It’s Friday, it’s 7pm, it’s Crackers but that’s another week marked off the calendar, which can only mean one thing, it’s the Weekend!
Yes, here we are at the penultimate Bank Holiday weekend of the year and forgetting about that chilling wind most mornings and evenings, summer has finally begun. Air temperature may not be as good as it could but oddly the sea temperature is above the average. Today’s temp is 12.5°C and the average for the month of May is 11.6°C. However.. we are at the end of May , so perhaps that is not quite as good as it sounds? Please do keep in mind that if you are planning a paddleboarding weekend or throwing the kids in the sea (not literally) just to get a moments peace, that this is the best time of year for the killer known as Cold Water Shock to rear its ugly head. This how it goes, whether you are on a paddle board, canoe or worst of all, just jumping into the water. One moment you’re Hot and bothered in the sun and then the next you are immersed in ‘cool water’.. as you go under the cold causes you to take an uncontrollable breath, so you have a mouthful of water when you surface and if you can't clear it and go under again.. you may not get another chance. Of course, you may be lucky and not take that breath but there is also a high probability that the shock will trigger a heart attack.. whichever way, it’s not a good outcome. So, PLEASE make sure you, your friends and the young ones wear something that will protect them from meeting CWS. Even the thinnest neoprene swimsuit, vest or short-john under your tee and shorts will help you get through that initial ‘dunk’ and prevent CWS claiming a win. Put your kids into a shorty wetsuit, even if they just want to play in the sea.. it will help them float and maybe they won’t look such a weird shade of blue after they’ve been in a while. I know I mention CWS every year but I would hate to hear bad news and then wish that I had harped on about it. You can find out more about CWS at the RNLI website, along with lots of other interesting info! Link is https://rnli.org/safety/know-the-risks/cold-water-shock
Enough said but something else that is ‘harping on’ is our current wind…
The winds are still very happy coming in from the Nor’East and I cannot remember such a consistent period of this direction at this time of year. The long range is saying ‘continuing’ , which I am sure will be good regarding dry weather but it would be nice to get a couple of evening sessions in on the windsurfer, before we reach the longest day! There is always the opportunity of driving up to the North Kent Coast venues who are having a great time, if you have a day free, as that’s a 184-mile round trip and 4hrs travel time, if the M25 traffic is actually moving. Pevensey, in my opinion, is the best local beach to accept a Nor’East but Pagham is also known as a location for this direction. Personally, I always found Shoreham to be almost as good as Pagham and the drive there is nothing like as quick as it used to be, so perhaps a choppy cross off sail after work is on the cards! Talking of driving and traffic…
This weekend we have a couple of events on locally. The BIG ONE is the gathering of the Church’s at Wiston House for the Wild Fires / Big Church 2023 event. This could have an effect on local traffic over the weekend, partially due to the Shoreham by Sea exit off the A27 West bound carriageway being closed at the moment (Shoreham Flyover) . This will mean the traffic either gets off early at the Portslade exit and comes along the sea front or continues past Shoreham to Lancing and does a U-Turn to go back to the East bound Shoreham exit or carries onto Worthing and then back down the A24. Worst still, their Sat Nav might suggest they go over the Dyke and use the Edburton Rd behind the downs or perhaps use Coombes Lane, which runs along the West side of the Adur Valley. Whichever way they go, hopefully this will only occur early morning and late evening so not a panic situation but thought I should mention it.
The second event is one I mentioned recently, which is the Shoreham Rowing Club Regatta, which is being held on Saturday at Beach Green (the area where you see a green on either side coming to the Megastore). Again, this will only affect the roads when the teams arrive and then leave with their boats. Please note… the regatta will mean some of the safe swimming zones are affected during the day due to the obligatory 1000m course length but they will have people on duty at the zones to make sure everyone is aware. If you want to see this event, which is ‘probably’ the longest running Water-sports event in Shoreham (as the SRC was formed in 1862!) you had better come along this year, as it is not going to happen at this spot again. The SRC are not being granted a licence by the local Council to run the event at this spot in the future. Apparently the Beach Officer revoked this year’s licence a day or so ago, after a local Councillor raised opposition to the infringement of the Safe Swim Zones ( the club quite rightly mentioned this on their press release to make people aware) but after discussions took place they agreed to let it go ahead, for one last time. It is a very sad state of affairs and I of course have views on this (probably best kept to myself) but we hope that 2023 is a fantastic event for all of those competitors who have made the effort to come and visit us and for those who have put so much work into the organisation and running of it.. well done to everyone!
I think I have ‘mentioned’ enough for one evening, so what of the weekends weather and tides.
Saturday, the forecast suggests a Nor’East 8-12kt first thing and then slowly turning to the East , poss. ’Sou’East 8-15kt for the afternoon before backing to the Nor’East in the evening.
Sunshine is forecast all day, with a scorchio of 20°C and a High Tide that should show up at 17.48hrs on a tiny 4.8m Neep. Low tide is around mid-day but due to the Neep there won’t be a lot of sand for walking the dog on or water in the estuary for paddling upon.
Sunday, yes, it’s a good old Nor’Easter all day, running at 8-16kt in the morning and then 12-23kt during the afternoon. Slightly overcast weather but still 20°C. Adding to the traffic we will have the first Boot Sale of the Year, which is on at the Shoreham Flyover (on the road to the Wild Fires event)! High Tide arrives at 18.42hrs on a 4.8m, so people won’t have too far to walk to empty their disposable barbeque into the sea (I guess that is slightly better that than putting them into the bins still hot).
And finally, we have the Bank Holiday Monday! Can you believe it.. it’s still a Nor’East wind! The strength has upped to 15-28kt in the morning and then goes up again to 18-30kt in the afternoon. Overcast and a bit chillier due to the stronger wind, so only 16°C but it should be staying dry. Tide is High at 07.07hrs on a 4.6m or 19.44hrs in the evening on a 4.9m. You may of course have to drive to enjoy the stronger wind to its full extent. Decisions, decisions…
And that’s that for another week. Don’t forget to drop by and take a look at the new iKayak I mentioned in the week. These Drop Stitch boats will revitalise the inflatable boat marketplace.
We hope you all have three very enjoyable days out and about and the Megastores doors are open every day (oh joy) 9.30 – 5.30pm Saturday and then 10 – 4.00pm on Sunday and Monday, should you be in Need of a little retail interaction!
Happy Holidays everyone!
