Funny day really, lost count of the times I checked to weather hoping the wind would come and I checked the dip a couple of times - the first at 11:30 when in our garden half a mile from the sea we were bathed in clear sunshine but on the seafront we had very thick fog!!! Still no wind at 2:30 but with the forecast saying the best wind was going to be at 7 I took my kit down at 5:10 only to see Mark smalling out struggling with 8.7 on his 145lt:( I was just going to call it a day when the wind filled in and Mark got planning in the river mouth and I started rigging at 5:30, I had trouble with the 8.5 with one of the cams but I got that sorted and got out on the water. I was a bit under to start with and like yesterday lost alot downwind on my first run:( and again struggled to get back upwind. I let off some downhaul and the wind picked up a little but so did the sea with the tide nearly high making it big and lumpy and as you had the beat both ways to stay up wind you couldn't sail braod enough for top speed and also 8.5 on the Xantos is not perfect and a smaller sail might have been faster but I was never overpowered and as it was late didn't want to waste time rigging again. Several sailors changed down to 6.5 and 7 m but I was fine. It would have been a 4star session if the tide was low and the water flater but it was nice to be out in the warm sunshine and in my shotrie for the first time this year:)