I have not been practising my philosophy nor good psychology lately
, I have been too obsessed with the speed read out on my gps, and have spoilt a few sessions of great windsurfing.
I've been doing blistering runs, full of adrenalin rush and looking down at my gps and becoming disappointed because my speed read out didn't have a higher speed reading. This is stupid and detrimental to windsurfing. I (we) need to soak up the rush and pleasure of the moment first, then look at the speed to learn how that peformance rated from a speed perspective and if there is anything to learn from a technique/windsurfing perspective, then enjoy the next run.
Becoming fixated/obsessed with speed read outs is a recipe for disappointment. PB's are the icing on the cake, not the cake, the cake is the enjoyment of windsurfing.
A case in point, last night my aquapack was all fogged up, and I couldn't read the gps display, and I had a great sail, just enjoying the feeling of it all. The speeds weren't all that great but I enjoyed that session more...than when my speeds were higher, getting disappointed coz I wasn't cracking pb's every run?
Will this old fat bastarrd ever learn to practice what he preaches
I remember a fine chap from the crab cruncher bunch, telling me soo long ago. 
What ever you do, don’t look til your on the lawn having a breather, just have fun and get the feel. Plenty of time to check out speeds and adjustments between rest stops. If you don’t follow this then you will get frustrated while out there and bust up yourself or the kit.
Have followed this religiously, and have had fun each session.
When I cracked 30knots, first time I found out at a rest stop, like he said I would.
I then cracked 33 shortly into next session (some 20 minutes later,) but didn’t know til I downloaded card when I got home
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I agree, Hardie.
Got in to the same place myself before I busted GPS. A few sessions without it got the feeling back. I am trying to balance ocean sailing with the GPS otherwise my OCD comes out.[}:)]
I agree, my last sail was without gps due to a breakage and whilst I was anxious about not knowing what speeds I was doing, I at least wasn't obsessed with looking at the screen after every run.
I'm about to undergo a knee reconstruction though so next time I'm on the water the LAST thing I'll be worried about is how fast I'm going. More like thank god, I'm going again!....
Thanks Hards, I'm holding off till January so I can at least have a few sails over xmas without crying watching everyone else doing it. Then it's feet up till next Summer unfortunately
I have got to say, I can relate to that. I so want to learn to gybe but I keep worrying that I will miss a great gust and not get a PB lol.
And I find myself looking at GPS after each run. I am tempted to just have it facing inwards in the pouch so I cant see the readout.
Hey Hardie,to stop the fogging put a few water crystalls into the case. To stop you looking at the dial start night sailing You,ll be too busy looking for noah to worry about anything else
OK I'll bite, what's in da hell is a OCD 
Hards, I just sail where ever it takes me, love doing fly by's past cruising yachts, cruising the coast and hardly ever stop to adjust something. But when a good gust comes or the highway smooths out I'll go for it, it's all good. I am thinking speed and I do look at the dial from time to time and I do think poop I thought that was a lot faster but I don't lose sleep over it, if I was better may be I'd put more pressure on myself but I just enjoy the GPS team thing
Don't get me wrong, I do want to go a lot faster, that's why I now have a slalom board and now have a race sail coming, it's a drug
Hey lao shi, there's no reason not to do speed runs at Dutchies like you did the other day, go for personal PB's in different conditions, the Pinna's will survive
I know Troppo will play in the waves and do his loop thing but then you'll see him screaming downwind on his wave gear and loving it
I fully agree with you hardie
I went through that phase earlier this year before i realised challenge is not just about speed, theres alphas, NM, distance and the hour too, best thing for me was when work dragged me away for 4 months to tropical areas full of snapping handbags etc so no sailing, have loved every session i have had back in the last two weeks
I am a bit of a newbie to the speed sailing thing. I made the trip from Sydney down to Sandy Point for speed week this year and it was great fun to meet heaps of people that are into the quest for more speed.
The conditions down there are great for speed runs and spoils you a bit. My recipe for retaining my sanity and windsurfing enjoyment was to tell myself that its not possible to go fast anywhere else other than Sandy Point. Bingo; no need to buy any more sails, no expensive fins, and no 40cm wide speed boards.
I splurged on a new gt-11 to replace my older garmin while I was down there, but that's it. The idea of a speed fin still sounds good, but hey, I don't need to do 40 knots, I just need to go faster than my mates.
I haven't used my GPS since SP, and I think I have finished the withdrawal stages.
Repent now! Repent! If you keep going, you will start doing crazy things like hooking up some LEDs to your helmet and going sailing at night Will the craziness ever end!
P.S. Nobody from Sydney need tell me that it is possible to go faster than 28 knots. I know its not possible 
well done mate on the hr!
Its more fun yarning with mates at end of session, then getting home, download and bingo, something to brag about at start of next session
Just wait until your a grand master, you cant read the GPS without your glasses.
Lao Shi s tips on setting the GPS meant that during the intermission I got to squint and see a genie top speed but I couldnt do that on the water.
In fact today was too intense to see much at all except the ocean in front.
I have decided to start posting a fun factor with each sail. I still recorded the speeds from today but the fun factor was 8.8 
I always wear a GPS , but dont obsess about it. I lost my foretrex a few weeks ago, and then I sailed with the team without a GPS, and had a great sail. I've got a GT-31 now, and will always wear it but I want to have fun too. Something that really surprised me is that my B&J sailing and gybing in overpowered conditions has really improved, all beacuse of the GPS thing, I have a much better idea of how to sail in these conditions, and bearing away before a gybe in strong winds makes gybing a lot easier So if u dont obsess, its all good, let the therapy begin Hardie
I cannot be obsessed because my incessant thinking and talking about windsurfing is the same as the general public. At least that section of the public I socialise with...... commonly known as the Mandurah mob, Swan river mob, pinnas etc.
In WA and Victoria at least, if you substitute the man in the street's love of AFL to windsurfing, you would be seen as being perfectly normal. First time I've seen half a mainstream newspaper covering a code of football was in Perth.
As long as I am on the water its good to me. If its warm and sunny I don't really mind if I'm not planing either. A bad days windsurfing is better than the best day at work.
I just had a week up Gerro way and strapped the gps on twice I had a few runs over powered on my 5.8 koncept down the reef at Corro's so smooth,doing blistering speeds. The GPS had flat battery.But it was one of the best sails i've had on the speed gear
I usually don't look at the screen untill i've finished sailing for the day.
Maybe the odd peek.
Hardie, I can help you, just send me your gps so I can bear some of the pain for you........really[}:)]
work think I am a zyloom always keen on talking about this and that with windsurfing blather[}:)]
work think I am a zyloom always keen on talking about this and that with windsurfing blather[}:)]
