Team East (Engl-E, Great Britain) - 2021-03-12
Sailor 2 Second Peak (Kts)5 x 10 Second Average (Kts)1 Hour (Kts)Alpha Racing 500m (Kts)Nautical Mile (Kts)Distance Travelled (km)
Stephen Squirrell
22.57(D)
15.86(D)
0(D)
0(D)
0(D)
1.83(D)
Ian Richards
Peter Cutts
Lance Newbery
Ben Tilston
Hotdog
Jamie Bore
Tris Haskins
Rik Jones
benno
Will Trossell
Steve Carter
Trollope
Whitey
plum
matty
Ant
Venga Boy
tccambs
Killer Miller
Alex Lewin
Lewis Limm
Average
Stephen Squirrell (34966km):
1112 days ago

Friday 12th March - Windsurf * - River Orwell at Nacton Shore – gusty, cloudy and cold :(

 

Foil – 18.13 knot max, 15.21 knot ave., 0.00 knot hour, 15.66 knot mile, 10.50 km.,0.00 knot alpha.

 

Exocet RF AST 91 with Slingshot Hover Glide 76 with Tushingham Vulcan 6m.

 

Fin – 22.78 knot max, 15.85 knot ave., 0.00 knot hour, 0.00 knot mile, 2.40 km.,0.00 knot alpha.

 

F2 Zantos 295 with 36 fin and Tushingham Vulcan 6m.

 

After missing yesterday’s big wind day, I was keen to get out on the water today and with my favourite winter venue at Levington Marina still closed I had no choice but go to Nacton Shore, sadly nowhere near as good a venue as the wind here is very gusty in front of the launch beach, shallow too! I had reloaded my trailer as I hoped to fin today and wanted to take more kit and am not keen on putting boards in the back of our little VW camper hoping I could find a spot to park as it is a popular spot for walkers! I arrived around 9 with Andy M (foil) and Chris S (fin) already there managing to park easily. There was plenty of water but it didn’t seem over windy so set up my foil board, when taking it to the beach the wind had filled in so rigged my 6m, the smallest small I could rig without borrowing a 4m mast kindly brought down by Chris. You have to wade out a bit to find deep water and then head down river towards Levington Marina and fly all the way, some 2.50 miles to the corner, there was some really big gusts coming through especially just past the marina which keep you on your toes. The beat back was also good, running out of wind just short of Nacton, tacking I headed back by which time there was some massive gusts making keeping the board a steady height hard! It was also choppy not helped by wind against tide and with gusts to 30 knots I thought I would try my fin board as I haven’t used it since 18/12/2020! Chris was changing his 5 to a 6 but I said there was some ready big gust so went back to his 5m. It was a bit of a hike to get my fin board but I got it, then Chris and I set off together. The trouble here is you have to sail at least half a mile towards Levington to hit the wind and then when the tide turns you would struggle to get back on a fin. I have learned that fin sailing from Nacton with the wind in this direction is a complete and utter waste of time and should have stuck to the foil! I did get going in patches hitting the biggest speed this year amazing 22.78 knots but the wind was horrendously gusty, 30 knots one minute, next to nothing the next. I then had my harness line break, a nightmare as I am really having trouble with my left hand and have now sent details to the Doctors hoping for an appointment next week. I floundered back with Chris coming in saying it was all but impossible to sail, cold too so packed up. I took my other boom down to swop but it was too big for the sail so decided to back up and go home. So, I learned not to fin and stick to the foil in the river perhaps I will only sail when it is a little warmer as the cold does my hand no favours at all, oh the joys of getting old:(

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=stephen.squirrell.1&set=a.10221226318660182

 

http://mkwindsurfing.co.uk/booms

 

https://www.77sports.co.uk/

 

 



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