Greetings All,

Welcome to the 7th Edition of The Gritty Truth

Summer has been a great time at Anderson Inlet with

the Club running a number of very successful events,

forging new relationships with the Inverloch Surf Lifesav-

ing Club, speed records broken and continued growth in

membership.

The committee has done a sterling job in putting to-

gether an array of events that where fun and instruc-

tional. Committee organised three training days over

summer with combined numbers of over 120 members

attending. The JP/NP Caravan of Horror was an outstanding success. A few of us got in-

volved in the GippsSport Beach Disability Beach Festival with a Come ‘n Try Windsurfing day.

Our final Summer event was the Australia Day Longboard fun day where I got the Jerzy Jet

(Old French Longboard) out for a spin. Kato has since named this board his board of choice

as he could not catch me on his One Design with the same size sail. I think it has something

to do with the sailor myself!

The Summer edition is looking like it should be renamed the travel log as a number of mem-

bers have been overseas on Windsurfing holidays. Sit back and enjoy their tales.

Ohh I almost forgot. We have just signed up our 3rd International member who offered to

write an article for us. Not sure of his creds, Tony Smith reckons he is a pretty good coach.

Welcome Peter Hart and

thank you for your great

article that has strong rele-

vance to a large number of

our members – me included!

Take some time and check

out Peter’s website at

www.peter-hart.com full of

great information and tips and techniques. It will be

great to get you over for a

coaching session in Inverloch

one day.

Presidents Report

The Official Newsletter of the Inverloch Windsurfing Club Inc

Issue 1 /2012 Summer

The Gritty Truth

Inside this issue:

40 Knots on the Inlet

Club fundraising 2

A Taste of Heaven 3

Road Trip South Aus-

tralia 6

Member Profile 7

New Caledonia 8

Summer Events 11

Understanding Volume

Part One 13

For a while now the commit-

tee had put a challenge out to

the speedies amongst our

membership that the first to

40 knots on the Inlet would

receive notoriety.

Well on 2nd of March 2012 a

group of 6 windsurfers set out

to change the history books.

Ado, Dan, Dazza, Kato, Spotty

and Wendles – strange names

I know but that is what hap-

pens after too much wind! –

gathered at Area 45 with an

east wind blowing around 30

knots. Kato was out early

with Ado testing the run.

Ado was posting some high

39’s but as he came in to

change his gear Kato swooped

and posted a 40.00 knots to

claim the honour of first to 40

knots(just). Kato went on to

improve his top speed to 42.5

and Ado 43.4 then Spotty

came out and smacked them

all with a 46.1(85 kph). Damn

fast speeds on a plank of

wood with a handkerchief!

Well done Kato, Ado and

Spotty , now the bar is at 50

knots.

40 Knots on the Inlet

Club Fund Raising

VIC 3198

(03) 9773 6144

Do not forget to mention you

are an IWC member to re-

ceive a discount on all repairs.

Ritchies’ IGA

Ritchies’ Community Benefit

Card Program

Ritchies' Community Benefit

Card Program donates a per-

centage of the money spent

by our members to Inverloch

Windsurfing Club. Would you

like Ritchies’ to donate money

to us, every time you shop

with Ritchies’? Just email me

for a pre registered card and

start spending.

You can choose to have a

key tag to place upon your

key ring or you might prefer

the convenience of a Plastic

Card to place in your wallet

or purse. You might prefer

one of each. Every time you

shop you will be asked by one

of Ritchies friendly cashiers to

present your Community

Benefit Card!

Your card will be scanned

at the register, which will

automatically allocate 0.5% of

the money you spend to your

nominated organization, as

long as they are achieving the

minimum of $2,000 spent

each month.

There are also hundreds of

weekly specials that have ex-

tra discounts for Ritchies

Community Benefit Cardhold-

ers. These ‘CB’ specials are

clearly marked with red shelf

tickets bearing the Commu-

nity Benefit logo.

Help yourself to savings

and help IWC out as you

spend.

Rash Vest $50

Long sleeve rash vests made

from premium Italian Lycra/

Nylon that has UV50+ sun

protection and flat lock stitch-

ing in stock. Make a fashion

statement on the water this

season and support the club

Club Stickers

Bumper Sticker - Free

Medium Sail sticker $5

Large Sail Sticker $7.50

Club T Shirts

We still have a few available at

$25 each

KA Sails

Purchase a new sail and have a

donation from KA Sails go

back to the Club. Amazing

deals on pre 2011 sails for

IWC members. Email Mick at

mick.green@driftmedia.com.a

u to order now.

Sail Repairs - South East-

ern Sails

2/82 Brunel Road Seaford

Calender of

Events

RPS Longboard

Challenge

May

Season Closure

Big Bash

June

9th,10th,11th

Brass Monkeys

Challenge

June – August

Page 2

The Gritty Truth

In 1886 Mark Twain wrote,

“You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius”.

In December just past Sue, Harry and I flew to Mauritius to get a taste of heaven for ourselves.

While we had contemplated sailing in Mauritius previously it was always quickly discounted due to an ill-conceived im-pression of the difficulty in getting there at what we thought must be a prohibitive cost. It was only when we discovered that Air Mauritius fly direct from Melbourne every Wednesday for less than $1300 (ex taxes) that it came back into con-tention big time.

Further research on the internet revealed that Peter Hart, famous for his raft of instructional videos, windsurfing prowess on the international stage, clinics and literary witticisms was holding a clinic around the time we were planning to be there. A few further inquiries and I was booked in for 10 days of instruction with the main man. Look out Mauritius, here we come!

The start was all pretty low key, Peter suggested that we go sailing for the day so he could get a feel for where the skills were at, or not at, as may be more apt in my case. Over the course of the day Harty made a couple of gently delivered suggestions but I figured he was really saving his full and frank brutality for the coming days and surprise, surprise, I was not to be disap-pointed

Over the course of the following days we had an absolute ball. Each day kick-ing off with a leisurely breakfast and then off to the beach it was all very civi-lised and the sailing was sensational.

Although my sailing does not reflect such, I have been lucky enough to have sailed in some spectacular locations around the world including Maui, Dahab, Fiji, Morocco and more recently Lord Howe Island. Now I will say this once and only once – “Mauritius is without doubt the best place I have ever sailed”. Of course, to be fair, I am not including Inverloch in this comparison. Le Morne just has so much variety. From flat water blasting on the lagoon at low tide, jump and bump on high tide to small waves options at Little Reef, increasing to bigger at Manawa and then frightening fast and massive at One Eye. Suffice to say that the wave riding on Little Reef adequately sated my adrenaline appe-tite this trip and at no time did I contemplate the One Eye option. It offers op-tions for beginners to experts as well as all of us poor sods in between.

The water temperature was can only be described as bath like. In fact at the end of the day we would hop under the beachside fresh water shower to cool down.

A taste of heaven….

Page 3

Issue 1 /2012 Summer

Harty leading the charge at

Manawa

Club Mistral - The Kit and the Team

It’s always refreshing to not have to cart your own kit on these overseas adven-tures and even more so when the local kit is in first class condition. Club Mistral had over 75 boards and over a 100 rigs to chose from which made for easy sailing but not always an easy se-lection. Sail choice ranged from 3.0m2 to 6.9m2 as well as an assortment of kids rigs. Matt Buzza heads up the team at Club Mistral and they could not have been more helpful, always smiling and ready to lend a hand. And to see them perform on the water when surfing, sailing or kiting was a treat. Club Mistral also provides a rescue boat for safety coverage when venturing out to Manawa and beyond. I cannot speak highly enough of Matt, Laura, Johnny, Baba and the rest of the team, always there with smiles on their faces and as we got to know them better over the week the odd piss-take comment which as we know is al-

ways welcome in the world of windsurfers. Nothing is sacred.

The Value of Clinics

Sure, 10 days of consistent sailing will undoubtedly help your sailing but when it comes closely coupled with world class tuition one’s sailing improves out of sight. Instead of simply embedding your old habits (“imperfect practice makes imperfect”) Harty deconstructs and then reconstructs your technique to ensure that you get the most out of the whole experience. At the same time he is really laid back – “It’s not a boot camp” kept ringing in my ears. You can go as hard or as relaxed as you like and Harty will cater for all levels of intensity.

One of the highlights of Harty’s clinic was meeting kindred spirits, almost all of who are in pursuit of the perfect gybe, their first wave or consistent water starts. Harty’s clinic presented an assortment of characters in attendance evok-ing a terrific spirit of camaraderie. Folks came from all backgrounds, nationali-ties and ages from the mad Dragan of Serbia to the inspiring Foud at 66 and Andy at 68. These guys were out there in the surf proving that old dogs can be taught new tricks at the same time that Harry at 11 was cracking his first water-starts. Mark and Rita from Adelaide joined the program around half way through and it was quite funny to hear another Australian accent among the crew. A real cosmopolitan collection of keen sailors.

Every evening we’d gather outside Harty’s room with a few drinks watching the video review from the day. All newcomers would nervously await their mo-ments of humiliation but all credit to Peter, his editing would diplomatically skip one’s most embarrassing moments – at least for the first couple of days and then it was an open season of mirth and fun at one’s expense. These sessions were invaluable as Harty would pick up on the finer points of sailing that on the water you are completely oblivious to.

The “Hart” of the Matter

When asked back home “how was it?” the easiest answer I can give is that we would go on another clinic with Peter Hart in a “heart beat” and the same can be said for Mauritius. Peter’s encouraging style, wicked sense of humour and

A taste of heaven…. continued

Page 4

The Gritty Truth

Team Club Mistral

laid back approach to tuition is extremely effective and he is a veritable Wikipedia of windsurfing knowl-edge. While he valiantly attempted to knock off a few of my very rough edges he was most effective in get-ting wife Sue from a 144 litre board down to 95 litre and Harry to water starts and helitacks. Harty is also an extremely generous fellow and I am sure if a group of club members were to sign on for one of his clinics he would have no hesitation accepting the “Inverloch Windsurfing Club - Peter Hart Clinic Discount Voucher – 50%”. I am in the process of printing up several hundred of these vouchers in my office as you are reading this travelogue. A great instructor, motivator, sailor and a bloody good bloke to top it off.

What to do in Mauritius:

There is no shortage of activities on the island. While you can chill out by the pool or beach at Le Morne with a good book there are lots of other things to consider.

Windsurf to your heart’s content with a great selection of kit. Being able to just walk back up the beach and change kit depending on conditions just makes sailing all the more enjoyable. Surfing SUPping on flat water and in the surf at Little Reef Kitesurfing – Club Mistral offer lessons and rental for kitesurfing should you wish to taste the dark side Swimming with dolphins – we did this one morning before sailing. Swimming with pods of 20-30 dolphins was awesome Scuba diving Snorkelling trips Horseriding Golf

The team just off the water at the end of another great day of sailing

The Final wrap…

What more can I say, it’s now February and we are already planning our return trip to Le Morne and an-other Harty clinic. Best windsurfing holiday we’ve had. If you get a chance come and join us in December 2012. Amazing setting, consistent winds, warm water, lots of options for sailors and non sailors alike, world class tuition and of course Harty’s a great guy and great fun. Book now and avoid the end of year rush!

A taste of heaven…. continued

Page 5

Issue 1 /2012 Summer

Two of our club members from the Western Branch headed to Lake George in South Australia to do a bit of speed sailing

and they survived to tell the story.

Beachport – Lake George: A Cremaster perspective.

You’ve probably seen a few posts recently

regarding Lake George South Australia. In

these posts sailors talk about this almost mysti-

cal place of endless flat water and amazing

conditions. And believe me – ITS ALL TRUE!!!

Beachport is a solid 6+ hour’s drive across the

border into South Oz. Fair distance for a road

trip but half the fun is the drive itself. Jacques

and I have done road trips before and this one,

although being a bit longer in duration, still had

plenty of laughs.

Lake George is located just behind the town of

Beachport. Beachport itself is a beautiful little

town with a great pub, coffee with a view and

good accommodation. A really nice place to

stay for a holiday (this was added by the non-

sailing spouse)

The lake is large and divided by a long sand spit that splits it in half. The secret to the lake is a layer of weed that sits just

under the surface that acts as a buffer to chop and gives endless kilometres of smooth water. The beauty of this place is

that you just sail wherever you want too. Gust coming? Bear away for some speed! Wanna crank an alpha? Just gybe any-

where! Wanna rack up the kilometres? Just keep sailing!

You’ll need a weed fin and as the water level drops this become even more important. The lake is fed by run-off from

surrounding areas and has a channel that is opened during King Tides to fill it up. Apparently the water level is getting

pretty low at the moment so we may have to wait till next spring for the lake to get enough water to see a repeat of the

record breaking conditions of this summer.

The Lake is fast becoming one of the “must-visit” windsurfing destinations where endless smooth water awaits and believe

me, It took me weeks to get the smile off my face after a session there. Hey – It’s no Inverloch/Swan Bay/Connewarre but

still highly recommended!

Editors notes.

The one thing that Red forgets to mention is the mud you have to walk through to get to the waters edge. Much the

same as Swan Bay – no wonder they felt at home.

These boys where blasting on the Lake

Please note Red told me to say that he

taught Jacques all he knows.

ROAD TRIP – South Australia

Page 6

The Gritty Truth

Jacques

2 Sec peak - 45.5 kts

5 * 10 Sec average - 43.2 kts

Nautical Mile - 39 kts

Red

2 Sec peak - 40.2 kts

5*10 sec average – 38.7 kts

Nautical Mile – 32.6 kts

Belinda MacCauley

How did you get into windsurfing?

I have wanted to give it a go for years, after seeing an old 1970’s era

sailboard in my father in-laws shed. The in-laws bought a holiday house

down at Inverloch 3 years ago & that first summer I hassled Glen and

Russell to get out the old girl and teach me.

It was great fun learning how to sailboard, the rickety old boom held up

by ropes certainly took time to master. After that first summer I was

totally hooked & thought I must upgrade to something just a little more

modern.

Describe the first time you planed.

Can’t remember if that was outside the angling club or at Area 43?

(Old age getting to me already!) I think it was outside the angling club

and I was struggling to get up on the plane. When I did, it only lasted

for about 3 seconds. I think I learnt after that, not to use the centre

board.

Best session?

Crisis moment, have you ever wanted to give it up?

Yep! Definitely had a crisis moment! It was after I bought my Starboard

and hadn’t been riding long. A couple of other windsurfers with heaps

more experience convinced me to go out in what Glen thinks was 20 knots and I think was a hell of a lot windier,

at least 25 knot winds!

Beach start went smoothly and I absolutely cained it out towards the sandbar (which was underwater at the time).

I hadn’t yet learned water starts, so attempted to drop the sail and up-haul.

Only problem was I couldn’t get the sail out of the water with the roaring winds. I ended up drifting with the in-

coming tide and exhaustedly SOS signaled my kiteboarding husband on the shore to come rescue me.

The boys still rib me about being rescued by a kiteboarder.

What plans do you have for your future as a windsurfer?

I hope to expand my quiver which is currently as small as 1 sail, 1 mast, 1 boom and 1 board.

I’m keen to do some freestyle, learn how to gybe and ultimately wave sail.

Oh and lastly, clock a time for 2011 as part of the speed team (And to refute Dan’s dig at me in one of the past

newsletters, I have been off on a knee injury, hence why I haven’t clocked a speed this year!).

GPS is still sitting unused in its box!

What attracted you to IWC?

I actually did a bit of searching around on the internet to see if there was a social sailing club in Inverloch that I

could join. Funnily enough, there was. The club had only just started up! I’m so pleased to call the people I have

met in the club friends and it always makes me smile to see them, catch up and have a sail.

Gritty Truth Member Profile

Page 7

Issue 1 /2012

There’s some things I like about getting old….complaining about young people and their lack of respect, letting everybody know how much better it was in the good old days, and boring the socks off all of your non sailing friends when they mistakenly ask “how was your weekend?”….

But there are some things you do when you get older that you would never con-sider as a young whippersnapper….

Let me give you Exhibit A….

Yes, well last year over Christmas (and before the Costa Concordia made it an extreme sport), my wife, Shaz and I took off on a cruise around the Pacific Islands. I still maintain that it was purely coinciden-tal that our travel itinerary took in the windy island of New Caledonia, and I reasoned that since I was there, it’d be rude and downright disrespectful to not sample the local wind and wa-ter.

Now for those geographically chal-lenged, New Caledonia is a series of small islands about 4 hours flight from Brisbane. The main city, Noumea is nestled on a series of bays and inlets and there’s PLENTY OF WINDY PLACES TO GO AROUND!

It may surprise some of you to know that seabreeze.com.au can be used for more than stirring up trouble. In this case, before I left I made contact with Sean Hogan (seabreeze: seanhogan)- a local sailor from New Cal. This what I love about the worldwide windsurfing community…people who are complete strangers are bonded by the love of wind and water, and they unselfishly go out of their way to show off their home beach. After a few emails to and fro, Sean offered to meet us at Anse Vata beach, and suggested to hire some gear from Laurent at SP8CE NC.

OK, something we learnt pretty quickly…the locals appreciate it if you have a crack at their native lan-guage- French. After arriv-ing at port, we decided to catch the number 1 bus to Anse Vata beach. Unfortu-nately, the number 1 bus never appeared (we later found out that the number 1 was actually the number 8!) So we decided to walk up to the market and take a taxi. There aren’t too many cabs around, so after a half hour wait, we finally had

success. In jumping into a cab I asked, in my best year 8 French if the cabbie spoke English, to which he replied (in rapid French) the equivalent of…”no, I don’t you arrogant knob”…Luckily the last things you forget about a second lan-

New Caledonia

Page 8

The Gritty Truth

guage is the swear words, so I managed to muster up the statement “ainsi vous aurez juste à endurer mon français, ce qui est de la merde”…translation: “well you will just have to endure my french, which is shit”. After about a minute of laughter, the cabbie, in per-fect English asked, “So are you guys from Melbourne or Sydney?”. About 15 minutes later we were sitting of Anse Vata beach, ready for a day of sailing…

One slight problem…several days earlier Cyclone Fina had sprung up and shot by the New Cal coast, taking away the dominant South Easterly trade winds with it. What was left behind was a fluky North Easterly but since when did the lack of wind ever stop my windsurfing???

Sean arrived and immediately made Shaz and I welcome. Af-ter about 10 minutes, a massive rusting blue truck pulled up and out jumped Laurent from SP8CE. To those uninitiated, Laurent Gauzere was known as “the animal” in the Speed World Cup of the 90’s, took a few years off to recover before representing New Caledonia at the Defi Wind of 2010-11. To be in the presence of such a great sailor was awe-inspiring. After a brief chat, Laurent cursed for the lack of breeze and said he was deeply sorry that I’d travelled all this way to be so bitterly let down for the conditions. And you know what, he was genuine! He actually took responsibility for the weather! I ex-plained that it really wasn’t anything he could control (or could he??) and I’d be happy to jump on a big floaty board and just cruise. At this point, he opened the back of the blue truck (pictured right)….

OMG…The latest RRD boards and Loft sails in every combina-tion!!! Woo-hoo!

Before too long I was out on a big board, just cruising around the Bay and taking a look around.

Now, local authorities in Australia please take note…At Anse Vata there is a WINDSURF ONLY area, where no kites are allowed. The Bay itself extends a few kilometres with a reef at

New Caledonia continued...

Page 9

Issue 1 /2012 Summer

the South East end and several islands to the South and South West…and its just for windsurfers… The water is crystal clear and tropically warm. Although the breeze wasn’t great on the day (it was cross to offshore but getting dirtied up by the hills to the North), once you got out from shore there was enough to plane- briefly. On one run back in a giant dugong surfaced near me, then swam just ahead of me, cruising towards the reef. A truly magical experience- just the wind, waves, the Mother Nature, and me.

After a few more runs out to the reef (about 2k’s away), Laurent and a few younger guys joined me for a bit of New Cal Freestyle- man, could these kids defy gravity and physics on their boards in next to no wind…great to watch.

After trying to copy their moves, and spending more time in the water laughing, than on the water sailing, I decided to come in.

Laurent once again apologised and said that he was ashamed of the wind on the day. He refused to take any money for the gear hire because we’d come so far, only to sail in “these terrible conditions”. Any protests were futile, and I gratefully thanked him and his crew for a fun day out regardless of the weather.

My wife, Shaz, in the meantime, had spent the morning on the beach with Sean, chatting to the locals and having a look around. After packing up the gear, Sean offered to take us around Noumea and show us the real sites. A fantastic day was spent exploring the Inlets and waterways that surround the city…so many things to do and more importantly so many places to sail.

After a beautiful lunch at one of the best French restaurants, we headed back to the ship. A few hours later, as we left the port I pledged to come back, spend more time sailing here, and build on the friendships I had made.

So would I recommend it? Absolutely…a great location, great sailing (when a cyclone isn’t around) and plenty to do for non sailing partners…One suggestion though…make sure you brush up on your French swear words before you go!

One last cool thing that I learnt about- the guys from SP8CE (and any of the other 2 main shops in Noumea) spend their whole day on the beach, then go back and open the shop for only a few hours from about 6pm-9pm at night. Local sailors pop in after work for a chat and catch up and there’s a really strong social aspect to the retail sailing scene. Not a bad life, I reckon!

DETAILS:

The main sailing beach is Anse Vata, about 15 minutes from the centre of Noumea.

There are several hire outlets- JP/ Pryde and Starboard are found along the beach but I would thoroughly recommend Laurent at SP8CE- sp8ce.nc@gmail.com Phone: Noumea 788 667

(one tip- Laurent doesn’t read email often!)

Best bet is to phone, or just turn up on the day.

New Caledonia continued...

Page 10

The Gritty Truth

Training Days

During summer the Club ran 3 training events. A beginners day, ad-

vanced beginners day and an intermediates day. These days where a

great success. The intermediates day saw 50 windsurfers littering the

beach at high tide leaving no room for anyone to get through! These

days are important for club development, to help members progress

their skills in a fun atmosphere. For me the pleasing aspect of these

days was to see some our kids coming through like James Gal, Joshua

and Joel Worner as well as an ever increasing contingent of females. It

is also great to have a fantastic crew of coaches to be on call for these

events to impart their knowledge – Col, Dan, Kato, Mick, Pete, Peter,

Rupert, Red and Simon. These events do not happen without some

behind the scenes organisation also so thanks has to go to Cara, Ian, Marcus, Rob, Roy and Tash for your efforts.

JP/ NP Caravan of Horror

This year the format was a little different as we had limited beginner gear available to open the event to the general public. Well it was

just another brilliant Club weekend. Big thanks to Luke and Krystal from SHQ for the time they spent with IWC members in coaching

and discussions about equipment. Also special thanks to WV and SHQ School for

loaning us some extra equipment.

Saturday was a brilliant day for the beginners as we saw 25 male/female and kids hit

the water with enthusiasm. The ease our coaches had students up and going and

turning was brilliant to see as lots of happy smiles appeared on our students faces.

Lunch was taken with the suggestion of a relay race out to the sand bar and back.

5 Teams of very competitive speed sailors and beginners where chosen with a chal-

lenge to bring back a cup of DRY sand from the sand bar. Dan’s team got bragging

rights with first place and last goes to Kato who had to paddle in when the wind

dropped away.

The afternoon session saw the famous, much talked about, 30 year old Jet longboard hit the water. This was El Presidente’s most ex-

pensive purchase at $55 off Ebay. It was one of the most ridden boards as the wind was 5 kts and it left the RS’1s, SUP and Light Wind

boards in its wake as it glided through the water with great ease. Luke and Krystal both jumped on it together for a spin.

Sunday, everyone woke with great expectations as storms where forecast with wind of 25kts.

Another 15 beginners where pushed through in the morning session as we kept a close eye on

the weather fronts coming through. As we broke for lunch El Presidente stuck his neck out

and predicted a 3pm hit of 20 – 25 kt winds. As 3.04pm hit and still winds of 12kts a revolution

was under way, threats of mutiny, keel hauling and de throning where being discussed as El

Presidente held his nerve and luckily for him as cutlasses where being drawn at 3.30pm 25 kts

WSW hit the Inlet.

Beginners where quickly dragged off the water and then the intermediates and advanced came

out to play. It was like Bourke street as guys and gals rocketed up the speed strip.

Highlights for me – Luke and Krystal on the Jet, Kato flying up the speed strip, Kato doing 20

kts on his Wally, Fei and Wendy holding their own in 25 kts, Flip jumping the RS1 out of the

water in 25 kts, Anne learning to beach start and doing 3 in a row and kids just rocketing

along. The weekend saw 40 beginners go through and the same number of intermediates. All

in all another successful IWC event.

Summer Events

Page 11

Issue 1 /2012

Australia Day Longboard Fun Day

A day to celebrate Captain Cook sailing into Anderson Inlet on a wind-

surfer

A day for IWC to challenge Go Kite to a game of beach cricket

A day when lamingtons and anzac biscuits where consumed

A day when 20 odd windsurfers took to the Inlet wearing or flying the

Australian Flag.

I did not see any English looking twat in an admiral’s uniform come

sailing through the Inlet however I am sure it happened. IWC won the

inaugural beach cricket match so the president was saved from taking a

kiting lesson(phew). Thanks Tim, Pete the postman, Sherelee, Lozza and Woody for saving my

bacon. Tash cooked up a storm with delicious lamingtons and anzac biscuits and Antoine and

Roy would have to take the cake as the most outrageous Australia Day outfit! Mick managed to

organise a motely bunch of windsurfers to do a sail past the Angling Club – three times! Damn

good fun.

Summer Events continued...

Page 12

The Gritty Truth

“You look nice today darling.” “What do you mean? Don’t I always look nice?” He/she replies determined to

misinterpret the good intent. So it is that a well-meaning, off-the-cuff remark leads to war. The moment you start offering

advice about board volume, you end up in a similar mire of misunderstanding – every remark inviting a barrage of contra-

diction and qualification. “Yes Reg, less volume will give you more control in chop … depending on the design … and of

course the sail size … actually it might be better … if it’s gusty, to go a little bigger … but then … etc etc…” Deciding on

board size is about the most important kit choice we have to

make, influencing control, early planing, manoeuvrability and above all, confidence. I get asked about volume more than

any other gear topic; hence I’m going to give it a stab. Because there are few definitive judgements, I shall attack the ques-

tion via a series of recent real case studies where volume has been the deciding issue. The first one betrays the capricious-

ness of subject.

THE VOLUME DELUSION

Forgive me if you remember this tale from another article. About a decade a go, I was involved in some board testing

where we were handed a pure white prototype devoid of written measurements, graphics or labels. We had to sail it and

then decide how big it was what it was designed for. Most of us were about 30 litres out. It was Starboard’s new and ‘out

there’ Hypersonic (it was a kind of mini Formula board). It was very thick and because it was fitted with an 8.5 rig we

assumed it was around 130 litres. It was actually only just over 100.

The conclusion? Volume is just one of many measurements, which affects how big or small a board feels. Take the set-up.

Put a 5.0 on a 130 litre board in 25 knots and it will feel huge. Put an 8.0 on a 100 ltr free-ride board in 13 knots and it will

feel especially tiny. And there are visual cues. A board’s outline, shape and its

graphics influence how big it looks. If a board looks big, then we will sail it as if it’s big, which has both positive and

negative possibilities.

VOLUME in the HEAD

On a clinic in Dahab a girl on my course refused to move down from her 110 ltr board even though her petite-ness com-

bined with the 25 knot wind meant she was being bucked by a rabid Bronco. In her head she was convinced she needed a

big board ‘to be safe’ (even though she could waterstart). By happy coincidence, the centre had an unlabelled 85 ltr wave

board prototype. I took a felt tip and wrote “110 all-rounder” on it and handed it to our victim, lying to her callously that

her normal board was being repaired. After the session, during which for the first time that week she had dared hook in

and get into the straps) I casually asked her if she liked the new board. “Yes, much easier.” She said. “It didn’t feel smaller

by any chance?” “No not really … just more controllable.” Conclusion? To a large extent volume is in the head. In this

UNDERSTANDING VOLUME

Page 13

Issue 1 /2012

instance, her extra litres were in emotional safety blanket but a technical inhibitor. The extra volume did NOT make her

safer, just the opposite. The risk of not being able to get going on a smaller board and being washed out to sea were infini-

tesimally small compared to the real possibility of her getting injured thanks to an out of control crash on the bigger board.

The vague notion that that more volume is necessarily both easier and safer, is deeply flawed. I hesitate to generalise but in

my experience with people aiming to reach the Nirvana of being properly comfortable in the straps at speed, so they can

then move towards carve gybing with some confidence, the majority are sticking with too many litres for too long. These are

some of the issues.

Those looking to master waterstart, planing, straps etc

typically err on the side of too much volume.

THE WATERSTART QUESTION – less is more.

Unless you live in Bonaire, Poole Harbour or somewhere with a waist deep lagoon, it’s the ‘can you waterstart or not?’

question that defines your choice of volume. If you can’t, you need to go for a board, the size of which we’ll discuss in a

moment, which allows you to uphaul. If you CAN waterstart confidently then a new world unfolds and the choice of volume

is determined (mostly) by wind strength and performance criteria. But what if you can “sort of waterstart most of the time as

long as it’s windy and the rig has fallen kindly and not sunk?” Racked with doubt you feel you have no choice but to go big.

Unconfident about his waterstarting, 80 kg Jeff booked a 130 from the centre, even though he was pretty good and the wind

was strong (5.5 weather) – unaware that the board lay at the root of the waterstarting problem. Big boards are harder to

waterstart. They sit higher in water and so get knocked off line more easily by the chop. Because you can’t sink them, you

can’t throw the rig as high, can’t get enough power AND you have to rise further out of the water to get on. Promising I’d

keep an eye on him, I moved him to a 100 ltr board and his waterstarting improved immediately. It concentrated the mind.

On the bigger board he had a ‘get out of jail free’ card. If it didn’t happen, he knew he could get on and pull the rig. On the

smaller board he couldn’t (or at least he though it wasn’t an option at that stage). Necessity being the mother of invention

and all that, he tried harder, gave it more time, worked out a few things. When he did rise up, to begin with he plummeted

soon after, the loss of 30 litres exposing his shortage of trimming skills. However, the Charlie Chaplin stage lasted perhaps

a day and a half at which point he began to feel the effect of toes and heels; and rather than just standing here, he felt he was

the essential link between sail and board and began to actively drive it with the feet. Conclusion. The big board was not only

harder to waterstart but also made him numb to the board especially with a small rig. Going smaller, but not too small,

caused a few initial upsets but stimulated immediate and rapid progress.

SHEDDING LITRES – a tale of two Aussies

Introducing two Australians, 11 year old Harry and his mum Sue. It sounds like a ‘weight watch-

ers’ success story but both saw their windsurfing transform through shedding about 30 litres in a

week. Harry had a 3 sq m kiddy rig and started out on 115. It was right for a couple of days as it

allowed him to feel his way and get used to being hooked in. But given his weight and such a

small rig, there comes a point on a board that size where he’s just standing on a platform getting

blown along. In steps we got him down to an 85. One morning we heard a massive ‘click’ as sud-

denly, he stood up, dropped the hips back, drove the board with the feet and shot off in both straps.

For Harry, losing some volume allowed him to feel what was going on underneath him. Mother

Sue, athletic and go-for-it, seemed to be on the 130 just through habit. She’s light and hated using

sails bigger than 4.7. As she dropped by stages down to 95, the main thing that happed was that

board became a much better match for the sail. It was more balanced and above all felt MORE

stable the faster it went (just unike the

130), and before she knew it she was

in both straps. The 95 was still a bit big for her (about 55

kg) and that I explained that soon her board of choice, even

in moderate winds, should be a 70 – and even that won’t

sink. As a very general statement, people looking to crack

planing and waterstarting, due to a misplaced sense of

safety, tend to err too much on the chunky side.

Editor: Doug Hocken

Advertising : Mick Green

Layout and Publishing :

Louise Hocken

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UNDERSTANDING VOLUME continued…