Saturday 24th July- Windsurf **** - The Dip at Felixstowe – sunny periods.

Fin – 27.08 knot max, 24.64 knot ave., 14.17 knot hour, 17.54 knot mile, 55.13 km.,16.00 knot alpha.

F2 282 Ride with Tushingham Thunderbird 6.5 and 36 fin.

Nearly a sunrise windsurf :)

After yesterday’s cool foil I was keen to get out today before the wind goes and the rain arrives, the forecast was for it to be windy all night then drop during the day with rain coming so I was tempted by an early morning drip to The Dip to make the most of the 5.55 low water. We were woken by some oafs in the half way house opposite, swearing and knocking on the flat windows to be let in and I think that was the police and then again, more shouting at 5, so I checked the Landguard weather station which showed an ENE 20/24 knots so that made up my mind to go. A quick breakfast I hitched the trailer and headed to the beach, first dropping Ma off at Jacobs Ladder so she could walk home, she had a nice time especially with a tail wind and only seeing two other people:) The barrier was down so I could drive straight down onto the very quiet prom with the sun just appearing from behind a cloud, very pretty it was too. Being low water, the conditions were ideal, fairly flat water close in with wind gusting to 24 knots I went for my favourite F2 Ride 282 at 115 lt. with the Tushingham Thunderbird lll 6.5, I am loving the no cam sails, perhaps I will get a 7.5 to replace me knackered Lightning 7.8! With my shortie still wet from yesterday and being a bit cloudy I went for my full autumn wetsuit with my rucksack of spares including my vhf radio just in case I break something! I was then on the water at 6, it’s always nice to have an early morning session, I will have to do it more often having the sea all to myself. There were a few waves to get through close to the beach but great bearing off, I did not want to go too far down wind with the tide now coming in, making it wind with tide so I headed up and then spent the next hour and a quarter slowly beating out as you were heading into some steep waves before turning around the red and white bouy approx. a mile offshore, then beating to kite beach, the closer you got to the shore the flatter the water became with a lovely smooth swell running too, made even better by glimpse of sunshine and some nice gybing close to the beach. The sea did get very big out by the big bouy but you just had to look for the right wave to turn, I did not get it right every time, but great fun trying! A couple of kitesurfers arrived but were only out for 30 to 40 minutes before going. With 18 miles covered it was time for a quick break before adding another 10 miles before another break with my last trip out making it nearly 35 miles for the morning, with the tide running well now and the wind easing it was time to call it a day meaning I was home by 9.15 after a great session:) Then a bit more breakfast, enough energy left to do my exercises, doze read and change some rope on an extension and boom before going for a walk along the prom late in the afternoon as the wind drops but no rain yet! That’s it for wind until later in the week now.

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