The airports are trying to enforce a 22kg limit on all baggage, while there was stillroom for error I wanted to find out what the knock on effect would be for us windsurfers. We were heading out to Karpathos for the first speed event of the year, but before I leaving there was still time for a little weight loss of my own with some last minute biking with my brother.

We should have learnt last time, its dangerous for us to bike together, nether of us wants to give way to the other. Fortunately for me I’ve been on the fitness plan longer than Mark, his average heart rate is still ten to twenty beets faster than mine, but then he’s eight years younger.

One ride this week we didn’t get out on the bikes until after 9pm, and with the light fading we had to push hard to get round the off road section while we could still see. I always have the heart rate monitor on, but sometime I think its better not to know as I was hitting a max heart rate of 191, while Mark hit over 200. The only good that came from that ride was we agreed that it was time to stop competing against each other.

Packing for a 22kg limit is hard, most of the board bags I have take up most of that weight before even butting a board inside. Just taking two boards in one bag meant changing bags altogether. My Tabou Manta 49 and 59 fitted perfectly in the DaKine surf bag, and even though it has wheels came in with 2kg to spare.

The sails had to be divided up into two bags to meet the weight, admittedly race sails are heaver than what most people travel with, three sails per bag proved to be the limit. Normally is my boom bag that the heaviest of all, while five booms don’t add up to much, they do provide the perfect space to put all the extensions, bases and a fin bag. Not any more, they need a bag of their own.

I’ve always travelled with a mast bag that’s well under the new limits, so at least something could remain the same. Admittedly I needed all new bags, but it only meant carrying two extra, but with a couple of roof rack straps I could use the board bad as a trolley.

I was travelling with Zara, Peter and Farrell to Karpathos, they’d packed there bags to fit to the current 32kg limit. Check-in can be a lottery, get someone that’s new to the job and you’re in trouble no matter what. They just don’t understand that windsurf kit is packed into more bag. With the new limits you can expect more time wasted at check-in as you fight your corner.

We managed to convince them the extra bags were to fit with there own upcoming recommendations, but it was my extension and fins bag that finally put the costs up. I’d used a conventional bag rather than have them rattle around on there own in another sail bag or something similar, for them its simple, it looks like a cloths bag so that’s what we’ll charge for, “that’ll be £6 a kilo sir”.

Our flight was to take us to Rhodes where we had to get a truck from the airport to Rhodes Harbour where we could get the ferry to Karpathos. At the Ferry we caught up with Karin Jaggi, she’d flown out of Germany where they seam to have a completely different out look on windsurfing kit. They charge by the bag, and so long as you get it to check-in we’ll take it, really the size of Karin’s bags are ridiculous.

By the time we’d loaded and off loaded all the bags for the ferry and the last truck to the event site, the 22kg limit was finally making some sense. Easy for one person to carry, no more dragging and ripping holes in bags.

Once I have the accessory bag sorted it seams like the 22kg limit may not be such a big problem, but then we’re travelling a different way home and with two flights I’ll save final judgment till then.

This is my first time to Karpathos, and what a greeting, the organiser was the first to pick up bags as we unloaded at the ferry, and I can’t imagine many deputy mayor’s around the world would be driving us to the event site.

First impressions are great, the people are supper friendly and only too willing to help out. The windsurfing side looks like its three different bays, but I guess we’ll find out more in the coming days. But the best thing is it’s windy and hot. Actually, that should be very hot, so sorry for the pic without a top, but really it is that warm.