Thursday 24th July  – Windsurf ** Wrabness on the River Stour –  cloudy with rain:( 

Foil – 18.14  knot max, 16.40 knot ave., 7.83  knot hour, 13.70 knot mile, 38.62 km., 13.17 knot alpha. 

Starboard Freeride WS 150 and a Evolution Freeride foil with a Tushingham Storm 6.5.

Today was the only hope to get out as no wind coming for several days, with a 15 knot northerly forecast and a midday high tide the Stour was the go to venue, the only spanner being rain! With a few going to Bradfield I decided to make up my mind in the morning, checking to wind at 7.30 it looked enough for a foil and the early rain cleared quickly. So I had a quick breakfast and loaded the van taking my new lightweight Starboard foil board for its first outing and only took three sails, a 7.5, a 6.5 and a 5.5, if the Orwell bridge still had roadworks I would have probably stayed at home but it is open now so we left Felixstowe at 8.30! Parking easily at Wall Lane in Wrabness it was not very inspiring being pretty gloomy but at least it was still dry! The new board looks great and is very light but I had trouble fitting my foil mast which was very tight, it is on my other board too but being tougher construction you can give it more wellie to put it in and out! I managed to get it in and took my board to the water with nearly enough water to launch and there looked enough for my 6.5? Even though it was cooler today I still went for my shortie but it is a cut down 5/4mm wetsuit so should be OK, I do need a new one as it is falling to pieces! I waded out at ten and after it was light to start with but found enough to get flying the light board does seem to get up flying easier than my heavier board, I have also left the back straps on as they were there when I bought it and actually felt comfortable in them when sailing but they get in the way when gybing and sailing downwind broad so will take them off! I was joined on the water by a few wingers, a fin and another windsurf foiler all launching from Bradfield. The wind was not from the north more NW so there was not much wind in Holbrook Bay so I spent the session beating up to Mistley quay, there was large sections of non-flying and the wind was not that strong so flying gybes were hard to come by, I think turning the lighter board needs a bit of a different technique ? It did rain on me a few times which made things pretty miserable plus I finger I crushed the last time I sailed there was playing me up as was my dodgy heel which has been bad for months now, I having having another injection this coming Tuesday but am not holding my breath it will make any difference! I gybed round the green bouy marking the entrance to Mistley Quay and did a few broad runs back to Wrabness getting caught in some heavy rain, I sailed over to Holbrook Creek but the wind there was very light so it was time to flounder back getting back for lunch with Mag just as the heavy rain arrived! I eventually eased so I packed up only getting a little wet but disaster struck when I could not get the mast out of the board so had to put it in the van still in the board and am not sure now to get it out? So not a great session but still sailed 24 miles with the highlight being spotting a seal eating a large bass, then Mag drove home in the rain while I dozed ! 

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