Kiwi Steve
| Venues | Board / sail size | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 4.0 | 70 4.5 | 70 5.0 | 80 4.5 | 80 5.0 | 80 5.6 | 98 6.4 | 98 6.5 | ||
| Pagham | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Cornwall | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Camber Sands | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||
| Hayling Island | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| The Witterings and Bracklesham | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Worthing | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Shoreham | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Total | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
Each cell shows number of sessions, click on a cell for more details.
Hayling Island on 06/09/08
| Rating: |  |
| Board: | 80 litres |
| Sail: | 4.5 |
Carnage.
Saturday morning was a mad dash from London to get to the event and get registered. Missed the first race sorting out the registration.
Second race was 5.0 and 80. Good start but tripped up gybing at the mark as it was really choppy.
Went free sailing for an hour and there were some good stunt ramps and wave rides to be had.
Wind picked up loads so changed down to 4.5 and 70L for race 3. There was a serious shore dump happening and when the flag dropped there were three big set waves looming. I thought it might be wise to let them go through before launching. Good move as the guys who charged out were soon dispatched and being sent back up the shingle in a pile of carbon fibre and flayed mono-film I sneaked out sweet and had a good race. (Weird racing on a 70L waveboard)
Third race the wind dropped so quickly changed boards and went for 5.0 and 98L FSW. Had a terrible start - in fact I was probably the last off the beach. But I got a gust and clean wind and took off after the rest of the fleet. Ended up overtaking most of them making the mark and seeing Harry grovelling in the water at the mark . Had a good run back and made 9th.
Apparently I'd qualified for the night race but after 6 hours in a wetsuit all I wanted was a beer and a hot shower.
The night race was excellent. The sight of a dozen racers all forward looping in the flood lights is brilliant!
At the partythere was a good band and DJ so partyed till 2am.
Sunday dawned and I wasn't feeling like an athlete Thought I'd get organised to race but with 10 minutes to race 1 - I was still rigging and the wind was sh*te. I reckoned bobbing around with a hangover would lead to a sense of humour failure....so flagged it and didn't make the last race either. Wind still sh*te and still hungover.
Good to see the pros out supporting their brands and being so friendly and approachable.
Great event! Thanks to the organisers and Fat Face
Pagham on 06/07/08
| Rating: |  |
| Board: | 70 litres |
| Sail: | 4.0 |
Scored Pagham this morning on the push. Looked a bit flat at low tide but really windy SSW and sideshore-ish. But by magic by 11am the swell started to pick up rapidly.
Rigged 4.0 and 70L and it was full power and ended up being stacked!
It was really busy today and you had to keep your eyes peeled. There were some very good sailors out with some big forwards, backies,pushies being laid down.
Hucked loads of forwards but highlight for me was busting out a proper big balls stalled Endo and stomped it. Stoked.
As the tide came in it switched more SW and started to drop.
Juan and Rodger turned up so I sailed again at 5pm with them but the outgoing tide killed the swell and the wind went more WSW.
Great session.
Hayling Island on 29/06/08
| Rating: |  |
| Board: | 98 litres |
| Sail: | 6.4 |
Hayling Boot Fair and then 6.5 and 98 FSW. Had fun sailing out to the sand bar and then doing speed runs back in the flat shallow water. Wind filled in later on and 6.5 was well powered. There was a period when the weird Hayling tide thing happens and there was a 1' rolling stand up 'wave' to carve 'DTL' in a weird Hayling kinda way which was fun.
Shoreham on 28/06/08
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 70 litres |
| Sail: | 4.5 |
Checked out the mythical H'ove from 2-3pm. 4.5 and 70L. It was a messed up boom-head high rolling wind swell with egg box sea state in between and light and gusty on the inside. Managed to squeeze out a few sketchy forwards and some wave wiggles but it was sh*te.
Packed up and sailed Shoreham from 4pm-6pm for more of the same but it was flatter. Hucked a few forwards off an egg box sea state but not many peaks around. The 'high tide lull' around 6pm was a sign to go to the pub. But hey, it's June, warm sunny and windy
Worthing on 22/06/08
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 70 litres |
| Sail: | 4.0 |
4.5 and 70L at Worthing for a session of chop bothering, looping and crimes against waveriding. Changed down to 4.0 which was a good move and went hucking loads of forwards. Nearly crashed into a guy who sailed up into my blind spot. Completely inverted mid rotation I spot the guy sailing right up and under me! I bailed and crashed on my kit hard. Nice bruise. (er..sorry to the dude with the Severne Blade and Evo a bit close for comfort eh)
Camber Sands on 24/05/08
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 80 litres |
| Sail: | 5.0 |
Sailed Littlestone from 4-6.30pm. It was x-on with a few ramps to jump and sections to backside wiggle on. Rigged 5.6 and 80 Evo but soon changed to 5.0.
What they don't tell you is that there is a 5knot current that goes down wind on the out going tide. Sailing out was fine and powered up but sailing in against the current was like standing still. You'd line up a wave for a backside smack but it would feel like in slow motion pushing against the current ...or was it the bucket I was towing?
Pagham on 18/05/08
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 98 litres |
| Sail: | 6.5 |
Made an appearance for the afternoon session with Juan and John. Bill and Heather were there already. Rigged 6.5 and 98L and the wind was ok-to-marginal. Good to get out and sail port tack for a change. Sunny and mild.
Forgot my booties and had to endure a low tide walk back at low tide. Ouch!
Morocco on 06/05/08
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 80 litres |
| Sail: | 4.5 |
Tues 6th: Last day in Moulay. 4.5 and 80 was good for the morning session. The waves were small and scrappy so not many wave rides. The afternoon session we all went for loop off. I stomped two endos and over rotated a third - happy with that. I didn't manage to try a push loop. Next time...
Morocco on 05/05/08
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 70 litres |
| Sail: | 4.0 |
Mon 5th: It was windy by 10am. Kept the 4.5 rigged from yesterday which was handy. The tide was pushing in and we had a good 2 hours. Did a few endos and 3 backies attempts. Great to get the backies off again. Rod did a few proper forwards! (Now I have to push it for backies and push loops) After lunch we launched again at 3pm and it was 4.0. There was a bit of swell so got a few rides and did a better backie attempt. Need to keep my weight back over the board on take off and start the rotation later - at the apex or the drop. Sailed till 5.30pm but was knackered by the end.
Morocco on 04/05/08
| Rating: |  |
| Board: | 70 litres |
| Sail: | 4.5 |
Sun 4th: Day of the Down Winder. Yousef and Feta took a group of us up the coast to a spot about 5km up wind. It was a cool experience rigging up on a beach with just some fishermen around. We tried to sail beach a sweet break but it was too light and too offshore. Nearly demanded to go back to Moulay to get bigger kit but Inch Allah the wind picked up. Just 100-200m down the beach the wind was more side shore and picked up so 4.5 and 70 was sweet. Did a few aerial attempts and tried a one handed one. We all sessioned a few beach breaks on the way back down to Moulay which was sooo much fun. Then we did the final leg along the coast and out in front of the cliffs, dodging fishing nets down wind to Moulay - fully stacked on 4.5!! Bearing away was a mission with full power when you are knackered! Fantastic day - what else would you want to do on a Sunday afternoon!? All Cobber could suggest was shag his girlfriend for 20 mins.
