Owner:
squiz
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Member#: 602 Location: Herefordshire Registered: 22-03-2004 Diary Entries: 8
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10th January 2016
Windsurfing: Point Clear Wind Direction: sw Wind Stength: 14/18 Surf / Sea State: nice swell Air Temperature: 7 Sea Temperature: 8 Weather: sunny periods Max Speed: 24.60 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 18.88 (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Saturday 9th January – hike *** cloudy with light rain
Went to The Dip at 10:30 to check the conditions, just windy enough to sail
but the tide was high leaving no beach so went up the town with Mag then
shopping at Lidl – we know how to live :) Then checked The Manor, no one
about and then The Dip again. A couple of youngsters were rigging on the
grass behind the tea hut but the sea didn’t look great and being a bit
knackered from a week at work I decided to save myself for tomorrow when we
are going to Point Clear, it’s looking chilly and going even colder next
week – looks like winter is finally arriving:( With that in mind we went
over to Edgeriders to buy a thermal top to go under my wetsuit and then
onto Martlesham to walk along the creek. Mag wasn’t too keen thinking it
would be too muddy in the trees! It was a bit boggy to start with but when
we reached the creek path it was a lot better, we then spotted our first
kingfisher of the year as it flew under the sluice :) With the tide low
there were several waders, swan and ducks feeding in the mud, also an Egret
fishing in the shallows :) We made it to Kyson Point on the River Deben and
even the rain didn’t spoil it too much, then was then home to make a
curry and soup for work next week, light the fire have a cuppa and the last
of the special Christmas biscuits :)
Photo Gallery
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Sunday 10th January – windsurf *** sunny periods
It looked good for my first trip to Essex this year, a forecast of a nice
SW breeze even if a bit on the chilly side with a good tide for Point Clear
and several mates going :) Trailer hitched up at 8:15 texted Neil Hurrell
to see if the trip was still on as it looked like the gale and heavy rain
from last night had passed over and the winds looked to be dropping but
Neil was on the way so I set off on the 40 mile journey. I arrived at the
far car park at 8:15 with 2 sailors already rigging 6.5 sails but it
didn’t look very windy and freezing!!! :( but the sun was trying it’s
hardest to shine through :) The car park was now pretty full with about 10
sailors with only one being local and most having travelled 40/55 miles to
get there! Sail/board choice here is a bit hit and miss? to start with 7m
seemed to be the sail everyone was going to rig but then Big Keith went for
8.5 so we all moved up a size! I took a chance with 7.8 on the 133 and was
the guinea pig being first on the water! I set off across the bay past the
fishing boat turning in the lagoon and heading out to sea but the wind
was very light and didn’t get going :( I returned to the beach with cold
hands after falling in to rig bigger! I was going with my raceboard and
9.4, I got as far as taking the big board to the beach but the wind had
filled in a little and the others were beginning to plan :) so I went and
got my 147 off, that’s three boards I had on the beach now! Deciding not
to rig another sail I put the 7.8 in the big shortboard and headed out
again. I then had a good hour or so going ok even if underpowered a lot of
the time! I decided to beat up the coast for a while and there was a bit
more wind out to sea :) it did threaten to build on a couple of runs
thinking that the smaller board might be better but then it would drop. I
stopped on the beach at East Mersea to get Mag an Oyster shell and then
headed nearly 2 miles along the coast with the aim of trying for a good
broad mile but sadly the wind had eased and the only way to get going was
running down the backs of the nice swells! Time to call it a day as I was
way under now even though the 6 or so kiters were going OK:) It took awhile
to pack up with three boards to sort out and this time three of us got
stuck in the wet car park, Lee and Craig Hurrell and me! Luckily there were
loads of bodies there to help push us out! So not a bad session for
January, toasty in my new wetsuit and thermal top even if my fingers did go
cold and good to catch up with loads of mates:) This might be the last
session for a bit as it’s getting cold next week :(
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