Monday 11th April - Windsurf **** The Manor, Felixstowe – sunny.

Foil – 16.08 knot max, 14.79 knot ave., 8.62 knot hour, 12.59 knot mile, 32.71 km., 11.17 knot alpha.

Exocet RF AST 91 with Slingshot Hover Glide 76 with Tushingham Thunderbird 6.5m.

It was a good forecast today with a SE breeze hopefully gusting over 20 knots, sunny too but things did not look good in the morning with things a little slow getting started. At least it gave me time to do my exercises in the sunshine, even managed to peel the vegetables for this evening roasty. Then local sailor Al Wiz posted on Facebook that he was just about to head out on the fin so I hitched the trailer and headed down to The Manor and managed to get a free parking spot by the toilet and with the sun out, the tide low and a good onshore breeze from the East I quickly set up my foil board and then had to pick a sail, I went for 6.5 as I did not want anything too big as the sea was pretty large. Al and his mate were both out finning and he was on 8.5! but it looked up and down with several turning up to windsurf. Ian, Robert and Michael foiling with Peter and another Rob about to fin. I was the first foiler off the beach and thought there was not enough wind as I floundered out but I managed to find a gust and was soon up and flying, quickly getting my sea legs, it’s been several months since my last flying session! You forget how challenging sailing in a big sea is but what fun:) I was surprised the 6.5 worked so well and I had plenty of power most of the time to attempt the beat up the coast to The Dip to see if anyone was sailing there? No tacks today and I went for my gybes, I was interested to see how I would get on in the sea and it went OK by not pushing things too hard and only went in once on the gybe, probably not flying all the way around but it is a work in progress and am having have trying. Ten gybes later and after sailing through some big sea I had made The Dip and I think I spotted Paul Smith out but did not get close to him, I assume he was foiling? The sea there was much smoother but the wind dropped as I turned and I floundered for awhile before I caught a gust and got flying. This was the best run of the day a two-mile downwind run playing with the swell, I could not believe I was flying so well being pretty underpowered as I headed to The Wadgate post where turned. I had few long runs back The Manor, now all I had to do was land without breaking anything as there were some nice waves breaking on the shore! I managed to get ashore aright but did break a battern and thanks to Robert for helping. Nothing fast today due to the size of the sea and being a little under but such great fun and hopefully this is just the start of a summer of sea sailing.

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