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Sunday 23^rd April – Bike **** Felixstowe to Levington – sunny periods.

After yesterday when the highlight of the day was a walk along a busy cold prom in Felixstowe we decided to make more of an effort today! A nice relaxing start, a bit of a lay-in reading. Mag is really enjoying Jono Dunnetts ‘Long Standing Ambition’. Breakfast and exercises before packing a sandwich with a flask and some delicious homemade trifle.  We set off at midday on the bikes as the sun started to break through. Our plan was to bike to Levington marina for lunch through the tree lined lanes the other side of Trimley. We saw a new farm reservoir near Cordys Lane and passed beautiful yellow rape fields. At the River Orwell, we decided against the marina turning left to stop at our favourite spot on the cliff looking up the river but there was someone already there so we continued to a little shingle beach on the water’s edge.  Lovely views but a little chilly with a good breeze blowing up the river. Top chicken sandwiches, trifle and tea while watching the many yachts enjoying the good conditions:) Despite the sun we were getting cold so decided to head back the way we had come but back on the path I spotted about 20 deer including two white ones on a small hill behind Trimley Marshes so decided to take the river path back towards the docks instead. We hadn’t gone far when we spooked another twenty deer much closer in a field eating the farmer’s wheat! They watched us and we watched them it was amazing to be surrounded by about forty deer:) We continued past the bird reserve, the winter flood was pretty empty but spotted Shell ducks, Godwits, Oysters Catchers, Curlew and a buzzard.

We were out two and a half hours covering about ten miles, as soon as I got home I got in the van heading to The Dip to check the windsurfing conditions.

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Sunday 23^rd April – Windsurf **** - Landguard to East Lane Martello – sunny periods

After a top bike ride, earlier I checked out The Dip, David Coles and Nick Icke were there and it looked OK for big kit especially with the sun out, I was keen to get out as the weather is getting cold again next week and we are off South to visit our son and very pregnant partner Hannah:)

Typical of formula sailors who like to sit on the beach and chat about it! As it was 3.30 we needed to get on the water while it was still warm so we all rigged big, I went with 9.4 on the longboard while David and Nick went for 11.5m !

I was first on the water at 4 sailing straight into Mark Swain out in a cat with his son Ed having fun. I turned right and beat along the coast with Mark getting his racing head on, keen to beat me along Felixstowe seafront, which they did! The onshore breeze was a fraction under but the beat was good railed up all the way to Landguard where Al Wiz was out on a shortboard going OK:)

I turned and reached 6.50 miles all the way to East Lane Martello using the waves to slow plane. It got rough by the tower and my hands were getting cold so I returned to the van to warm up. I was out an hour and a half covering 25km, the formula pair also had fun, with the main topic of conversation being the latest craze, foil windsurfing. The feeling is we would like to give it a try but foils are just too expensive!

 A top action packed day:)