Words & photos - John Lymer
It wasn't quite your normal July weather. Force 4 to 5, maximum 16C, heavy showers, thunder ... and even some hail! And that was just day one. Day two was much drier and we saw a little sun, but it was still windy, this time from the West. The weekend weather wasn't really beginner friendly and those without some experience sensibly gave it a miss. Also not paddle friendly and that was a real shame too. So it was left for windsurfers, wingfoilers and a windfoiler to enjoy some good blasting conditions with end to end runs on Saturday and 'out to the dam and back' on Sunday. Arranged by the RYA, 3 of our windsurfing intermediates had tuition from James Wheeldon on Sunday and all seemed to benefit significantly. Improvements on the day included: better knowledge of board suitability/differences, rigging tips, beach starts, improved stance on the board, more consistent planing in the foot straps and with altogether more confidence - an impressive tally indeed! A few people stayed over in vans on Friday night and a few more on Saturday, when the later part of the evening was whiled away with videos on a big screen. All the cooking was indoors instead of the barbecue we'd hoped for. And of course some alcohol was imbibed. Overall, a great weekend for those who came, but a shame the weather wasn't more suitable for others who may have wanted to.
Click on a picture to see larger images then use the arrows or swipe to scroll through them
Here are photos from day 1 - after viewing these scroll down to photo with an orange sail then click that for day 2 pictures