Autumn in August

Sunday always looked as though it was going to be a little windy, so Impi and Steve had planned to visit Borth for some good old windsurfing in Wales. Steve arrived here around midnight on Saturday and the wind had already started building. By Sunday morning the Borth weather station was showing gusts of up to 40 knots, it was grey, cold and pouring with rain. It felt like a full on autumnal day from the end of October rather than the middle of August.

Steve and I therefore waited for Impi to arrive at around 9am and after coffee we all headed over to the beach. I was first on the water and well and truly powered with my small wave board and 5m sail. My first run out was really nice, a few nice jumps off the smaller waves and then (because I thought Impi was watching from the beach) I hit a big steep wave at full speed and launched into a proper back loop attempt. I could see where I was going all the way around, rotated the whole way round and spotted my landing and then crash, I crashed into the water and obviously didn’t land it. It was a good attempt though, probably my best ever.

After a while I realised that Steve and Impi were both out on 4.2m sails and they usually both have bigger sails than me so I thought maybe it was time to change down. I didn’t have my 4m with me so changed to my battered old 4.5m and got back out there. Most runs out and back were fine, but I came off in the whitewater a few times (usually because I couldn’t quite get going) and here the current was ridiculously strong. It was like being caught in a rive and if your sail sunk it acted like an anchor and you soon drifted down the beach at a rate of knots. There was simply nothing you could do until you got washed back up on the beach. From there you had to walk back upwind and try again hoping it wouldn’t happen this time. It happened to all of us, but I seemed to get caught more than Steve and Impi for some reason… Just one of those days.

Overall it was a great day on the sea, plenty of wind, some big waves and lots of action… If August is like this, what will October be like?

Anna and Morgan had been busy at home so when we got back there were bowls of steaming hot soup waiting for us and plenty of blueberry, strawberry and apple muffins (or hot buns as Morgan calls them)…. Mmmmm.

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Alan Cole

Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.