Slalom Simples

 Easterlies, Easterlies, Easterlies. Or if you live in Bournemouth Bay, North Easterlies, which is not much good to anyone!

With the lack of proper wind, I decided it was time to invest in some big kit, well big for me. I had a 3.7 Simmer Icon, which fortunately I had not opened. I have no idea why I had a 3.7, I weigh 82 kilos! When am I going to use one of those. I think perhaps it was that stupid windy October the year before last which tricked me into thinking I needed one.

So a quick phonecall to Farrell O shea, and I sent it back and swapped it for a 6.6 V Max. Simmers full on non cammed slalom/freeride sail

 I got to use it yesterday, and it was so much fun actually zooming around fully powered up for a change. The wind was gusty and out to sea, it could have been enough for a 5.3.

The aim is to get all the sailors at the mudeford beach huts into a roll over slalom series, based around using 6 -6.5 sails only and any board. The reason I went for a non cam was simple. It keeps it all simple, it rigs on my existing 430 skinny mast and larger boom and probably isnt much slower than the full on stuff.

I've always thought that just as racing gets good it always gets out of hand. Slalom is brilliant on manageable kit, but then it always gets spoiled by massive sails, with huge luff tubes and an even bigger price tag, that it becomes un fun and un sustainable. The same for course racing. Course Slalom as it was, was brilliant on smallish kit. But then the boards became a metre wide  and the sails 12metres squared. Ridiculous.

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It's a shame it isnt limited to non cam sails and maybe a weight/sail ratio handicap. Who wants to spend a grand on one rig! Kevin Pritchard has proved you can use a basic twin cam to beat everyone. Hopefully the mudeford series will get off to a flying start, anyone is welcome to join in. Just a good summer seabreeze day and meet at about 3-4pm up at the Hengistbury head Long Groyne and then race downwind, via the yellow buoys to Avon. Winner is first past the post, there is no Alternative Vote here...!