Glad to hear everyone returned safely from Saunton and it was only kit that was broken.

On the subject of kit, I would like to raise the perennial issue of the problem we seem to have at Brogborough in launching and recovering our boards and sails without doing ourselves, and/or our kit, any harm. (And no, I’m not complaining about the Goose s**t again although that is not all that pleasant)

I’m currently nursing a very deep cut on the underside of my heel which I sustained on Saturday (great day by-the-way). As usual, blood everywhere and I assume it must have been from something under the water that I stood on either when launching from, or returning to the shore. Chris Foreman also cut his foot on Saturday. I’ve only recently converted to barefoot sailing but I wouldn’t change back (except in extremely cold conditions) as the benefits on the water far outweigh the disadvantages on the shore.

I not only sustained bodily damage but also dinged my board. This is not the first time the concrete has got the better of me. On a number of previous occasions I have been heard cursing as I tried, exhausted, to lift board and rig out of the water. I’ve watched other, more seasoned, veterans of Brog to see where they come in and how they manage it. It doesn’t appear to matter much as everyone appears to have similar problems.

The caterpillar tracks are very slippery at the moment. Perhaps a good brushing might get rid of the algae which may be causing the problem but it will keep returning. The nylon ski slope matting is a little better but the concrete is proud of it in places and these are always the places that the rails of my boards seem to find just as a gust comes along to help me out of the water. (That is when my choice of language should be ignored) Similarly there are also a number of protruding edges which mange to find the un-reinforced panels of my sails.

Anyway, enough of my personal problems but I know, having spoken to similarly disgruntled sailors all reaching for the ‘Dr Ding’, that I am not alone. With all the brains we have amongst our membership I believe that with a little thought we can come up with a solution that we can put to Tony and even offer to implement it.

Clearing the bricks in certain areas might help (Particularly for those of us using big fins). Getting a couple of lorry-loads of sand and creating a beach would work but would need replenishing as the sand would wash away over time. (Although I think it would take longer to disappear than most would imagine) More matting of the nylon variety, or of a different pattern to the one we’ve got, might also be a solution.

Sorry to take up so much of the forum with this post but it would be interesting to see where this thread goes and what our collective wisdom provides.

Over to you.

David

I will get told off for saying this but I sail an old bic techno that is a lot more ding resistant than modern boards.
If your going bare feet you can't moan about cutting them always wear something on my feet maybe its easier with barefeet but I'd rather not cut my feet.
When coming ashore rather than trying to carry everything out of the water have the sail clew first then allow it to flip onto the bank then get your footing before carrying everything up the bank.

I believe that sand was tried and it washed away after the first storm. The ski matting seems to be the best bit. It is uncomfortable to walk on but it doesn't get slippery in the same way the tank tracks do.

I have damaged kit on many coastal venues with sandy beaches. Sand is a real pain in the arse where kit is concerned. Not having to risk a stuck mast is just one advantage of a sand free environment. Rocks always seem to appear just where you put your kit down.

A lot of time and effort has been put in to achieve the current launch area. Some of it has worked, other areas have not been so successful but we have all tried really hard to improve things. This is something that you really need to take up with the members association as it is not really the responsibility of Tony.

I dont think you can expect to sail in barefoot in a quarry full of old bricks and not cut your feet.

As to getting the board and sail out of the water try separating them in the water and bringing the board out first. Might not look very cool but could save a few dinged boards.

Enormously grateful for the posts so far. Glad to see Jack is still OK! :roll:

As a result, I’ve just started bidding on a Wayler Ypsi on ebay. I had one in the early 80s and as it is made of polythene it should be even more ding resistant than a Bic Techno. Plus it should stay on the shore in a blow when I go back to the water to retrieve my sail which will, by then, be impaled on something or other. Might not look cool but who gives a damn? As for performance, well who cares about that either. :wink:

As I mentioned, I realize it is not Tony’s job (but I have to ask why it shouldn’t be the Lake Managers job to manage all aspects of facility). That is in no way a criticism, merely an observation. But it is a point that might be worth raising at the next meeting. A lot may have been put into the current launching area but Idon’t believe this is a reason for complacency. A great deal was put into the development of the Model T Ford – need I say more. I was also hoping that members of “the association” might read the post and make some positive contributions.

Incidentally, I don’t think the lake is full of old bricks. There may be a large number of them in there but there are very few in the launching area and those that are, could be moved.

But thanks for the positive comments so far and it is good to see that nobody was tempted to state the blindingly obvious!

Still looking forward to some thoughtful posts from those who want to improve things rather than accepting the status quo.

Hi Dave,

I too agree that the pros of sailing in bare feet outweigh the cons, whether racing or freestyling. I have developed my own little ways to get in and out whilst minimising risk to my feet. Some are blindingly obvious but the simplest ideas are always the best. Your fin selection is not helping matters though.

Getting into the water:

- Walk down slowly and make sure that you have a really good footing before each step. Take as much care as rock-climbing!
- Use you toes to gain extra grip. I wrap them around whatever I am walking on in the same way that I use my fingers to hold the boom.
- Uphauling poses less risk to feet than a each start. Beach starting requires walking around and bricks are always by your feet.
- Launch where there is a noticable step at the bottom. Throw the board out into deeper water whilst pushing on the mast. You can then step down without the weight of your kit. I have a small fin so this may be harder with a big fin.
- I often do a variant of the above... throw the board off into the water, push it away, jump on and uphaul. This may only work with small fins but it means that my feet are completely safe.

Getting out of the water (this is the hardest!):

- Approach the bank on a broad reach / run but clew first. This means that when you drop the sail and step off, the sail is ready for picking up and carrying out.
- There are sections of matting where I can sail until the water is only inches deep and then step off before the fin hits the step. Combined with the clew first tip I can then hop off and everything is positioned for picking up.
- Never be tempted to sail towards the bank and step off backwards in knee deep water. Looking cool / controlled carries a high risk of cut feet! Drop in bum first and only put your feet down gently, once you are at a complete standstill!
- Don't try to step up onto a ledge whilst carrying the weight of your kit. If you slide backwards as a result you can get one hell of a cut! Put the kit on the ledge and then climb up after it.
- Carrying kit up the matting... grip the matting with your toes and be really sure of your footing with each step. Again, take as much care as rock climbing!
- Don't try to look cool. I will often carry my kit on my head at the beach but one slip at Brog could cause a huge ding. You'll almost never see me do that at Brog nowadays. Carrying at waist height is the safest bet.

Most of those are obvious but the more care taken, the less often that I injure myself.

As regards the shore line, I think that the bricks and sharps stones could be chucked off the ledge into the deeper water (~30 feet). If some of us go in with masks and snorkels next spring, I am sure that we could remove almost all of the bare foot hazards. Whilst the mattting is uncomfortable and slippy, I can cope with that and the time when I tend to cut my feet is in the water... on the bricks.

I think that one thing against you is the size of your kit. Most of the time, mine is half the size / weight of yours! Get rid of that formula stuff and buy yourself some nice freestyle kit.