Wednesday 7th June - Windsurf *** River Stour at Wrabness – sunny and warm.

Foil – 17.51 knot max, 16.17 knot ave, 7.42 knot hour, 14.06 knot mile, 41.66 km., 12.39 knot alpha.

Starboard Freeride 150 and a Evolution Freeride foil with a Sailworks Retro 7.5.

After my last 6 sessions being pretty full-on the open sea at The Dip in Felixstowe I was keen to have a calmer day so with the NE winds lasting until Friday Mag and I headed over to the lovely River Stour at Wrabness. Arriving at 11.40 in beautiful wall to wall sunshine with the tide still fairly low but sadly pretty light winds. After taking my foil board to the beach I walked up to the beach huts, sadly no sand martins this year getting some nice photos on the way before returning to rig the biggest sail I had with my Retro 7.5. Back at the van for a cuppa and cake before wading out and my fears were soon founded as the winds were very light, I can’t believe that I was actually out on the water the best part of 4 hours playing hunt the gust!!!! I could pump up and fly on most runs across the river but certainly not conditions I like. Flying gybes were next to impossible with the big sail and marginal winds but the weather was stunning and it is always nice to be out on the Stour:) I was about to call it a day when I caught a nice gust going broad down to Bradfield were 3-4 were out but not going great. I then had to beat back in the gusty wind but made it in the end as the tide was slowly dropping. Mag was wondering where I had got too but I was soon out of my wetsuit enjoying a yummy cheese roll and we got a phone call from our son in Surrey:) Mags day was probably better as she had a nice walk along the beach and back to Wrabness Nature Reserve. Then it was the 26-mile drive home arriving at 6, it has been a long day!

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