Surfladle

So there goes another week of wild temperature changes. Wednesday it was -5°C on the way in and today it was +5°C..  but so what??  Well, a 10°C shift in two days is definitely noticeable, especially by your body and when we switch from warm to cold we should be a ‘little’ careful where exercise is concerned.  Exerting yourself in sub zero temperatures can be bad for the muscles, so a warm up is definitely required when training outside, which stupidly I did not do yesterday morning and subsequently paid for it. Most experts recommend 10 mins of slowly building up before commencing your normal pace (if running) and I would guess that rule is also applicable to Watersports. Careful pre-session stretching and then a brisk walk, breaking into a jog , will help to raise the bodies core temperature,  make the muscles more flexible and stimulate both oxygen and blood flow, which will help prevent damage to muscle tissue,  or so Google tells us..

 

‘Cold weather causes muscles to lose more heat and contract, causing tightness throughout the body. Joints get tighter, muscles can lose their range of motion and nerves can more easily be pinched (according to Los Angeles-based Orthopaedic physical therapist Vivian Eisenstadt.’)

 

My error was deciding to run in -3°C , along with doing it first thing in the morning, before my body had started to ‘get going’. 12 miles has been the norm for a while now, as  I go with my wife to her place of work and then run back. The quickest route, using a lot of roads is 9.6 miles but I prefer off road, as mud is not so hard on the windsurf hammered joints as tarmac seems to be.. unless the ground is frozen, of course. Things felt ‘tight’ from the start and when I was a tad over 3 miles in, ‘something’ went in my left thigh and from that point on my nice warm run became a rather chilling 6-mile hobble home (clothing was adequate to run in but not to walk!). In my defence I had taken some steps regarding the temperature and had sprayed the legs with Deep Heat before we left home, in an attempt to get them warmed by the time I started the run (the wife’s boss asked her what the weird smell was when she arrived.. sorry Dearest!) but DH was not applied to the higher thigh region, for obvious reasons! So, depending on what the damage is, I guess it’s no runs for a while and I only make mention of my plight as it might save you from falling foul of the same fate. Before you start your fun on a very cold day, do the warm up, to prolong PLAY.  Next please…

 

The 2024 Tide Tables have at last arrived. Still popular with many people who like to plan their year ahead, as finding yearly info on the net is not easy. The tables have just the High Tide times as adding low tide time was another £120.00.. sorry to those who had asked but times are hard. Once again it’s the usual thing of no charge for the tables but we are always happy if a donation can be dropped into the RNLI collection boat. If you run a waterborne activity group or club or you instruct newcomers on how to play on or in tidal water, we are happy to supply you with tables to hand out, as they need to know.  Delays…

 

 

 

I see that we have taken part in an attack on the Houthi bases in Yemen and I guess this will heighten the ‘tension’ in the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea, so once again we have to expect supply delays, as more ships will have to take the long way around to avoid the region. I won’t be surprised if we also see shipping costs rocket, due to the extra distance involved and as the fuel prices rise due to the extra water miles, so will the internal European and UK road courier costs..  oh joy.  Have Houthi ever used SUP boards.. ?

 

 

 

If they have not, they really are missing out on a very reasonably priced water craft to have fun on, in between their activities and as it has been another week of price drops within the inflatable SUP market, they will be getting a bargain (if they can find anyone willing to ship it there....). These are the latest packages to be re-priced to sell..

 

https://www.surfladle.com/stand-up-paddle/inflatable-boards/oshea

 

https://www.surfladle.com/inflatable-boards/fanatic-2/fanatic-fly-air-premium

 

 

 

And finally , what of the weekends weather!

 

Saturday the wind will be from the Nor’West running at 9-11kt in the morning and then decreasing 6-8kt later in the day.  Daytime Temp is given as a mere 3°C (do a warm up!) but thankfully no rain shown,  at the moment. Tide is High at 11.35hrs on a 6.2m, so the estuary will have plenty of water for SUP / Kayak cruising or for a spot of Dock foiling . I did see Guru giving a 13sec 0.3m swell forecast earlier today but that seems to have ‘gawn’.

 

Sunday the wind remains from the Nor’West, doing a 6-9kt warm up first thing but gathering pace to a respectable 10-16kt by late afternoon. Tide is High at 13.08hrs on a 6.4m, so a slight possibility of wings on the estuary (the new hangars on the airfield may well create too large a wind shadow) but at 3 – 5°C air temp, those hands are going to need gloves… which start at £23.95 (we do have some at £14.00 but probably too thick).

 

 

 

That’s it for another week. January and February are always the ‘long’ months to get through but do  try and enjoy them for what they offer..   i.e. a cheap Easy Jet flight from Gatwick to somewhere warm!  

 

Have a great weekend.