Owner:
squiz
Member
Member#: 8704 Location: Registered: 02-12-2009 Diary Entries: 8
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20th June 2019
Windsurfing: Levington Wind Direction: W Wind Stength: 5/12 Surf / Sea State: lumpy Air Temperature: 20 Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny periods Max Speed: 17.41 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 7.16 (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Thursday 20th June – windsurf *** River Orwell-Levington – sunny
periods.
Starboard Formula and Slingshgot Hover Glide F/Wind with Tushingham
Lightning 8.5
Foil – 17.41 knot max., 14.85 knot ave., 2.49 knot hour, 0.00 knot mile,
13.26 km., 9.83 knot alpha.
As you are probably aware I have been having some problems foiling, first I
didn’t get on with the NP pink foil so when Andy Mexome got a Slingshot
and was up and flying like a pro in a few sessions I sold the NP and bought
a Slingshot with it’s large front wing for easy flying, after doing some
research they sound really good with a wind range of 8 to 20 knots with a
top speed of 25 knots and the chance to buy a smaller front wing for speed
in the future if I get the hang of it and feel the need to go faster, so it
sounded perfect. Then after trying the new foil with the 61cm mast which
came with it (I am sorting a 90cm mast but there are none in the country at
the moment) which is good for learning especially in the shallow water at
Levington and Wrabness. Then to be honest the new foil didn’t seem to
make any difference :( so then you start to blame my old Starboard Formula
board! I even started looking into foil boards, I love the look of the
Slingshot Wizzard 150 (2018) which you can get for the bargain price of
£1200!!! Burt considering my foil is the most expensive single item of
windsurfing equipment I have ever bought so I don’t the little pension
can run to that at the moment especially as the board doesn’t even come
with foot straps or a board bag! Then after a phone call to Jamie Dodds at
Wet n dry where the Slingshots come from trying to sort out the longer
masts and I explained my problems about getting the board to fly and he
said I had my mast in the wrong setting!!! The Slingshot fuselage comes
with a several setting for various sports, wakeboarding, SUP, surfing
Kiting etc and I had used setting ‘A’ which is right at the front,
actually in the front wing. Jamie suggested I use ‘B’ one place back
and is apparently the windsurfing setting, who knew???? So, with marginal w
to wnw winds this morning I was keen to try out the new mast position as I
headed over to Levington marina. This is my last chance to get out on the
water as we are off to Surrey to see the lovely Grandson for a week
tomorrow but what a month June has been with 12 session now covering 462
km:) Top foiler Michael Galbraith was already there rigging his 7.5 but the
slightly off wind did look particularly patchy but the sun was out and
there was loads of water in the river so I rigged big as Monday and headed
out the marina entrance. Well the difference was amazing as the board just
felt that it wanted to fly with the front wing now a few inches further
forward and I was flying straight away! Sadly, the wind was very up and
down with only the odd gust which made it a bit frustrating as I was
itching to get the board into the air. It is still challenging to sustain
flight but at least the board wants to fly now and the old Starboard seems
to work OK. I was trying back foot in the strap, out of the strap, in the
harness out of the harness, with more decent gusts I might have progressed
even more. My biggest problem now is luffing up which is too much back foot
pressure, I know the problem I just have to get it into my head to move
weight forward but keep the board flying also the longer mast will help as
the short one does keep coming out of the water especially as it was pretty
choppy out there today! So defiantly a step in the right direction and
can’t wait to get out again in some steadier 12 knot winds!
Photo Gallery Here
MK Booms here
S
lingshot Foil Here
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