It all took some unwrapping, but it was truly worth the effort  The quality control department was called in to approve the goods 
... and then the sails needed checking out, and logoing up 
Just need the opportunity to test them now .... Big thanks to Bob & the team at www.4boards.co.uk for their renewed support, and also to Callum Edge from Surf Centre for getting the gear shipped across. THANKYOU UPDATE .... 8th November 2008 First opportunity to try the new toys ..... What with some new toys needing using, and forecast for wind both days this weekend, then the added pressure of a Loop Clinic organised for Sunday ..... there was little danger of me not getting a sail in today.
Opted for Pevensey as had some other DIY bits to do first thing before I could go anywhere, so 11am at Pevensey ..... it was windy for sure, but checked with the windy meter and it was 23-26 knots steady, gusting 34 knots. There were lots of decent waves too .....
So ... which toy to use?
After a nano-second decision was made ...... the Fanatic Twin Fin 84 was crying out for use, with a North Ego 4.7m ....
Okay, it wasn't really ideal twin fin wave riding conditions, but it's a new toy and it was windy, so there was never any doubt .....
First impressions .... didn't seem especially hard to sail, felt like it went upwind pretty well, although the rip made sure you had to work bloody hard, whatever you were on. First couple of runs I lost some ground downwind, but as got a bit more tuned in to the new board and rig I managed to maintain status, albeit a couple of beaches downwind. Didn't get much chance to wave ride, due to intense focus on working upwind, though did allow myself the odd relapse to hunt out jump ramps and just couldn't resist a couple of backside rides. It wasn't an ideal day for me to try the twin fin, but I really enjoyed the feel of it ..... it felt quite playful underfoot, and I'm sure there will be better days for me to really enjoy this board.
With the rip getting progressively stronger, I opted to break out another new toy, the Allwave 92, and also tweak the outhaul of the Ego to check how it reacted. Pretty much as soon as I'd plugged them together, it absoluted chucked it down, and then the wind dropped to nothing. So, stood there chatting, and watching Big Al wallowing up to his knees, pointing towards Rosetti but sailing sideways towards Cooden in the rip.
Lucily the wind filled back in a bit, so out I went again on the Allwave. In truth, it was relatively marginal at first, but got going, and the ramps were really shaping up. Trouble was, each lull or jump and corky landing was costing me distance downwind, and then when out the back heading back in the wind dropped right off for a few minutes. I found myself heading back in towards the outfall, but as got in, the wind filled in, so decided to sail back upwind, but got drilled by a set and was 4-5 beaches further downwind before I could cuss the rip!!
Luckily it filled in again although most had packed up by then. Just late starter U-Surf and me out for a bit from the car park, before I conceeded the day as done, cream crackered.
I'd done a fair bit of walking in the shallows, battling the rip, and I'd crashed and burned a few times, taking a beaut of a fall going over the falls on one wave to many and getting the full rinse cycle treatment. My only forward loop attempt, and not one I'd initiated with any form of intent. My last jump before packing up was a pretty big back loop attempt, which activated brain cells and saw me jetison the board as a self preservation manouvre .... typically I lost two beaches ground downwind before waterstarting, so time to de-rig and head home.
Quite a good fun day, in a masochistic way, and one that didn't fill me full of the confidence that I'll be able to just go out and do forward loops just coz someone says I can. Doesn't mean I wont try, just means I haven't yet.
Bring on tomorrow .... |
