TEASED!!!

Well we did all we could yesterday to go for a sail ... but we were denied our big run.

We got onto the course as soon as the tide allowed us. The wind was still building and still too far west which meant we had a small swell running parallel to the beach. Even when the wind was bang on in our range... it was too far west. This usually means it is still building and it will only peak when it has swung well into the SSW. This turned out to be the case. With winds up to 31 knots we chose to sit and wait in the timing huts taking turns to hold the boat.

We often commented on one of the best decisions we ever made in this project... changing from wetsuits to MUSTO drysuits. The level of comfort goes up tenfold. Now when people come out to help... there is a chance they will come back again:) The wind and the cold just don't get through and even after a few hours of standing in the water in howling wind I laughed watching the guys playing around like kids blowing up their suits and having drifting races and sumo wrestles. The 'waiting game' is no fun out here if the cold and wet is soaking through to your bones. Comfort really matters as it allows you to focus soley on the objective.

So the wind blew, the timing hut shook, the snack bag grew light... and everything got sand blasted... and we waited.

The fact is that we couldn't have gone back even if we wanted to. With the tide still flooding into the lagoon against the strong wind, the chop on the crossing would have been punishing. We had to wait until the tide turned at least. The 'live feed' kept us entertained.

The wind began to drop slightly as 31 knot gusts dropped to 30 then 29. The wind had swung into the SSW and the swell disappeared. It was only wind chop now. I began to think we just might get a run in and optimism returned all round. We struggeled to get our 'sixth hand' today for various reasons so we called a good friend in local tour operator Naude Dreyer. He dropped everything and came out to help. Naude predicted the wind would drop due to the large clouds building way in the North. I wasn't so sure as usually once it is in... It's in.

We all began watching the TACKTICK display. I decided when we stopped seeing solid '27's that the gig would be on. As soon as that was the case we jumped and headed to the top of the course. By the time we got there... the wind had softened considerably... and moments later we knew the best had gone. I don't kick myself. It was a very unusual situation and none of us would have guessed it would be that sudden. So we did a run anyway.

It went well and VESTAS SAILROCKET sailed beautifully. In winds averaging around 14-15 knots we managed a 34.88 knot peak and a 32.87 average over 500 meters. One trick I tried at the end was stopping in a straight line by pulling on the forward bridle to force the wing to feather... It worked really well... but conditions were mild to say the least. Still it is worth exploring further.

So the rain clouds are still messing with us. Today is not forecast to be that strong but we will remain on standby nonetheless. I'll try and get some video posted.

Cheers, Paul.