Comments on: NSW Windsurfing Series – Heat 4

By: Bruce Healey

Bruce Healey — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:13:10 +0000

El Presidente,

as an Irishman, it is your place to be an opportunity for humour, not to speak words of wisdom such as these. With this attitude Irish jokes will die out. How will this wonderful spat continue in the face of such common sensical throwing of oil upon troubled waters.

And Ricardo, you have no excuse for such appalling spelling, you are not french. You have had 2 chances, go & buy a dictionary, then spell out loud 100 times, “PLANING” & then “PLANED” unless it is your plain planning to be considered a non-planing ignoramus for ever.

Barry, I never knew you knew as much about French as you do about spelling.

For the record, Rick, Wayne & Murray were all well ahead of me when they pulled out but I kept going & PLANED most of the second lap. Well done guys, a good decision, keep it up.

By: JohnH

JohnH — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:35:36 +0000

Settle down gents. Yes, we had a poor event and the wind didn’t play ball.
Was postponing the first race on Sunday the right decision? Nope, but only in hindsight! At 3pm Sat neither BOM nor Seabreeze were predicting early wind. Neither did anyone at the beach predict wind at 9am!! Starting at 9am was never in scope anyway so why mention it?
Once we made a decision to delay the first start was an effort to ensure we weren’t sitting around all morning looking at a millpond. And once the decision was made we could not bring that forward as that would be unfair to anyone who planned on getting to the event for 12pm! No one was disadvantaged by the decision either way.
WRT the race, the NOR says racing in 7kts and above. I believe we had 7kts, and both Seabreeze and BOM observations agreed!! Note that we do not race under Championship Rules. 7kts is the only windspeed of importance.
Finally, we have used 1 race to count for many years (at least 3) and it has never been an issue before. If we need more then 1 race we will be under more pressure to sail in marginal conditions, not less!

The weekend was not the best, but every decision was the right one at the time it was made. Every decision was made with the best interest of the participants in mind. What extra could we have done?

By: Rick Murray

Rick Murray — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:06:46 +0000

we expect that from you Barry….its all about me. I plained around most of the first lap and decide to pull out half way up the second lap with Murray and Wayne when the wind really died. I was in 8th place.
Where does it end. 3 races counted as a regatta now its 1 race, whats next who can rig their gear the fastest wins.
In those conditions why cant we just have a race just for fun and have it not count towards the series. And Barry how long have you been windsurfing? ( 35 years ), is 2 laps too hard for you to manage with your light weight.

By: barry

barry — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:46:25 +0000

Thats how you spell planing in french you dummy brucie . I only had a 10m and except for a couple of minutes at the start planed all the way around the course maybe there is a bit more to sailing than just pointing your board in one direction When its really windy the people that cant get around dont cry and bitch If you dont want to sail go home and mow the lawn

By: Bruce Healey

Bruce Healey — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:38:13 +0000

You blokes will have to become kiters if you don’t learn to spell. I planned my way round the course, I was coming first all the way in my plans. It was planing that was the problem.

By: Remi

Remi — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:05:53 +0000

Planning… hmmm anyone was planning on sunday afternoon apart from top 3?

A shame the first start was scheduled at 1pm as some of us had a good sail in the morning from 9am…

By: Brett Morris

Brett Morris — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:33:10 +0000

The bottom line is we have rules/limits to protect the quality of the racing which we need to follow.
The pressure to get a result in for the weekend is always there, as it is never nice to have a no result for an event, but we still need to protect the integrity of the class by ad-hearing to the rules.
Touch wood, we will not have such extreme conditions to deal with any time soon.

By: Rick Murray

Rick Murray — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:20:16 +0000

I think it is about planning around a course not floating around a course. If 5 people are planning out of 19 it is hardly a race is it when the remaining 7 drift around the course.
I thought there was a rule that if half the fleet was not planning the race was canceled.

By: Bruce Healey

Bruce Healey — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:29:12 +0000

Better a light race than no result at all. You heavy guys have a ball when it strong wind so don’t whinge when it suits the lightweights.

By: Tiberio

Tiberio — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 02:16:17 +0000

Of course there is a minimum windstrength but I just think that if there are a few people (like 12 out of 19)who can get around the course and I can not then perhaps I am doing something wrong! There is equipment available today like big sails and special fins that would get you going but of course you still have to work as well for the money!