty of wind and sunshine for all the windsurfing, BBQs and events. It doesn’t seem a second since the Summer issue of the Skeg. Now here we are facing the dreaded Winter months and all the problems they may bring. But cheer up everyone! Forget your woes and let the Skeg cast your thoughts to sun drenched holidays and inspire you to take up yachting, improve your windsurfing or simply overcome your reluctance to go winter windsurfing at the bay. In this issue Turkey, Morocco and Greece await you thanks to Debbie, Alan Tucknott & Mike Boyes. Plus, there are tips for safer winter windsurfing. And there is the amazing story of a board that went for a floatabout for 6 months AND a fishy tale! Here’s hoping for one of those mild winters with temperatures in double figures and loads of wind from the southwest! 1 SUE’S NEWS A big thank you to Richard who volunteered & completed the Ronseal covering of the decking. The club has purchased new, good quality & excellent viewing capacity binoculars. You cannot miss them they are bright yellow & can be found in the hut for anyone to use. And, there is a new cooker! The Blue Box of bits has come in very useful this season so if you are having a clear out of harness lines, harnesses, boots, gloves, or anything small that could be of use to others please add them to the box. The first aid box is now placed in the gap under the cooker. It has a grey top with 2 red crosses on it. As soon as it has a proper home I will advise everyone. The Season is not over yet! Take care everyone Sue x “oh no, I’ve broken another nail...” 2 STARBOARD & TUSHINGHAM DEMO DAY 27 JULY 2013 Well the weather forecast was terrible but after a brief down pour as we unloaded the demo van the sun came out! Justin from Starboard bought lots of different toys for us to play with. The SUP boards were very popular in the morning with a few of us having a small race out to the red buoy and back. The Wind SUPs were well used in the light winds with sails on them. In the afternoon the wind picked up and nearly every demo board and sail was used, including the Tushingham Dino used by Dave the Wave’s boys. There were lots of Starboard Carve’s in different sizes, Tushingham T4’s, Lightnings and the new lighter Concept sails, which was my particular favourite. We had bucks fizz on the decking in the morning then fired up the BBQ at lunchtime, followed by Sue’s delicious cakes and little pots of fruity jelly. Thank you to all those who helped de-rig sails and carry kit back over to the demo van. We were all packed up and finished before the rain, thunder and lightening turned up. Thank you to everyone who turned up to support the day. 3 GONE FISHING! Minnis Bay, Monday, July 22nd. Wind - Force 5 WSW (cross shore). It had been one of the best windsurfing days of 2013. An incredibly constant wind - perfect 6.5m weather. There had been no lulls all day - honest!! I started windsurfing at 11am and sailed initially for 2 hours, blasting straight out on relatively flat water. The sailing included 2 trips to the Hook Beacon. On the second trip the water was chest high as the tide was coming in quite fast. As the tide came in, the wind picked up to a 6 at times, so I changed down to a 5.8 and a lower volume board. Excellent went up a notch! By 2pm there were about 6 boards still out - all revelling in the wind. During the afternoon I had noticed a large fishing boat in the distance. I had been too preoccupied with windsurfing to keep an eye on it all the time. I had kept well away from it all afternoon, giving it very little thought. UNTIL NOW. On this particular run, I blasted out as usual, and after about 400metres I saw an orange buoy ahead. I veered away from the buoy, and thought to myself - “never seen that before!” Then I saw the net. Too late. My fin hit it and I fell in the water. I tried to swim away from the net, but had difficulty freeing my feet, which were tangled up in the net. I was joined by Richard, who suffered a similar fate. We eventually got free and sailed away. No damage done - except to the net, I hope! The net must have been spread out for about 200 metres between 2 buoys parallel to the shore. It was almost impossible to avoid - though one sailor claimed to have jumped over it! We found out that the boat is based in Ramsgate and called the Endeavour. It has fished in the bay before and complaints have been made to the council in the past. However, fishing boats can fish anywhere as long as they mark the nets with black flags and buoys. The Endeavour certainly did not use black flags, and had laid the net very close to a recreational beach, which is an official sailing bay. It seems to me that professional fishermen need a good dose of common sense! 4 Winter Sailing I have 2 overriding memories of windsurfing in the winter. The first is during the long board days at West Bay. It was the very first time I had ever windsurfed in what must have been extremely cold conditions. I remember I was trying out some long rubber gloves that were held away from my wrist by a plastic ring, thereby reducing pressure on the wrist. I am sure I wore a rubber balaclava (or maybe it was just part of my 1970’s gimp suit), yet the pain in my head when I went under was excruciating. It was like the worst migraine you can imagine! And when I came out of the water and took off the gloves (which were useless, by the way) I was in agony - my hands gave me grief for a considerable time. I vowed never to go out again in the winter. But I must have broken that promise because my other memory of winter sailing took place at Minnis Bay, and it was Christmas Eve. My son and I had a great sail until my fin broke, and we took turns in towing each other back to the beach. By the time we got back to shore, it was almost pitch black. We had seen some lights on the beach as we struggled back, and when we got out of the water we then saw a group of people standing by 2 coastguard land rovers. Someone in the flats had seen our predicament and called them. So winter sailing can be cold and dangerous. If something breaks, the time it takes to swim back could mean that you are swimming in the dark. So here is some advice which will enable you to enjoy your winter windsurf and reduce the risk of a catastrophe. 1. Obviously, wear a good steamer. 5/3 will be fine. 2. Winter boots must be worn, though there are some toughies who insist on going barefoot in quite low temperatures. I find, however, that 3mm boots give sufficient feel and keep the feet adequately warm. 3. I never wear gloves - I find that they drain the strength from my wrists. Plus, I never found a pair that stopped my hands from getting cold. So if it is too cold for my fingers, I don’t go windsurfing! If you can recommend some winter gloves, please let the Skeg Team know! 5 4. Make sure that you are warm before you put on the above - changing outside is not recommended, though most of us do it! Use the sailing club or club hut if you don’t have a van. 5. Choose a good time to go out. The late morning is best - early mornings & late winter afternoons are cold and dark. You want to be off the water by mid-afternoon. If you are sailing a long way out at 3pm and you break a mast, you will be swimming in the dark eventually. 6. Try to go out at low tide and don’t sail as far out as you would do in the summer. 7. Go out when you are sure that there is plenty of wind. If there are lots of lulls, you will spend more time in the water and get colder. Mental & physical activity combat the cold. 8. Forget northerly, easterly and NE winds. Who wants to windsurf in Siberia? The temperature can hit 10 plus at any time during the winter if a southerly/SW blows. 9. 10 degrees C is my minimum - though I think I raised it to 12 degrees last winter. I once told a Scottish windsurfer this, and he said he would never be on the water all year if he adhered to that rule! So it all depends on how well you withstand the cold! 10. Of course, stick to the year round safety rules: a) Buddy up. b) Take rope & whistle. PLB. Flare. c) Have the rescue boat out & ready . In fact, all the things we should do all year (but rarely do)... Windsurfing in the winter can, on occasions, be fantastic.