13 March 2020
El Medano 2020 day 7: Beautiful day
Wave Clinic with Colin Dixon, day 6.
Last day of the Clinic.
Today a lot of wind predicted.
Started with the Goya Custom 3 Pro 86 and S1 4.8.
I actually wanted to go for the Customer 3 Pro 91, but there was an 18cm instead of 20cm center fin underneath, not really what I would sail.
At first the 4.8 seemed too big, but wind dropped off a bit so the 4.8 was quickly perfect. Board also works very well. Very nice to feel a small board, much more lively and more fun than a larger board. Unfortunately, the wind was now also less on the inside. Not so many waves, searching for waves, and if I found a wave I could not get downwind to the lip. Wind decreased further, so could no longer plane all the time, and then the 86 is not very big.
Everything one size bigger, the Custom 3 Pro in 91 and 98 were not an option because of wrong center fins. So something else:
Goya One 3 - 95 with the Flight Sails 5.2
Practicing wave riding all the time: going out through the surf, getting upwind and trying to catch a wave on the inside.
Was quite tricky, few wave surfers in the surf, a lot of windsurfers and then also gusty wind. So everything had to be perfect to be able to ride a wave. Windsurfers can be seen from a distance, so you can time your arrival in the surf. But wave surfers and gusts don't. Made a lot of attempts, improving a lot. Useful to do, but above all also a lot of fun.
It started to get high tide again, then it gets harder, tomorrow another day, so time to stop.
Lesson 6: Look at the beach (or Colin) during the top turn.
Today was a good day, unfortunately the sun didn't shine so strong so it was a bit fresh in the short-arm.
Was a fun and educational clinic. Learned many tips & tricks. Down-the-line wave riding is already going a lot better. Colin can explain everything well and quickly sees what you can improve.
El Medano - Playa Sur
10:30 | 1 hour | Wind: |
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Board: | Goya Custom 3 Pro 86 | |
Sail: | Severne S-1 4.8 - North Platinum 140-190 | |
Sailed with the original MFC 18/10 fins. The S-1 is a fine sail, I was a little hesitant to grab a 4 batten sail, and then also so big, others went for 4.2 and 4.5. But I wanted a lot of power for enough pressure near shore. A small board is very nice. Sailed with the center fin all the way in the back, which meant that crosswind was more easy. It is a modern wave board, so always a little more work. On the wave it is really nice, but unfortunately the wind decreased, so never really could wave ride with a lot of pressure. |
11:30 | 2.5 hour | Wind: |
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Board: | Goya One 3 Pro 95 | |
Sail: | Flight Zorro 5.2 - North Platinum 160-220 | |
Sailed with the original fins. Board sails nicely, slightly wider stance than my JPs, Feels more like a waveboard than the JPs, so also slightly less easy crosswind. Waveriding is nice, maybe not super thight, but fun. Flight feels nice, light and yet stable. Feels very well built. |