Should I/ Shouldn't I?

You all know the feeling, when you have had a hard weeks work and the wind looks a bit fickle, or not quite the right direction etc.

40knots PB For Scotty Stallman

Today "The Ray" in Southend, UK delivered for Scotty Stallman. This is a well known speed spot on the right tide, and can work in several wind directions. In the past few days a few speedies had mentioned it could be a good call to go, and GPSSS shows Scotty turned up, tamed the elements and achieved the next target in his list.

www.gps-speedsurfing.com

This was his second trip in just over a month, in the last one he was even closer to a 40knot average, but did not get over the big 40, ending with a frustratingly close 39.98 peak.

Scotty Stallman, Severne Reflex 5.1, Starboard Isonic Speed Special 2012 W44, Black Project Type S 24cm fin

This is an amazing top speed for anyone, let alone at 14 years of age. Since the end of last summer when he started sailing his current set up he is near uncatchable on Portland for most of us. Well done Scotty.

Please come back in a couple of hours to see what he has to say. He is on his way back from the other side of England, with a 50knot headwind at the moment.

Good speeds and winds

the Bus

New Lease of Life

The nutrition plan I talked briefly about in my last post is what has knocked 10 years off how I feel (at least) and honestly made me a lot more alert with more clarity of thought than ever.

My fiancee Kat has been telling me for several years the benefits of a raw diet, something she advised for her mum when she had cancer. The cancer has left her body and she is healthier than ever 6 years after she was given 6 months by the doctors. 

Since I had been put on Warfarin my diet had got worse, along with a lot of pressure at work my weight had shot up and time on the water all but disappeared other than the odd session in the holidays. I was starting to feel my age, with aches in both elbows, joint pain in my left foot and longer recovery times than I had ever experienced. In mid November I decided something needed to change, set my mind to it and started going for long walks with the dog in preparation.

Over Christmas we happened to watch "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" which is the pop culture version of the science Kat has been studying now for over 6 years. It all makes complete sense, and is remarkably well made and enjoyable to watch. 

I started out on January 1st 2016 weighing 102kg the night before. Today is February 1st, I now weigh 88kg but did eat a rather big curry last night (homemade with fresh veg, no rice). For most of the month I have been only drinking veg juice, the past two weeks I have been eating/drinking it blended with a Nutribullet. 

The first few days were hard and full of cravings, though the supplements such as magnesium that Kat was giving me suppressed the cravings. After a week I no longer craved crisps, now even the smell of them is like smelling the chemical cupboard at work. After 2 weeks I had a nut roast at the weekend, and yesterday I had a home cooked veg curry. 

Mixed in with all this is my exercise routine, much to the dogs disgust. Being a Bull Terrier he is not a big fan of long walks, so 8-10km every evening means he now slinks away when he hears the lead rattle. Also I am routinely doing 100 press ups, situps and squats. I am using free weights for my shoulders, arms and chest twice per week, and a turbo trainer and bike almost every day for 45minutes. 

It is without a doubt the change in food and not the exercise that has resulted in the weight loss, the exercise is simply getting me windsurfing fit again. Though a muscle somewhere in my calf is hurting a lot after yesterday, no matter how much training I do off the water it never prepares every muscle!

The goal is 85kg and to come off Warfarin by the end of April, I know the doctors will disagree, but if I go to them with much lower cholesterol and blood pressure that is down to 120/80 or even less then I have a good argument to stop it. 

More importantly I have found my windsurfing mojo again, and can't wait to get back out on the water this week!

Good speeds and winds

The trimmed down bus

Time to get back to my old routine.

It has been a very busy 18months or so since my last post on here. Not busy on the water though. It is time to get back on it. Today was my first decent session in a good few months as I am now starting to feel almost as fit and healthy as I have ever been.

Hot Sails GPS 7.3, 35cm Type S Black Project Fin, Exocet RS2, Ex fat bloke.

Work has been hard, there have been lots of changes, many for the better though I am sad to see some friends look for jobs elsewhere due to those changes. My fitness got to its worst in my life, and my weight went over 100kg.

Hot Sails GPS 7.3, 35cm Type S Black Project Fin, Exocet RS2

Since January 1st I have been eating raw fruit and veg, in juice, blended and very occasionally fermented grape juice in green bottles. Since the start I have gone from 100kg dead down to 88kg, though mid autumn I was hitting almost 105kg on the scales.

First session back with a 66cm board and 7.3m sail I realised how much weight I had lost, the board was like a battleship and the sail felt more powerful than it did last time I used it.

One thing that has happened is Scotty Stallman who wrote a post for me a long time ago is now far outclassing myself and most other Portland Harbour regulars. Today I knew he would beat my peak, so I did a couple of nautical miles, quite sure I could at least stay on top with those, not a chance! His laydown gybes also look very classy now.

Isonic 90 2016, FHOT fins RS3 30cm, Severne Reflex 6.2m, Future World Champ in control!

All the photos as usual were taken expertly by Andy Stallman, thanks Andy!
I am going to try to write a post per week from now on, like I did at the start.

Good speeds and winds

The bus.

News

This has not been a great year on the water for me, the first 4 months I rested my shoulder which is now good with no recurring pain. Just as I was settling back into full on downwind runs and really going for it while overpowered I tested the theory that taking Warfarin causes Osteoporosis. I am glad to say there is no evidence for this in my case, but I am surprised my foot didnt snap off. 

Coming to the end of a run out over the chop yesterday I was aiming to go behind someone who was sailing across the wind on starboard. He had right of way, I respected that and aimed behind him, and should have been well clear, when I was about 20m away he decided to crank upwind and drop in the water, in a split second I was nearly on top of him so cranked upwind myself and crashed, front foot trapped in the strap. Luckily a few people helped me back to shore, and also today getting to and from the hospital for X rays. 

Onto some great news. Kat and I have bought a house, this particular house is 150m from the waters edge, and specifically the big salty lake I sail in.  The rear bedroom window has a view over the famous Chesil Beach, if white horses can be seen over there then I can walk to the front bedroom to check out and see who is out on the water. There has not been much wind this summer, and often the seabreeze has not been quite enough to go out, but kites have been out. Luckily for them a crossbow does not have the range from my front bedroom to reach them ;)

We are settling in well, although the summer holiday is already over and its back to work on Monday. I have a new (to me) board on its way soon and need to order some new sails for next year. A boom may be on the cards as well. Some of my kit is looking a little worn, my 111l 69cm Exocet RS4 is very spongey in between the back straps from gybing. This is going in for repair and an RS3 is coming to give me a wider range of boards, or rather spread the load as the RS4 is by far my most used board.

Every morning now I get up to my childhood dream, a sea view. I get to walk here with our dog every morning, although some are not quite as nice as this photo, its a great place to live.

Good speeds and winds
The Bus