Sunday 26th – Windsurf *** - River Orwell, Levington – mainly cloudy.

Starboard Formula and Slingshot Hover Glide F/Wind with Tushingham Lightning 7.

Foil – 18.33 knot max., 16.64 knot ave., 6.36 knot hour, 12.55 knot mile, 29.30 km., 9.40 knot Alpha.

As I haven’t been out for while so was keen to get out again for my 7th session of the month and I am used to sailing by myself but today there were seven foilers and a fin sailor on the water today, so no trouble getting my wetsuit done up today! The forecast was good an SSW gusting to 25 mph + and 9 degrees and a good high water at 12.49 so I set off at around 9.30. The wind was disappointing on arrival at the marina so we set about setting up our foils there was an expensive array of foils and boards with just a little gear envy as I untied my old battered starboard! The wind started to fill in so the general opinion was 7m so that’s what I rigged, my favourite foil sail. Drone pilot Steve Lund was there so I hope to get the first shots of me actually airborne today:) I was actually first on the water, managed to whack my foil just after launch, it is sadly taking a hammering, I tacked and headed up river and was soon up and flying but the wind was very up and down. I was fine in the gusts but struggle with my expertise and board to get up in lighter winds and also come down quicker too. I think for my heavy board I need a bigger sail to keep it flying and I think I am going have to splash out on a foil board if I am going to improve. I especially struggle upwind where a bigger sail would have made a big difference but being cloudy and struggling to make 9 degrees today, I am not keen to rig too big! In the end I was out on the water the best part of three hours covering 29 km which was not too bad as I spent a lot of time slogging! I had a few nice runs down towards Pin Mill where the water was also nice and flat. I was particularly impressed with Andy Mexome out with 7.3 on his new Starboard foil board and was gybing best of anyone on the water today, loads of fully flying gybes and he can keep the board flying through the lulls too :) I was so impressed with his gybing that I tried a few myself and actually managed to keep on the board but obviously not flying all the way round! In the end I was out all by myself and was being followed by the drone sadly I was knackered by then but I still think he got some film of me in the air all be it a little up and down but then again, I am a work in progress! Then to finish the day I managed to hit the bottom hard on the way in! It’s been a good month so far and loads more wind coming in the week but getting colder so might have to give it a miss!

PS – I am looking for a reasonably priced second-hand GT-31, can anyone help?

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