Saturday 19th January 2008 

I called Dawid Mocke: "It's gusting 45kt right now at Roman Rock," I said.  "Great!" he said, "have fun!  (Why are you are calling me?)"

"Well, I want to know if it's sensible to go out in wind that strong," I said.

"Of course, it'll be a jol!  Who are you going with?"

"Jean Austin, from East London."

"Oh he'll be fine.  Go for it!"

When I first started doing Millers Runs, my feet used to sweat as we drove along the coast road to Millers Point.  I guess I've become fairly blasé about it over the years - but today my feet were sweating again.

I checked the real time weather station on Roman Rock before I set out to Fish Hoek - and it reported the wind strength as 19m/s, gusting to 23m/s.  That translates to 37kt (68kph) gusting to 44.6kt (82.8kph).  Definitely stronger than any conditions I'd ever paddled in before.

Millers Point

Millers Point always seems to be protected and while the wind was strong, it wasn't outrageous and we could put the skis on the grass without risk of them being blown away while we set ourselves up.  Jean was amped for the run - saying that in East London they wouldn't paddle in winds this strong.  I hadn't paddled in conditions like this either - but I was keen to try it.  The waves hadn't looked too massive, nor had they looked messy.  They were big, but were marching towards Fish Hoek in regular lines - and it looked fabulous.

I had the full safety rig: paddle leash, ankle leash, PFD, Cell Phone, VHF, flares...  I was also wearing a helmet cam - based on the Hero GoPro3 camera...

Out to the start

The paddle out to Bakoven Rock wasn't hectic - gusts of wind hit us from the side, felt like 20kts but the waves weren't very big. 

We lined up south of the rock, ready to go.  Hit the button on the GPS, and off.  Jean, a stronger paddler than me, elected to stay with me - I'm not sure whether he was concerned for my safety or whether he just wanted the company; it was his first time in ultra-strong winds too.

As usual, the section immediately after the start was flatter and more mixed up than the rest of the run - I found it a little frustrating as I struggled to catch the runs - but the waves soon started getting bigger and the wind quickly increased in strength too.

Paddling in a gale

What's it like?  Everything seems to happen quicker - and it's much noisier.  The wind shrieks, the spray flies horizontally through the air, the paddle wrenches your hands as the wind snatches at the blades.  The sea surface is covered with streaks of foam rushing downwind.  It's easier to catch the big waves because there's such a force from the wind pushing you along.

The waves weren't huge - the sea seemed to have been blown flat to some extent.  But just before the lighthouse there were some impressive drops that were exhilarating to plunge into.  From the lighthouse into Fish Hoek the runs were fabulous; the waves were big and regular and once you'd accelerated onto them, it was easy to find the next dip to head for.

I had a little "admin" - my paddle leash detached itself and I had to stop to tuck the end of it under my leg.  I was still leashed to the ski - that didn't worry me - but I clearly have to put some effort into finding a better clip for the paddle leash.

I broached once or twice - each time when I was going too slowly to catch a wave coming underneath me.  The ski didn't broach hard viciously though and it was a matter of putting a few strokes in to get speed up, then turn downwind again to catch the next wave. 

Once a wave broke onto me from behind.  That was an extraordinary sensation - one second I was preparing to accelerate, the next I was up to my arms in foamy water.

Record Run

In spite of having to stop to deal with my leash, I knocked about two minutes off my previous best recorded run and arrived at Fish Hoek in a time of 45:21.

The video

The helmet cam worked well and the video gives a vivid image of what it was like - but it's very difficult to make a clip that has acceptable resolution on youtube.  I stuck a short clip up - but it's very grainy and barely watchable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AzSnnC0Bc0

Once more I have to say, I really like the Red7: it handles very well in these conditions and the ease of remounting and the rapid draining of the cockpit give me enormous confidence.