Tuesday 2nd - Windsurf ***** - The Manor at Felixstowe – sunny periods but hot.

 Foil – 18.19 knot max, 17.06 knot ave., 13.78 knot hour (PB), 15.96 knot mile, 47.26 km., 13.48 knot alpha (spot PB).

Starboard Freeride 150 and Evolution Freeride foil with a Tushingham Thunderbird 6.5.

Fin – 25.72 knot max, 23.59 knot ave ., 14.85 knot hour, 20.87 knot mile , 28.35 km., 16.86 knot alpha.

F2 282 Ride with Tushingham Thunderbird 6.5m and 36 fin.

What a forecast, a good 20 knot breeze from the WSW and 26 degrees, not full-on sunshine but still lovely to be out on the water:) With high water at 8.47 I wanted to get down as early as possible especially as it was going to be a busy day on the beach and I wanted to park. I got to Squiz Lane around 9.30 after dropping Mag off at Lidl, she had already been out early on her bike along the prom! I was hoping it was going to be windy enough to fin but with slightly off breeze did not look strong enough so set up my foil gear with 6.5 in case the wind filled in later for the fin. As it is the start of a new month, I like to get a good hour under my belt especially as I am leading that category in the GPSpeedsurfing site in the UK:) I sailed slowly off the beach and hit the wind line a couple of hundred metres offshore, in fact I definitely did not need any more sail so decided it was too risky to head up the coast so did several long runs out past the Wadegate post where it was particularly windy with the sea big too! The new kit tracks along really well even when the sea is big and I ended up getting a foil best hour with a nice top speed too, always nice to get over 18 knots on the open sea:) Also my sea gybing is coming along OK, getting a spot PB alpha, and managed a few flying gybes which was pleasing in the waves:) A few more foilers had now launched from further down the beach and when the wind eased down a little I decided to go for a run up the coast, the sea was particularly big from Jacobs Ladder to The Dip where I turned to beat back. The wind was now the strongest gusting probably a tad over 20 knots making the upwind return challenging but great fun, getting back easily in two tacks:) Having been out well over two hours I decided to go ashore landing easily as the bay are nicely sheltered from the waves!

There was now a couple out finning so after a quick snack I decided to take my 115 lt. fin board for a spin hoping for a faster hour. It was hard getting off the beach as there was a wind shadow but managed to get away in the end for another 18 miles sailing out past Wadegate again, increasing my hour to 14.85 knots with some OK gybes despite the sea being particularly lumpy now as the tide was getting higher! The wind was a little up and down but I was planing most of the time so a nice way to end a top session. So, a few PB’s covered nearly 50 miles in the very warm sunshine, now all I had to do was pack up! Might be enough breeze for a foil tomorrow too:)

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