that moment you know its going pear-shaped . . . .

OK - what's best story about wiping out, or, the moment you know its gonna happen and you can't stop it. . . .

Working from 7am to 4.30pm. 30 degrees. Doing deliveries for a butcher. No aircon in my car. Sticking to the vinyl seat. Windsurfer on the roof. From midday I see the wind coming in. Trees getting more active. 3.30, do my last delivery and head back to the shop. Boss says he has one more for me. Its gotta be 18 to 20 knots by now. Get it done and head for the beach. Get there, its beautiful . . .perfect . . I get a bit emotional taking it all in and then rig up in 2 minutes flat. Grab my board. Run over the hot sand and into the water. Basically throw the board and jump in one movement and I'm on . . .pumping my ass off. Planing in about a second, feet in straps, harness hooked, wind in hair . . . . . . . . . rocks in field of vision . . . . . . . fin snapped off and left behind as I spin out and lose it.

Spent all day dreaming about getting onto the water and within 5 seconds, have snapped my only fin and have to pack up and leave.

Must be 25 years ago but it still hurts to recall.

Sailing at Wellington Point. There is a channel on the southern side of the jetty where everyone sails. On the northern side there is a boat ramp with a small channel leading out to the bay. One day I realised I wasn't going to make the usual channel and decided to try the other one on the northern side. Came screaming in (yeah I know, brain parked in neutral) where I thought it was and hit the rocks going flat out. The water was only a foot deep and I thought for sure I had ripped the bottom out of the board. Picked myself and it up and couldn't believe there was absolutely no damage to either, and the fin was still there. Turned around and sailed back out again and vowed never to go there again. The Fanatic Bee lived to tell the tale. Pretty solid board.

^^^ Yep, done that one too.

Racing down the beach after work, get the gear into the water, run the foot down the back of the fin and get 6 stiches in the big toe

Years ago, spent most of the day doing brick paving down the narrow side of our house- wind starting to pick up, I get excited and decide it's time to down tools. Bit of a mad rush to transport board and other gear from the shed at the back to the car in the driveway at the front, dodging wheel barrow and other paving stuff down the side path.

All ready to go- last bit of gear to carry is a few sails, holding the sail bags by their handles. Half running down the path I get to the wheelbarrow and promptly hoik the sails into the air above my head to clear it- and in the process dislocate my shoulder. Sails dropped to the ground, sick feeling in the stomack knowing from experience how it goes from here. Wife empties gear from car in preparation to take me to hospital to have it put back in, mother-in-law over in minutes to look after the kids. Luckily able to get the shoulder back in using the dining table technique without leaving home.

No sailing for a month

Last run of the day, late, big downwinder then a massive upwind to get home, 2km offshore. Gybe for the upwind back to the car, pump the sail CRACK!!!!!!! mast breaks just above the boom. Bugger, that's a bloody long swim.

Went out at Nobby's back in the 90's out about a km and the wind died. Had to swim it in. Sidecrawl on the same side all the way imagining fins ( it was late in the day).. Couldn't move the next day ( at least arm you swim with! ).

Today at shearwater, went to put my front foot in the strap. Only my big toe was in the strap as a 35 kt gust came and catapulted me. Ended up underwater and under the sail still hooked it. Spent a few seconds frantically trying to un hook. Provably my worst stack to date.

Remembered another one.

Last run of the day back in May (well it would have been even if I hadn't planned it as it turns out). Had worked upwind on the last few runs so I'd get a nice reach back into the beach. Wind had picked up during the session and I was well overpowered with a 6.6 up. Some large swells coming through, so hopping over a few, riding a few down the face. Half way to the beach I'm surfing down the face of a large swell and its like coming down a roller coaster, speed kicks up really quickly. I get the speed wobbles and I know that I am losing it. Rail digs a bit first then the nose goes under . . . . . . . . .CATAPULT. Still hooked in and I hit the nose of the board. Broken rib. Felt that one all winter.

In the early nineties (i.e. before mobile phones) I was out at Valentine on Lake Macquarie sailing a southerly buster. My universal ruptured in the middle of the lake. The wind caught my board and pushed it down wind. I couldn't swim fast enough to catch the board. So I swam back to the rig and commenced the long swim back to shore with the rig in tow. Was finally spotted by another sailor who dragged me and my rig back to shore.

In the mean time, a friend who was racing in the windsurfer OD fleet at Marmong Point, noticed the board and brought it back to Marmong Point. He recognised the board as mine, so he returned to another mates house at Marmong and rang my wife and asked to speak to me. When my wife said i was not at home, he had to tell her he had found my board floating on the lake without me.

Police were contacted and much constenation ensued until I got home much later that day.