Oh my, another Bank Holiday Monday followed by a Half Term week. 2025 is really scurrying along and less than a month to go until the Sun has its longest day (so why am I freezin’ my butt off?). But who cares about any of that, as it’s the Weekend and it’s going to be…WINDY! 

Yes, all I need to say today is “Check your kit over” as it’s a possible 5 day ‘blow’.  If it has been a while since you’ve been out, please take a mo to check your mastbase UJ or tendons, maybe replace the outhaul, downhaul and inhaul ropes and check the harness lines (or at least have a spare pair at hand). Must be worth also checking your kite lines, bridle and depower, as all can be ‘fixed’ far easier at home than they can  on the beach. Also check your pump still works , as rubber seals and one-way valves can stick or fail (give the kite leading edge a good ‘shake’ prior to inflation as maybe be ‘stuck’ to the LE).

After such a long lay-off from Sou’West winds, it might be worth checking the wetsuit for moths as well!   As to which wetsuit to wear, in my opinion it’s 4/3mm or thicker, as the water temp at Shoreham is somewhere between 12.9°C and 13.9°C (depending upon which site you look at..) but the wind chill today is 12°C (it has felt cold), so I am sorry but it’s not quite shorty weather yet.

DEFI starts today and the French ‘Water GP’ for Wind, Kite and Wing, is once again well attended. Andy Panksztelo, a long-term customer, is out there for the event and as many before him have said, it’s quite awe inspiring ( as well as a little concerning..) by the professionalism of those who are organising as well as taking part, but more so by the sheer number of competitors and the length of the ‘track’.  The weather leading up to the event has been a little ‘up and down’,  with flash floods and lightning storms and they too are suffering from the hot sun but cold wind that we have, so it does sound as though it will be a ‘memorable’ DEFI. We wish Andy and all of the Union Jackers good luck..   a WIN is all we ask.  

https://defiwind.fr/en/

As for local events this weekend, the Friends of the SSSI are running their paddleboard safari on the estuary Sunday morning (to coincide with the High Tide), which may be affected by the weekends winds but hopefully will still go ahead. All info on their site, as well as the number to call to join the safari. https://friendsofadursssi.org.uk/events

 Enough rambling I hear you say..  get on with the weekends weather!

Saturday, light’ish winds and rain showers until we open at 9.30pm and then the Sou’West breeze turns up a notch, 16-22kts during the morning and increasing as the Tide drops to 21-28kts. Rain is forecast for later in the day but it should be mainly dry with a top temp of 17°C. The Met are giving lower base speeds of around 12kts during the morning and14kt during the afternoon but I think we will go with Windguru’s interpretation. High Tide is at 09.28hrs on a 5.6m, so Low is approx. 15.30hrs, perfect for Shoreham.

Sunday, shows showers in the early hours of the morning but stopping well before breakfast. Winds are still Sou’West and upped to 22 – 31kts for most of the day (Met say 18-35kt West’Sou’West) with an increasing ‘WAVE’ size to play on (remember them?). Should be dry and the Tide is High at 10.21hrs on a 5.9m, so more sand when the tide is Low at approx. 16.30hrs. I think the Flyover Boot Sale is on, so there maybe ‘heavy traffic’ in that area, if the field is dry enough to run it.

Bank Hol Monday continues the wind-fest with 20-30kt Sou’West winds all day and no rain shown, but don’t be surprised if there are a few showers about.

Air temp is down a bit at 16°C (out of the wind) but every day the sea temp will be rising and that will cut the wind chill. High Tide is at 11.12hrs on a 6.1m, so safe’ish launching at Shoreham will be from approx. 14.00hrs.

If you are lucky enough to be off for the rest of the week, there’s wind all of the way through (with most rainfall taking place on our day off… grrrr).

That’s it until the Saturday morning video, complete with shakes. We are here all three days should you be in need.. 9.30am until 5.30pm Saturday and then 10.00am until 4.00pm Sunday and Monday.

And finally, have a wonderful Holiday Weekend, whatever you get up to!

Ta’ta or if you are at the Defi, C’est tout !