Owner:
squiz
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Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3348
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24th July 2025
Windsurfing: Wrabness Wind Direction: NW Wind Stength: 10/15 Surf / Sea State: river chop and smooth Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: cloudy and wet :( Max Speed: 18.14 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 24 miles (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)
Thursday 24th July – Windsurf ** Wrabness on the River Stour – cloudy
with rain:(
Foil – 18.14 knot max, 16.40 knot ave., 7.83 knot hour, 13.70 knot
mile, 38.62 km., 13.17 knot alpha.
Starboard Freeride WS 150 and a Evolution Freeride foil with a Tushingham
Storm 6.5.
Today was the only hope to get out as no wind coming for several days, with
a 15 knot northerly forecast and a midday high tide the Stour was the go to
venue, the only spanner being rain! With a few going to Bradfield I decided
to make up my mind in the morning, checking to wind at 7.30 it looked
enough for a foil and the early rain cleared quickly. So I had a quick
breakfast and loaded the van taking my new lightweight Starboard foil board
for its first outing and only took three sails, a 7.5, a 6.5 and a 5.5, if
the Orwell bridge still had roadworks I would have probably stayed at home
but it is open now so we left Felixstowe at 8.30! Parking easily at Wall
Lane in Wrabness it was not very inspiring being pretty gloomy but at least
it was still dry! The new board looks great and is very light but I had
trouble fitting my foil mast which was very tight, it is on my other board
too but being tougher construction you can give it more wellie to put it in
and out! I managed to get it in and took my board to the water with nearly
enough water to launch and there looked enough for my 6.5? Even though it
was cooler today I still went for my shortie but it is a cut down 5/4mm
wetsuit so should be OK, I do need a new one as it is falling to pieces! I
waded out at ten and after it was light to start with but found enough to
get flying the light board does seem to get up flying easier than my
heavier board, I have also left the back straps on as they were there when
I bought it and actually felt comfortable in them when sailing but they get
in the way when gybing and sailing downwind broad so will take them off! I
was joined on the water by a few wingers, a fin and another windsurf foiler
all launching from Bradfield. The wind was not from the north more NW so
there was not much wind in Holbrook Bay so I spent the session beating up
to Mistley quay, there was large sections of non-flying and the wind was
not that strong so flying gybes were hard to come by, I think turning the
lighter board needs a bit of a different technique ? It did rain on me a
few times which made things pretty miserable plus I finger I crushed the
last time I sailed there was playing me up as was my dodgy heel which has
been bad for months now, I having having another injection this coming
Tuesday but am not holding my breath it will make any difference! I gybed
round the green bouy marking the entrance to Mistley Quay and did a few
broad runs back to Wrabness getting caught in some heavy rain, I sailed
over to Holbrook Creek but the wind there was very light so it was time to
flounder back getting back for lunch with Mag just as the heavy rain
arrived! I eventually eased so I packed up only getting a little wet but
disaster struck when I could not get the mast out of the board so had to
put it in the van still in the board and am not sure now to get it out? So
not a great session but still sailed 24 miles with the highlight being
spotting a seal eating a large bass, then Mag drove home in the rain while
I dozed !
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