Tuesday 23rd – windsurf (foil 3) *** The Dip - Felixstowe – sunny periods.

Starboard Formula 155and Neil Pryde RS : Flight AL 85 with Tushingham Lightning 7.8.

17.28 knot max, 15.61 knot ave ., 5.71 knot hour, 13.48  knot mile, 20.50 km., 6.50 knot alpha.

After a great 6 nights away in the little campervan visiting the Grandson and then on the beautiful South Downs, I was keen to get out on the water again. The wind direction today was good ENE but with high water around two it was not perfect with wind and tide together. It meant I missed the best of the flattest water with the wind slowly building through the morning. I arrived at The Dip at around eleven and had it all to myself and with wind gusting a fraction over 15 knots and the sea still fairly flat I decided to rig 7.8 on the foil for my third foiling session at my third venue! With wind and tide together, I decided against pushing it too far down wind as I didn’t want to lose ground downwind, to be honest I should have been brave enough to rig the 8.5 but it was my first open sea foiling session so I rigged a little cautiously. It was fine in the gusts but I did have to stuff it upwind and sail slowly back so I didn’t push it into the air as much as I could have done with a favourable tide. After making a groyne or tow upwind I decided to try and get some airtime by placing more weight on the back foot. I was getting up a lot better but was having trouble sustaining flight and it did throw me off three times but I am getting a little better at controlling the lift but it is tiring. It was lumpy sailing out as you hit the tidal flow by the River Deben channel but it smoothed out past the first red bouy and I was sailing past the red and white mark but the wind went lighter the further offshore you went. The old formula is working fine and doesn’t catch to badly when bumping back down and it makes a good platform for slogging along and tacking so a big, wide board does help a lot:) Foiling is still a work in progress and I am still not 100% convinced as Felixstowe especially around high water is not the best place to learn. What you want is a mile of flat water with some constant wind, I think the Stour is still the best local foiling spot but you are reliant on getting the tide right there too! So, the secret for us heavy weights is rig big and try and find the right method of getting the board to lift with the minimum of pumping as its knackering especially at my age!!! :) Tomorrow is looking promising for some fin sailing.

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