Namibian desert

Due to the winds switching off in Namibia we decided to leave early and travel through the Fish River Canyon on the way down to South Africa.

Luderitz Speed Challenge Report

From the 4th November until the 2nd of December a competition was held in Luderitz, Namibia to attempt to break the world speed sailing record.

I was able to book myself in for two weeks of the record attempt from the 19th November to the 2nd December.

This was the first time I have ever competed in an outright world record attempt. I have competed on the World and European Speed Tours for a long time but a record attempt is a whole different kettle of fish.

During Tour events you sail on open water along the shore line being timed over a 500m or 250m course. At the end of the course you gybe and sail back up the course outside the designated timed area. The best courses have the wind blowing offshore at 120 to 140 degrees to the shoreline, these conditions create the fastest times. Each day is sailed as a leg to the overall championships and can be sailed in all types of sea conditions and wind strengths.

The record attempt in Luderitz is sailed on a manmade canal approximately 1km long set at 150 degrees off the wind. You sail down the canal, get out at the end and get taken back to the start on a trailer. The first two weeks of the event had produced fantastic speeds with new World and National records. Watching all the action unfold was torture, I had been planning the trip for 9 months and couldn’t wait to get out there.

The great thing about record attempts is that you are only going to sail in the best conditions and hence you don’t need to travel with as much equipment as a tour event.

I was taking two speed boards, four sails, five masts, four booms and four fins, not a great deal, tour events would see me travel with double that amount. The plan was to pick up three more prototype sails and some fins already sent direct from the sail factory in China to Namibia.

Guernsey isn’t the easiest place to travel from and the Airport being closed for runway upgrades when we were supposed to be flying back didn’t help. Pierre Bisson from Gsyphoto.com travelled with me and without his help the trip would have proved impossible. The trip comprised of catching the overnight ferry to Portsmouth, drive up to Heathrow and fly out to Cape Town, hire a car and drive the 12 hours up through South Africa into Namibian and through the Namibian desert to Luderitz. WHAT TO GO WRONG!

Amazingly nothing did, everything went to plan even to the extent of not having to pay Excess baggage on the way out.

We arrived in Luderitz midday on the 19th November. The first view of the canal is daunting, 1km long but only 5-6m wide, any sort of problem or mistake whilst sailing down the canal at 50knots / 58mph and you’re going to hit a hard sand bank. That first day the wind wasn’t as strong as it had been the previous two weeks and the organisers had closed the canal to dredge it out more. The wind did increase during the day and I manage to sail down the course a few times once the excavator had finished.

20th November – The forecast for the day were for winds gusting up to 35knots not a great amount for record attempts but still enough to test out the canal properly. I sailed my Starboard W49, the bigger of the two boards I took, with a 6.0 sq m Hot Sails Maui GPS 2013 and recorded a maximum speed of 47.83 knots.

21st November – Again gusting up to 35 knots but a little more consistent. I used my smaller Starboard W44 with the Hot Sails Maui GPS 6.0m then the 5.5m and recorded a maximum speed of 50.20 knots. Getting quicker by the day and finding out more and more about my new sails and fins.

22nd November – The wind was slightly lighter. Small board and 6.0m recording a max of 49.55 knots. Lighter conditions but going almost as quick, we seemed on the right track.

25th November – Same winds as on the 22nd but the angle wasn’t as good. Maximum speed 48.55 knots.

With another week to go I was very confident that I had found the right settings for my sails and the right board fin combinations to challenge for the world record. Luderitz was picked for a record location due to consistently recording strong winds of 50knots or more, we hadn’t had them yet but the forecast everyday showed more wind to come later that second week unfortunately as the week progressed the forecast began to get worse and worse and in the end we didn’t have any more wind for the rest of the contest.

One more day was all I wanted.

Guernsey is great for windsurfing but it doesn’t get the conditions for really fast times. All the equipment I took to Namibia hadn’t been used before and it took time to adjust to work in those conditions. To the layman you put the mast in the sail tension the downhaul add a boom and away you go, it’s not quite that simple. 1cm more or less downhaul can change your speed by 2 or 3 knots, the same with the outhaul add to this changing size of fin for the conditions and there are a lot of variables that effect your speeds.

If we had winds in the second week like the first my times would have been faster however it isn’t all doom and gloom I have still managed to gain the WGPSSRC British speed record for your average speed over a 10 second period on the 21st November. The challenge now is develop new equipment to challenge for the world record which mean travelling to England and France to find flat water and strong winds for testing.

Regards



Martyn

THE WORK CARRIES ON

LUDERITZ 26,11,2012

The wind tried to make an appearance yesterday but wasn't strong enough. Forecast still looks ok for Thursday.

Just need 1 more windy day

LUDERITZ 25/11/2012

Frustrating day for me, just couldn't seem to get the speeds.

The course was a little tighter than last Wednesday which may have been the problem.

I am still waiting for my fins, the Namibia post must deliver by donkey (not that there is anything wrong with donkeys, I am a proud Guernsey Donkey, but a plane would be better in this instance)

I swapped between 4 sails yesterday trying to find the right setup, a deeper more upright fin may have been the answer.

Going to have a play with the sails this morning and see what we can work out. I know from previous years a small change can make a huge difference.

LUDERTITZ SPEED CHALLENGE

It's the morning of the 6th day for us in Luderitz. We have had 4 days sailing since we arrived and it has taken up until now to get the kit dialed in.

I have used my 5.5. 5.8 and 6.0 GPS Hotsails Maui  sails for the first time this week, as well the first time on the sails it's the first time I have used the Starboard W44 and my Black Project X45. A lot of learning.

On Wednesday I recorded a 500m average speed of 48.21 knots maxing at 50.05 using the 5.5 GPS, W44 and X45.

Thursday was all about tuning and changing things around. There was no official timing as they thought the wind wasn't strong enough. With my last run of the day on the 6.0 GPS I maxed at 49.55.

I sailed with a 3kg weight jacket and the difference was amazing. Checking the video afterwards it's really noticeable that I am more locked in with a better stance ready to absorb the gusts where as on Wednesday the gusts were lifting me up on my toes.

Great forecast for today or tomorrow. No typo there, one forecast says today one says tomorrow.

15/11/2012 count down

Final preparations today, photo copy id / paper work, hair cut (I know, it doesn't take long), load up the van, pester Pierre to be ready (I know, that will take long).

Very excited, just one more day of really good winds forecast on Saturday and then I'll be there. Wednesday still looking the windiest day so far.

Luderitz

Almost there.

We catch the ferry overnight on Friday to Portsmouth, drive up to Heathrow and fly out Saturday night to Capetown. Hire a car and 14 hours later we'll be in Luderitz.

I have my new 2013 Hotsails gps 5.5 and 6.0 already and pick up the 5, 5.2 and 5.8 in Luderitz (hopefully) also new Black Project X 40, 45 and 50's.

I am taking 4 booms, 2 boards and enough masts for all the sails.

I rigged up the 5.5 and 6 the other day and filmed it with my iPhone, video attached. Only one thing to say, "we are ready, big time".

The last week has been torture watching the records tumble however at the moment next Wednesday's forecast is for the strongest wind yet. Tuesday warm up and Wednesday watch out.

I'll post every day if I can get an Internet connection.

Wish me luck.

British Speed Sailing Championships

For me 2012 is all about my world speed sailing record attempt commencing on the 19th November for two weeks in Luderitz Namibia. It has meant pulling out of the European speed sailing tour to concentrate on developing and fine tuning equipment that will achieve my goal of breaking a number of sailing records on the specifically constructed canal in Luderitz.

However the last event on the tour is also the British Championships and being conveniently located at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy (2012 Olympic sailing venue) it was an opportunity to put aside the specialised small record breaking equipment and load up the light / medium wind equipment that is usually needed for Weymouth in October.

October in Weymouth has a good chance of strong winds blowing through although the past few years have seen light winds for speed sailing. To break world records you need flat water and at least 40 knots of wind blowing at the right angle to the course to produce fast speeds. The beauty of Portland Harbour is that you can set a 500m course at the correct angle to the wind in any wind direction, it may not be a flat course but it will be a course that you can compare your speeds directly to your fellow competitors.

The course is 500m long and your fastest 2 runs are averaged to give you your ranking for the leg. The speeds attained have to be above 28 knots for a leg to count. Your speeds are picked up by a GPS unit that is strapped to your arm, the unit is approximately 2” square by 1” and not only picks up your maximum speed but your tracks, kilometres sailed, average speeds, pretty much everything.

Tuesday 9th saw the wind pick up enough for racing. The first day was split into two legs running from 10am to 1pm and 1pm to 4pm, have noticed no break in between. We had Easterly winds averaging 16 knots, which is about the lightest winds I can get up to speed with my biggest 8.8 square meter sail and biggest 127 litre board. Top speeds for the leg were in between 30 to 31 knots. After being out on the water for 3 hours nonstop I was lying in 3rd position. A quick sail back to shore for a drink and it was back out for another 2.5 hours sailing. The afternoon leg saw me record a 5th place that dropped me down to 4th overall.

It was a brutal first day sailing for 5.5 hours. My GPS was showing that I had sailed 86 kilometres recording 38 runs down the course, the most by any sailor. Speed sailing rules have changed over the years. Weymouth has always wanted to keep the course open the whole day without a break due to the course being open to any type of sailing craft and not wanting to potentially miss the best conditions. It’s not my favourite way to run the event. 1.5 hour legs with a 30 minute break and a maximum of 3 legs per day is a more sensible approach but it’s the same for everyone so you have got to get on with it.

My fitness training throughout the year certainly paid off that first day.

The next day we had exactly the same conditions however during the skippers meeting I asked for the course to be moved closer into the harbour to allow us easier access to the rigging area so that we could change equipment if the conditions changed. A fellow competitor also asked for a 30 minute break in between legs. Both were put into place. Two more legs on day two and two 4th place finishes, 56 kilometres sailed leaving me in 4th overall after 4 legs and some work to do if I wanted a podium finish.

Thursday saw the winds die down again but with a forecast for good winds on Friday.

Friday morning and the wind had changed direction to North West which meant offshore winds along Portland’s Chesil bank and flat water. The winds were still light, 16 knots. The first two days of sailing had light Easterly winds however it was constant, Friday’s wind was averaging 16 knots but dropping to 12 and gusting to 20 later on in the afternoon when a couple of rain showers came through.

It proved a frustrating day for me, I never felt comfortable on the water. Sailors were using even bigger sails and it didn’t feel like speed sailing to me. The morning leg was a slug with every run I made feeling under powered and slow. The afternoon leg was similar with relatively massive increases in wind strength as two rain showers came through. I caught the end of one for a run but was left with a slow second run to add for my average.

I came off the water feeling as if I had blown my chances of a good result. I sail my best in strong winds and Weymouth 2012 produced the lightest conditions that can be competed in but being fiercely competitive I gave it my all and had done the best I could.

During the prize giving that evening I was gob smacked when they announced Martyn Ogier in second place. I had a frustrating last day but everyone else must have had one as well.

Second place two years on the trot however this year is a lot more rewarding because the conditions weren’t as good for me as in 2011. Well done to Anthony Baker for winning his first British Championship, he sailed very well and deserved the win. I’ll be back next year to try and win.

Now its back to preparing for Namibia. The light wind equipment has been put away and the extreme gear is ready to go.

Thanks to my sponsors, HOT SAILS MAUI, BLACK PROJECT FINS, BILLABONG WETSUITS, CHINOOK BOOMS, STABOARD, GARTH, AURIGNY AIRLINES, FLYING OBJECTS.

Sept update

The good news is that a few days completely off has sorted my back. It was the right lower back muscle that was causing all the problems. That now has gone, I have a lower middle ache every now and again but I put that down to many years of abuse. Stretching has never been one of my priorities and it's stating to show. I don't know if it's too late to start but I'll give it a go.

Last Tuesday the 18th I started swimming again with my wrist weights and just using my arms. It works out my arms shoulders, chest and stomach. My legs are usually worked out by running but that won't start again until after Namibia. (too much risk of a back injury again)

Yesterday we had torrential rain, I rigged up in it. A rubbish wind direction for Guernsey, easterly, 10 knots gusting 30. Then when I was going to suit up the thunder arrived closely followed by the lightning, the rain increased and started to have my doubts whether it was worth going out. On seeing another sailor gently float out to see in the water start position, a fading forecast and worse to come on the horizon I knocked it on the head.

Today was better. Westerly 30 knots and rising tide, Strong Westerlies are no good for speed but I checked out the whole coast just in case. As it turned out tide wise Pembroke would have been ok at 8.30 for some speed runs if the wind had been SW or South. Back to Vazon and I rigged up my Firelight 5.5 and Starboard Kode 84, the sail was a bit big but still it was fun riding 8 foot suckies reef and getting the smaller 4 footers close in. Pierre came down to practice with the video camera so that we are set for Namibia.

Tomorrow is back to speed. The forcast is for SW force 6-7, should be good for my GPS 7.3 and Isonic speed W54

Back injury

Finally had to stop light training to get this back fixed. Felt like it was mending last week, still training, then my youngest asked to go and do 9 holes of golf on Saturday, big mistake should have known better. Since then I trained Sun, Mon, Tue and had another therapy session on Wednesday. The good news is Wednesday session has made me feel better than I have in the last 4 weeks but I have decided to halt the training until I can't feel any pain.

Booked in for last Bowen Therapy session on Tuesday then keep figures crossed to be fit for Weymouth. I can't see that will be a problem because I could sail as I am but don't want to take any chances with both Weymouth and Namibia coming up.

Have a look at the new speed demon attached. Starboard Isonic Speed W44 with Black Project X45 nicely slotted in. Hot straps for comfort and performance.

I'll be taking both the W44 and W49 to Africa along with some speed special sails, new Hot Sails GPS 2013's and new masts.

Flights, Car Hire and Hotel all booked. Just to make it a bit more difficult and expensive Guernsey decided to close it's airport for a week when we are due to fly back.

Now we are catching a ferry over night to Portsmouth, drive up to Heathrow, fly out to Capetown, drive 10 hours from Capetown to Luderitz, arrive hopefully about 10 pm ready for Monday sailing. Two weeks later we do it in reverse.

It sure isn't easy getting there, or cheap!

Weymouth training

Only 1 month before Weymouth and time to try and loose as much weight as possible, Weymouth is usually a light wind event.

Had a good session on Wednesday back on my Hot Sails GPS 8.8, Starboard Isonic 127 and Black Project Fins R45. This is the combination that I usually need most at Weymouth.

1 month of fasting then 1 month of putting on weight again for Namibia. (the right type of weight however, you have to be able to handle it)

One niggling problem is my back at the moment. I have been doing so much training that my lower right side is giving me problems. I have started having Bowen therapy to sort it, if you have back problems I would highly recommend it. One session down with the therapy and another booked for Tuesday, apparently I am all out of alignment. The good thing is I can still do light training.

I keep you informed on how it all goes.

Luderitz 2012

The runners and riders have been announced, you'll get the line up here - http://freightfocus.net/Riders/Riders/

It's been a really frustrating year, a couple of injury missed West Kirby days earlier on in the year and a lack of first class locations for speed competitions have kept me quiet.

Everything is about to change though. The British Speed Championships are coming up in Weymouth UK from the 6th-12th October then the big one.

Luderitz Namibia
I'll be there from the 16th November till the 3rd December.

When I started speed sailing there was only one record to break, your average speed over 500m. Now there are a few. What I would like to happen is that most if not all get broken at the same time. My list of records to break in Luderitz are as follows,

500m British windsurfing record - currently 44.34 knots
500m British speed sailing record - currently 44.78 knots
500m Production world speed sailing record - currenty 46.51 knots
GPS 5 x 10 second average speed - currently 48.40 knots
GPS 500m average - currently 48.71 knots
GPS Maximum 10 second speed - currently 49.05 knots
GPS 250m average - currently 49.08 knots
500m Windsurfing world record - currently 49.09 knots
GPS 100m average - currently 49.80 knots
GPS Maximum 2 second speed - currently 50.51 knots
500m Outright world speed sailing - currently 55.65 knots

If the winds blow I believe that a new Windsurfing world record over 50 knots will happen. I believe a windsurfer will reach over 52 knots but at this stage it may be only a maximum speed but who knows! We have got to give it a go.

I have a maximum speed of 49.5 knots sailing into 30cm high chop with no way of slowing down till you crash. That was achieved in West Kirby with my Hotsails gps 5.5m, Starboard speed W49 and Black Project Fin X40.

In Namibia I will have the new Hotsails gps 2013 and speed prototypes down to 4.8m, I will have the Starboard speed W44 and Black Project X50. Smaller kit means faster speeds so watch this space.

My partners who this record attempt are,

Hot Sails Maui
Black Project Fins
Starboard
Chinnook
Gath Helmets
Flying Objects
Aurigny airlines
Wetsuit sponsor tbc

My thanks to all of them.

Namibia count down has starteed

It's drawing nearer. Final preparations are being completed for the world record attempt.

Big news is I have three new companies that I am working with, details to follow but they are all integral in the big push for the outright world speed record.

The sun has come out big time in Guernsey over the last couple of weeks but the wind has disappeared. Training is going great, a bit of Stand Up Paddle but mostly my 3 mile run then 2 mile swim 6 days a week. It's easy to keep going every day but I make sure I have a day off otherwise my body doesn't recover and I end up with sore throat run down feeling.

The list of competitors should be out any day, as soon as it is I'll post it.

A small break in the rain

For a change the rain stopped in Gernsey yesterday and the sun decided to pay us a visit. Force 4 -5 winds and small 2-3' waves rolled in at Vazon and it turned into a perfect summer play with my 7m Hotsails Super Freak and my 103ltr Starboard Kode.

Week ending 22/06/2012

Busy busy week.

After a week off training monday was time for a cliff run, really hard and running up the cliff steps my right knee gave way twice. Not nice. Then a mile swim, I find the swim is almost a warm down exercise. I swim with 1kg wieghts on each wrist and a swim float for my legs. My theory is the run works out my legs and then the swim does my arms, it seems to be working.

Tuesday day off, give the knee a rest.

Wednesday cliff run, a little further but hard again and again my knee gave way. Back in the pool after.

Thursday 5pm and the wind is howling. Tide too high for speed but cross shore at Vazon and a nice 3' wave rolling in. 5.5m Firelight and Starboard kode 94, believe me this is small kit for me in the waves. Hutchy is on his 4.2m. A few flip de doos over the handle bars and a good work out.

Friday and it's still windy 6.0m smack and Kode 103 and again I'm flip de doing both ways but after 1 hour my right knee is giving me jip.

At first I thought that having the previous week off had been the trouble with my leg giving way this, but now I know why. Last Sunday on Fathers day I played 9 holes of golf with my son and Father, thats were the problem came from. The twisting of my back leg in the follow through. Now it all makes sense, I haven't really had much knee problems since giving up golf 4 years ago.

Next wind is forecast for Sunday. Hopefully good for speed.

June 8th

So much promise but when I arrived at the beach the wind looked like it was starting to drop. I rigged up the 6.6 and went out for a couple of runs but the wind wasn't anywhere strong enough. Still you always learn something. I had a racing 28cm fin in the W54 for the first time and had no problems with spin out. It should prove to be faster by quite a bit compared to the R30. I'll still use the R30 in open water contests and tight courses. After a couple of runs I packed up and went down to Vazon for a bit of down the line wave sailing. 6.0m Firelight and Starboard kode 103 were perfect for some hits. Very strange jumping back on wave kit though after all the speed. A good couple of days sailing then followed by a couple of days of running and swimming. All starting to pay off now and plenty of time till Luderitz in Nov.

June 7th

All coming thick and fast now. Yesterday was one of the most enjoyable speed sailing sessions I have ever had. Sunny, warm, offshore winds 22knots gusting to 32 knots. A bit of a wind range but when the gusts came through it was great. 2 hours out on the water until the tide got too high and the wind became too fluky. 6.6m Hotsails GPS / Starboard Isonic Speed W54 / Black Project Fins R30 Combo I went out on the W49 first thing for a couple of runs, what a difference from sailing it at West Kirby last year. Back then I couldn't get in the straps and felt uncomfortable all the time. Now I have changed the straps to Hot Sails straps and moved them in board as I did on the 127 it felt great, no problem at all slipping into them. I changed up board because Pembroke bay is way too gusty, on the 54 I can sail up and down all day long no problem. The 49 needs more constant wind otherwise when your my size you end up swimming a lot. 41.93 knots maximum yesterday which I was happy with. Not the greatest angle for high speeds but definitely the best angle for a fun session sailing parallel to the beach back up wind. Today is looking good also, slightly more wind and WSW which should make quicker speeds although it will be harder to get close to the beach earlier enough. We will see.

June firsts

Plenty of first yesterday. First time using the big kit this year, 8.8m sail and 127 ltr board. First time in a summer suit this year. First time sailing with the back straps placed more in board. Very much competition speed training as opposed to record attempts. I have changed the straps on the 127 to Hot Sails straps, this enables me to put them slightly more in board as they have 3 holes in each strap. This worked great for me and I'll do it on my other boards as well, size 12 feet and trying to ram them into straps too close to the rail can be difficult but that extra 3/4 inch moved inboard makes all the difference. Had the boom slightly higher than normal and in the light winds felt great. Really felt locked in on the reaches. 34.93 top speed was good. It's all about the small changes now which should make the difference from runner up to champion. Luderitz record attempt is taking up all my thoughts, really excited to see how far I can push the equipment. Starboard Isonic w44 on the way and Tom is weaving some magic on new sails. Fins, Sails and boards are the best out there and we will see something very exciting come November. Off water training is going great, fitter than ever at the moment and pushing hard. Strong winds forecast for this Friday and hopefully there will be some wind forecast for West Kirby or La Franqui that I can make the most of. The roll on ferry to France now sails every day so La Franqui will be easier to get to.

May 2012

Wow, I new it was a while since my last blog but didn't realise it was almost a month. Not good but I will give my excuses below. 1, I have been busy Signing up for Luderitz speed vent has taken over everything. There is a lot to organise but I am getting through the list. The new Starboard Isonic W44 has been ordered and will arrive late August. I plan to take out the W49 and W44. Tom is working on new sails for the attempt, speed specials in 4.8, 5.0, 5.25, 5.5 and a new low aspect 6.0. I'll take a 6.6 with me as well just in case the weather isn't extreme. 2, We have had some good sailing. Nothing extreme but some good 7.3m days and a fully lit 6.6 day on my W54 speed board. On top of that if it's not windy I am running my usual 3 mile route then jumping in the pool for a mile swim. Tom Tom has been updated with african maps, new Hot Sails T's and Hoodies printed and sent out to the team. Next is to get a sports energy supplement brand on side. I reckon that the windy days will be long drawn out affairs. I know Anders got in 30 runs in one day last year but he was the only windsurfer using the canal, I am not sure how many windsurfers will be there this year but obviously you can only sail one way and will be picked up at the end and driven back to the start. I presume we will only get one run every 20 - 30 minutes. Still lots on the check list to do.

APRIL SPEED

Nice sail at Pembroke Bay on Wednesday. 7.3 gps Hotsails with 90 ltr Starboard Isonic and Black Project R35.

I set the sail with a tiny bit more downhaul and a bit more outhaul than last month when I was on the same kit. Definately faster but the wind direction was too broad and a bit of chop on the course. Everything is coming together nicely for the World Record attempt in Namibia.

Top speed 38.54 knots.

Guernsey Video

First attempts at Filming from Pierre. Learnt a lot already.

PS Play it loud!




www.vimeo.com/38439749

March speed

First session of the year, really needed it. Soooo frustrating watching the times from La Franqui. Guernsey has only one boat a week to France at the moment on a Friday, I would rather have a 3 - 4 day trip then a whole week.

Today was gusty 7.3 to 8m weather. Pierre came down and filmed so we will post that later. I told him I was looking for high 38's maximum runs, I ended up with a peak of 40.02 knots. Not bad to say how gusty Pembroke is in offshore winds. You have 3 areas of wind, west of the bay where you start has gusts which will get you up and going then a lull which hopefully you get through then another 50m area of strong wind, another lull then 70m of strong wind to the East of the bay. It's always the same, doesn't matter what wind strength. A bit of luck and you get through with an alright speed.

I never felt fully lit across the bay, really nice to see 40 knots come up. The 7.3 can easily average 40 in the right conditions.

2012

Just a quick update on whats been happening and what the plans are for 2012.

The days are lengthening, almost into March and I have missed two of the best speedsailing days in the last 10 years. That is the big frustrating news.

Over Christmas I had a stomach bug, won't go into details but loose would be a good description. It meant I missed some good wavesailing in Guernsey but also the speed session in the beginning of Jan. Jan 21st session, my wife organised our wedding anniversary meal. I did think about jumping on a plane to West Kirby but thinking was all I could do if I wanted to stay married.

Best to look forward. 2012 will see me compete on the European Speed Tour also there is talk of a World Championships (in a hot place, although every year there is talk. It is very difficult in the current economic state to get the funding for events, the minimum needed for a World Champs is $50 000.00.

West Kirby is always on my mind and I am desperate to get back up there. 2011 really showed me the speeds that I can reach and spurred me on to go for the World Record.

La Franqui is also on my mind but I need a driving companion for that one. Driving down to the South of France for an event my myself is no problem, you have a base and your van is safe on the beach with all the other competitors. Driving down, leaving your van on the beach by itself and going out sailing isn't so good, I love the French but like anywhere things can go missing and do.

I have also enquired about getting an invite to Lurditz for a 500m record attempt, I let you know if anything goes ahead.

Looks like a busy year, apart from competing the 2013 Hot Sails GPS'S are close to completion and will need a blast. Everything else stays the same, Chinnook are the best booms and extensions on the market, Black Project Fins are the best on the market, Starboard are the best on the market and Billabong makes me look sexy!