OK. This is hard for me. I’ve always thought of myself as a man. Not a MAN as in forging a path when all else quail and turn back, afraid of shadows and things that hide in the dark, but a man, you know, reasonably sure of themselves, capable of at least occasionally inspiring others who may think, yes, he can do that, so yes, I can as well. Do you see what I mean? Not a hero but someone who can at least hold their head up high.
Well my confidence was absolutely shattered today to such an extent that I may have to give up, resign myself to the inevitable, face up to reality and admit, maybe at heart, I am only fit to be a KITESURFER.
Let me explain. I haven’t been in the water for about a month now. It is getting desperate and when I saw the forecast for 10 to 20 knots I thought “ Great, good conditions, I’ll hit the water before lunch and get a couple of hours in ”.
Well my readers, I got to the beach and found it blowing as predicted about 10 knots which I must admit had gusts slightly higher but to my shame what put me off was not the wind but the other conditions I faced.
It was 10 degrees with scudding showers, overcast and miserable. Even the seagulls had the look of defeat about them. If this leaves the reader mystified, please check where I live. Now I knew that if I braved the water, my feet would be numb within 15 minutes, my hands would follow suit within the half hour and to fall in the water would risk hypothermia. It must be remembered that the water in the bay where I ride has runoff from the hills that in winter have a frosting of snow.
To my absolute shame I took the cowardly approach. I chickened out. Turned yellow. Shamefacedly retreated to the comfort of my home with the wood-fired heater blazing away, which must be kept burning to keep the wife satisfied (once again I show my cowardice).
Now I ask you, what would you have done? Turned away without putting so much as a toe in the water or risked your extremities to frostbite and braved these conditions just to prove that yes, heroes do still exist and little kids still have someone who can inspire them.
Please tell me that I am not alone and others will agree that risking your digits is a sufficient excuse to not go sailing in what can only be described as fairly ordinary conditions.
You don't have to be a masochist to be a man.
Sometimes being sensible is the preferable option.
For me, 10 knots is not worth getting frozen for.
20 knots? now that is a different matter.
pain vs benefit
Benefit has to come out on top.
Iceman, I can see two problems, firstly the forecast - with the possibility of 10knts its not worth freezing anything of a brass monkey, so I'm with you CHICKEN OUT, however if the forecast was 20 - 30knts, then hypothermia would be an insignificant risk
second problem is your state of origin - QLD, I moved from nth qld to Brissy 10 years ago and have not yet been able to sail in boardies and t shirt your move was extreme, you may as well have gone to the south pole. so don't feel to feminine
Well Iceman what can I say? A few of us locals went out in the 10 deg c and heaps of scuddy rain but at least when we got there it was 26-36 knots but we found it way too broad and after 2 runs the wind dropped to 15 kts now this is when you start asking yourself wtf am I doing here standing around in this waiting for a gust.
I must come clean at this point and admit to being "a bit soft" as Perks puts it because I not only had the new 5/3 wettie and good booties but the Hotsuit wetsuit heater is unbelievable. 
I was toasty out there.
(by the way this time of the year even with the wetsuit heater I wouldnt bother in less than 15 kts )
As for manliness well WTF is that? 
But as for courage definitely an "F"
please dont think kite surfing is the anwser mate. i was out in 13-15 knots today, and had a ball on my windsurfer mate, and even managed a few chop hops. You really dont need much wind any more to have fun. Light wind windsurfing is only going to get more fun each year, ya dont need to take up kiting..
And ya now have the choice of heaps of light wind fun boards on the market like the kona long boards, excite, futura, carve, i-sonic
or may be this is your anwser
Iceman, in Sydney at least, I used to wear haberdashery in the summer, to avoid taking too much sun (long sleeves, gloves, etc.)
... and none whatsoever in the winter, bar shorties. This in order to get accustomed to cold.
Yes it was cold, but with freestylin', even if it's pointless, gets the heart pump out and you don't feel d..k after a while. In the cold, as in here too in the fall, I never ever go cruising in a straightline, but try stuff (on both the short freestyle equipement and longboards in lighter winds) all the time. Yes 10 knots is rather minimal, voire boring, but stuff can still be tried in the shallows.
Of course, you have to limit your time on the water this way, to say less than an hour, as energy is quickly all burned out. I never go out alone in the cold like that.
With this in mind, I have sailed up to end of October no problem in the Great Lakes, US, known for their particularly cold conditions. I start putting the wet on in November.
Ive had moments like that up here & nowhere hear as bad as where you are..I still often force myself to go out..pref on the big board so I dont have to waterstart..Im freaking out about getting to the big 50 
in a few weeks so I'm at the stage of trying to prove I'm still young & not past it..unfortunately not always succeeding..
Thanks to all that replied to the dreadful ramblings of a disillusioned sailor. I've got to stop getting stuck into the wine after a horrible day. If nothing else I hoped you enjoyed reading my story.
The answer is quite easy when I think about it. Maybe I should just buy a decent wetsuit and not put up with the 2/3 mm one I have now and get one designed for Tassie and not Brissie.
You just have to change how you perceive what you are doing.
One of my best and most memorable sessions is finishing up in the pouring rain.
My car was parked so the tail gate sheltered the inside. I was able to pack my gear on some nice green grass and put it all in the car without making puddles or getting a horrible mess all over the place.
I carry a 5 litre container of hot water in the car. I poured half of it down the wettie then peeled off the suit and put the gear in the tub. The remaining hot water was to wash me down then dry off with the warm towel that had been wrapped around the container.
Quickly in to the car and head off home to the fire and afteroon tea.
I got the pleasure of riding. The pleasure of having everything working well. The pleasure of being warm and comfortable in truly horrendous conditions.
Get yourself a sealed seam 4/3 wetsuit with a built in hood and some good booties. A plastic container full of hot water. Think through a few processes for doing it all in crap conditions. Get out there and have fun.
..if it wasnt dry..
I sooked out today too.
Got to check the beach at 3.45pm, and it was a steady 16-18kts cold southerly, so I went home and lay in the sun rather than rig and sail.
In my defence, I am a bit shagged from a nasty gym work-out this morning.
Wasn't too warm here either, but a sheltered spot with a black t-shirt and a warm puppy dog did the trick.
