Surfladle

The year is rushing by and we are now at half past April, so you’d hope that with daylight sticking around to gone 8pm, we’d be having the odd day when the wind and the tide would allow a little after work fun. I guess it will come again but it has been a long winter, so the sooner the better. 

 

Keeping it short and sweet this evening as there are still things to be done before I can depart the megastore. Last weekend’s closure of the East Bound carriageway of the A27 did at times create havoc.. well, if you can call a 4-mile tail back havoc but thankfully we will not suffer the same fate this weekend! There is however a night closure from 8pm this evening, until 6am Saturday morning, which won’t affect anyone, unless you are heading this way for an evening out in Shoreham or perhaps in Brighton? Next weekend we get hit with the full monty Sat-Sunday closure, so plan accordingly. 

 

Need a wide roofrack pad?  We think that Mystic must take the prize for the widest option so far, which is a 1.15metre wide Aero design set of pads (should fit most shaped bars) . They are designed to carry two boards side by side, if your rack is wide enough to start with. Amazingly, this double width pad has an RRP of £29.95, so cheaper than buying two of the normal width pad sets. Supplied in Black, to go with any colour vehicle and they are in stock now. It’s not just the big things in life that need a mention..

Now here is a big thing that I have not mentioned in a while but it could be time to do so again! Inflatable Kayaks have in the past been a bit of a ‘let down’.. which is not a puncture joke but a statement regarding the actual fun factor you receive, in place of the anticipation you had. It’s all to do with the problem of their construction and the lousy underside shape, that made the boats feel like you are dragging a couple of buckets behind you. Put that together with side slipping in wind, the odd split in a tube seam and all in all, the experience was not that good. So, bring on the Dropstitch technology from iSUP boards and suddenly an inflatable Kayak is looking a much better proposition. The ‘V’ hull shape is now possible, which aids boat speed and grip in side wind conditions and then add in high pressure compartments, it’s bye-bye to the flex and overall ‘soggy’ feel of boats past. OK, it’s still not going to be quite as good as a solid boat but carrying around a double canoe on your roof rack will add £’s worth of fuel to any trip you undertake and there is always the risk of some felon making off with your boat,  which is ‘being advertised’ on your rack. If you are interested in such a craft, we have Vast Stealth Kayaks available and have a double Demonstrator that can be taken for a paddle to check out if what I say is true, before purchasing one. Please give us a call to arrange, as we will have to check tide times etc. before sending you off! 

 

Now for the current weekend weather forecast.. 

Saturday, we will have wind from the North at 12-20kt, for the duration of the day. Should be sunny at times, with a top temp of 12°C. No rain shown but I would not rule it out, as it appears to have become ‘obligatory’ at some point during a day’s 24hr cycle! Tide is High at 10.23hrs on a 5.1m, so there should just be enough water in the estuary for a Wing foiling session. Stay close in if you are thinking of a SUP session on the sea, as that offshore wind will get stronger the further you venture out. 

 

Sunday, there is a slight swing in the wind direction to the Nor ‘East but again 12-20kt all day. Not as sunny but no rain and a top temp of 11°C. This is all ‘here-say’ so please do consult your strand of Seaweed! The High Tide will not be affected by forecasts and that will definitely occur at 11.00hrs on a 5.4m. 

 

And that’s that for this week except for this question.. what did Alexander Graham Bell invent / pioneer that is a current hot topic? Yes, Google will tell you and you may be surprised at what it is!

 

Please have a safe but fun weekend and apologies if any typos!