Monday 5th – Windsurf **** - The Manor - Felixstowe – cloudy, showery start but sunshine later:).

Fin – 27.13 knot max., 25.23 knot ave ., 18.34 knot hour (spot record and year PB)  , 23.38 knot mile , 66.70 km., 16.83 knot alpha.

F2 282 Ride with Tushingham Lightning 7 and 36 fin.

I was feeling a little fragile after yesterdays great day at Mersea Island, especially after a full-on hour sailing flat out on my longboard with 9.4 in very lumpy water and a big congratulation go to Craig Hurrell who was 1st windsurfer with his dad Neil second and I was pleased with 4th after a poor start! I couldn’t even think of a rest today or for that matter all week and the wind just keeps blowing! With Craig having a day off work today and the wind wsw/sw it was decided on The Manor at 10.30 to make the most of low water. I managed to do my exercises in the garden, then breakfast I headed down with Neil and Craig about to head out with 6.9 and 7.2 respectively. With the wind a fraction off I watched them for a bit before rigging my Lightning 7m for my favourite F2 Ride 115 which sails well in Felixstowe chop:) The weather was a little miserable at this point, cloudy with light showers but I headed out anyway with the aim of trying for a fast hour which is what I am concentrating on this year and am currently 2nd in the UK in the GPS speedsailing site:) As usual I use Wadgate Post as a marker and try for 8 runs out there for an hour and with tide against wind you could sail broad without losing downwind.  It was still challenging sailing in the lumpy sea except for a great section out by the post where a sandbank makes some rolling surf with some flattish water which was great to sail in:) With the hour well passed I went for a full on mile run and managed  23.38 which I was pleased with and when I got home and checked the session I was very pleased to get a 18.34 knot hour, a spot record and sessions best and was now officially very knackered! I came ashore for a snack, rest and chat and we had been joined by Peter Edmunds and Andy Mexome out with 6.5’s. In the end the sun came out making it very pleasant to sailing, the only shame now was with the tide approaching high water the sea got particularly lumpy and with the wind increasing to 20 knots made going fast challenging to say the least, I would have been better going smaller and sailing slow is not my thing so carried on. With a fisherman at one end of our launching groyne I was gybing at the opposite end when I fell in, messed up my waterstart, my board hit the metal groyne marker and my sail ended up stuck on the green triangular top and was lucky only to rip one panel! I sailed out with the big hole and then returned to our groyne to pack up and call it a day. So a good day at lumpy Felixstowe and our plan was for Andy and me to go foiling at Bradfield but it might be windy enough for a session at Point Clear or Mersea, I am getting too old for all this windsurfing action!

 http://www.wmyc.org.uk/results/Round%20the%20Island%20Race%20Results%202019%20Windsurfers.htm

 https://www.facebook.com/stephen.squirrell.1/media_set?set=a.10216547135443526&type=3

 http://mkwindsurfing.co.uk/booms/