Upwind in strong gusty winds

You'll find plenty of references in here to broken top sections Joanna. Yes it happens a lot. Usually shearing off at the rivet hole. My last one only lasted 10months.
Rule 1 - make sure the rivet is at the back of the top section.
Rule 2 - make sure your top section is watertight - fill the rivet hole with silicon. Check if it has any water in it after you've capsized a few times (thats if you ever capsize (-; ). Rinse out with fresh water and dry it well if it gets water inside.

There has been a lot written about the best position of the rivet (search the forum), and the opinion that it should be 'at the back of the top section' is by no means universally shared by the community. In fact, I find the argument (not my own) that it should be at 90 degrees most persuasive. No doubt though that corrosion is a major factor in upper section failures.

 

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