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Sailing Log
Sailing Log
A place where I include links and comments regarding my own sailing sessions
2026 Feb 3rd
Onshore wind with the Mistral TakeOff and its original Gaastra/Mistral TakeOff Sail
BOARD 1982 Mistral TakeOff
SAIL 1982 Mistral / Gaastra TakeOff sail 5.7sqm
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE High/Mid Tide
WINDS N 35km Onshore
WATER small waves
TEMP Water 20 deg Cent, Air 26 deg Cent
CONDITION Perfect day, Wind was consistent, water was shallow and warm and the waves were big enough to have fun
THOUGHTS I wish everyday could be like today. Perfect conditions in every respect. The sun and beautiful water with just enough waves made for a totally enjoyable day - although any jumps were off the table.
IDEAL COMBINATION TakeOff and original sail but would have done well with the RAF World Cup Wave 5.5 or RAF CAM Dynamic 5.5
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - Broke my front boom camera mount
2026 Jan 22
Offshore wind with the Mistral TakeOff and 1991 Neil Pryde RAF CAM World Cup WAVE 5.5 (Bjorn Dunkerbeck signature edition)
BOARD 1982 Mistral TakeOff
SAIL 1991 Neil Pryde RAF CAM World Cup WAVE 5.5 (Bjorn Dunkerbeck signature edition)
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Low Tide
WINDS SE 30 km/h side/offshore
WATER flat
TEMP Water 18.8 deg Cent, Air 20 deg Cent
CONDITION SLight chill in the water but ok in shorts and tee. Exceptionally gusty making sailing a series of very short blasts.
THOUGHTS A nice day but the decreasing wind and very shifty gusty conditions made it a challenge. The toughest aspect was staying upwind. Second time using the sail - quite powerful but responsive. Easy to rig and use
IDEAL COMBINATION Maui and 5.5 or 6.0
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - No issues
2026 Jan 21
Side Offshore wind with the 1985 Mistral Malibu and 1991 Neil Pryde RAF CAM World Cup WAVE 5.5 (Bjorn Dunkerbeck signature edition)
BOARD 1985 Mistral Malibu
SAIL 1991 Neil Pryde RAF CAM World Cup WAVE 5.5 (Bjorn Dunkerbeck signature edition)
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE High Tide
WINDS SSE 31 km/h side/offshore
WATER flat
TEMP Water 18.8 deg Cent, Air 26 deg Cent
CONDITION Classic Offshore sailing at Blairgowrie. This was a test to see how the Malibu would handle the lulls. Passed with flying colors. Shifting offshore winds were a feature !
THOUGHTS It was nice to have the Centreboard. When hit with a gust the 5.5 RAFCAM World Cup Wave was perfect.
IDEAL COMBINATION I was pretty happy with this combination. The Maui or the Garda might have been easier but overall not a big difference. The Malibu definitely gets up and goes fast when the wind is there.
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - No issues
2026 Jan 15
Side Offshore wind with the Mistral Maui and Neil Pryde RAF CAM Dynamic 6.0
BOARD 1984 Mistral Maui
SAIL 1990 Neil Pryde RAFCAM DYnamic 6.0
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Mide / Low Tide
WINDS SE 31 km/h side/offshore
WATER flat
TEMP Water 18.9 deg Cent, Air 25 deg Cent
CONDITION Perfect day for sailing. Although there was some wind shift and lulls, overall it was a beautiful day with a good wind direction and strength
THOUGHTS At the time of writing it is probably the nicest day for a sail this year. Maybe not as dramatic as the wild days in October and November, but the water was warm and the sky was sunny and I could have used any board and sail.
IDEAL COMBINATION Any board - any sail from 4.9 - 6.2
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - Finally - no issues !
2026 Jan 8
Offshore wind with the Mistral Competition and Neil Pryde RAF Garda 5.0
BOARD 1984 Mistral Competition
SAIL 1985 Neil Pryde RAF GArda 5.0
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Mide / Low Tide
WINDS SW 25 - 35 km/h offshore
WATER flat
TEMP Water 19 deg Cent, Air 25 deg Cent
CONDITION Nice sunny day with gusty offshore wind
THOUGHTS Very gusty (Note the SW wind direction combined with the big differences in wind strength). The 5.0 sail was a good choice given I had the buoyancy to be carried through the lulls on the big board.
IDEAL COMBINATION Any board with a 5.0 sail
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - Mast Track pedal broke (requires complete replacement)
2026 Jan 5
Light Offshore wind with the Mistral Maui and Neil Pryde RAF WAVE 5.7 (Mark Angulo signature series)
BOARD 1984 Mistral Maui
SAIL 1988 Neil Pryde RAF WAVE 5.7sqm (Mark Angulo Signature)
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Mide / High Tide
WINDS SW 25-35 km/h offshore
WATER flat
TEMP Water 18.5 deg Cent, Air 23 deg Cent
CONDITION Typical gusty offshore conditions with big wind shifts. No wetsuit required but water still had a slight chill but okay to stand around in.
THOUGHTS Fun day because of the sunshine and when the wind was there in the gusts I could get planing. The offshore wind with big shifts made it challenging - got back winded several times
IDEAL COMBINATION Competition and RAF CAM Dynamic 6.0
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - Broke one of the centreboard spring pins (about the 3rd one this year - 1st one on this board) Rebuilt it next day with my silcone/epoxy cast versions
2025 Dec 30
Very Strong Offshore wind with the Mistral Malibu and Neil Pryde RAF CAM Dynamic 5.5sqm
BOARD 1985 Mistral Malibu
SAIL 1990 Neil Pryde RAF CAM Dynamic 5.5
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Low Tide
WINDS SW 57 -64 km/h offshore
WATER flat (white caps out deeper)
TEMP Water 17.9 deg Cent, Air 18 deg Cent
CONDITION Wild, extremely gusty offshore wind. Not a nice beach day, infact as the storm front came in the beachgoers left. Water was shallow but everything was grey.
THOUGHTS Totally overpowered with the 5.5. Got some amazing speed but completely unable to control the session effectively.
IDEAL COMBINATION The Malibu or the Take-Off with a 4.5-4.0 size sail. Given the offshore nature of the wind there was always going to be huge lulls and walls of hard hitting gusts but a smaller sail would have made it more manageable during gusts.
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - Possible damaged camera after a backwinded slam.
2025 Dec 26
Strong Offshore wind with the Competition and RAF CAM Dynamic
BOARD 1984 Mistral Competition
SAIL 1990 Neil Pryde RAF CAM Dynamic 5.5
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Low Tide
WINDS SSW 33 km/h offshore
WATER flat (white caps out deeper)
TEMP Water 17.2 deg Cent, Air 17 deg Cent
CONDITION Beautiful sunny day strong wind but gusty due to offshore conditions and land shadows (water temp 18 air temp 25)
THOUGHTS Great day for a sail, initially I was getting pushed off shore quite quickly and struggled to keep upwind. Once I figured out the windshifts it was good. Patchy as expected but got a few longer runs in between gusts
IDEAL COMBINATION This was a good combination. Because of the relativelly low tide I could have used any of the boards. THe Competition however was nice for a relaxed sail
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - Lost camera lens
2025 Dec 24
Strong Offshore wind with the Malibu and Neil Pryde RAF Garda 5.0
BOARD 1985 Mistral Malibu
SAIL 1985 Neil Pryde RAF Garda 5.0
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Mid / High Tide
WINDS SW 50 km/h offshore
WATER choppy and grey
TEMP Water 17.4 deg Cent, Air 20 deg Cent
CONDITION Overcast day, not particularity warm
THOUGHTS Tough conditions mainly because I couldnt see the sandbars and didnt want to risk going past the last one and getting blow out if I had equipment failure...Which I did (cracked mast base car)
IDEAL COMBINATION Good combination, Potentially could have had fun with the Take-Off. Sail was about the right size could have gone slightly smaller.
EQUIPMENT ISSUES - Broken mast track car - self rescue
2025 Dec 18
Strong Offshore wind with the Competition and RAF WAVE
BOARD 1984 Mistral Competition
SAIL 1988 Neil Pryde RAF WAVE 5.7 Mark Angulo
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Low Tide
WINDS S SSE 40km/h offshore
WATER flat (white caps out deeper)
TEMP Water 17.7 deg Cent, Air 20 deg Cent
CONDITION Beautiful sunny day strong wind but gusty due to offshore conditions and land shadows (water temp 18 air temp 28)
THOUGHTS Felt fantastic to get up planing in these beautiful conditions but equal frustrating that the wind was so patching with planning runs only being 10 seconds or so in duration before another lull
IDEAL COMBINATION Because of the low tide the Malibu might have been fun with a smaller sail (even a 5.5 - 4.9) . Yes I would potentially have fallen in on the lulls but the planning might have been even more fun.
2025 Dec 12
No wind - sailing the Garda in side onshore conditions
BOARD 1984 Mistral GARDA
SAIL 190 Neil Pryde RAF CAM 6.0Powerhead
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE High Tide
WINDS NE 5 knots / 8 kms/hr
WATER flat with speed boat waves
TEMP Water 17.7 deg Cent, Air 30 deg Cent
CONDITION Beautiful sunny day with wind dropping from 10-5 km/hr (water temp 17.9 air temp 24.5)
THOUGHTS Just a nice day to float around and enjoy the beach. No wetsuit (light chill in the water but ok on a sunny day liek today)
IDEAL COMBINATION NA
2025 Dec 4
Strong wind - sailing the Maui in direct onshore wind
BOARD 1984Mistral Maui
SAIL 1983 Gaastra Powerhead
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE High Tide
WINDS N 20-30 knots / 48 - 55 km/hr (good but tough onshore)
WATER Big waves for the bay, High tide made falling in a bit tougher - Mid tide would have been nicer to 'beach start' after a fall verses a challenging waterstart or very wobbly uphaul.
TEMP Water 16.6 deg Cent, Air 14 deg Cent
CONDITION Plenty of waves (but not visable on Blairgowrie Yacht club beach cam). Wind was consistent
THOUGHTS I struggled on this day. The Powerhead was a challenge because I initially had the boom too high (works better on a shorter mast) and then because of problems being able to determine where the sandbars were. Overall the conditions were a bit grey and gloomy. Definitely a retro session
IDEAL COMBINATION The Take-Off and a 5.0 fully battened sail would have been easier in these conditions. I need to work more on handling direct on-shore conditions
2025 Nov 26
Strong wind - sailing the Malibu in side shore conditions
BOARD 1986 Mistral Malibu
SAIL 1986 Neil Pryde RAF Speed 4.9
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Mid Tide
WINDS W/NW 20-30 knots / 35 - 60 km/hr (excellent)
WATER nice chop, perfect side shore
TEMP Water 16.4 deg Cent, Air 15 deg Cent
CONDITION Looked pretty wild out deeper, quite a few whitecaps in the first 1/4 mile. Constant wind and tides were probably 0.9 - 1.0 - could stand up waist deep on 3rd sandbar
THOUGHTS Perfect conditions for high speed / wave fun in the bay. The wind is side onshore so very safe. Malibu and RAF speed were great to get some fast runs even with some cavitation caused by waves. (Had a nice catapault when I got caught up on a buoy). Wore long John and Jacket as it had been raining on the drive and temp was about 14 degrees and stormy grey skies.
IDEAL COMBINATION Ultimate fun in these conditions would probably be the Take-Off and a wave sail - probably a 4.5 as things got windier.
EQUIPMENT ISSUES Run into Buoy rope and damaged mast track car (self recue)
2025 Nov 20
Medium wind - sailing the Maui in offshore conditions
BOARD 1984 Mistral Maui
SAIL 1990 Neil Pryde RAF CAM Dynamic 6.0
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Mid Tide
WINDS S/SW 15 knots / 32 km/hr (good)
WATER flat
CONDITION Could see white caps further out but not a lot. No whitecaps in the area where I was going to sail. Sunny weather only requiring a wetsuit jacket. OK standing in water in shorts but could feel slight chill in legs.
THOUGHTS Typical offshore condition - impacted by gusts - hence it was important to have floatation (Maui) a centreboard and willingness to ride the gusts and plod through the lulls. If you want to have some planning in these offshore Southerlies then wind needs to be showing 30+km
IDEAL COMBINATION This was a good combination in the gusts. Could potentially have used to Mistral Competition to stay on the plane.
2025 Nov 13
Very revealing sail. The wind shows to be 35-40 km/hr with shifting direction W / WSW
BOARD 1982 Mistral Take-Off
SAIL 1989 Neil Pryde 4.5 Wave
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Mid Tide
WINDS W - WSW 20knots / 35-40km/hr (Poor direction)
WATER flat
CONDITION When I arrived there were plenty of whitecaps and the trees were blowing. Direction was side-offshore (Not ideal). To summarize - the wind dropped quickly from the time of arrival but appeared to be VERY PATCHY anyways making the set-up unsuitable.
Will monitor conditions for sailing when the wind is this direction.
THOUGHTS Wrong set-up for the day. Felt like 2-4 knots with occasional gusts.
IDEAL COMBINATION Probably stay at home. If anything by the time I left maybe the Competition and a 6.2 sail.
2025 Nov 12
First high wind sail for Summer 2025/2026 which actually started in Spring (Australia).
BOARD 1982Mistral Take-Off
SAIL 1992 Gaastra Speed/Slalom 5.0
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE Mid Tide
WINDS WNW 20 knots / 35-40km/hr (perfect)
WATER small waves up to 0.5 meter
CONDITION Felt windy, looked windy, was windy for the entire session. Could just touch the bottom on the furthest sandbar but conditions were ideal for waterstarting. Overcast weather and early season start dictated wetsuit - but was quite comfortable except for setting up and tearing down when it was chilly. (Tides 0.9m 3rd sandbar available to stand on - waist deep))
THOUGHTS Great combination. Was overpowered at some times but always had speed to jump and waterstart. Hard work, but lots of fun and got some great footage.
IDEAL COMBINATION Could have possibly gone with a 4.5 but would have been underpowered sometimes.
2025 October 8
This video is of my first sail for Summer 2025/2026 which actually started in Spring (Australia).
BOARD 1984 Mistral Maui
SAIL 1989 Neil Pryde RAF Slalom 5.1
LOCATION Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia
TIDE High Tide
WINDS WNW 10-15knots (good)
WATER medium waves up to 0.5 meter
CONDITION A bit annoying in that the waves overpowered the wind and there wasnt enough wind to keep planning. Patchy conditions meant waterstarting was not an option so uphauling was neccessary (as is often the case). It was quite hard to judge the conditions because the waves made it look rougher (in terms of wind) than it actually was.
THOUGHTS Board and sail were great - looking forward to trying this combination in a bit more consistent conditions. Because of the wind/wave ratio it was hard to tack or gybe as there wasnt enough wind to keep planning and the waves were big enough to be annoying but not big enough to keep you planning through a gybe.
IDEAL COMBINATION Tough - Maybe the Mistral Competition and the 6.2 Neil Pryde Garda sail.
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