The forecast called for nuking winds today - and for once it was not wrong. Gusts to 35 and steady winds up past 20. I got to use the Ensis 5.2 on the water for the first time. There was a lot of buffeting in the wind - but other than that and a few times the gusts got really strong, this wing felt controllable the whole session. I launched around 11:30 and came back in around 2:30. Same everything as last time (Armstrong HS1850/Uni 300/60cm/85cm) - just moved the mast forward to counter the slightly heavier than required back foot pressure (I think I can still get it slightly more forward - but it is comfortable where it is).
I mainly practiced jibes today. And I was able to nail nearly all of them on the outside, even riding toe side for long stretches (and a few times even jibing back to the outbound runs). When I did switch on the outside, I would ride back in towards the launch and jibe inside. I made 50% of these, but today really felt good on these transitions. A few more sessions and these will feel like second nature and I'll start driving straight for the waves.
I did hit bottom way passed the left most shallows buoy. I didn't notice I had sailed that far up. Minimal damage - but I'll still try to clean it up. This was a spectacular day on the water, and I felt I really opened up a lot more skills today!
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