Saturday 15th October - Windsurf *** - The Orwell at Levington – sunny periods.

Fin – 25.45 knot max, 22.45 knot ave ., 6.57 knot hour, 17.06 knot mile , 13.66 km ., 16.11 knot alpha.

F2 282 Ride with Tushingham Vulcan 6m and 36 fin.

Foil – 19.95 knot max, 17.73 knot ave., 0.00 knot hour, 13.58 knot mile, 26.11 km., 14.06 knot alpha.  

Starboard Freeride 150 and a Evolution Freeride foil with a Tushingham Vulcam 6m.

Was not sure what to do with todays wind, not windy enough first thing to make the most of low water at Felixstowe so did my exercises in the warm sunshine. Finished around 11 so hitched my trailer and drove down to The Manor first to check the conditions, loads of wind but well offshore at this point and after last week ride in the lifeboat I erred on the side of caution and headed over to the safer option, the River Orwell at Levington. There was loads of wind here but the water level was still fairly low but I set up my foil board first. I then took reading on the wind gauge and it was gusting 25/30 mph and pretty flat so I quickly rigged my 6m for my F2 Ride 282 at 115 lt. as I don’t get to use my fin board much on the river, it was lovely and sunny too:) I had an hour sailing diagonally across the corner getting the odd good gust but the wind was very up and down:( It then dropped and I wobbled back landing 186m short of the launch spot so walked to the marina entrance and swam across the channel as the wind was well patchy now. I was having a snack when Michael Galbraith arrived and set up his 5.8 to foil.

I then took my foil board out with the 6m, it was not one of my better sessions here as the wind was all over the place with some pretty big gusts. I had a run down towards Pin Mill, then spent the rest of the session beating down to Felixstowe docks where I had a bit of gybe practice in the patchy wind, it had clouded over too! Trouble with a heavier sailor like me using a fairly small sail, it is great when the wind is up but when it drops there is no way I am going to fly so in the end had a slow sail back. So not one of my best sessions but still nice to be out on the beautiful Orwell especially as it is still very mild!

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