when +30knots for the pro's was bloody quick

how embarrassment

Thanks Elmo - That was priceless.

Loved the "high speed" wipeout (and those boardshorts that guy was wearing)
Imagine the drag those glossed boards would of had.

I suppose it's all relative though - will there be an "Old School" post in 20 years commenting "when +50knots for the pro's was bloody quick"

Loved the sound track
It had mrs Bender dancing around the kitchen last night

good stuff Elmo, I love it! It brings

back memories...

There's no school like the old school. We don't see enough pink and yellow in sailing anymore.

Jeez that brings back some memories, the original Weymouth Speed Trials...first year of the Gaastra International Speed team. 1986 I believe and the first speed trial I competed in, was there also in 1987 and 1988. Lived in a house that overlooked the speed course and had a 20 foot shipping container on the beach where I kept all my gear. Remember snow on the beach one December and boy it was the coldest weather and water I had ever sailed in. Starting to feel old now!

Wow that's got the way back machine wound up.

What was the speeds back the Roo?

Roo

Sorry, this video is not Weymouth. It is actually of two events held in consecutive weeks around March 1986 in the south of France in which I competed. The first one at St Maries de la Mare had very little wind, hence all the shots of people rigging up and looking at their boards, or struggling to waterstart. We spent the whole week looking at each other's gear and playing beach volleyball.

The second event was at Port St. Louis, just down the road, and towards the end of the event we got heaps of wind, unfortunately with very cold air temperatures, about 2 degrees C if I recall correctly. Even though the wind was strongly offshore, there was still a small shorebreak rolling through the course, so water conditions were not that great.

Some of the people whose names I remember-
at 30 seconds into the video, Eric Beale, former world speed record holder, first man over 40 knts
at 58s Fred Heywood, former world speed record holder, first man over 30 knts
at 1:21, Brigitte Giminez, former world womens record holder
at 1:35 Me, holding somebody else's rig (with a wierd trailing edge flap) on shore
at 3:00, sail number 1, Pascal Maka, multiple world speed record holder
at 3:28, in the blue skin suit, Peter Bridgman, second man over 30 knts
at 3:33, sail number 20, Jenna de Rosnay, former world womens record holder and the best looking woman I have ever met.
at 3:51, Jenna again, jeez she was a babe!
at 5:33 Fred Heywood
at 6:16, number 5, Eric Beale
at 6:40 Michael Pucher, former world record holder

These were two of the last open water events prior to the trench being used. At the first event at the trench the world record jumped by several knots and the days of open water courses were finished.

I think you might be right Mike, the Johnnie Walker logo on the bibs (I've still got mine all these years later) made me think it was Weymouth but 1986 must have been the year they sponsored Port St Louis as well. The bus looked the the one parked in the boatyard on the Chesil beach next to the Windtek containers but looking more closely at the video it has Planche Mag down the side. Do you remember the hot little French blonde that worked for Serfiac masts that used to go to all the speed events? Cant remember her name. Mind you my memory must be totally shot as I thought the video was from Weymouth!

What I find interesting with these videos is how much thinner the average western person was 20 years ago.

Roo

Different Pacey, I'm from Perth.

The video is definitly of Port St Louis not Weymouth, you only have to see the sand on the beach to confirm that. The hot blonde from Serfiac must have been after my time, my last competition was Sotavento in 87 and I don't remember her. Haven't forgotten Jenna though.

awesome! Wow the COE of a lot (all?) of those sails looks awkwardly high... It makes me feel lazy.

But all "cutting edge" technology for the time.

All the same thing though, "pushing the limits" is still "pushing the limits" no matter what the era.

Still I gotta be glad for all the developments which have happened since then

Definitely PSL - about March/April 1986.
Later that year - about July/August, Pascal Maka blew it all into orbit with 38.86 at Sotovento in the Canaries!

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25 said...

Definitely PSL - about March/April 1986.
Later that year - about July/August, Pascal Maka blew it all into orbit with 38.86 at Sotovento in the Canaries!

Peter Pan

How are you going mate, its been a long time. Last time I saw you I think you were cleaning the dead whale off the beach at Isolators!

Andrew

Hey roo,do you remember the hurican that came through in the 87 weymouth speeds,and the jacobs ladder that flew along the coarse taken a few of the boyz out on the way,pissed me wette it was that funny. what ever happend to that marquee?

Yeah Westy, remember it well. There were a few boats missing in the morning, the wind peaked around 3:00AM. They had a great bonfire burning all the remains of the yachts they could find. I think the marquee end up in the harbour with a lot of the rigs. Was pretty spectacular up at the Portland Bill lighthouse watching the huge waves break over the cliff and having a pint down at the pub in the cove at Chesil Beach watching the surf demolish the seawall. Just a shame the wind never blew during the day from the right direction.

Is Pacey Andy Mason who used to do the speed events back in the 1980's? Think I met you back in Weymouth around 1985/86 through Andy Gaunt. I think he went on to develop some boat design software called MacSurf. The sail you mentioned was one of Jeff Magnan's (Camber Inducer Inventor) weird and wonderful inventions, first attempt at trying to get the power down lower in the sail.

Elmo the first Gaastra Speedfoil LE's with 7 cambers were a huge breakthrough, so controllable and fast. I gave my right testicle to get a set of them and ended up working with the designers out in California in 1988. Ah those were the days.

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Roo said...
Is Pacey Andy Mason who used to do the speed events back in the 1980's?

Yep.

I remember Jeff Magnan well, he should get a lot of the credit for getting modern sail design to where it is today. Most of all I remember his sunglasses.

Wondered what happened to you mate. All the old buggers are slowly coming out of the woodwork, do you still speed sail? Jeff is still in Socal, speak to him once a year now, he does real estate and jetskis....long gone from the windsurfing world unfortunately. The picture of me in my avatar is on Jeff's sail, no 33, at Sotavento.

Haven't been on a speed board for years, but still wavesail when I get the chance.

I hadn't really been aware of what was going on with GPS based speed sailing until a couple of weeks ago when I was looking into GPS units for work related stuff.

I ended up buying a GT-31 and an aquapac and am pretty keen on getting out there and doing some times.

I guess the other thing that has piqued my interest is that the last time I looked a few years ago the kites were about 10 knots behind the boards in outright speeds. I had thought that they wouldn't catch up due to the aerodynamic inefficiency of the kites and lines, but the recent speeds have shot that idea to pieces. I'm starting to think that there is a lot more left for the kites, so I guess I am very interested from the design side of things as well.

OK Maso
Just for that 'peter pan' comment that those bullies Darrow and Hamilton used to use!

Take this



love those boardies!

Had a rummage through an ooooold box of snapshots!

I expect to see you down the river somewhere really soon - Whitey is back into it too! PM me and we'll make contact!

Cheers
PD 25

Same oooooold box of snapshots

Who Roo?

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25 said...

Same oooooold box of snapshots

Who Roo?

Bloody hell!! Is that Roo?

Calm down Elmo!
And recall Roo's comments earlier in this thread about his testicles!
That was a question to Roo - as a follow up to an exchange of comments we had some months ago about the lovely..............

The lovely Paula Wickens of course. Trying to dig up the Page 3 picture of her from the "Sun" newspaper in the UK!

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25 said...

OK Maso
Just for that 'peter pan' comment that those bullies Darrow and Hamilton used to use!

Take this

love those boardies!

Had a rummage through an ooooold box of snapshots!

I expect to see you down the river somewhere really soon - Whitey is back into it too! PM me and we'll make contact!

Cheers
PD 25

Hey PD, don't forget I've got a box of fading snapshots as well, and I'm sure you feature. Nice shot of Paula by the way.

Has Whitey seen this vid - ask him if he remembers the name of the French girl about 40s from the start. He should, I think she was responsible for him being so tired the morning we left Port St Louis that he fell asleep at the wheel while we were the on motorway doing 140 kph. I still shudder when I think about it.

I need to get my self a board as my wave boards aren't going to be very quick, but I'll PM you to get contact details so we can do some sailing once the breeze gets up.

Maso

I think it was Karin Rossi!

If my memory is still working!

Whitey should pipe up and confirm!

cheers

Definately Karin Rossi, she was rated at the top of the top 10 women on the world tour....and not for her sailing ability.

25

One of you from the same day I think.


Also another side to the lovely Miss Wickens, a girl that could even make track pants look good.