Packing for Karpathos

Give advice to other experienced sailors is often not necessary. But going to Karpathos is a bit different. Even if you have been there before you might forget about the demanding conditions. Gusty offshore winds with 30-50 knots and 30 C and sunny. A lot more wind and temperature than what Windguru indicates.
Here is my list:
- Boards: 44 and 53 cm wide, 65 and 83 litres
- Sails: 6,3 and 7,0 (You can go down and up one size on the boards and sails if you bring more than two, I bring 4 sails and boards)
- 26, 28 and 30 cm fins, standard speedfins, i.e Tectonics, C3 Venom, BPF Type S or Deboichet UW,
- One extra mast, i.e. an extra 430 might be very useful
- Check or replace all your mast foot-tendon joints
- Change all harness lines to NP vario (they breaks in the worst catapults)
- Bring a weight vest or something other vest that floats
Add always 5-10 knots
- A helmet (we riding against the rocks)
- No wetsuit is needed, but thin shoes are nice
- Camelback, when it is not the World cup no caddies will serve any water
- Energy powder
- A lot of guts!

4 comments:

  1. I've been to Karpathos 2 times in Aug and had days with 40+ knots. To speedsail on these days it is important to have a 5.5/5.7 sail, so if you have 6.3 as smallest sail you can not sail safely and fast on the best days. In any case you bring what you have, but if your sails are too big be prepared to sit out the big days or have some big wipeouts. My weight is 100kg in case anyone think its a lightweigts viewpoint.

    BB

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  2. 40 knots days are OK with 6,3, but the REAL windy days, like we had on Greece championship 2009, with 60 knots gusts, then you need smaller sails. But Paradise/Devils is not so good when its that windy... Last year I have both 5,2 and 5,8, but didnt use the
    But I will bring a 5,6 this year.

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  3. OK, maybe you (and Albeau) are comfy with a 6.3 in 40 knots, but since this is a packing tip for slightly less experienced speeders I just wanted to point out that a 5.x sail may be more used than for instance a 7. My biggest sail is 6.5 and if its ligher winds in K I go cruising/slalomsailing to improve jibes etc. To sum up: Anyone thats a little bit serious about speedsurfing should own a 5.x sail and Karpathos is definitely the place to bring it.

    BB

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  4. I agree that lighter, or less experineced sailors should bring a smaller sail. Anders Bringdal used a Challenger 5.9 twice at the Worlds in 2009, and he is not a small guy. But if there is no worldcup you do not have to go out and sail in 50 knots wind!

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