I'm pretty sure gpstc has been going for 18 years this month helping our windsurfing community sail faster meet more windsurfers interstate and overseas, would like to thank the whole team for all the help you have been over the years i know our team has benefited we are all sailing faster and have the records on your website to prove it.
So thank you, Happy Birthday, I'll have a bottle of red for you tonight.
Cheers Wayne Bowness
PS If I'm wrong with the dates thanks anyway.

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conan said..
.... we are all sailing faster and have the records on your website to prove it. ...

and the scars on your bodies

Happy recovery Wayne, you are a legend !!!

Hope all is well Wayne, and your recovery from LG has gone well.

I suspect you're correct Wayne.
The first post I have for Mandurah Mob is 12 May 2007, with Hardie Bender and Elmo posting. It's possible there were earlier posting elsewhere as May is in the doldrums here.

Yes began May 2007, its been a huge success, and thanks to everyone who has contributed to its success!!

Good reminder Wayne and thanks for that.
My records show my first post was on the 10th of May 2007, when I was with FNQ Mob. The GPSTC Sessions for 2007 shows FNQ Mobs first post was on the 27th of May with Troppo and I. Either way it's been a terrific journey, I have got to meet and sail with a great bunch of welcoming sailors across Aus

Some amazing results have been posted by everyone from out first PB to cracking 30knts and breaking 10,000km sailed. Then the over achievers who have gone further & faster and more often than the average Joe Blow. Lets see out 20,25 & beyond yrs

The first post on the list

gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2007-05-03&team=17

Thanks Elmo

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GEOFF RINGE said..
Hope all is well Wayne, and your recovery from LG has gone well.

Yeah all healed, sailed primbee last Saturday all good just need more wind. Looking forward to LG next year if it has more water in it

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GEOFF RINGE said..
Hope all is well Wayne, and your recovery from LG has gone well.

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elmo said..
The first post on the list

gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2007-05-03&team=17

22 of May for me

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conan said..

GEOFF RINGE said..
Hope all is well Wayne, and your recovery from LG has gone well.

Yeah all healed, sailed primbee last Saturday all good just need more wind. Looking forward to LG next year if it has more water in it

GEOFF RINGE said..
Hope all is well Wayne, and your recovery from LG has gone well.

Good to hear you're back sailing. SA will need some drought breaking rain for the lake to be usable next year.

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sboardcrazy said..


Good to hear you're back sailing. SA will need some drought breaking rain for the lake to be usable next year.

Bring the land yachts, don't let the lack of water stop you !

GPSTC is probably a big part of why I'm so enthusiastic about getting into sailing the last few years.
Online windsurfing communities based on GPS sailing data. Super cool!

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MobZ said..
GPSTC is probably a big part of why I'm so enthusiastic about getting into sailing the last few years.
Online windsurfing communities based on GPS sailing data. Super cool!

Cracking 30 for the first time gets the juices flowing.

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Imax1 said..
Cracking 30 for the first time gets the juices flowing.

Cracking 40 for the first time, even more so!

GPSTC massively increased my TOW and places sailed. From only sailing for about an hour locally pre GPS, put the challenge out and I'm driving 300km to get to the right spot and sailing 6hrs trying to crack a PB! Nuts!!

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sboardcrazy said..

conan said..

GEOFF RINGE said..
Hope all is well Wayne, and your recovery from LG has gone well.

Yeah all healed, sailed primbee last Saturday all good just need more wind. Looking forward to LG next year if it has more water in it

GEOFF RINGE said..
Hope all is well Wayne, and your recovery from LG has gone well.

Good to hear you're back sailing. SA will need some drought breaking rain for the lake to be usable next year.

Lilacs might get busy?

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Stretchy said..
GPSTC massively increased my TOW and places sailed. From only sailing for about an hour locally pre GPS, put the challenge out and I'm driving 300km to get to the right spot and sailing 6hrs trying to crack a PB! Nuts!!

It's called getting your priorities right.

You did fight and resist Bender's siren song for so long too!

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Imax1 said..

MobZ said..
GPSTC is probably a big part of why I'm so enthusiastic about getting into sailing the last few years.
Online windsurfing communities based on GPS sailing data. Super cool!

Cracking 30 for the first time gets the juices flowing.

Totally.
30 was a big thing. I'd gone faster than any of my home crew (less than a handful of us). But when i got it, i was well accustomed to reading GPSTC posts from big guns where 30 is a very slow day. So the push keeps going. All of a sudden 30 feels like just the beginning. A 30 hour would be good Should keep me busy.

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decrepit said..

Imax1 said..
Cracking 30 for the first time gets the juices flowing.

Cracking 40 for the first time, even more so!

Cracking 40 for the second time, seven years after the first time, EPIC!

High numbers are good, but i really enjoy hearing who farted the loudest, how Freddy's dogs breakfast blew away before the big session etc.

IMHO, the big numbers don't matter as much as the fun factor engagement. This is the element of online sailing community that i like and probably pushes me the most to improve.

A 50kt peak or a 600k session would be nothing without people to share it with, or at least it would be something very different, like a tree falling in the woods with no one to hear it.

But, if it were all just about farts, it would be nothing but a clown show. I like that it fires people up sometimes, the fact that some get their knickers in a knot about it shows that there is a very serious side to it, people care about it, the big numbers are real and are important. Some people can't stand the heat in that kitchen when it's cooking.

Although it is claimed as all just for ****s and giggles, i think it is obvious that it is about a bit more than that also, which is good, as the big guns get serious and set the standard for the rest of the farting clowns to aspire to and work toward, or not, or just to compare farts, it's allllll good.

In 2025 where humans of the world are more disconnected from each other than ever, the ability to connect through sharing GPS sailing data is a powerful thing, and may gain popularity again.
It seems to be trending now with WSTV pushing waterspeed etc.
The thing that GPSTC has over waterspeed is that it is has mostly local strong engagement. It is real. You post about a fart, and sooner or later you are going to face up to someone in real life locally, in Australia. So that helps keep it real. The fact that you may meet all the people you are sharing with someday, or you know someone that knows someone, that is what keeps it in check.
Global comps get too big, so the engagement fizzles out eventually. GPSTC has stood the test of time well for this reason.

I've only been aware of GPSTC for the past few years. I understand the engagement is not nearly as strong as it once was.
I'm guessing that is mostly because of foils and wings. Many of the hardcore speed sailors now do that, and they don't post those sessions as it's not speed sailing.
But the core speed sailors are still at it, keeping the flame alight.
The old farting winging foil men and women should come back and post about their dogs breakfast too please and thank you

Well said MobZ.
I'm now past expecting high numbers, but it's still good getting out there with your mates and posting stuff afterwards.
And having a bit of a rivalry with fellow octogenarians.

Decrepit, I don't see anybody in their eighties going as fast as you. Keep it up. You are an inspiration to us all.

Thanks mate, but Fingers is right on my tail.


He's only down on the alpha, because of his lack of fingers.
He even beat my hour without even gybing.
He's older than me and can still sail further!
He would be well ahead of me on the overall score if he could gybe.

The battle is ON.

Something I noticed was that if you look at the rankings by age group it only includes the sessions done when you were that age. A "reset". It meant all my good sessions were rolled of and I have at times thought about trying to improve them again. But busy foiling and hard to get competitive numbers on a foil. Also had the gps units all fail so that made it a bit hard. Bought myself a garmin so will be back posting foil sessions soon.

The social side of the gpstc is great, meeting so many other keen sailors and sharing the froth.

I do remember a few end of season bbq get togethers but I don't think that has happened for a while.

A fair score system would be speed + age - fingers = your speed

That would make fingers, well up there.

and surely someone would amputate their fingers to be on top !

Nah, it takes great skill to be able to sail with no fingers.