Day 8 - Coronation Again.

11am and I'm hitting the water...nothing real special, gusting to about 20 knots at a guess. I rigged my 6.2 and attached it to my 113 and headed out. I'm a lone sailor today, there are others waiting patiently for the afternoon seabreeze to come. I slogged out until I got out of the wind shadow, the wind was cross-off this morning and touched down on the water about 100 meters out. Once I hit the wind I was up and going with only a couple of pumps, It's pure joy to sail in conditions like this.

I spent the next couple of hours working on my gybe and fast tack, I'm actually getting worse...My body is tired, not use to sailing day after day and so powered up. I'm making lots of mistakes and starting to get frustrated with myself, time for a break.

One more go before I break for lunch, The swell was starting to build and I made a run out to the waves, caught a little run into the beach....this restored my faith in my ability to sail. I tacked and started back out, I did notice the odd Bluebottle today as I was sailing but didn't give it much thought, Until I got stung that is. Not that a Bluebottle sting is that painful, more just annoying really. The first sting was across my feet but I just kept sailing out to the waves and tacked, Stuffed my tack and went in. When I surfaced the stings were immediate, across my face and arms. I swam my board into water start position and proceeded to get up and head towards the beach. More and more stings I could feel, on my back, chest and legs. Looks like I was lucky enough to fall into the biggest Bluebottle gathering know to man.

I got back to the beach and picked off the tentacles I could see and one of the other sailors helped pick them off my back, I now had the shits well and good. I called it a day and packed up my kit and headed for town.

A cold shower to kill the sting then some lunch. After lunch I grabbed a beer, took up position on the banana lounge out the back, the cool afternoon breeze on my body was very relaxing...Soon I was asleep.

5 hours later I woke, missed my afternoon session that I'd planned with a few other sailors at St Georges...Obviously my body needed the recharge. I feel good now and can't wait to hit the water tomorrow.