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Thursday 15th June – windsurf **** Felixstowe to Woodbridge – sunny periods

21.96 kt max., 20.14 kt ave., 17.56 kt mile, 45.30 km, 7.67 kt alpha

With a bit of breeze forecast for today and tomorrow but offshore so it is a case of picking a suitable venue. I didn’t want to travel too far so headed down to The Dip for some longboard cruising. With the wind off it’s difficult to choose the rig but it looked fairly light so rigged big going with the 9.4 and wobbled off the beach in warm sunshine with my shortie on for the first time this year. It was lumpy and light wind out to sea so I headed up the River Deben as the tide was good for a trip to Woodbridge. It’s always a little tricky turning the corner by the Ferry Sailing Club but I made it OK and continued through the moored yachts and was getting some big gusts on a beat to the first corner. I was thinking the 9.4 was going to be too big but the wind was patchy so carried on past Ramsholt, then The Rocks to Waldringfield. Past the Maybush and a full-on beat to Kyson Point, then into Woodbridge where I stop in the shallow water just past the sailing club for a drink and a snack. Refreshed I head back looking forward to some fast reaching back but the wind had dropped a little. It’s still great being back sailing on this beautiful river surrounded by wild life and people enjoying the great weather:)

It goes smoothly until I get back to the Ferry Sailing Club corner and with the tide still coming in, with the wind light I went ashore at Bawdsey Quay to watch the world go by for a while hoping the flow would ease. With some nice gusts coming I set off again and quickly took a dip but the water is nice and warm. At the start of Bawdsey Beach I bear off and get my fastest speeds of the day, at times I was on the limit but luckily the wind peaked so I survived. I had a foot strap pull off so I went ashore to sort it out as I had travelled a long way downwind. Repairs done I beat back to the van after nearly 5 hours out, great to be back to some longboard cruising as I haven’t been up the river for ages!