Tuesday 24th August - Windsurf *** The Manor at Felixstowe – sunny.

Fin – 25.17 knot max, 23.90 knot ave ., 13.95 knot hour, 18.01 knot mile, 57.08 km ., 14.86 knot alpha.

F2 282 Ride with Tushingham Lightning 7m and 36 fin.

With the wind today ENE I decided against another trip to Bradfield in Essex as went there yesterday and hope to go again on Thursday so thought I would try The Manor for a fin or foil depending on the wind strength? Normally I would have gone to The Dip with the wind in this direction but with hight water at 13.48 which means there is no beach therfe, in fact high water is probably best avoided here in Felixstowe! So, morning at home doing my exercises in the garden in wall-to-wall sunshine as summer makes a welcome return. Then Mag and I have a walk along the busy prom and conditions at sea were looking very good with definitely enough wind to fin! After lunch I hitched the trailer arrived at Squiz Lane at the end of the prom arriving at around 1.45 and it was packed, the sea high and very lumpy with fisherman in the launch groyne. Ian then arrived and we decided to check out The Manor car park and at least there was some beach to launch from so we decided to stay there as Chris Stephens arrived. I put my trailer on the grass by the boat compound and parked on the road by the caravans. I then took my 115 lt, Ride to the beach with my wind gauge which was reading around 17 mph so not overly windy, it always seems more with the wind onshore. Ian rigged 5.6, Chris 6 and I went for 7m which proved OK for most of the session, a fraction under to start and then well powered as the wind picked up with the other sailor’s changing to 5m. I went for my usual hour at the start and to be honest the sea was horrendous, so bumpy not my idea of fun. Tom was also out with 7m on a wide modern board which was hard going, at least my old Ride handles the sea fine. I had 8 runs out to the shipping channel over a mile out where it got particularly messy and then sailing back you were heading straight into some steep chop but at least the sun was out! Feed – up of the battering I came ashore as Ian and Chris were changing down for a drink and a snack and debated packing up but with the tide now dropping the sea improved slightly. Going fast was next to impossible so you just played with the lumps and bumps looking for something suitable to gybe on! So not my best session to be honest I am not a big fan of fin sailing here at Felixstowe because if the tides and messy sea. Still perhaps it was not as bad as I am making out as I was sailing over three hours covering 35 miles:) Day off tomorrow before another breezy day on Thursday with several more windy days to follow all from the North!

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