Session Details

Wednesday 29th April – Windsurf **** River Stour at Wrabness – sunny and very breezy.

Foil – 19.30 knot max, 17.91 knot ave., 13.81 knot hour(year PB), 15.54 knot mile, 11.12 km., 14.65 knot alpha.  

Starboard Freeride 150 (LW) and a Evolution Freeride foil with a Naish Nalu 4.25m.

Windsurf – Wrabness.

After yesterdays open sea session where it was full-on with the sea being pretty big and with even more wind forecast tomorrow I decided to head over to Wrabness for a foil on the River Stour. With high tide at 11.30 we packed lunch and left Felixstowe in wall to wall sunshine at 8.15 and there was no one in Wall Lane in Wrabness so got prime parking position. I set-up my foil board on the sheltered grass before taking it to the beach where the tide was still fairly low but there was lots of white water in the middle of the river, with the wind from the NE it is cross off on the launch beach so I had to walk up to the corner where the first beach bungalows are to gauge the wind strength which was gusting over 25 knots with more further out so for the second day running rigged my very old Naish Nalu 4.25m. I waded out at ten with no sign of anyone at Bradfield and soon realised it was pretty windy, probably gusting over 30 knots with a good swell running down the middle of the river made for some interesting conditions:) I did several long runs across towards Holbrook bay before I decided to head up river to see if the Bradfield crew were there? It was great fun sailing in such strong winds even if I was a tad overpowered at times, luckily the wind eased slightly both sides of the river and the swell calmed which made gybing easier. I made it as far as Bradfield launch beach where there was two cars but the sailers did not venture out onto the water and left! I then had a cool beat back and with the wind seemed to be increasing and I am certainly not getting any younger so decided to call it a day and had in. Mag had been reading and messaging our boys in the van and was only just setting off on her walk and was surprised to see me back after an hour and a half!

Walks – Wrabness Nature Reserve and Alton Water.

I decided to get changed and join Mag on her walk to the lovely Wrabness Nature Reserve which is full of bird song, trees with vivid green leaves set against a deep blue sky, just lovely! Mag pointed out that a kitesurfer had parked in front of our van and he was on the water in Holbrook bay where the wind was strongest! We did a complete circuit of the reserve, Mag bought a few plants from a stall before returning to Wall Lane, past the Natural forest burial ground to the lovely hedge arch leading to the van where we had a very welcome lunch as we were starving! Then I had to pack up, had a nice chat with the returning kitesurfer, a novice who had a good session on a 9m kite before leaving around 2.15. Being early we decided to make a small detour to the plant stall in Stutton, sadly he had no plants out so continued down the Quiet Lane to Alton Water to see the lovely highland cattle – top day:)

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