Saturday 13th October – windsurf **** The Manor - Felixstowe – sunny periods.

F2 Xantos 310 with Tushingham Lightning 8.5 m and 44 fin.

21.42 knot max ., 19.10 knot ave  ., 11.57 knot hour, 18.63  knot mile, 29.90 km., 12.31 knot alpha

After this morning wash out session at The Dip I was keen to make amends, with Bradfield and Levington in the running as venue but I ended up at The Manor where lightweight Al Wix was out with 7.5 so Mark and I both rigged 8.5. For the second time today I put on a wet wetsuit but it is very mild so OK. I headed off the day in fairly marginal wind but soon got planing and set off down the coast, after a mile I decided it wasn’t windy enough for a trip up the coast so beat back. On turning I turned broad and was planing, not flat out but good non the less so I continued 3.60 miles down to The Dip, fairly close to the shore, this is always great fun, I was just hoping it would be windy enough to beat back! I needn’t have worried as I made it back in four tacks. Mark had been joined by Al Packer and Paul Smith, although Al had stopped the other two were going well up towards the Orwell. I decided to join them, got wipped out by a big wave when launching but got off at the second attempt. Something was right as I was sailing along? Then my harness line broke so I returned to the beach to change it. Mark said he had had the best sail for ages and said he could have been on 7.8 but I must have missed that as 8.5 was fine. It would have been 5 stars for me if a few knots windier but still good after a crap start to the day, shame a few more who missed a session this morning had stayed a bit longer

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