Owner:
squiz
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Member#: 191 Location: Registered: 20-04-2003 Diary Entries: 4
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11th September 2018
Windsurfing: Point Clear Wind Direction: WSW Wind Stength: 10/18 Surf / Sea State: smooth Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: odd sunny period but mainly cloudy:(. Max Speed: 27.42 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 29.35 (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Tuesday 11th September – windsurf *** Point Clear – odd sunny period
but mainly cloudy:(.
F2 Xantos 295 with Tushingham Lightning 7.8 and 38 cm fin.
27.42 knot max., 22.89 knot ave., 11.21 knot hour, 20.36 knot mile, 54.40
km., 12.77 knot alpha.
Again, a day that promised so much failed to deliver once again and Point
Clear one of my favourite local venues is turning into a real jinxed spot
as I have had only one good sail here this year in six attempts the
forecast wind so often fails to reach this corner of Essex!!!! :( After
Sunday’s light wind flounder Mag and I made up for it yesterday with a 5
Star bike ride along the River Colne from Alresford to Colchester Castle
and had a nice couple of nights in our little camper in deepest Essex:) The
forecast, steady for some days was a WSW 20/30 mph wind but it was supposed
to drop turning the day a bit of a worry as you couldn’t get on the water
until about eleven. In the end I think the main wind came a fraction early
passing in the night but several Felixstowe sailors still made the trip as
WSW is not good at Felixstowe. It seemed breezy as we woke in the van at
our sheltered spot at Alresford so things seemed set for a good one. We set
off for the ten-mile drive stopping off at the end of the creek just
through St Osyth to drop Mag off so she could walk to Point Clear. I was
first to arrive and parked at the far carpark as it’s easier to sail out
from here with no rock groyne in the way, in fact most of the Felixstowe
sailors parked here with only Peter Cutts choosing The Green:( It
definitely wasn’t as windy as forecast but had 20 mph on the gauge on the
beach so rigged my X-15 7m and put the Ride 282 and 277 on the beach.
Sadly, the wind eased and with the tide slow to come in I had time to rig a
second sail, I had hoped to rig 6.4 but the conditions dictated the 7.8:( I
then for the second session in a row put a third yellow board on the beach
my 295, I have not used this lightweight board before. Peter Cutts was
first on the water with 7.8 on his big shortboard but struggled to get
going to start with, then sailors our end including first time Point Clear
sailor Michael Galbraith, Neil Hurrell and Mark Swain all rigged bigger
than they expected to use. I had a couple of runs out to sea towards
Jaywick to make upwind planing in patches and then I decided to head the
three miles up the River Colne as there is sometimes more wind the other
side of Mersea Island and there is some lovely flat water down by the
Fingeringhoe Army ranges, the red flag was flying meaning the army were on
the ranges but you are perfectly safe on the river! It is always patchy
sailing past East Mersea but I soon hit some gusts and had a few OK mile
runs including my best peak, over 27 knots on a good gust near the end of
the run, I was disappointed with my alpha as I did a really good gybe
entering at 25 knots but must have sailed too broad out so didn’t get
back to 50m soon enough:( There was a fishing boat trawling for oysters and
the odd sailing boat going up river even though it was now cloudy:( I had
several runs all by myself but it wasn’t constant so I decided to head
back ending up beating 4.50 miles out to sea and had a nice run back to the
van running down the waves only a few metres from the beach. I don’t I
had missed a lot back at Point Clear, the lagoon was only good for foiling
practice as it was very light there and the wind was very up and down out
to sea where an 8.5 and the 310 would have been better! On coming ashore
Peter had found a Black Headed Gull with an oyster shell stuck to its foot,
we can’t believe that could happen!!! He took it back to our van where
the bird continually bit Peter fingers and I got a knife to prize the shell
open, easier said than done! We managed in the end and despite the fact
that the gull had broken toes we hope it was not injured too badly and
fingers crossed it survives! After a yummy salad I had to make adjustments
to my foot straps, I should have done them before I set out and set off
again. Mark Swain was now here with 8m + and a couple of kiters headed to
the lagoon but I sailed out to sea and then up the river again just to
check the wind but it was too light so returned, I sailed through the gap
into the lagoon but it was a waste of time as way too light so headed back
to join everyone backing up! I then had to pack away three boards and two
sails but it is easy to load the lovely new trailer, the session was
marginally better than Sunday, in the end I was on the water 2 hours 40
minutes covering 33 miles (54.40 km) and I think I am due a good session
here at Point Clear!!!!
PS - another first, I didn't fall in once, must be improving :)
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