Saturday 7th August - Windsurf ** - River Stour at Wrabness – cloudy with blustery heavy showers.

Fin – 24.42 knot max, 21.86 knot ave., 10.14 knot hour, 18.81 knot mile, 35.21 km.,11.66 knot alpha.

F2 Zantos 310 with 44 fin and Tushingham Lightning 8.5

After yesterdays battering at a very bumpy Manor I was not sure what to do today so when Jason Powell messaged me to say he had had a good sail at Wrabness yesterday I thought what the heck I would give the Stour a try as have never sailed there in a SW. With parking tight at Wrabness I agreed to meet up with Jason early at 9, we need not have bothered worrying as the weather was so bad there were not many people about! We went to check out the conditions, it is a job to gauge the wind in this direction being dead off at our usual launch spot at Bradfield but here at Wrabness it is more side shore but because of the trees at Wrabness nature reserve you have to sail out to meet the wind line. Jason ashored me there was loads of wind and rigged his 7.3 as yesterday, it did not look that windy but nice and flat so took a chance with my big freeride kit, the 8.5 for the Zantos 310. The tide was still low so did not consider foiling, perhaps later but launching a fin board with the water this low is no problem. The wind was patchy at best and was soon sailing in torrential rain, in fact the passing rain really played havic with the wind only planing in patches. I worked my way over to the Suffolk side as the wind increased and I had a good run into Holbrook bay and then several long runs in front of the school in winds gusting to 25 knots! I was beginning to think I might have trouble getting back so started to beat back as the wind dropped very light as the rain arrived again:( I found it quicker to walk for 400m to point opposite Wrabness as two dads with their boy had just beached their boat to camp, rather them than me in the rain! All I had to do now was beat the mile across the river to the Essex side in very light winds and I wanted to get going before the tide started to go out. A few foilers from Bradfield now but struggling too:( I was drifting past through the moored boats with the wind all but gone and I did manage after a couple of tack to get back with Jason just finishing too. After we packed up the wind did fill in but too late for us now. So another poor session spoilt by the inconsistent nature of the wind with another windy day forecast for tomorrow I have no idea what to do, the rain showers come through like today it could be another old day, who knows????

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