Owner:
squiz
Member
Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3091
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26th May 2021
Windsurfing: Bradfield Wind Direction: WNW Wind Stength: 10/25 Surf / Sea State: river chop and smooth Air Temperature: 14 Sea Temperature: Weather: Mainly cloudy Max Speed: 17.94 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 28.75 mile (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Our 42nd Wedding Anniversary – now known the love of my life for 46 years
xxx
Tuesday 26th - Windsurf ***** - River Stour at Bradfield – mainly cloudy
but milder.
Foil – 17.94 knot max, 16.51 knot ave., 10.08 knot hour, 14.17 knot mile,
46.07 km.,11.18 knot alpha.
Exocet RF AST 91 with Slingshot Hover Glide 76 with Tushingham Lightning
7m.
With 4 pretty full windsurfing sessions in 5 days I was going to have today
off especially as it is our 42nd wedding anniversary but despite being
milder than of late it did not look very inspiring for a walk or bike with
Mag. Then super keen Robert messaged to say he was going to Bradfield for a
foil so I checked Landguard and the NW wind had just increased from 12 to
20 knots so that was that, decision made, got up quickly, two Weetabix,
trailer hitched I headed over to the River Stour at Bradfield arriving at
10.45 with Robert already there and local James arriving shortly after:)
There was even some brief glimpse of sunshine and with the wind probably
from the WNW slightly off it was a job to know the strength of the wind but
it did look windy in the middle of the river with James saying it was going
to increase and he was right with good solid gusts to 25 knots! I again
rigged my favourite go to foiling sail the Tushingham Lightning 7m (sadly
now more tape that monofilm – am looking for another), Robert went for
his 6.5 while James went with his swanky 6m Severne foil sail! I was first
out after a short wade out around 11.15 and had three hours of the most fun
you could have on a windsurfing board, pretty much having the whole river
to myself as I sailed broad into Holbrook bay, not pushing it too hard just
sailing broad using little sail playing with the swell with the magnificent
Holbrook school as a backdrop, this is undoubtably the best foiling venue
locally:) Again I am trying to gybe at every turn and am progressing
slowly, meaning although not fly all the way round I don’t fall in quite
as often:) I stopped for selfie time near the school before starting the
beat back in some really strong gusts but the 7m handle them really well, I
passed James and Robert by the launch beach and decided to carry on towards
Mistley although now sailing against the tide, not a problem in these
winds. Another foiler was now on the water with a severne foil, at first, I
thought it was Michael Galbraith but it turned out to be Mark Davis who was
absolutely flying upwind going really well and loving his new foil. The
Severnes are a good-looking foil, well made and a great price, certainly a
big rival to the Slingshots! I got at far as Mistley quay as the wind went
a little patchy so after stopping for the second photo shot of the day had
some good broad runs back and with the tide now dropping decided to call it
a day having been out the best part of three hours covering nearly 30 miles
definitely 5 stars for me and everyone else today:) Robert called it a day
at the same time while James continued for awhile practising his gybes
which are coming along nicely now. Fin sailor Tom Alexander had arrived and
was just going out, we thought he was way too late to sail a fin board with
the tide going out but surprised us all by having a really good session on
his 100lt. board with the wind still strong:) When James came ashore, he
noticed my front footstraps were not in a good position for gybing so I
moved them, so let’s see if that improves things???? Time to head for
home, stopping at Mistley Quay to take some pics, then sadly just past the
Brantham Bull Pub I spotted a dead Jay in the road, never seen that before.
My sons’ partner who runs a very well-known bird/animal sanctuary in
Felixstowe called Paws and Claws is also called Jay and I thought she would
love to see it; she collects animal bones and also knows a local
taxidermist so I thought the Jay could live on. So, I turned around, not
easy with the trailer, stopped on the hill and quickly picked up the bird,
not too badly damaged:) Arriving home around 3.45 we quickly put the
trailer away and took the bird to Jays and see the wildlife she is looking
after, too be honest she is amazing and their house is like a mini zoo as
she hand feeds and medicates many animals and birds including a baby
squirrel, 3 magpies, a blackbird, a great tit, a tawny owl (looking very
sad) plus a duck, a gull and finally probably 20 or 30 pigeons and doves!
If you would like to support Paws and Claws check them out on Facebook,
were you can donate:)
PS - so that’s 5 top sessions in 6 days at 5 different venues including a
mega windy day at Southend, thankfully it is calming down now, time to get
out walking and biking again, could be good with temperatures rising over
20 degrees :)
Photo Album Here
MK booms here
77 Sports (Exocet) Here
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