Sandy Point Speed Week–Final Results: No new records, but some incredible sailing in monster winds. Check out the daily summaries here, and the final results here. Top run was 40.3 knots, but everyone is still talking about the Big Wednesday, when the winds were a steady 40-50 knots. Here’s a taste of what it was like:

“10.00am. James is running. 5.7m and Missile. Ian grabs 5.8 and S-Type but hesitates. This is not what it seems. James on the course and the SW wind is here. Big time. 40-50 kts and solid. Sand hurled across the inlet in Mars like clouds. Chop develops immediately. Water sucked away in clouds. James makes it about 500 massively overpowered metres, then “parks” it in the face of a rampant waterspout that charges across the sandbar and threatens to tornado him off the course. Ian on the course now with 5.0m but getting totally worked. Gets the run in but it’s all over the shop just staying alive. A few others decide to give it a try but it’s not looking real good. Nor safe. Andy McDougall tries a run and his boom has a serious disagreement with his face. That was close. And that boom again. Chris tries a few runs on his 5.6m and custom 50cm, holding on but struggling in the low 30’s. Wind pulls hard S and course becomes unworkable. Gear starts flying in the launch area and most run for cover. No serious damage or injury. That might have been a portion of luck.

3.00pm The action starts in earnest. Chris (5.6m), Andrew/s Daff and McDougall (3.7m) Craig Hollins (3.2m then 4.7) and Ian (5.0m then 4.2) all start to make some tentative runs. Chris is the only one looking anything near comfortable at speed. Andy Mc takes a massive overpower wipeout on his windup onto the course. James goes for it again on 5.7 and Missile but eats it big after just a few hundred ugly meters. Chris really starting to fire and opening up big on the bottom end of the inlet, the increase in speed visible as he turns broad and cranks it on. Even from spectator area, the speed at a distance of up to nearly 2km’s away is clear. The guy is on fire and each run gets better. Flying back up into the launch area on reverse tack each run, he yells new higher peak speeds to the appreciative crowd. There’s definitely an atmosphere of excitement on the beach, those present can feel something special (other than the 40-50 kt windchill). This is a new Australian record going down here, and we’re not sure where the action will stop…Ian tries a 4.2 wavesail in desperation but results aren’t worth the effort. Back on his S-Type, he ejects big time in a gust coming back up the course, board and rig cartwheeling outta sight in the wind and leaving him to swim for it and a rescue boat ride to recover his gear. Some gear is working here, some is clearly just not right for these conditions. Chris is getting more and more wound up. His times clock on up to 41, 42 then even a 44 peak. But more impressive are the runs – once he gets that throttle open he just holds it and each run became really visibly consistently fast thru the sand fog that clouds the Inlet. Daffy comes back modestly proud with a peak over 40, but complaining he can’t stop at the end of the run. Craig chugging away in the mid 30’s but surviving (!!) and getting down the course, winds it up to a solid 34.9 over 500 and even decides to throw a few chop hops on the way back up. It’s on ! Few can even get down the course, and many others (maybe wisely) decide to not even give it a try. Sand blows in constant clouds over the course, making sailing with your eyes shut (!!) essential. Chris arrives back in the launch area his face completely caked with sand. Holding rigs and boards down at the bottom end of the course becomes impossible, they suck off the water and flail horizontally while riders struggle simply to hold the mast tip. Ok, now it’s windy.”

Sounds like a wild, wild time. Now it’s up to Finian Maynard and his Masters Of Speed, halfway across the world in France…



Big Wednesday Wind Chart: Holy cr*p! They went sailing in that…?