Most times you win, but sometimes you lose....

A very nice and windy day. waves up to 4 meter. I went out with my SOS85 and a 5.3. Great day. Big sets started to come in when the low tide came. Yup...typical best of the year day ;-)
Wind dropped, but waves became cleaner and o so nice... Went for my 100lter board and 6.0 Firepower. AAAmazinggg... countless turns of so clean fast thick waves. Getting out became harder because with so less it was trick to become over the incomming rolling foam (3m) --hard to pop on that without any wind... But hey, due to my combi I still could sail those amazing conditions. Normally I would be sitting aside. Wind still dropped a little, it went to 2bft.absolute non planing conditions. Sounds less, yup it's less but I still managed to get out.. cause those conditions are worth it. It became a timing thing... Will i be in time outside before a big set hits??
Sort kind of game started ;-) When i came out a could score that wave of my life.. And I rode some really nice ones.
Also the game of struggling against incomming waves was not that bad at all. Men separate from the boys thing hahah
But the force of the nature is strong, we all no that..

Just a thin string of kevlar rope saved Me and most of my gear!..

Ok, I played with 'Fire'.. I knew. There came a big set in. It started with big rolling foam lines. Hard to pop up/came through.. but i managed it. Then another line, then again.. 3meter of foam.. popped up it.. it pulled me also back..you know the feeling. Half in waterstart position I looked into the horizon.. damm there was someting to come. I got up end went out further. very slow.. looked like slowmotion.. white water all aroud you.. a rising wall comming.. and hardly any wind. Would I make it or not. Nooo The wave was allready there.. no time to pull the mast into the wave, or dive. Just hold on and try to make it. It went wrong..
A 3.5m wave hit me full into the sail.. like a bomb. I hold the boom as long as i could but hey, even the Hulk couldn't hold this power.
I went for myself..keep away of my gear and try to come up safely.
On the surface I knew everything would be destroyed.-mast/boom/sail/board?? And started to think how to come to shore/beside the cliffs. I saw my board, rest of the gear under water... classic --this would be a hell of a ride to get to the shore... Let me wash by 50 sets-so everything get messed up?
Went under water with my hands... hey... mast still in one piece? (used the hotsails hotrod 430)...went for the boom.. still tight in position. My sail was in half by the impact of the wave,dammm. So I expected my boom would fell down, cause there was no frame anymore.
Hey!! it steayed in position. Due to the kevlar line in the leach of the sail, the frame of the sail is still intact. Helll YEAHHH.. I could come to the shore. Talking about functional design! every other sail would fail in this situation...

Result. Sure it's not nice to lose a sail. but you know how it came. It's the price you sometime pay.
On the shore I noticed that the wind picked up again. rigged my 5.5, and went out again. Board,mast,boom everything was still intact. Sailed till my arms felt off. Superp day!



Here a clear shot of the kevlar line the kept the sail as one frame. Like a skeleton. Not just a marketing bla bla feature, but really functional in real wavesails.

I called to Holland, and ordered the same sail direct again. 2 days later it was allready there. Thanks Joost(www.zuidwest6.nl) and Winfried, I could bring it in the water direct ;-)

Despite the damage, the day was ofcourse still great. Superb sailing. Went for some nice seafood in the evening -maybe i felt one with the sea that day ;-) -