Belmullet, October weekend

This seemed like it would be a bit of fun. A long weekend at UISCE in Belmullet with a good gang, some WOWI coaching on offer, and a wave competition to give me something to aspire to (that is, if I can manage to live another couple of hundred years).

Usual plan to set off early on the Friday. Usual last-minute rush after work to get packed and on the road. Traffic surprisingly ok, but Belmullet is one hell of a long way. Anyhow, I got there about 10pm. There didn't seem to be anybody I knew about, so I got an early night.

Saturday morning, the weather was ok but not great. Reasonable wind, but I found the water surprisingly cold. In the afternoon I was a bit unenthusiastic as it was cold, grey weather and the sea looked uninviting. But I allowed myself to be talked into it, and ended up having a great time. The new boom is the business, although I'm not entirely happy with the harness lines. They're a set I had lying around at home and as far as I can remember I got them free with the harness before last. They're 24" and seem a little short.

The waves were a bit of a disaster, which was bad news for the competition. They managed a bit of freestyle instead.

Sunday morning was poor, so I didn't bother at all. In hindsight I should have given it a go in the afternoon but I got lazy. It didn't look at all inviting, but apparently there was good wind in the late afternoon.

Monday I did actually want to go out, but there were very few people about (all watching the wavesailing competition on the other beach) and the wind was really strong and getting stronger all the time. I got as far as bringing my board down near the water's edge, but carrying it was quite a challenge. Getting it onto the car was even more of a challenge - even in the shelter of a building I needed someone to hold it down while I tied the straps.