We are at the 2^nd Weekend of September and although it has turned a tad chilly, it’s all going to be OK, as last night we had a frost which means officially we are now allowed to have an Indian Summer.. I really can’t wait. But whatever the weather, you can’t beat a Weekend and that’s now here!

Friday the 13^th started well.. alarm issue at home delayed leaving for the vans MOT appointment and then parking up in the garage, which is by Shoreham Railway Station, I swear I heard the Tanoy announcement say “The train due on platform 1 is delayed, as it has just hit a person” and I guess my hearing is ok, as it appears the lines between Worthing and Littlehampton were closed due to a person / train incident. Let’s hope the day passes by without too many incidents.

The Southampton Boat show extravaganza starts today but gets into full swing tomorrow, with Chris Moyles of Radio X generating an ‘atmosphere’ until 9pm in the Shipyard area of the showground.. or perhaps that should be show-water. At £29.99 a ticket, I would expect it to be something special but that does apparently include various activities including trying paddleboarding, kayaking and dinghy sailing, should you wish to ‘have a go’. Looking at the Exhibitors list there does not appear to be many from the Watersports trade but generally it does have support from a lot of companies, by riding on the back of other exhibitors stands that they work with.

All in all, it should be a great day out but I do wonder if a ticket price of £30.00 affects the footfall. Show prices appear to be much higher in the UK (Oasis tickets anyone..) and that cannot be a good thing, as at £60.00 for a couple just to get in, it makes it prohibitive to many who otherwise may have gone along and become interested in a water activity. I’ve attended the Motorcycle Show at the NEC with a bunch of mates for nearly 30 years now but last year we were getting a little jaded by the way Motorcycle Live had been presented, so we headed off to the largest motorcycle show in the World, which is held in Milan. The UK show has four halls but the exhibitors have been getting progressively spread out during the last ten years. Milan meanwhile has ten halls and every one was absolutely packed with exhibitors. UK entry was £23.00 pre-booked, £31.00 on the door whilst the Milan entry was  just 10 Euros on the day. A more reasonable entry price would I’m sure bring a larger audience for those who have paid ‘well’  to exhibit their wares anyhow. Just a thought.. The show runs until the 22^nd of September and all information and tickets can be found here..  https://www.southamptonboatshow.com/

The RRD £1399.00 Wing foil packages, that went out the door rather rapidly, have re-emerged in one size,  thanks to a European shop not paying its bill. We now possess  three 125lt Beluga 175 LTE Y26 multiple sport boards, as they can be used for not one but three foiling sports, which are Wing, Windsurf and SUP. You may know of Graham Highsted who has been foiling for a while now.. he had a Beluga and managed to do all three sports, so it’s not a sales gimmick. The packages come with a choice of three foils, 1850, 1750 and 1500 and a choice of Evo Wing sizes of 4.5 / 5.5 / 6.5m, so all you will have to add is a board leash and a pump (helmet is also advisable) to get out onto the water. These are definitely the last few packages at this price, so don’t procrastinate! There’s also one 90lt 165 Beluga Y26 board still available but it’s only really suitable for newcomers if you or your partner are around 60kg and under (the suggestion is that the first board you own should be 30-40lt above your bodyweight in KG) . Further information and buying tools can be found at https://www.surfladle.com/board-and-foil-packages/rrd-beluga-wing-foiling-package

And as I mentioned two wheels earlier, I will also mention that next weekend sees the British Heart Foundations London to Brighton Off Road Bike ride take place. If you like riding gravel or mountain bikes, this is one you really should do. Up to Victoria on the train, a quick road stretch down to the Embankment, follow the Thames path all the way to Weybridge (a great way to see London) where you pick up the Wey and Arun Canal tow path and head south to Guildford. There you cut across and join the old Christ Hospital to Guildford railway line (known as the Downs Link) and then continue the ‘link’ onto the Southwater part of the line that runs down to Shoreham. When you’re almost here, turn left and head into Brighton! It’s a great ride and one I’ve done ‘privately’ on a couple of occasions. All info can be found here.. https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/events/bike-rides/london-to-brighton-off-road-bike-ride

Moving onto the weekend weather and I do hope it’s going to be better than last weekend!

Saturday, wall to wall sun! It might get a little cloudy mid to late afternoon but that should clear for the evening (dusk is officially 19.52hrs, just so you know). The wind initially is not that exciting, as it kicks off at 4-6kt Northerly but then swings right round to Sou’West at approx. 10am and  increases to 7–14kts for the rest of the day.. foils will be at play! But the best thing of all, NO RAIN! Top temp is 17°C and the Tide hits High at 08.48hrs on a Neap 4.9m, so again perfect for foils, as straight into a reasonable depth of water, all day.

Sunday, a slightly cloudier day but a mirror image re-run of Saturdays wind forecast, so you may get two days back-to-back to hone those foiling skills. The Tide climaxes at 09.50hrs on a 5.4m (a fair jump from a 4.9m) so estuary paddling could be good when we get the wind direction switch, as likely to be ‘calm’ for a period.

 So, it’s looking like a good forecast for foils, learning to wind or kite, downwind coastal SUP or for river / inland paddling. Hopefully everyone will have a good time.

And that’s that for week thirty seven of 2024. Enjoy the days and the evenings and the nights.. you can pack a lot into 48hrs if you try.. and if you don’t have to turn up at work on Monday!

Have a great weekend everyone and PLEASE FORGIVE ANY TYPOS!