paddle (downwind) 36:39 [3] 5.24 km (7:00 / km)
Drove to Mandurah for a cut run but only two other guys showed up and neither had brought a wife as shuttle bunny, so we decided to do a triangle course from the club.
This involved paddling 500m out to the channel marker with side-on waves, then turning downwind for 4km, then a short messy bit, then paddling back straight into the wind, which had picked up to a level known as 'howling' when it was time to make that turn into it.
I was doing just fine until the short messy bit, which the guys handled fine in an XT double - they did so well they didn't even turn around to check on me and I lost sight of them.
Then I discovered that I don't yet have the power required to turn my ski into an 18kt wind, so I continued towards the beach and eventually landed (I had no choice in the matter) - I had a beaut beach landing, jumped out, grabbed the skki, and we both get knocked over by a wave coming 45 degrees to the beach. With me on the wrong side of the ski.
At that point an ANGEL appeared - another MOC member out for a paddle, who saw what happened, came in, and in the process found my hat too! Then he announced that he lived just up the road and would drive me back to the club! [The guys in a double realised that they had lost me and turned back, so wetold them what was going on.]
No more Mandurah Ocean Club triangles for me . . . .