Farrah and James
I had some wicked fast and furious runs, but most of the time I flailed about with my "new" rig and its old school sail that, according to James, has too much power, too high up. Furthermore, I was not prepared for the 20+kt wind that came up. If I had my 4.5m sail, I would've rigged it, but I only had the 6.4m. Consequently, I was catapulted hard and my boom demolished the nose of my board. I also had just broken my uphaul. Then I was about to be swept in between a pair of very long, private piers (see the right side of satellite image). I had to swim the rig around the end of the eastern pier or be raked through the pilings. After that, I was done.
I let the waves take me to shallow water where I commenced the "walk of shame". I stashed my broken rig in the grass next to Cross Road (far right in satellite image). Though it was barely a mile, it was a very long mile, down Jenkins Neck Rd. and then through back yards and tidal creeks with thick deep muck, back to Gloucester Seafood (Cooks Landing Rd.), seen on the left side of the satellite image. It was an even longer drive back to pick up the gear, since you have to drive around your (you know what) just to get where the crow flies in places like Guinea, where tidal waters rule.
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Basically, I had my ass handed to me on a foam core plastic platter, in front of Farrah and James. Nevertheless, they were both super kind to my Spasmoidialness. James blamed my old sail. He told me that I should have a more manageable sail to dial in my new board. He then hooked me up with a sweet deal on one of his older, but much more advanced Ezzy sails, a carbon fiber mast, and some other stuff that he's "outgrown". Thanks James! I very much look forward to getting back into the water.
Repair Job
My only speed bump now is my board. It's currently hanging, nose down, in my shed to let any water drain for the next several days. Meanwhile, a Google search revealed a few possibilities.
1. Marinetex
2. Solar Patch
3. Dingo or Ding Stick
4. Plumber's epoxy (supposedly the same thing as Dingo)
Farrah's solution - Saw off the nose for a whole new look.
Initial Questions:
1. I'm inclined to think that Farrah is right. If I did saw off the nose, what would be the best way to seal/finish it?
2. If I try to restore the nose to its original shape as possible, what would be the best method?
My Busted Nose
my 6.4m sail at Cross Road
And, finally: What was good about President's Day?
1. The wind (speed and direction)
2. The company - especially watching them scream up and down the shore!
3. I was windsurfing
4. I did a "water start" three times (alright, so it was only hip deep...still!)
5. The wicked fast rides (actually, they were great!)
6. The salty air
5 comments:
Paul, did you see the comment I left before about repairing the board? Super thin fiber glass cloth and epoxy resin would be the best choice for this. I've smashed all my boards in awful ways. Email me if you want some more details.
AAron,
I've heard a lot of stuff about the wrong resin eating the foam etc. Do you have any thoughts on that?
Thanks for your advice!
polyester resin would be very bad. Epoxy resin is the ticket.
This is the stuff I've used in the past with success: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/29035/377%20710/0/epoxy%20resin/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710&Ne=0&Ntt=epoxy%20resin&Ntk=Primary%20Search&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=epoxy%20resin&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=95&subdeptNum=674&classNum=674
(I hope the long url doesn't get appended).
Boardlady.com has really in-depth diagrams of how these things can be fixed.
It's really important to find good thin fiberglass, sometimes you have to mail order it and sometimes it's hard to just buy a yard of it. I have a buddy who is a dock master locally who usually hooks me up.
Best of luck! Welcome to windsurfing!
Bummer..... at least you got a couple runs in. That sail had to be a beast in those gusts. The old 5.7 I had like it would give me whiplash if it got over 15.
Regarding draining your board, here is a tip I gleaned off the web. "Warm dry air". If your shed isn't heated this cold weather will extend the drying time. Definately check out boardlady.com She has great info on the website and if you have a question she will answer emails.
I'm going to make it a point to get over that way to sail with you guys. Once the conditions and the work schedule permit it.
Chris
Aaron, Thanks for the url. West System Epoxy is great stuff. In fact, I think I have some in the shed.
Chris, I glossed over the boardlady's site in my initial research and James also suggested her. I'll definitely check her out again.
Yeah, I got a couple runs on two separate days. Totally worth it. I will have to be careful in the future though; better sail, boom bra, and hopefully, better sailing.
Steady breezes,
Paul
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