learning blues...

yesterday arriving at my local, it was probably just on eighteen but quite rough due to the direction.

i rigged my 5.8 and hit the water. Koshi told me there was a guy out the back who seemed to be in trouble, and we couldn't see his sail. a rain squall appeared and the wind went off the scale. i was overpowered and struggling to get comfortable in the ridiculous chop.

i found the guy out the back - he was in trouble. caught in a huge wind gust, he couldn't waterstart, kept going over the handlebars. i gave him some advice (glad was wearing a helmet and flotation vest) that wouldn't be best practice but should at least get him home.

later i saw him getting rag dolled; waterstart - splat. waterstart-splat. in this agonizing way he got to shore and walked home. would have been a long afternoon.

i didn't get a chance to talk to him again but i just really wanted to say to everyone starting out, that we all have gone thru this - caught out when the conditions are either misread or turn nuclear. beginners can be put off...you definitely come to your next session timidly. don't be discouraged - getting home in severely overpowered conditions happens to us all, and with a little technique (i call survival sailing) it's all do-able.

in my experience, windsurfers always look out for each other. you wear the right safety gear and don't go sailing alone, and we'll always make sure you get home.

am there

Me 3.

It is so hard starting out and especially being a position where you are still getting used to deep water starts (in chop) and learning to gybe etc...

Its good to hear that there are windsurfers out there are looking out for one another.

When I feel out of my depth I go for the bigger board, and its become sort of my comfort blanket. Its gotten to the point that the big board has become an anchor for me stopping me from taking the next step. Thanks to helpful experienced windsurfers the days where I do take risks at least i know that someone is watching my back.

Never sail alone.

and the scars...

Listen to lots of Howllin Wolf ,Hound dog Taylor, and Muddy Waters.Take up smoking and drink lots of Bourbon.

Now you're singing the blues......

Woke up this morning Da Dah Da Dah
Wind begin to howl Da Dah Da Da
Gotta chose my rig right Da Dah Da
Goin sailin' now

I got da blues
I got da sailing blues
I ain't got no 4 twos
I got da sailing blues

Little fin on my waveboard Da Dah Dh Dah
Got my downhaul tight Da Dah Da Dah
Gonna have me some some action Da Dah Da Dah
I ain't talking tonight

Oh, I got da blues
I got da sailing blues
Ain't got no sailin shoes
Just got these sailin blues

Was that at Boggy lake Shane ?

I remember Koshi's first session at North Haven. God that was funny (an array of gestures )

Ahh.. sorry to hear that K. I might head to Milang this weekend if the silly wind direction keeps up. Less cow **** and the ramps are better

I would like to add to everyone starting out that these situations are some of the best you'll have in your life. You go beyond learning how to windsurf and you learn about yourself. You learn how to slow your mind down in what can be intense, scary, regrettable situations and think clearly and accurately. Later you'll find yourself using the same techniques in your everyday life.

That's what I love about this sport. Sure you learn how to windsurf, waterstart, carve gybe, chop-hop, ...push-loop to forward, but it's all the other incidental things you learn along the way too. Knowing what the wind will be like in the afternoon by its speed and direction when you wake up. Knowing where the moon is at any given time (amaze your friends). Knowing your local spots intimately, every bank, rock and what works where in what conditions. Learning some meteorology. Learning about aerodynamics and hydrodynamics (well, a little).

But most of all I love what I've learnt about myself. How to control myself. This comes from a number of times like that described above. Finding yourself well overpowered, or well underpowered, that one time you thought you might sail out as far as you dare. And now you're stuck. And nobody can see you. Except the big fish. And you have exhausted yourself. And you have almost drowned a few times now trying to get that damn sail up, or you keep going over and over and over.

Then you take a break and decide to focus. Really focus. You put your fear to the side and slowly, carefully, calmly you finally get back up and sail home.

... or you just swim in and do the walk of shame.

Either way it won't be so bad next time.

I find myself going into the same state of mind at work when I'm really overloaded,. and I don't know what the **** I'm doing, and little things keep going wrong and side-tracking you, all day. I slow my mind down and concentrate on accuracy and getting one thing done at a time. I learnt this from being rag-dolled out the back.

Apologies: long post.

P.S. I bet none of you bastards that red-thumbed my really long incest joke in the general forums read the last sentence. I was Luke Skywalker all along.

Shane and J,

CUT SICK!!! Nursie said i just put a divot on the side of my Tibia, {another one!} just the muscles around it got pulverized. So see ya on the week end!
[Thinks] mite wear some shin guards under my wettie

Geezzz Koshi, shin guards/mouth guard/groin guard, think ya should take up a less violent sport.....

your right. Proably more exciting.

ahaha ive been there too, i reckon if i added up all the catapults ive had i must have gone a km or so in total