Owner:
squiz
Member
Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3070
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12th March 2021
Windsurfing: Levington Wind Direction: WSW Wind Stength: 10/30 Surf / Sea State: river chop Air Temperature: 9 Sea Temperature: Weather: gusty, cloudy and cold:( Max Speed: 22.78 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 8.45 miles (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Friday 12th March - Windsurf * - River Orwell at Nacton Shore – gusty,
cloudy and cold :(
Foil – 18.13 knot max, 15.21 knot ave., 0.00 knot hour, 15.66 knot mile,
10.50 km.,0.00 knot alpha.
Exocet RF AST 91 with Slingshot Hover Glide 76 with Tushingham Vulcan
6m.
Fin – 22.78 knot max, 15.85 knot ave., 0.00 knot hour, 0.00 knot mile,
2.40 km.,0.00 knot alpha.
F2 Zantos 295 with 36 fin and Tushingham Vulcan 6m.
After missing yesterday’s big wind day, I was keen to get out on the
water today and with my favourite winter venue at Levington Marina still
closed I had no choice but go to Nacton Shore, sadly nowhere near as good a
venue as the wind here is very gusty in front of the launch beach, shallow
too! I had reloaded my trailer as I hoped to fin today and wanted to take
more kit and am not keen on putting boards in the back of our little VW
camper hoping I could find a spot to park as it is a popular spot for
walkers! I arrived around 9 with Andy M (foil) and Chris S (fin) already
there managing to park easily. There was plenty of water but it didn’t
seem over windy so set up my foil board, when taking it to the beach the
wind had filled in so rigged my 6m, the smallest small I could rig without
borrowing a 4m mast kindly brought down by Chris. You have to wade out a
bit to find deep water and then head down river towards Levington Marina
and fly all the way, some 2.50 miles to the corner, there was some really
big gusts coming through especially just past the marina which keep you on
your toes. The beat back was also good, running out of wind just short of
Nacton, tacking I headed back by which time there was some massive gusts
making keeping the board a steady height hard! It was also choppy not
helped by wind against tide and with gusts to 30 knots I thought I would
try my fin board as I haven’t used it since 18/12/2020! Chris was
changing his 5 to a 6 but I said there was some ready big gust so went back
to his 5m. It was a bit of a hike to get my fin board but I got it, then
Chris and I set off together. The trouble here is you have to sail at least
half a mile towards Levington to hit the wind and then when the tide turns
you would struggle to get back on a fin. I have learned that fin sailing
from Nacton with the wind in this direction is a complete and utter waste
of time and should have stuck to the foil! I did get going in patches
hitting the biggest speed this year amazing 22.78 knots but the wind was
horrendously gusty, 30 knots one minute, next to nothing the next. I then
had my harness line break, a nightmare as I am really having trouble with
my left hand and have now sent details to the Doctors hoping for an
appointment next week. I floundered back with Chris coming in saying it was
all but impossible to sail, cold too so packed up. I took my other boom
down to swop but it was too big for the sail so decided to back up and go
home. So, I learned not to fin and stick to the foil in the river perhaps I
will only sail when it is a little warmer as the cold does my hand no
favours at all, oh the joys of getting old:(
Photo Gallery Here
MK booms here
77 Sports (Exocet) Here
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