Saturday 23rd April - Windsurf *** The Dip, Felixstowe – sunny.
Fin – 25.74 knot max, 23.69 knot ave., 14.12 knot hour (year PB), 20.47 knot mile (year PB), 35.43 km., 15.52 knot alpha.
F2 Zantos 295 and F2 Ride 282 with 36 fin and Tushingham Thunderbird 6.5m.
Wanted to get down early to get some sailing in before the tide turned, with low water at Bawdsey at 10.44 I arrived at The Dip at 8.30 just me and a few dog walkers, in fact I had probably out an hour before I was joined on the water by Ian and Andy, sadly it was a poor turnout considering it was the weekend, sunny with a good breeze. The only downside of this run of good winds is the tides have not been great for here and the River Stour:( The conditions looked OK when I arrived but definitely not as smooth as it used to be when the wind is from the NE and it did not look overly windy so put my 133 lt. Zantos on the beach and rigged 6.5. Launching around nine I had enough sail but soon discovered just how big the sea was especially out past the red and white bouy. I didn’t have one of my better gybing days and finding a decent wave to turn was not easy, even the big waves were messy but the ride back in was great fun especially when you neared the River Deben where it was smoother. I was probably out nearly two hours and for the second day in a row got a year PB in both the hour and N/mile which actually included a gybe! I came ashore to actually swop to my 115 but the wind had eased so chatted for awhile on the beach getting cold, so I got my snack and camera, sitting behind a groyne for shelter to get a few snaps of Swainy, Ian and Owen. Swainy came in saying he was way over with 6.2 so I had one run out on the smaller board but was over and the sea was lumpy, this fin sailing certainly takes it out of you and with another windy day tomorrow I decided to pack up and head for home, even managing to do my exercises in the sunny but breezy back garden with the wind now gusting over 30 knots!
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