There was Carnage galore down at Hardies run today for the teams challenge prize draw.
With a very low tide the optimists where out in force today tempting fate.
Fate didn't take any prisoners today and for once fate left me alone in it's search for fresh blood.
So for all those who depth checked or local submerged rocks today, post some pics.
This would have to be an all time record of damage.
Also
Bring out your "Inner Elmo" and describe your tale of woe, Trust me it's very theraputic
Yep, I got over confident proved that some of those reefs are less than 23cm deep.
Put the finishing touches to the fin revamp this morning, now it's back in the panel beaters.
One fin.Not really photo worthy as there are no chunks out of it.It just broke out of the box a rock or a crab maybe?
Also got bitten a dozen times by crabs and something spiked my foot felt like a bee sting with an ache that lasted for a cupla hours
Also my GF got totaly traumatized when she sailed over a shark and promptly dropped her jibe She reckons it was about 5 foot long
All part of the fun
Totaly stoked with the session down in crab country
Elmo i found out that Claudes rock was 21 cm below the surface today, fortunately i just bumped over it at 33 knots putting a big gouge in the bottom of my fin. Photos don't show much
Put me down for a very expensive 23cm KA Sym - big chunk got carved out of it on a rock, and there was 1cm of base hanging out of the board at the front of the base. The truly sad part is...it didn't seem to make any difference!
While you guys were smashing all your stuff in that rocky puddle you called the speed run- I played it safe in the deep water. No need for weed fins out there and it was plenty flat enough.
Powering back to boat ramp, 29 knts, yeehar
Backed off and used momentum to cruise across the smoth water,
out of foot straps & harness lines, navigating through the sand bars/ weed.
Bang !! 15 to 0 knots in 1 metre
Me ok, board ok, fin slightly modified
Returned fin to owner
Thanks for the fin Bender, I owe you 1 or 2.
Well it was a fun day but i am suffering now.
Coming in yesterday i was able to sail down the main channel and step off close to shore. Feeling quite proud of this as everyone was wading through the weed.
BANG! Karma hit. I had a crab bite me on the right foot, leapt in the air and landed fully on my left foot which just so happened to be speared by something sharp. At the time i thought nothing of it.
This morning is a different story, I cant walk and have spent the last hour digging a sizable chuck of crab land out a a approx 25mm deep puncture in the sole of my left foot.
Damage list
1 x 23cm benetic speed weed
1 x 34cm Bentonic speed weed
1 x 25mm stab wound to foot
One big f$%k off smile
I feel very lucky...
Twice I had the dreaded ratta-tat-tat as the tip of my fin was scraping rocks, but managed to make it through. I HATE THAT SOUND! Anywhere near 30 knots I can only imagine the carnage to gear, or body falling into 26cm deep water with sharp limestone rocks.
Sympathy to those who weren't so lucky. May your wounds heal quickly.
Great day all up. Still totally freaked out whenever I'm sailing that place!!!
Geez nebs you moved over there for what.... here sounds tame in comparison. If ever there was a case for the isaf 50cm water depth rule you guys are it
Thanks Crasher for coming to my rescue and driving round to pick me up after I made my way back to shore
This is whats left of the fin i lent Paul. No worries.
Bit of a sand paper touch up will fix it
The big 70cm Drake (in the back ground) just met with my jig saw and lost
No, generally a cobblers 24hrs of hurt.
We have a little wee beastie referred to as a devil fish (so the local fisherman told me) which has a sting in it's spines worth a couple of hours of mildish pain (compared to cobblers)
Holy crap!
Carnage or what!!!!
Top effort crew for getting amongst it, maybe we should consider purchasing and Ambulance or a medivac helio just incase, lets see if we have 240 members and the ambulance and heli cost combined say 1.75 million $ then divide that by 240 = about $70.000 each........... Sounds feasable, who's in?????
Cheers GT
I sailed at Hardies 6.15 to 9.15. Hit rocks in the run twice, minor damage to bottom of G10 fin (soon sanded off)... but the tide was higher than in the afternoon.
Spent 4 hours talking to everyone I saw about the rocks and how the run was too shallow and could not be sailed with the tide so low.
From 1pm to 7pm sailed the deeper water. No rocks to hit there
Did manage so hit index finger, end on, onto deck of board during a blown gybe. Bruise now goes from knuckle of index finger up to thumb and across 1/2 of hand.
Still one of the best days on the water!