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squiz
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Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3070
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12th April 2017
Windsurfing: West Mersea Wind Direction: W Wind Stength: 15/20 Surf / Sea State: river chop Air Temperature: 13 Sea Temperature: Weather: mainly cloudy and chilly Max Speed: 24.25 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 37.80 (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Today’s wind was forecast for ages but a lot of the time it doesn’t
arrive here in East Anglia so we were not holding our breath! With the wind
being from the west offshore at Felixstowe my original plan was to go to
Point Clear but after a message from Neil Hurrell and a check of Google
Earth West Mersea looked the best option especially with a 1.30 high.
Then this morning after a quick call from Neil the trip was on so I left
Felixstowe at 9 driving the 35 miles to the Island, that’s 5 less than
going to Point Clear. Arriving an hour later Neil and his Grandson Will
were aready there checking the wind on the beach and boy was it cold :( and
the wind was slightly off and looking light. Then some local turned up, a
kiter with a 14m, while the windsurfers went fot 7.7 and 7.5, so I took a
chance with 7.8. Neil 8.5 and Will 6m. I used the bigger Xantos 133 for the
first time in ages as the wind looked patchy and was first windsurfer on
the water. It was light to start with then the wind built as you crossed
the nearly two miles to the Bradwell side where the wind went light again
and boy was it lumpy in the full force of the incoming tide! I decided to
beat up River to see if I could find any flat water up towards Tolesbury.
It was slow going upwind in the patchy winds but I had the tide with me and
with 2 mile legs I made it past the power station and up the River past
Bradwell Marina. There was some flattish water over by Tolesbury marshes
but the wind was up and down and I was not sure how deep it was. I had a
few runs but no great speed so I decided to head back starting with a
3-mile broad reach in lumpy water! Back on the Island the wind seemed to
have built and I had my fastest run across the river with another rear leg
aching 2-mile broad reach! Then back to the starting point Neil was still
out with 8.5 but one of the locals was down to 5.5! I had been on the water
nearly 3 hours covering over 30 miles.and after a chat with Neil I had a
few more runs across but the wind was easing and he tide had turned so it
was time to call it a day.
So despite the chilly day it was nice out on the water.
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