Small Sailboat Cruising's video: Sailing Trailer Boats Startling close encounter with a kitesurfer

We were sailing our trailer boat off Mooloolaba when we had a close encounter with a Foiling Kitesurfer. Read More https://sailingmoonlight.com We’re down here at Mooloolaba and we’re just about to launch in the afternoon where there’s a nice 10- 15 knots blowing out there. And the concrete I am standing on is really hot, so I’ve got to keep moving my feet. So we are about to fire up and head out. There are heaps of boats on the canals because most of them don’t want to go out in the wind outside the harbour. There is plenty of party atmosphere because it’s just 2 days after Christmas, and I get the feeling that we will need to keep a pretty sharp lookout. Carl is coming out with me today and he will get plenty of practice trimming the headsail. The seas are about 1.5 meters making moving around on a small boat like this challenging while under sail. Some of the larger cruisers can create a decent wake in the channel. It makes sense to keep back from the prawn trawlers as they have a habit of lowering their outriggers inside the heads. You just hope there is not something big trying to get back in at the same time. The mouth of the river is pretty shallow in places, so there is a bit of steep swell to negotiate while under power, but pretty soon we are in the open water and its time to raise the sails. We are using the full mainsail and no. one headsail today. Plenty of power at all times and occasionally we will need to spill a bit of wind, but no need for a reef. There is not much action on the water today, the speed boats are staying at home, and there are just a couple of bluewater boats and 2 trailer sailers. The usual handful of jet skis and in the distance I see a group of kitesurfers just off the Northshore beaches. I’ve left the camera running up the bow, and I am waiting for a suitable moment to go forward to retrieve it, and I wish I had a younger set of legs onboard to send up there. Carl is doing a great job of keeping her on a steady course to windward while I get the job done. This is not the time for an unexpected gybe. With the thought of gybing in my mind, I set out to do a practice controlled gybe to give Carl some experience. I forgot to tell him to hold onto the sheets, and the port sheet ended up wrapped around the pulpit, so it is time for Carl to go forward and sort all that out, so we can do it all again. He is learning the ropes fast. Beautifully executed the next time around. You can’t help but be impressed with the technology and the skill that goes int kiteboard foiling. We are transfixed on the spectacle of him skimming along on a broad reach. And then, a startling thing happens, and we find his kite just clearing the masthead. I hate to think about what might have happened if his lines had snagged our mast, but all is well, and we both sail on unimpeded. I didn’t have time to film it, but I managed to reconstruct it in photoshop pretty close to the actual event These guys approaching us off to portside are much more predictable than the kite foilers. Everywhere on the water, vessels of all sizes are moving about, and many of them are full of the Christmas spirit. It gets a bit squeezy as we attempt to dock, Carl does a pretty good impression of David Warn stepping off onto the pontoon, narrowly avoiding a groin injury. Follow Christopher sailing trailer boats, wooden boat projects, fiberglass boat restoration projects on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailingmoonlight We have a healthy and growing community conversation about all things sailing, and you are welcome to join us on Sailing Beat https://www.facebook.com/groups/sailingbeat/ Follow Sailing Moonlight on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sailing_moonlight_dinghy/ Get Updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinghymoonlight Christopher is staying fit, mentally sharp and extending his life on Superfood Sea vegetables. Convenient healthy grub for authentic sailors crammed full of zing. If you use my personal coupon code CHRIS you will get a 10% discount. https://seaweed.ph/ref/1/ These videos are made possible by people like you. If you would like to get early access to videos and behind the scenes insights, consider supporting the channel via my Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmoonlight Discover how I can help you realize your dreams and attain complete freedom through life coaching. I am available as your mentor regardless of where you live, on land or sea. https://businesspilot.com.au www.linkedin.com/in/christophersly 00:00 Intro 2:30 Retrieving the camera 4:00 Close encounter with a Kite Surfer 6:30 Heavy traffic on the Mooloola There are some affiliate links on this page that give us a small commission. All our music is licensed from Artlist https://artlist.io/Christopher-1171683 unless otherwise noted. Copyright 2021 Vinsek Pty Ltd