Sailed at Auckland, Kohimarama Beach
Rated a 6 of 10

Wind from the W (knots)

lulls: 20

average: 30

gusts: 35

Board: Starboard Carve 99 2004 Wood
Sail: Loft LIP Wave 4.7 2006
Fin: Drake Freeride 320
Suit: XCel 4/3 infinity x-zip.
Air Temperature: 18 C

Looked like a good afternoon. 19 knots said WindGuru. At the beach I measured as low as 8 knots with average 19 or so with gusts up to 24. So I thought the 6.2 would do. But 100 metres of shore the wind blew violently. Couldn't get on the board to get back really, just couldn't hold on to the sail. But managed to get back.

Unfortunately my iSonc 133 hasn't turned up and it is unclear if it would turn up. So I had canceled that order that day, so there was some money to get sails that would allow me to windsurf in 25+ knot winds.

So I drove to Windsurfing South Pacific which cut me a good deal on a new NP Zone 5.2 and a demo version of the a Loft LIP Wave 4.7. I wondered if a crossover sail like an Excess or Expression wouldn't be better for me. But they didn't have them in stock at the moment and it would take quite a while before they would get them. And Phil said that he used the Zone on flat water as well, basically as cross-over and that it worked like a Saber. And I could return them if I wasn't happy. So two more sails richer I went back to Kohimarama.

Even with the 4.7 it was incredibly hard. I could hold on and other guys were on a 4.7 as well, but still. It just looked like I couldn't windsurf. Couldn't get the backfoot in the footstraps most of the time and if I tried it was wham, sail down and me catapulted into the sail. Waves were high, at least half a metre if you went 200 metres out of the shore. Wild, wild stuff. Waterstarting was much easier with a lighter sail, mast and boom by the way, that worked quit well. But I was clearly out of control.

But at least I now have the stuff to go out in higher winds. And I will use that.