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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3070 |
20th July 2019 Windsurfing: Bradfield Wind Direction: WSW Wind Stength: 10/25 Surf / Sea State: river chop Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Sunny periods with an amazing hail storm:). Max Speed: 26.74 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 37.07 (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise) Saturday 20th – Windsurf ***** River Stour at Wrabness – Sunny periods with an amazing hail storm:). Fin – 26.74 knot max., 25.57 knot ave., 14.01 knot hour, 22.18 knot mile, 68.70 km., 15.19 knot alpha. F2 Zantos 310 with 44 fin and Tushingham Lightning 8.5. After yesterday’s three-star bump feast at Felixstowe I thought long and hard about todays venue! It was supposed to be lighter than yesterday, starting SW but swinging W around high water so my original plan was to go to Wrabness on the River Stour for a foil but then Levington came into the mix followed by Point Clear my favourite local venue. In the end I didn’t fancy the 80-mile round trip to PC and I didn’t think it would be windy enough either, I got that wrong! In the end I choose Wrabness which despite the limited parking is a better venue to sail than Bradfield, you can also sail much longer being able to get out earlier and stay out longer when the tide turns, it is also quieter on the water which I like! Local sailor Powell was also going and we meet at midday and I got my parking spot at the end of the lane despite some Pratt parking in the road by the turning circle, you often get some idiot parking in the turning circle which makes things hard for everyone!!!! After a quick catch up we went over the sea wall to check the conditions, it was lovely and sunny with no sign of the thundery rain showers heading our way but the wind looked marginal cross on from the left so I took a chance with my 8.5 and big Zantos 310. My aim was to have a few runs and see if it was suitable to foil? After wearing a full wetsuit yesterday, it was back to my shortie today and with the tide fairly high I set off just before one, a bit earlier than you could get in at Bradfield. I soon found out that it was way too windy for me to foil and I was soon flying across Holbrook bay, mile long reaches rarely off the plan:) This big Zantos might be a pain in the open sea where gybing is difficult here on the river where the wind can be up and down it handles it very well and I only dropped one gybe all session:) Now way past the Wrabness beach huts at the end of Holbrook Bay going well for an hour a menacing black cloud was getting nearer and it started to rain. I hate sailing in the rain but things were about to get much worse as I decided to start beating back. Right in the middle of the Stour the thunder Storm hit, first the heavy rain, then the super strong wind put me into the water as the visibility disappeared as you disappeared into a cloud. I was in the water sheltering under my sail until the strong wind ripped the sail from my hands as the hail arrived! It was a 5 Star session for just living through this experience, it was just amazing as millions of huge hails stones fell turning the water into a cauldron off wild water! I was hanging onto my back footstrap with my rig flipping in the wind with the hail actually hurting my head. My two thoughts now were I hope I am not in the shipping channel with a coaster coming in and can I fish my waterproof camera out without losing my gear. Lucky for me no ships can and I managed to take a few pics to record the best of what nature can throw at you! Then as the storm passed over the wind eased so I could waterstart and sail slowly because the wind had really dropped over to the beach just down from Holbrook school now in bright sunshine to take some more pics and stunning it was too with the big black cloud heading to Shotley! It was time to try and get back but the storm had really messed the wind up going from 20 knots plus to under 10! I managed to get back near Wrabness beach where Jason was out but several sailors were out from Bradfield going well so I decide to continue the beat to see if it was windier further up the Stour. I planed in patches but it was hard going and I soon realised why all the other sailors were going better, they were all foiling with mostly small sails too but it was still very up and down! I noticed that windsurfing friend Peter Cutts campervan was parked at Bradfield so I went ashore for a chat:) He was the only one there with a fin and struggling in the gusty winds, next to nothing one minute followed by a 20 knot gust, so not ideal for me to learn foiling and I am glad I was out on my big freeride kit. I then had to reach back saying hello to a couple of good foilers, Jamie and Joe who were now flying up and downwind nicely, perhaps I will get to that stage one day ????? I had been out at least a couple of hours so headed back to see if Magg was OK, Jason was on the beach, he had quickly changed from 7.5 to 6.5 but with the wind patchy was packing up:( After a bite to eat with Mag and with the wind now back I went to check, Jason was really feed up to be de-rigged and changed as the wind now from the west and gusting to at least 25 knots. With the tide now dropping I didn’t have time to change down so set off for a really full hour and the 8.5 takes all of it, I might have been slightly faster on smaller kit but in my head I was doing 30 knots as I flow across the river, mile runs flat for the second time this month, I just love it here:) With the tide dropping and the wind easing I reluctantly decided to call it a day and soon meet up with Mag sitting on the large fallen tree on the beach watching the very entertaining Sand Martins! So, after packing up, a lovely cuppa and cake we left at six stopping off in Ipswich to but some plants. So a good couple of days windsurfing covering 114 km and tomorrow we help our son Daniel move furniture into their lovely new house with perhaps some foiling/longboard days next week too:) Photo Gallery Here |
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