Tuesday 11th  July - Windsurf **** The Manor at Felixstowe – sunny periods.

Foil – 19.13 knot max, 17.92 knot ave, 14.42 knot hour, 17.07 knot mile, 49.70 km., 13.48 knot alpha.

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

Fin – 22.80 knot max, 20.91 knot ave., 0.00 knot hour, 17.50 knot mile, 12.20 km., 13.80 knot alpha.

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

The forecast rain this morning did not appear and the clouds actually cleared fairly quickly and with low water around 12.30 The Manor was todays venue to make the most of the SW breeze. I had time to do my exercises in the back garden and things looked promising with HHA (Landguard weather) showing 20 knots but by the time I parked in Squiz Lane at just before 11 with Mag so she could walk home with a tail wind too. The wind had definitely dropped and looked pretty offshore so I walked along the beach to check what the sailors at The Manor park park were doing? Michael and Ian were both setting up their foils, there looked like there might have been enough to fin but it was hard to gauge being slightly off and I decided to start on the foil, rigging 6.5 so I could fin if the sail was too big. In the end the 6.5 proved ideal and I was out over two hours, not ventering too far in case the wind picked up, it was gusting to 20 knots but the sail handled it well, maybe helped by a hole in the foot of the sail, certainy my quiver of sails are on their last legs now and I am in desprerate need of some more but new modern sail are just so expensive so might have to look for some more older Tushinghams! The sea soon picked up quite big but if you sailed broad in was great fun doing long runs and I soon made it down to Jacobs Ladder before beating back, challenging to keep the board from hitting the waves, my sea gybing is slowing improving but I did sail into the back of a wave and went over the front! Getting knackered it was time to call it a day so headed back to the beach, after a quick snack and decided to have a go with my 115 lt. fin board, I had 8 runs out in lumpy conditions with not quite enough wind to go fast so came in and packed up with more wind coming for tomorrow!

I was then pleased I get a pic briefly feathured on BBC’s Look East this evening – top day:)

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