Monday 16th May - Windsurf ***** The Dip, Felixstowe to Woodbridge – sunny periods.

Fin – 21.19 knot max, 18.17 knot ave., 7.34 knot hour, 15.66 knot mile, 42.62 km., 7.85 knot alpha.

Fanatic Cat with Tushingham Lightning 8.5m and 39 fin.

As I am still waiting for my new foiling kit to arrive it gave me another chance to take my much-loved Fanatic Longboard out for an adventure:) The tide and wind direction combined to make ideal conditions for a trip up the River Deben to Woodbridge. With the wind between W and SW gusting to 20 knots, with high water at Woodbridge at 1.18 it gave me time to do my exercises in the garden as the breeze filled in. I arrived at my start point, The Dip around 11, still pretty gloomy with the wind well off but looked good to go. Longboard quickly on the beach as there was not much showing and rigged my 8.5 once again. I set off with a full range of safety equipment, Mobil phone, yhf radio, a rucksack of spares and snacks. It was a wobbly run to the River Deben and a incoming yacht got fairly close but I made it to the flatter water and managed to stay pretty much on the same tack the whole way. First stop Ramsholt for the for selfie of the day before continuing past the Rocks to Waldringfield for yet more photos. Past Kyson Point, snicking through a shallow channel shortcut and was soon at Woodbridge, stopping just short of the famous tide mill to more pics and my snack. It was very near high water when I arrived but the tide was still coming in but there was enough wind to make against it and it had turned by the time, I approached Ramshot and the clouds broke and I was treated to another amazing big Suffolk sky, just stunning. You forget what fun longboard sailing is especially on somewhere as beautiful as the Deben :) I was gradually increasing my speeds by bearing off in a few gusts but still needed the track forward with some plate too. I was hoping for some better speeds on the last long straight leading to Bawdsey and my best speeds were through the moorings near Felixstowe Ferry. I landed on Bawdsey beach for my last selfie of the day with the skies back up river amazing:) I made the most of the better winds here by sailing back up river a couple of times for some fast reaching and broke 21 knots for the second session in a row. I then decided to brave sailing around the corner past Felixstowe Ferry SC where the wind is very patchy and the tide very strong. As it was going out fast, I had no problem and instead of following the river I veered left of the shingle bank. After a lumpy section it calmed down and I tacked by the red and white bouy, making The Dip in one tack. I had been on the water 3 hours 30 minutes covering 26 miles and was pretty knackered but worth every aching muscle :) Not looking windy for the rest of the week but maybe reaching 26 degrees tomorrow so I can relax in the sun and recovered:)

PS – the day started well as I got a big pic of the old boats taken at Pin Mill last week in the local paper :)

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