Saturday 24th April - Windsurf **** - The Dip at Felixstowe – sunny periods but still chilly

Foil – 16.83 knot max, 15.71 knot ave., 10.85 knot hour, 13.87 knot mile, 53.74 km.,9.16 knot alpha.

Exocet RF AST 91 with Slingshot Hover Glide 76 with Tushingham Lightning 8.5m.

It was a marginal forecast today and with high around ten I was in no hurry to go down as The Dip is usually best avoided at high as very little beach! I was sunny and warm in our back garden so did my exercises while Mag pottered in the garden mainly doing her compost bins, she is obsessed with compost! A few had arrived at the beach but the wind was still light according to Landguard weather station so had lunch and helped Mag with her compost before with the breeze filling in a little decided to drive down and check out the conditions? I parked my trailer on the prom OK but our small car was full as Andy M and Paul S were out while Jamie, Ian, Robert and David were rigging, the sea was mirror flat but the wind also looked very marginal so I was not getting too excited as am not a fan of light wind foiling! I quickly set up my foil board and rigged my 8.5, the first time I have used the big sail on the sea and parked across the road. While getting Rob to zip me in my wetsuit, my full winter one plus hat and gloves as it is still chilly here, probably only 8 degrees with the sea the same temperature I spotted Jamie’s partner Andrea with their new baby girl Indie she is such a sweetheart, never stops smiling and we love seeing pics of her on Facebook :) so I said a quick hello to them before heading out. I am not a huge fan of vigorous pumping as my hands are not keen but it was definitely called for today, if you waited for a gust, then run down the swell and you were soon up and flying. It is amazing that once you are up and flying the breeze seems to have increased and I was really pleased with the way I could keep the board flying in the light stuff by just running down the swell. There seemed enough wind to go for a wander so had three long runs probably 2 miles out ending up at the Wadegate post and finally turning just past The Manor Martello. The beat back was interesting with the wind a little marginal I had to keep bearing off down the swell to keep flying which meant it was slow progress upwind but it did not matter as I was not racing and in no hurry. It was lovely doing long runs, one nearly 2.50 miles out by the shipping channel where the sea did pick up big! Although completely by myself I felt safe as was carrying a rucksack of spares plus my VHF radio and gps rescue beacon:) The last few runs as I neared The Dip took some time, it might have been because it was wind with tide but I got back safely in the end with the sea now really good with the wind probably the strongest it had been all day and 5 kiters were now out but wall the windsurfers had packed up! Looking the same direction for tomorrow so will check it out again in the afternoon, might even be enough to get out on the fin again if not the foil it is, win win either way:) Then might even get a session in at Bradfield on Monday as well and am then looking forward to my second covid jab on Wednesday!

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http://mkwindsurfing.co.uk/booms

https://www.77sports.co.uk/