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squiz
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Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3688
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10th January 2016
Windsurfing: Point Clear Wind Direction: sw Wind Stength: 14/18 Surf / Sea State: nice swell Air Temperature: 7 Sea Temperature: 8 Weather: sunny periods Max Speed: 24.60 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 18.88 (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Saturday 9th January – hike *** cloudy with light rain
Went to The Dip at 10:30 to check the conditions, just windy enough to sail but the tide was high leaving no beach so went up the town
with Mag then shopping at Lidl – we know how to live :) Then checked The Manor, no one about and then The Dip again. A couple of
youngsters were rigging on the grass behind the tea hut but the sea didn’t look great and being a bit knackered from a week at work I
decided to save myself for tomorrow when we are going to Point Clear, it’s looking chilly and going even colder next week – looks like
winter is finally arriving:( With that in mind we went over to Edgeriders to buy a thermal top to go under my wetsuit and then onto
Martlesham to walk along the creek. Mag wasn’t too keen thinking it would be too muddy in the trees! It was a bit boggy to start with
but when we reached the creek path it was a lot better, we then spotted our first kingfisher of the year as it flew under the sluice :)
With the tide low there were several waders, swan and ducks feeding in the mud, also an Egret fishing in the shallows :) We made it to
Kyson Point on the River Deben and even the rain didn’t spoil it too much, then was then home to make a curry and soup for work next
week, light the fire have a cuppa and the last of the special Christmas biscuits :)
Photo
Gallery Here
Sunday 10th January – windsurf *** sunny periods
It looked good for my first trip to Essex this year, a forecast of a nice SW breeze even if a bit on the chilly side with a good tide
for Point Clear and several mates going :) Trailer hitched up at 8:15 texted Neil Hurrell to see if the trip was still on as it looked
like the gale and heavy rain from last night had passed over and the winds looked to be dropping but Neil was on the way so I set off
on the 40 mile journey. I arrived at the far car park at 8:15 with 2 sailors already rigging 6.5 sails but it didn’t look very windy
and freezing!!! :( but the sun was trying it’s hardest to shine through :) The car park was now pretty full with about 10 sailors with
only one being local and most having travelled 40/55 miles to get there! Sail/board choice here is a bit hit and miss? to start with 7m
seemed to be the sail everyone was going to rig but then Big Keith went for 8.5 so we all moved up a size! I took a chance with 7.8 on
the 133 and was the guinea pig being first on the water! I set off across the bay past the fishing boat turning in the lagoon and
heading out to sea but the wind was very light and didn’t get going :( I returned to the beach with cold hands after falling in to
rig bigger! I was going with my raceboard and 9.4, I got as far as taking the big board to the beach but the wind had filled in a
little and the others were beginning to plan :) so I went and got my 147 off, that’s three boards I had on the beach now! Deciding not
to rig another sail I put the 7.8 in the big shortboard and headed out again. I then had a good hour or so going ok even if
underpowered a lot of the time! I decided to beat up the coast for a while and there was a bit more wind out to sea :) it did threaten
to build on a couple of runs thinking that the smaller board might be better but then it would drop. I stopped on the beach at East
Mersea to get Mag an Oyster shell and then headed nearly 2 miles along the coast with the aim of trying for a good broad mile but sadly
the wind had eased and the only way to get going was running down the backs of the nice swells! Time to call it a day as I was way
under now even though the 6 or so kiters were going OK:) It took awhile to pack up with three boards to sort out and this time three of
us got stuck in the wet car park, Lee and Craig Hurrell and me! Luckily there were loads of bodies there to help push us out! So not a
bad session for January, toasty in my new wetsuit and thermal top even if my fingers did go cold and good to catch up with loads of
mates:) This might be the last session for a bit as it’s getting cold next week :(
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