Monday 5th May   – Windsurf *** The Dip at Felixstowe –  Sunny periods with one big rainy squall!.

Foil – 19.30  knot max, 17.03 knot ave., 11.10  knot hour, 14.42 knot mile, 22.24 km., 13.34 knot alpha. 

Starboard Freeride 150 and a Evolution Freeride foil with a Naish Nalu 4.7.

With a good breeze from the NE forecast with some sunshine making it ideal for The Dip in Felixstowe, with low water around midday and a Bank Holiday I decided to head down at 9.30 as several said they were going and parking is limited! I decided not to park in our little windsurfing carpark as I thought I might be blocked in so I parked just across the road. Ian was setting up a 5m for his fin board, in fact it was a good turn-out for fin sailors with at least 8 out, plus a 3 or 4 wingers, 5 kiters and a lone windsurf foiler, me:) I only took my foil board as my heel is still dodgy and foiling is much easier on my old body as it can get pretty bumpy at Felixstowe! It looked good at the start, the wind had come round from the north to a good NE and the fin sailors were rigging between 5 and 6.5 so I took a chance with my 4.7! Sadly by the time I launched the sun had mostly gone which seemed to make the wind fairly up and down but the 4.7 was OK apart from a short spell when a rainy squall came through with rain and 30 gusts, I spent a few minutes in the water as it quickly passed! As the tide turned the sea did become bumpy but nothing unusual for Felixstowe but I had some nice long runs out to sea, as there looks like a run of NE winds I didn’t want to push it too hard so decided to call it a day, probably missing the best hour when the sun returned and there was a constant 25 knots but I never mind as I did my other hobby and took a few pics before heading for home, nice to see so many fin sailers out, a rare sight these days here in Felixstowe! 

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