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squiz
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Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3229
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19th April 2025
Windsurfing: Wrabness Wind Direction: ENE Wind Stength: 15/22 Surf / Sea State: river chop and smooth Air Temperature: 15 Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny periods Max Speed: 19.13 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 33.50 mile (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Saturday 19th April – Windsurf **** The Stour at Wrabness – sunny
periods.
Foil – 19.13 knot max, 18.25 knot ave., 12.59 knot hour, 16.21 knot
mile, 54.26 km (year PB)., 14.95 knot alpha.
Starboard Freeride 150 and a Evolution Freeride foil with a Tushingham
Storm 6.5.
After yesterdays coastal cruising at Felixstowe in a SE, today the wind
swung round to the ENE so I was not sure what to do, then I learned that a
friend of many years Mark Smalling was heading over to Bradfield for his
first foil for awhile so I decised to go to Wabness but sadly did not get
to speak to ‘Biggy’ :( With high water on the Stour around 4 and with
people heading over between 1 and 2 I decided to aim to arrive at Wrabness
at 12.30 as parking is limited, after travelling back from Devon Mag did
not fancy a trip into deepest Essex to work in the garden. I parked easily
and was joined by Simon Chippington a winger and we set up, I went for a
6.5 sail and Chippers a 5.5 wing. The tide was still fairly low as we
launched just after 1.30, the river was still pretty flat and to be honest
I was a little overpowered and could have easily been on 5.5! I was having
a nice time sailing slowly downwind towards Bradfield where there were a
few cars with a variety of foilers, wingers and fin sailers waiting for the
tide to come in! It was cool sailing broad down the Stour doing long runs
across the river. I decided to continue to Mistley which turned out to be a
mistake, on gybing around the green bouy marking the quay entry I promptly
ran aground in the mud and wasted aged walking to deeper water. I then
turned at the bouy again and beat across the river and ran aground
again!!!! I wasted even more time walking slowly to deeper water, really
knackering too! I then started the long beat back which was great fun where
I was tacking to gain more upwind. I made it to the large metal post making
deep water opposite Wrabness on the Suffolk side then when gybing I hit
probably another fish my second in two days and went off the front again
and hurt my foot as it got stuck in the strap! I had a few nice runs across
the wide section out with a fin sailor who was struggling to get going, I
think he needs a foil! I was pretty shattered after sailing over 30 miles
so slowly packed up and headed for home – top afternoon despite running
aground twice!
PS - it was lovely to see the Sand Martins back in the small cliff:)
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