Owner:
squiz
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Member#: 2407 Location: Registered: 15-09-2006 Diary Entries: 1
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13th May 2020
Windsurfing: Bradfield Wind Direction: NE Wind Stength: 10/25 Surf / Sea State: river chop Air Temperature: 9 Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny periods but chilly. Max Speed: 27.27 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 24.93 (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Wednesday 13th May – Walk **** - Windsurf *** - River Stour at Wrabness
– sunny periods but chilly.
F2 Zantos 295 with 36 fin and Tushingham Lightning 7m.
Fin – 27.27 knot max., 24.00 knot ave., 7.98 knot hour, 17.09 knot mile,
17.10 km., 17.34 knot Alpha.
Part 1.
This day has been a long time coming and after 50 days in lock down keeping
us off the water today being BIG WEDNESDAY when you are allowed to drive to
exercise and watersports opening up again, we learned while setting up that
the Harwich Harbour Authority had opened up the Stour and Orwell to sailing
also:) So well done to the majority of water users who have supported the
lock down measures:) Today was too good an opportunity to miss getting back
onto the water with a forecast NNE but sadly only 9 degrees, there were two
venues to think about. The Dip in Felixstowe but with the forecast showing
NNE slightly off with high water late afternoon when low water is better at
Felixstowe and the Stour at Wrabness but again high water was late so you
couldn’t get onto the water until lunch time. So, four Felixstowe sailors
made the decision to head into Essex, that’s the first time our van has
been out of Suffolk for 57n days and to be honest it did seem a little
strange driving in these strange times! Mag came and we left early as
parking can be a problem and we wanted to go for a walk on the beach first!
We arrived at 12.10, the first windsurfer but had to wait for a family to
leave before we could park but it wasn’t a problem as we just received a
video call from our Grandson who we really miss:( The tide was fairly low
but it could be sailed when fairly low with a fin with a bit of a walk but
the wind looked a little gusty reaching 20 mph on my gauge. We walked over
the sea wall and down onto the beach and the temperature dropped as we
headed into the wind, definatly not a shorts day! It is always nice to walk
past the cliffs with the busy Sand Martins, then past the beach huts and up
onto the path behind seeing some South Downs sheep with lambs:) and back to
the van. Now was the difficult bit deciding what kit to use, I had taken
one fin board and my old foil board with four sails inside my van as with
parking tight I left my trailer at home! I wanted to go for a fast hour so
decided to start on my Zantos 133lt. which I walked to the beach, Neil and
Craig had arrived and were going to rig 8 and 7.2 but the wind was now
gusting to 30 mph so had to rethink. In the end I rigged my 7m, Neil 7.5,
Craig 7.2 and foiler Andy a little later went for 6.2. It was the first
outing for my new Gull Vortex wetsuit but I wish I took my thin wind jacket
and you could have worn hat and gloves! As usual by the time I was ready to
set sail the wind had dropped, there was white water everywhere only ten
minutes before but the wind was supposed to build during the afternoon so
waded out to see. The first run out I was a little over at times as I
planned right over the river but then it went pretty patchy, you had
sections of good wind followed by some slogging, no good at all for a good
hour and cold too:( I did give it an hour but then decided to head back and
set up my foil as Andy was heading out with 6.2 and 4/5 foilers launched
from Bradfield was were going well heading towards us!
Starboard Foil Freeride 150 and Slingshot Hover Glide F/Wind with
Tushingham Lightning 7.
Foil – 17.63 knot max, 16.06 knot ave., 9.25 knot hour, 14.08 knot mile,
29.10 km., 0.00 knot alpha.
Part 2
I quickly setup my Slingshot foil with my dodgy old Starboard formula board
but again by the time I was wading out into deeper water the wind had
filled in once more now gusting over 25 knots making my 7m a tad too big! I
got pulled over the front twice trying to start off and nearly decided
against it but I manned up and set off down the Stour. I was soon up and
flying straight up the river with the sail not sheeted in at all, what fun
and did three miles up to Mistley! It was then a beat back which I
haven’t mastered yet but even if you are not completely out of the water,
it nearly is so still takes a lot of the bumps out and you can whizz
upwind. I liked it so much I did it tow or three more times. I was using mu
MK carbon boom with longer lines for the first time and it was fine. In the
end I was getting the hang of flying upwind, not all the time but defiantly
improving:) Sailing broad with a foil is just great fun and you can cover
big distances which I love and cant wait to do some long distance cruising
and look forward to getting a Slingshot Levitator 150 board if I could only
find one at the right price but I am still pleased with my battered
Starboard. I was out two hours foiling and was getting knackered so it was
time to call it a day! I think everyone had a good day despite some parking
issues but considering there were 15 out today it was to be expected. Mag
was not overly impressed with my three-hour disappearance but went for
another walk as I had a catch chat with Andy then all I had to do was have
my very late sandwich, change, back up and drive home! Top day but
knackering!!!
Photo Gallery Here
MK booms Here
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