Another unexpected session after work. The forecast as for 10knots WNW, it came through at about 15-18knots for an hour at low tide WSW dropping to 12ish as the tide was at mid point. Mid tide to high is the best on the harbour as it means we can tuck in close to the shore for the flat water.
I got on the water quickly with my Tushingham 7.6 x15 (quickly becoming my most used sail) and my Starboard Kode 112l with a 37cm Select S11 fin. After walking the 100m or so through the shallows I got planing straight away and quickly started using my adjustable outhaul that was fitted about a month ago. I was told to put the cleat on the boom quite far away, meaning that the line catches easily when tuning it. At first it felt too far away and it may be a problem in over powered conditions where I cannot sail so easily one handed. After a while I got used to keeping hold of the line but may change this to the other option where bungy chord is used around the front of the boom to keep the line in front of the harness lines.
It was reasonably easy to use so I practised using it and started getting used to the amount to let off for downwind runs. There was not really enough wind for this but it got me started with the concept though.
I was pleased with my results for today, getting my highest speeds so far in the chop, in the past I had only managed 26knots through the boats at low tide, but today it was over 27 for a couple of runs. A great quick session but could have been longer. I hope I can get 2 good days before the end of the month to get me over 500NM (or 4 average ones like today and yesterday).
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