Golden Beach - the unremarkable adventures of two talentless bogans.

Thursday arvo’s strong wind got us excited about getting back into sailing after the winter break. I ploughed through work at night to get Friday freed up and was up early to pack the gear. As we were about to leave our disabled daughter’s day centre called to say she’d had a bad fall and they’d called the ambulance. Great. Sailing plans were dropped as we went to check the situation out. More than an hour later the ambulance hadn’t turned up (hopeless!), but we all decided that she looked perfectly OK, so life went back to normal and despite the big delay, we decided to head off anyway.

We haven’t sailed at Golden Beach since we were on our sailboarding L plates about 30 years ago. We parked at the spot about 150m south of the white navigation tower and had a look. It was also our first sail on our new Naish GT boards, so we were a bit apprehensive. But it was no worries. The locals (Ian, Rebecca) gave us good advice on what to do. The tide was going out, so if you spend long in the channel directly in front of the park, you’ll get swept down current and down wind to the north. So you walk a bit to the south, and sail straight over to the sandbank at the other side (fortunately neither of us fell in on this bit!) and then walk 100m or so along the edge of the sandbank to the SE, which puts you on a reach into a wider bay area with less current.

The new boards were a success. Since coming back into windsurfing last year, we’ve been sticking with old-school gear (Bic Metal Rock, Astro Rock) because we feel comfortable on it. But I’ve been succumbing to all the guys nagging me to to move on to new style boards. Simon from Board Crazy guided us towards the Naish GT’s because they are a good compromise between the dated long boards and the very radical weird wide boards. On her first go yesterday Janet got going straight away, and me too. I have been a bit doubtful about all the raving about how the newer shaped boards are better than the old stuff, but I am convinced now. Yes, it’s going to take a while to adapt to the different stance but straight away I could tell that the board got on the plane fast, was really stable, much more locked in once the feet are in the straps.

When I caught up with Janet on the white sandbank under the brilliant blue sky (doesn’t get much better than this) she’d been sailing for 45 mins or so, and I asked her for her first impressions … she had the usual minor grumbles about loose boom and fin spinout etc, then her face lit up and she said “oh, but I have to say about GYBING – all I can say is man, have we been doing it TOUGH with the old boards!” I was so surprised at her strong feedback that I had to check again! But she’s dead right. We’re certainly not proficient at gybing, but compared to our old Bics, it’s like you only have to think about it and these new boards carve such a nice smooth arc!! I still have to work on the sail transition etc so I don’t just stall and stop, but the beautiful smooth carve is a big improvement!

Janet got tired and cold and hungry and headed in, then before long I had to come in when my rubber Uni joint broke! It’s so good that these modern assemblies have a strong cord also holding the 2 sides together – I was able to sail back carefully. Anyway we both had a bite to eat and a cuppa, and we got colder. We bought 1mm wetsuits primarily as stinger suits, and I expected that they’d keep us warmer too – I don’t think they do. They’re like wearing wet clothing! They’re cold in the breeze.

A guy turned up and started unwrapping a completely new board on the picnic table! Nathan had just picked up a new Carve 131 and was keen to try it – a nice step down from his Gecko 156+. He’s keen – we had a good chat.

After the break, the wind picked up a bit. It was nice with the current going slack, and the sailing was good. I have to learn how to get these new boards on the plane fast … I know the board wants to do it, but I think I’m doing it all wrong. I had a couple of episodes of fin spinout and had real trouble getting it to lock back in without having to almost stop the board. I’d be interested to hear how you recover from spinout?

All through the day I had regular, massive catapult crashes. To be honest, I don’t know why I’m doing that, or how to prevent it. I sorta guessed that I need to hang my weight back further to be ready to counteract it, but I dunno. I got flung over when starting, when on a run, when initiating gybes … basically at any random time. I’m sure everyone is familiar with the feeling but it’s pretty scary when you are being catapulted at great force into the rig, not knowing how this one is going to end up! I’ve been complaining about how many injuries I get riding my dirt bike, but yesterday’s experience on the board makes dirt biking look less risky! I really smashed myself onto my wrist on the mast, so hard I thought I could have broken it; sprained a foot wrenching it in a footstrap, sandpapered the top of my foot on the deck, painfully bent up my already sprained thumb, whipped my head back so hard on one fall that I thought I could have broken my neck, plus the usual bruises and scrapes to shoulders, arms, shins.

The conditions around 3pm were perfect. The wind was consistent, and a few guys were gybing beautifully and sailing sizzling fast. There was a whole bunch of kites further down off Pelican Waters, and several sailing between us too. So good. But I got tired from being powered up with a 6.6, and was crashing a lot. With the sun getting low, it wasn’t possible to see the sandbanks under the water (they’re as clear as a bell in the middle of the day) so not being familiar with the area, I was a bit scared of running into a sandbar at full tilt. Meanwhile Janet had taken a long time to warm up after her first session, so she was only getting back out when I was heading in. I knew she’d be overpowered with the 5.8 and wanted to tell her to forget it and go back in, but didn’t. I watched for a bit, and she seemed to be having fun (she definitely wasn’t! Hopelessly overpowered, loosening boom) and I left her to it. The current had now turned and was running in, which under other circumstances should have been fun for doing fast broad reaches and big gybes, with the current bringing you back into the wind. I unrigged, chatted to the guys in the park, and generally wasted time.

After 45mins or so I was on the phone telling Jeff how good it was, when Janet came running up along the park in a panic – “you’ll have to come and help – the rig’s jammed under the jetty!” She was in a bit of a state, as people tend to be after several near-death experiences. The boom-mast connection, which had been gradually loosening all day (and needed an on-land repair) had finally got so loose it couldn’t stay on the RDM rubber adaptor, and the combination of being very tired, over-powered, and with a semi-non-functional boom meant she wasn’t willing to sail the rig back in and risk any more potentially lethal catapults. So she lay in the water and floated the sail in the wind to get back close to the beach. But then the sail dropped in the water a few metres from the beach, the current pulled it under and before she could get it in the wind again she realized the current was going to take her under the jetty. When we’d run the 300m down there the mast was bending across a jetty pylon, under enormous force from the current running like a river, with the board under the jetty. I jumped in, in my nice dry shorts and jocks – Janet still in her wetsuit and booties - and cut my hands and feet on jetty barnacles trying to free the board from the mast base – it was totally jammed. Finally I managed to shuffle the mast along the pylon and the board and rig came free and we swam it to the beach, with various cuts and stretches to this brand new sail on its first day out. Oh well. When we got back and told Nathan, he said that the same thing had happened to him one day, and his sail tore out completely.

A bit scary. So it was a day with a few dramas, but we returned home with that deep inner warmth from knowing that you’ve done something good.

Far out Andrew, that's no good about that new sail, Janet would have got a real scare too unfortunately. I will say though that you have managed to make the loudest crashing noises that I've ever heard when you fall off at Sandstone, it's never anything short of spectacular.

Hey Andrew, I'm no expert but my biggest concern with your post is the catapulting issue. You've bought modern boards, are you using modern sails with them? You said your wife is using an Rdm so I assume you are. It could be just needing more time to adjust to your new boards but in my limited experience and ability I would suggest that if you set your boom no lower than mid way in the cut out and keep your mast initially around mid way along the mast track you have the best chance at reducing the chance of catapultping while you get used to the board. Also, if you are constantly mindful of maintaining mast foot pressure it will help to prevent catapulting. Having said that, I 'm not sure how you prevent a catapult when you're hit with a bloody huge gust that you didn't see coming. Always good to be monitoring the water upwind ahead for an impending huge gust. Hope this is some help.

Soon you will be sailing sizzling fast too. Some people say that catapults are just the practice moves you use before mastering the forward loop. Bad form with the kites being there. They already inhabit a couple of other exclusive locations.

Thanks guys. Hey OrangeWhip, are you saying that too high a boom position is likely to cause catapulting? I do tend to put the boom pretty high, I think. I had the impression with our older boards that a high boom position worked well.

Yes, we're using modern sails and masts. Not the latest, but recent. The one I was using yesterday was a 6.6m North Crossfire, 2012 model. I think I'm using enough downhaul as I'm getting slackness wrinkles in the leech up to the marks on the sail. Janet was using a 5.8m Naish Cruz - I think about 2013 model but unused.

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AvB said..
Thanks guys. Hey OrangeWhip, are you saying that too high a boom position is likely to cause catapulting? I do tend to put the boom pretty high, I think. I had the impression with our older boards that a high boom position worked well.

Yes, we're using modern sails and masts. Not the latest, but recent. The one I was using yesterday was a 6.6m North Crossfire, 2012 model. I think I'm using enough downhaul as I'm getting slackness wrinkles in the leech up to the marks on the sail. Janet was using a 5.8m Naish Cruz - I think about 2013 model but unused.

Nah, I was more concerned you were setting your mast low on the boom which in my experience is a sure way to invite catapults. A higher than required boom setting for the wind strength will cause the board to be more flighty than if you lowered it but I don't think it leads to catapulting, others on here could clarify that. There are so many factors though. With the down haul, if you don't have enough down haul the sail will not feel comfortable to sail so you will know if that was the case. Mate, I 'm just an improver like you, just limiting my suggestions to what I have learnt over time.

Yeah that's a rough day!

Andrew what boom were you using?

I seen you had some sitting on the ground that were pretty old and didn't suit your set up.

AusMoz, I was using a blue Sunshine boom - a pretty generic looking thing to me - much the same shape as my others.

Orange Whip, I'm not sure what you mean by "setting your mast low on the boom" - isn't that the same thing as boom height on the mast??

All advice very welcome - there's a lot to learn.

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AvB said..
Golden Beach - the unremarkable adventures of two talentless bogans.

Thursday arvo’s strong wind got us excited about getting back into sailing after the winter break. I ploughed through work at night to get Friday freed up and was up early to pack the gear. As we were about to leave our disabled daughter’s day centre called to say she’d had a bad fall and they’d called the ambulance. Great. Sailing plans were dropped as we went to check the situation out. More than an hour later the ambulance hadn’t turned up (hopeless!), but we all decided that she looked perfectly OK, so life went back to normal and despite the big delay, we decided to head off anyway.

We haven’t sailed at Golden Beach since we were on our sailboarding L plates about 30 years ago. We parked at the spot about 150m south of the white navigation tower and had a look. It was also our first sail on our new Naish GT boards, so we were a bit apprehensive. But it was no worries. The locals (Ian, Rebecca) gave us good advice on what to do. The tide was going out, so if you spend long in the channel directly in front of the park, you’ll get swept down current and down wind to the north. So you walk a bit to the south, and sail straight over to the sandbank at the other side (fortunately neither of us fell in on this bit!) and then walk 100m or so along the edge of the sandbank to the SE, which puts you on a reach into a wider bay area with less current.

The new boards were a success. Since coming back into windsurfing last year, we’ve been sticking with old-school gear (Bic Metal Rock, Astro Rock) because we feel comfortable on it. But I’ve been succumbing to all the guys nagging me to to move on to new style boards. Simon from Board Crazy guided us towards the Naish GT’s because they are a good compromise between the dated long boards and the very radical weird wide boards. On her first go yesterday Janet got going straight away, and me too. I have been a bit doubtful about all the raving about how the newer shaped boards are better than the old stuff, but I am convinced now. Yes, it’s going to take a while to adapt to the different stance but straight away I could tell that the board got on the plane fast, was really stable, much more locked in once the feet are in the straps.

When I caught up with Janet on the white sandbank under the brilliant blue sky (doesn’t get much better than this) she’d been sailing for 45 mins or so, and I asked her for her first impressions … she had the usual minor grumbles about loose boom and fin spinout etc, then her face lit up and she said “oh, but I have to say about GYBING – all I can say is man, have we been doing it TOUGH with the old boards!” I was so surprised at her strong feedback that I had to check again! But she’s dead right. We’re certainly not proficient at gybing, but compared to our old Bics, it’s like you only have to think about it and these new boards carve such a nice smooth arc!! I still have to work on the sail transition etc so I don’t just stall and stop, but the beautiful smooth carve is a big improvement!

Janet got tired and cold and hungry and headed in, then before long I had to come in when my rubber Uni joint broke! It’s so good that these modern assemblies have a strong cord also holding the 2 sides together – I was able to sail back carefully. Anyway we both had a bite to eat and a cuppa, and we got colder. We bought 1mm wetsuits primarily as stinger suits, and I expected that they’d keep us warmer too – I don’t think they do. They’re like wearing wet clothing! They’re cold in the breeze.

A guy turned up and started unwrapping a completely new board on the picnic table! Nathan had just picked up a new Carve 131 and was keen to try it – a nice step down from his Gecko 156+. He’s keen – we had a good chat.

After the break, the wind picked up a bit. It was nice with the current going slack, and the sailing was good. I have to learn how to get these new boards on the plane fast … I know the board wants to do it, but I think I’m doing it all wrong. I had a couple of episodes of fin spinout and had real trouble getting it to lock back in without having to almost stop the board. I’d be interested to hear how you recover from spinout?

All through the day I had regular, massive catapult crashes. To be honest, I don’t know why I’m doing that, or how to prevent it. I sorta guessed that I need to hang my weight back further to be ready to counteract it, but I dunno. I got flung over when starting, when on a run, when initiating gybes … basically at any random time. I’m sure everyone is familiar with the feeling but it’s pretty scary when you are being catapulted at great force into the rig, not knowing how this one is going to end up! I’ve been complaining about how many injuries I get riding my dirt bike, but yesterday’s experience on the board makes dirt biking look less risky! I really smashed myself onto my wrist on the mast, so hard I thought I could have broken it; sprained a foot wrenching it in a footstrap, sandpapered the top of my foot on the deck, painfully bent up my already sprained thumb, whipped my head back so hard on one fall that I thought I could have broken my neck, plus the usual bruises and scrapes to shoulders, arms, shins.

The conditions around 3pm were perfect. The wind was consistent, and a few guys were gybing beautifully and sailing sizzling fast. There was a whole bunch of kites further down off Pelican Waters, and several sailing between us too. So good. But I got tired from being powered up with a 6.6, and was crashing a lot. With the sun getting low, it wasn’t possible to see the sandbanks under the water (they’re as clear as a bell in the middle of the day) so not being familiar with the area, I was a bit scared of running into a sandbar at full tilt. Meanwhile Janet had taken a long time to warm up after her first session, so she was only getting back out when I was heading in. I knew she’d be overpowered with the 5.8 and wanted to tell her to forget it and go back in, but didn’t. I watched for a bit, and she seemed to be having fun (she definitely wasn’t! Hopelessly overpowered, loosening boom) and I left her to it. The current had now turned and was running in, which under other circumstances should have been fun for doing fast broad reaches and big gybes, with the current bringing you back into the wind. I unrigged, chatted to the guys in the park, and generally wasted time.

After 45mins or so I was on the phone telling Jeff how good it was, when Janet came running up along the park in a panic – “you’ll have to come and help – the rig’s jammed under the jetty!” She was in a bit of a state, as people tend to be after several near-death experiences. The boom-mast connection, which had been gradually loosening all day (and needed an on-land repair) had finally got so loose it couldn’t stay on the RDM rubber adaptor, and the combination of being very tired, over-powered, and with a semi-non-functional boom meant she wasn’t willing to sail the rig back in and risk any more potentially lethal catapults. So she lay in the water and floated the sail in the wind to get back close to the beach. But then the sail dropped in the water a few metres from the beach, the current pulled it under and before she could get it in the wind again she realized the current was going to take her under the jetty. When we’d run the 300m down there the mast was bending across a jetty pylon, under enormous force from the current running like a river, with the board under the jetty. I jumped in, in my nice dry shorts and jocks – Janet still in her wetsuit and booties - and cut my hands and feet on jetty barnacles trying to free the board from the mast base – it was totally jammed. Finally I managed to shuffle the mast along the pylon and the board and rig came free and we swam it to the beach, with various cuts and stretches to this brand new sail on its first day out. Oh well. When we got back and told Nathan, he said that the same thing had happened to him one day, and his sail tore out completely.

A bit scary. So it was a day with a few dramas, but we returned home with that deep inner warmth from knowing that you’ve done something good.

I'm lucky where I sail i don't have to worry about tides or currents.. Sounds hard sailing up there.

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AvB said..
AusMoz, I was using a blue Sunshine boom - a pretty generic looking thing to me - much the same shape as my others.

Orange Whip, I'm not sure what you mean by "setting your mast low on the boom" - isn't that the same thing as boom height on the mast??

All advice very welcome - there's a lot to learn.

Sorry, I meant to say settng your boom low on the mast.

It is so important to get your sail rigged perfectly for the conditions. If you're fighting with the rig, usually due to down haul and out haul settings, you can't concentrate on improving your board riding. I did a Guy Cribb clinic a while back and he stressed the point of making adjustments multiple times after you first go out until you get the rig working for you and not against you. I find its generally the down haul that is harder to get just right. Too little down haul will cause more drama than too much. And its easy to fall into the trap of too much out haul leaving the sail too flat to do its job of creating forward drive.

More time on the water is the biggest key to improving.

Hi AvB

My thoughts are that you didn't have enough downhaul which is putting the center of effort high up in the sail levering you over the front.

North have a good rigging video which should help



Golden Beach is a great spot, but the current can be a bit of a handful. Really works well in an easterly

Cheers

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Lowlife said..
Hi AvB

My thoughts are that you didn't have enough downhaul which is putting the center of effort high up in the sail levering you over the front.

North have a good rigging video which should help



Golden Beach is a great spot, but the current can be a bit of a handful. Really works well in an easterly

Cheers

I've never used a North sail. Do all these scientific rigging aids printed on the sails actually work? I.e. The downhaul guide, out haul guide and harness line position?

What a nightmare! GB tides can really make the easy difficult! We have had big tides lately also so lots of water running. Might be worth doing the extra drive to lake weyba whilst your getting back into it, no tides to worry about and shallow= Rappid increase in improvement for sure! or if sailing GB try and get the mid section of the tides when the water isn't moving too much.

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JonesySail said..
What a nightmare! GB tides can really make the easy difficult! We have had big tides lately also so lots of water running. Might be worth doing the extra drive to lake weyba whilst your getting back into it, no tides to worry about and shallow= Rappid increase in improvement for sure! or if sailing GB try and get the mid section of the tides when the water isn't moving too much.

It also helps to see what the differential is between high and low tide, because all that water has to move in the same amount of time. The main channel becomes very narrow in places, causing the water to move faster there compared to the wider spaces.

GB is usually better when tide and wind are in the same direction, although SE and out going king tide make things interesting when you are trying to waterstart doing 8 knots towards the bar.

Love Golden Beach, have for a long time. Avatar is me there in the early 80's. That current can catch you out though.

Climbed up the rock wall at the units one time around the time of the photo, down near the bend where the timber walkway is now. A big squall went through we were out on our smallest gear and the wind dropped to absolute zero. Fun. Long walk of shame that one, in bare feet too.

Relived that a little recently when I broke a carbon extender and had to swim half way across the main channel towing a 10.7. More fun.

Still an amazing spot though.

Olden Beach was going off today even with low (not a tiny one) tide middle of day.
It certainly has challenges but compared to getting battered and jellyfished in Moreton Bay, it is one of my favourite flat water places apart from Lake Cootharaba.
It was great to catch up with the usual suspects and have a few drag races along the middle bank. In fact I got tracks on GPS which I will try and post.

GPS Stats: distance sailed 33.6 miles, top speed 29.51 knots, a few crashes, and one snoozy lunch stop at far left under my favourite tree.
Only downside of the day was arriving for morning coffee and finding half a primary school in my shelter shed.

Gavin was taking pics and I hope he will post here or flick me them to pha70516@bigpond.net.au

Peter

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plywoodboy said..
Olden Beach was going off today even with low (not a tiny one) tide middle of day.
It certainly has challenges but compared to getting battered and jellyfished in Moreton Bay, it is one of my favourite flat water places apart from Lake Cootharaba.
It was great to catch up with the usual suspects and have a few drag races along the middle bank. In fact I got tracks on GPS which I will try and post.

GPS Stats: distance sailed 33.6 miles, top speed 29.51 knots, a few crashes, and one snoozy lunch stop at far left under my favourite tree.
Only downside of the day was arriving for morning coffee and finding half a primary school in my shelter shed.

Gavin was taking pics and I hope he will post here or flick me them to pha70516@bigpond.net.au

Peter

Well done! Your red lines have obliterated the boat using our channel Nice lines too. They are all in the darker patch of water and away from the sand...it appears.

Thanks to Gavin for pics.

Gee that looks great. I'd like to get there and sail on a low tide in a northerly. The GPS tracking looks very impressive.

What happened to your thread?
firstly I know how welL you both can sail and Janet's sailing experience will be able to evolve her sailing technique to adapt to the requiremen of the new equipment.
My own sailing experience has and still is,
the first third of the session is tuning
the second third is sailing,
the third third is just hanging on......
all I'm trying to say is, the fundamentals dont change, unless you tune or adapt your technique then you won't enjoy the middle bit.
It's often a frustrading time when you have to forego years of comfortable hard earned technique to adapt to new gear but it's worth it and I know you can rise to the occasion

Hi AvB.
I am also learning and quite frankly, still have a long way to go, but if I can give you my 2 cents worth, this is what I have found useful to avoid catapulting...

First off , as someone else mentioned, uphaul seems to be very important to get a good control of the sail. It will respond better. Those numbers on the sail are actually useful.

The boom height and the mast position should be adjusted so that you can have a good stance when using the straps, not too forward hopefully, so you can use your body weight and lean back comfortably.

Secondly, and that, not too many people told me about... pay attention to the water; look at the direction of the waves, look for gusts or V shaped patches over the water, that can indicate a change in direction. When I see one, I usually try (before hitting it) to steer towards the wider end of the V, this way my board is in a better position to jump into it. And just before you hit it, try and slow down just a bit and get a good grip on the boom, get ready to lean back as it pulls you in.

Before I learned how to read the wind on the water surface, I used to get catapulted a lot, not knowing what had just happened.

BTW I ride some old gears, I just recently upgraded to a 1992 85 litre board, so I can't say how much a newer board would help, but I am getting better at it.

I also never sailed the mouth of the river at GB. I got stuck there once and got washed by the current. I usually sail between the sand banks. I usually take it to weyba lake or N shore rd (twin water) as it is closer to where I live.

I started recording my trips using the windrace app with my phone. You should try it. I haven't uploaded any here yet but it is useful to get to know a particular spot and check out your record speeds (I'm at 37.6kts atm )

Anywho enjoy. I hope my tips helped.

Wow!!! 37.6 knots!!! That's an amazing effort if you class yourself as a learner.

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waytata said..
Hi AvB.
I am also learning and quite frankly, still have a long way to go, but if I can give you my 2 cents worth, this is what I have found useful to avoid catapulting...

First off , as someone else mentioned, uphaul seems to be very important to get a good control of the sail. It will respond better. Those numbers on the sail are actually useful.

The boom height and the mast position should be adjusted so that you can have a good stance when using the straps, not too forward hopefully, so you can use your body weight and lean back comfortably.

Secondly, and that, not too many people told me about... pay attention to the water; look at the direction of the waves, look for gusts or V shaped patches over the water, that can indicate a change in direction. When I see one, I usually try (before hitting it) to steer towards the wider end of the V, this way my board is in a better position to jump into it. And just before you hit it, try and slow down just a bit and get a good grip on the boom, get ready to lean back as it pulls you in.

Before I learned how to read the wind on the water surface, I used to get catapulted a lot, not knowing what had just happened.

BTW I ride some old gears, I just recently upgraded to a 1992 85 litre board, so I can't say how much a newer board would help, but I am getting better at it.

I also never sailed the mouth of the river at GB. I got stuck there once and got washed by the current. I usually sail between the sand banks. I usually take it to weyba lake or N shore rd (twin water) as it is closer to where I live.

I started recording my trips using the windrace app with my phone. You should try it. I haven't uploaded any here yet but it is useful to get to know a particular spot and check out your record speeds (I'm at 37.6kts atm )

Anywho enjoy. I hope my tips helped.

I wouldn't trust your phones speed, very inaccurate.

Re: catapulting. Check out your harness line length. If you can go longer, you will find yourself less vulnerable to being pulled past the point of no return.

Waytata and Stretchy, I didn't see your posts till I poked my nose in here again now (am now subscribing ... thought it was automatic) and thanks very much for the advice. It's kinda ironic that I was talking about catapulting back then, because as some guys would know, the week before Christmas Janet and I got out sailing again which is rare, and the second time, just 2 days before Christmas, we'd been sailing for a few hours and were about to head home and decided to have just a couple more runs - wind was strong and I was congratulating myself for pulling off a few gybes and not crashing too much ... when I bore away into a gybe and got catapulted really hard, landing on my side on the rig and smashing 5 ribs in multiple places. It was a bad injury. I ended up in hospital, the pain management was something serious, some minor lung damage too, and now over 4 months later I still have rib pain. And I'm definitely a bit more scared of windsurfing than I was before!

I was talking with one of the guys who sells stuff recently and he gave me very extensive good advice, and one of the main things was, as you said, try longer harness lines and don't put the boom too high. And bend the back leg. I have been using a waist harness and 28" lines. One issue is that Janet and I share gear, so it's kind of a one size fits all approach ... I'm 6' 2" and 85kg, and Janet is a lot shorter and 20kg lighter, but she uses the same sort of waist harness and the same harness lines. The guy I spoke to suggested switching to a seat harness and 32" lines.

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AvB said..
Waytata and Stretchy, I didn't see your posts till I poked my nose in here again now (am now subscribing ... thought it was automatic) and thanks very much for the advice. It's kinda ironic that I was talking about catapulting back then, because as some guys would know, the week before Christmas Janet and I got out sailing again which is rare, and the second time, just 2 days before Christmas, we'd been sailing for a few hours and were about to head home and decided to have just a couple more runs - wind was strong and I was congratulating myself for pulling off a few gybes and not crashing too much ... when I bore away into a gybe and got catapulted really hard, landing on my side on the rig and smashing 5 ribs in multiple places. It was a bad injury. I ended up in hospital, the pain management was something serious, some minor lung damage too, and now over 4 months later I still have rib pain. And I'm definitely a bit more scared of windsurfing than I was before!

I was talking with one of the guys who sells stuff recently and he gave me very extensive good advice, and one of the main things was, as you said, try longer harness lines and don't put the boom too high. And bend the back leg. I have been using a waist harness and 28" lines. One issue is that Janet and I share gear, so it's kind of a one size fits all approach ... I'm 6' 2" and 85kg, and Janet is a lot shorter and 20kg lighter, but she uses the same sort of waist harness and the same harness lines. The guy I spoke to suggested switching to a seat harness and 32" lines.

Try wearing a crash vest. Its not foolproof but can reduce the severity of rib injury from catapults. The vest has the added bonus of providing some buoyancy which helps with flying the sail for water starting.

Good point. I used to use one 30+ yrs ago and didn't like it as the harness hook thing used to move about too freely. But they've probably improved a lot since then!

Hey Andrew.
I think probably four or five of the SS crew wear one of these or something similar.
No hook on the vest like the old style. Can use a waist or seat harness with it, you put the hook through the loop at the bottom front. This helps stop it riding up when you are in the water.
Not a crash vest, it is a floatation device, but has ample padding to protect your ribs during a catapult. Has done so for me numerous times. Not too bulky and helps heaps when water starting.
Hope to see you back on the water soon.

Cheers, Brad.

Good idea - should look into it.