47 knots !

Just had an awesome day on Wednesday speedsailing.  The forecast was looking really good for West Kirby in the UK, and my mate Steve Thorp was texting me saying he was on the way there. 

I just got two new RS Racing sails on Friday, and was absolutely itching to use them on my JP Speed 45 and finally find out what speeds this board is capable of, so it was a really easy decision.... Time to book a Stena-Line ferry from Dublin and head go and try out my gear !

When we got there, the wind was pretty strong - 30-40 knots, and we saw Steve Thorp and Farrell O' Shea flying down the course and clocking in and around 48 knots!

I took my time rigging my brand new 4.7m RSRacing - just to get the hang things, and also had a slight delay, while I bashed the sh*t out of a roll of lead and stuffed it into my weight jacket ! 
Martin Waldron who travelled with me had already got a few runs, and returned dazed, with his carbon boom in 2 pieces... but smiling anyway.

As it turned out, the 4.7 was perfect for me all day (I'm not the heaviest speed-sailor at 78 kgs).. but smaller can be very efficient too !  You don't have to be f*t to be fast :)  - and certainly Steve is proof of this - he's the same weight as me.
 
Here's a video of one of the runs from the GoPro.  I didn't keep it on for long, as it was distracting, and as you can probably see, I was concentrating pretty hard !  Going down the famous Kirby wall at 45 knots needs every bit of concentration you have :)  I did get closer to the wall on some runs..


Kirby 45 knots from Surfdock Watersports on Vimeo.

I know this run on the video peaked at just over 45knots, and I'm pretty sure I broke the Irish Speed Sailing record too!  (This is of course subject to verification) - but I know for sure my Max Speed of 47.17 knots is the fastest any Irish sailor has ever done, and my 5 x 10second average is also the highest.  Unfortunately the course was too rough to get 500m runs, which is hard in Kirby, so JK keeps his Irish 500m record.

GPS tracks are here.

After another ferry trip home, tired but happy, I could see on the computer I got 2 runs with peaks over 45 knots, and 8 runs in total peaking over 43knots, which was my previous personal best.  Job done, a new PB for me, and a great days sailing at an awesome location.  First day trying my RS Racing sails, and 47 knots instantly with a sail brand new out of the bag and no tuning... I can't wait to get this gear back to Burrow beach and go get some 500m runs ;)

www.surfdock.ie

Bring on the wind

I have been waiting a while for these sails to turn up!!
This is the 5.5m, and I also got a 4.7...... in case there is a hurricane!
Suddenly speedsailing is going to get very interesting indeed :)
We have a bunch of competitions kicking off next weekend - wave - speed - wave - speed.
Going to be busy

Surfdock / DMG IWA Wave event

It looks like the windy Autumn weather is kicking off nicely,  just in time for the first IWA Wave event on 16/17th September, and hopefully then a great run for the following Wave, Speed and Slalom events too.

It's certainly going to be a busy Autumn, and hopefully great windy fun for everyone – no matter what your style of windsurfing !  Surfdock and DMG Sailsports are delighted to be hosting the next event in the calendar -  The IWA Wave Champs, and are working hard behind the scenes to make sure you have a great event with great sailing.

Some preliminary information about the event for you:

What's it all about?: Getting out there and having some fun in the waves, pushing your skills and learning how to shred with like minded people.  There are fleets for everyone – you dont have to be a wave guru – you just need to be interested in getting out in the waves and trying it out.  You always come away inspired and ready for more action !

Dates:   September 18th-19th      or if no wind – rollover option:  October 2nd-3rd.

Venue:     In order to get good wind, and fun wavesailing conditions, we wanted to try something new this year, and we hope you will think it is worth it !   We have chosen from 3 venues,  and will decide on which one, depending on forecast a few days before the event.

Option 1. - Magheroarty Beach, Donegal.
Possibly the most beautiful beach in Ireland, Magheroarty has a great mix of waves on the beachbreak, and on the world famous reef – which is surfing and waveriding heaven (and easy to sail even in a big swell).  
This works best in SW or W wind. 

Option 2. -  Westport area – Co Mayo.
Basing an event out of Westport, gives us the option to change venue each day depending on the forecast – where we can choose from Louisbourg, Achill, Mulranny or event Belmullet.  All wind directions are covered, and Westport is a great party town too !

Option 3 – Dublin.
In strong SE, South or SW-W wind, Dublin has great wavesailing (also North and NE), with plenty of jumping and riding.  It's our backyard, and it would be great to bring a comp to Dublin for the first time.  Our fun coaching wave event was good fun – and showed us the number of wavesailors who are looking for some fun

The venue notification: will be posted by Lunchtime on Wednesday, and finally confirmed by lunchtime Thursday before the event.  This information will be posted on Surfdock Website & Facebook Page, DMG Website and Facebook Page, IWA website and windsurfireland egroups.

Registration info:  To make it easier to organise, we would really really really appreciate that you pre-register your interest in the event by sending an email to:  events@..., with your name, and mobile number.  This ensures we can get you the most accurate information about venues, and also give us an idea of numbers.

Entry requirements:  Everyone is welcome! But you must be a member of the IWA to compete in any IWA event.  Membership also provides you with personal insurance.  
Forms will be available at registration, or you can join beforehand by visiting:  www.windsurfing.ie

We are working on putting together accomadation information, and will post this in the next couple of days.
Hope to see you out on the water !!

2011 Pryde Vid

Here's a nice vid of the 2011 Pryde sail collection!



www.surfdock.ie