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Friday 19^th July- Windsurf *** - The River Stour Bradfield – cloudy with light drizzle.

Exocet RF 91 AST with Slingshot Hover Glide 76 with Tushingham Lightning 7.8m.

Foil – 15.80 knot max, 14.40 knot ave ., 4.04 knot hour, 9.97 knot mile, 15.48 km., 7.06 knot alpha.

It didn’t look too promising looking at the forecast yesterday but woke this morning to no rain and gusting to 14 knots. So I put a message on WhatsApp to see if anyone was going to the River Stour at Bradfield and when Michael and Robert came back saying they were going I had my breakfast quickly, hitched the trailer and left at 9.10. Mag decided to stat at home and I left Felixstowe to light drizzle, not the greatest start to the day but we are away visiting our Grandson for a few days, the first time we have seem them face to face since February and there is little wind forecast for days ahead so this looked like the best opportunity to have a foil! On arriving Michael was already there rigging 7.2 to take his longboard out as he thought it was too light to foil but the onshore picked up gusting to 17 mph on the beach so he set up his foil board. I set up my foil, always nice here as we park in a large grassy field and I nearly rigged my 7m, thank goodness I didn’t as usual by the time I had got my 7.8 ready the wind had already dropped! Robert had now arrived to give his new JP foil board its second spin and as I waded out Andy M pulled up. Michael and I wobbled off towards Wrabness but the gusts were slow in coming. Then lightweight Michael was up and flying while I struggled, knowing straight away that something was not right? I thought it was weed on the foil so I slowly sailed to Wrabness beach to remove it. That improved this no end and I was soon up and flying nicely powered up across Holbrook bay, really loving the new board with its very comfy padded deck! I had a nice broad run past Wrabness and a nice beat back but the wind soon turned very patchy. Andy was now on the water and was as usual flying everywhere despite the light winds, I thought he was out with 7.8 too so was getting a little frustrated that I couldn’t get going when the wind dropped in spite of some pumping, I later learned that Andy was out with his 8.2 so felt a bit better, I defiantly should have rigged my 8.5! The highlight of the day was when Robert came flying past me on his shiny new red board! With the wind almost completely going it was time to wobble back after having an OK hour making the most of what little wind we had in a very pretty venue! There was also several canoeists out today including three cars parked in the lane, I bet the farmer is not too pleased about that!

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