Wednesday 10th – windsurf ** The Dip - Felixstowe – sunny but chilly.

F2 Ride 282 and 38 cm fin with Tushingham Lightning 6.5 and Vulcan 6m.

27.75 knot max, 25.91 knot ave ., 8.44 knot hour, 16.68  knot mile, 21.30 km., 13.33 knot alpha.

After yesterdays epic two hour session covering 38 miles I had decided to drive over to Essex to sail on the Stour at Wrabness but Mark Swain posted a pic on WhatsApp saying ‘It’s about as good as it gets at the dip right now’ so I had a change of mind and quickly headed down arriving at 9.10. It was wall to wall sunshine today but probably a fraction colder, windier and despite being low water there was a bit of a swell hitting the beach from the left, I should have gone home for breakfast and gone back to plan ‘A’ and go to the Stour which is also good in a NE. I rigged 6.5 and after finding a walker on the prom to zip me in and they found it difficult I set off on the 115 lt. Ride. There was a bit of a shore break, then a section of lumpy cross in which is surprising as it is sheltered by the exposed shingle bar? Then approaching the red Deben channel bouy you are sailing directly into big waves head-on which is challenging especially as a lot of the time you are not in the straps! Then things improve with a section of smoother water before the sea goes big out by the red and white bouy! With wind gusting over 25 knots the and the sea big I was getting a bit of a battering so after a few runs I had decided to call it a day, pack up and go to Wrabness. As I arrived on the beach Andy Mexome and Neil Hurrell arrived and I said my usual, it’s crap and coming to get worse as the tide come in. Neil decided to go to Alton but Andy stayed so in the end I rigged a 6m and went out again. It was still lumpy to gybe close in and if you made it by the red and white bouy it was really windy and as soon as you bear off to turn you accelerate big time and the next thing you are water starting! I should have rigged 5.2 on the waveboard but it is not my style and it is still a bit chilly to spend time in the sea! Andy with no hat and gloves had gone a nice shade of red and I after I wipped out on the 27 knot broad run we decided to call it a day! Allow the wind continues for several days in this direction it is only looking marginal and turning colder too so will have to see if it is worth sailing, maybe try the foil on the Stour but high water is getting late so you can only do an afternoon session so we will have to see? In the end it was a bit of a waste of a windy day:(

 https://www.facebook.com/stephen.squirrell.1/media_set?set=a.10215693450821944&type=3

 http://mkwindsurfing.co.uk/booms/