First report from the indoors

8 January 2005

My first thoughts

Well last year I was on a 6.1m Expression (rigged like a spinnaker), and this year I am stacked on a 5.4m Excess rigged right. So that's a definite improvement !!

The sailing is superb, hard as ever, and a couple of runs nearly sailing out the end of the pool (after our first session they put up a net at the end of the pool to stop the windsurfers sailing into the crowd). In fact, they will probably have to put up another one at just downwind of the stage.. Phil Horrocks was the first to spock out of the pool completely!

The jump ramp is awesome, we can finally get real height, which I found out on my very first forward, fully stalled and landed clean.. Also back/push loops are much more likely this year, in fact the main problem seems to be stopping over-rotating them.

Freestyle is looking good, quite a few guys getting spocks, 540s, grubbys and one Flaka so far. Cribby is the surprise so far. when did he learn to do spock 540s????????

Slalom as ever is the scariest thing, two guys trying to gybe in an area the size of a small kitchen, walls all around, going way too fast and getting hit by the biggest gust in the pool just as you sheet in for the gybe. certainly gets the adrenaline going!

Can't wait for the comp proper to start!!

- Oisin

IR777

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