Wednesday 19th January - Windsurf **** River Orwell at Levington – sunny periods.
Plus, full windsurfing stats from 2021 :)
Foil – 17.05 knot max, 16.13 knot ave., 7.99 knot hour, 14.20 knot mile, 35.45 km., 12.35 knot alpha.
Exocet RF AST 91 with Slingshot Hover Glide 76 with Tushingham Lightning 7.8m.
It’s been along tome since my last windsurfing session, 15 days in fact so when todays forecast of a good west to north west breeze and a tad milder than of late it was too good an opportunity to miss! After getting up early to walk down to the seafront at the end of our road, got some great shots too, it was nice to stay in bed this morning although I did get a nice pic of the red sky from the bedroom window. It did not look overly promising first thing but the wind began to pick up so I agreed to meet up with fellow foiler Robert at Levington around 11, perfect for the 12.42 high water:) Mag had agreed to bike down with a flask of soup for dinner as I left home at 10.30 with the sun still out. On arriving at Levington Marina it was a bit of a tight fit getting to our parking spot as they were wielding pipes but we managed OK. Things looked good so we quickly set the foil boards up but sail choice was harder with a NW wind blowing which is cross off it was difficult to judge the strength of the wind from the shore. With white water down the middle of the River Orwell I nearly went for 6.5 but in the end rigged my 7.8 which proved OK for a good part of the session:) With loads of water the launch was easy but the wind was much lighter than hoped but after a few floundering runs across the wind filled in and I after staying close to the marina for awhile I then ventured down to Felixstowe docks where the water was much smoother, this direction certainly chops the water up in front of the marina! A large MSC container ship was entering Felixstowe docks so I sailed down to Shotley to get some pics the only shame being the little point and press camera I carry in a waterproof case does not take very good pics:( I had some cracking long runs down to the docks, nothing fast and it was not the best day for gybing either with the wind gusty, the river lumpy and the fact I was using a bigger sail, plus I did not want to push as wanted to keep out of the water but I was on the water well over two hours with my hands only getting cold when the wind really picked up to 25 knots plus! With the tide now running out hard and the wind up I had a challenging beat back but the Lightning coped really well:) Back at the van I was pleased to see that Mag had arrived on her bike and was reading in the van, I had a shower to warm up before returning for some yummy homemade soup before packing up and heading for home. More wind tomorrow but supposed to be really cold then loads of light wind day so it will be out walking and biking again!
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Stats windsurfing 2021 :)
The year started with some lockdowns with my favourite winter venue Levington Marina closed for windsurfing so I had a few sessions up the River Orwell at Nacton Shores, not an ideal spot with tight parking and gusty winds but it got me out in the coldest weather of the year. Foiling continues to dominate with 82 sessions compared to 38 on the fin with a total of 111 windsurf which is slightly less than last year. For the first time in many years, we did not have a single night away in our little VW campervan and are content to stay local enjoying walking and cycling around the lovely Felixstowe area. With foiling becoming so popular locally our two river venues are being used a lot now, I was out on the Orwell 47 times and the Stour 25 times both ideal for the foil although I have had a few good sessions on the fin. The fin has not completely gone and I had one good speed trip to Southend and a couple at Point Clear but for the most part stayed close to home with Levington being my favourite venue. My foiling skills are improving and I regularly sail in winds to 30 knots really enjoying small sail foiling and have had loads of fun sailing from The Manor to the Dip in some really big seas. I still love my Slingshot foil despite the problems with the fuselage, I broke another this year losing my front wing which I managed to replace secondhand. I am trying to push my speeds up slowly although that is not as important as speed is on the fin and enjoy sailing broad slowly playing with the swell, you can go for miles downwind knowing you can get back. I have recently purchased a smaller front wing hoping to gain a few knots and look forward to using it! My foil gybing is also coming along especially when using smaller rotational sails with my favourite sail at the moment the Tushingham Thunderbird. My much-loved twin cam Tushingham lightnings seem so heavy to use now and I would love some Ezzy Hydra sails, a lightweight sail that can be used for both fin and foil but are way out of my price range so will have to make do with my mush used and abused Tushinghams for a while yet!
So, I will continue to get out at every opportunity when temperature, wind and my old body allow, so wishing everyone a sunny, breezy and healthy new year!
Venues sailed this year.
Levington Marina (River Orwell) - 40 times.
Nacton Shores (River Orwell) – 7 times.
Bradfield (River Stour) 24 times.
Wrabness (River Stour) 1 time.
Felixstowe.
The Manor – 18 times.
The Dip – 16 times.
Point Clear – 2 times.
Southend (The Ray) 1 time.
Equipment used this year.
Boards.
Fanatic Mega Cat – 5 times.
Exocet RF 91 foil – 82 times.
F2 Xantos 310 – 4 times.
F2 Xantos 295 – 14 times.
F2 Ride 282 – 12 times.
F2 Ride 277 – 1 time.
Fanatic Speed – 1 time.
Sails.
Tushingham Lightning 9.4m – 3 times.
Tushingham Lightning 8.5m – 28 times.
Tushingham Lightning 7.8m – 13 times.
Tushingham Lightning 7.0m – 34 times.
Tushingham Thunderbird lll 6.5m – 27 times.
Tushingham Vulcan 6.0m – 5 times.
Tushingham Storm 5.2m – 3 times.
Tushingham X – 15 – 7.0m – 1 time.
Tushingham X – 15 – 5.2m – 1 time.
Naish Nalu – 4.75m – 2 times
Speed/Distance for 2020.
In my 111 sessions I sailed for 2737 miles with my best day at Point Clear where I sailed for 61 miles. All slightly less than last year!
Fin. Foil.
Max speed – 38.82 knots. 21.36 knots.
Average – 36.41 knots 19.57 knots.
N/mile – 24.02 knots 18.08 knots.
1 hour – 19.46 knots. 12.69 knots.
Alpha – 19.00 knots. 15.12 knots.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy new year with loads of lovely mild weather, a good breeze and sunshine:)
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