Wednesday 13th May – Walk **** - Windsurf *** - River Stour at Wrabness – sunny periods but chilly.

F2 Zantos 295 with 36 fin and Tushingham Lightning 7m.

Fin – 27.27 knot max., 24.00 knot ave., 7.98 knot hour, 17.09 knot mile, 17.10 km., 17.34 knot Alpha.

Part 1.

This day has been a long time coming and after 50 days in lock down keeping us off the water today being BIG WEDNESDAY when you are allowed to drive to exercise and watersports opening up again, we learned while setting up that the Harwich Harbour Authority had opened up the Stour and Orwell to sailing also:) So well done to the majority of water users who have supported the lock down measures:) Today was too good an opportunity to miss getting back onto the water with a forecast NNE but sadly only 9 degrees, there were two venues to think about. The Dip in Felixstowe but with the forecast showing NNE slightly off with high water late afternoon when low water is better at Felixstowe and the Stour at Wrabness but again high water was late so you couldn’t get onto the water until lunch time. So, four Felixstowe sailors made the decision to head into Essex, that’s the first time our van has been out of Suffolk for 57n days and to be honest it did seem a little strange driving in these strange times! Mag came and we left early as parking can be a problem and we wanted to go for a walk on the beach first! We arrived at 12.10, the first windsurfer but had to wait for a family to leave before we could park but it wasn’t a problem as we just received a video call from our Grandson who we really miss:( The tide was fairly low but it could be sailed when fairly low with a fin with a bit of a walk but the wind looked a little gusty reaching 20 mph on my gauge. We walked over the sea wall and down onto the beach and the temperature dropped as we headed into the wind, definatly not a shorts day! It is always nice to walk past the cliffs with the busy Sand Martins, then past the beach huts and up onto the path behind seeing some South Downs sheep with lambs:) and back to the van. Now was the difficult bit deciding what kit to use, I had taken one fin board and my old foil board with four sails inside my van as with parking tight I left my trailer at home! I wanted to go for a fast hour so decided to start on my Zantos 133lt. which I walked to the beach, Neil and Craig had arrived and were going to rig 8 and 7.2 but the wind was now gusting to 30 mph so had to rethink. In the end I rigged my 7m, Neil 7.5, Craig 7.2 and foiler Andy a little later went for 6.2. It was the first outing for my new Gull Vortex wetsuit but I wish I took my thin wind jacket and you could have worn hat and gloves! As usual by the time I was ready to set sail the wind had dropped, there was white water everywhere only ten minutes before but the wind was supposed to build during the afternoon so waded out to see. The first run out I was a little over at times as I planned right over the river but then it went pretty patchy, you had sections of good wind followed by some slogging, no good at all for a good hour and cold too:( I did give it an hour but then decided to head back and set up my foil as Andy was heading out with 6.2 and 4/5 foilers launched from Bradfield was were going well heading towards us!

Starboard Foil Freeride 150 and Slingshot Hover Glide F/Wind with Tushingham Lightning 7.

Foil – 17.63 knot max, 16.06 knot ave., 9.25 knot hour, 14.08 knot mile, 29.10 km., 0.00 knot alpha.

Part 2

I quickly setup my Slingshot foil with my dodgy old Starboard formula board but again by the time I was wading out into deeper water the wind had filled in once more now gusting over 25 knots making my 7m a tad too big! I got pulled over the front twice trying to start off and nearly decided against it but I manned up and set off down the Stour. I was soon up and flying straight up the river with the sail not sheeted in at all, what fun and did three miles up to Mistley! It was then a beat back which I haven’t mastered yet but even if you are not completely out of the water, it nearly is so still takes a lot of the bumps out and you can whizz upwind. I liked it so much I did it tow or three more times. I was using mu MK carbon boom with longer lines for the first time and it was fine. In the end I was getting the hang of flying upwind, not all the time but defiantly improving:) Sailing broad with a foil is just great fun and you can cover big distances which I love and cant wait to do some long distance cruising and look forward to getting a Slingshot Levitator 150 board if I could only find one at the right price but I am still pleased with my battered Starboard. I was out two hours foiling and was getting knackered so it was time to call it a day! I think everyone had a good day despite some parking issues but considering there were 15 out today it was to be expected. Mag was not overly impressed with my three-hour disappearance but went for another walk as I had a catch chat with Andy then all I had to do was have my very late sandwich, change, back up and drive home! Top day but knackering!!!

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