I wasn't going to sail today. Yesterday was so good and I was feeling quite tired. Then, as I was driving home I saw the trees swaying and thought I should just have a look. So I popped down to BDC. The sun was shining, the white caps glistening and a small wave pushing through. The tide was on the drop and I knew it would only get better. The adrenalin kicked in and there was nothing for it but to get out there.

More pictures from the weekend! More sun too...

Glorious weather again here this weekend and I just had to get the camera out to capture the sun setting over the Purbecks

Don't let the bright, sunlit pictures fool you. It was cold. Very cold. Today's forecast took a long time to come together, but the wind swung round from South to North just after lunch and brought with it blue sky and bright sun. Just as well, because the air temperature was about five degrees.

There's something incredible about being out back at Kimmeridge with the cliffs providing an imposing background and the surf pounding around you. What a way to start the weekend. Awesome!

Opinions were mixed about the best time to sail KBay today. With low tide being from about 10am until 1pm, I opted to arrive at lunchtime for the tide on the push. As I drove into the rammed car park, most people were coming off the water and I was a little concerned I may have missed out. Not to worry, shortly afterwards the wind came back. I rigged a 5.2 and headed out. Perfect down the line sailing. Except that as the tide turned the wind went ballistic. I tried downhauling the life out of my 5.2 but it was still too much so I accepted defeat and re-rigged a 4.2 on the Ledges.

I have two windsurfing related resolutions for 2012, to go to Kimmeridge more often and to start sailing on Broad Bench rather than the bay in a westerly. Broad Bench the name given to the wave that breaks on the far side of the bay from the slip way and can regularly be seen at mast high and often barrelling when a decent swell is running. To get there it's a long slug upwind from the slip way that can easily take half an hour or more. It's in a military firing zone and is often off-limits, but generally not at the weekend or on bank holidays.

As most of the country hit the sales, I fortunately had the option of shopping or, alternatively, windsurfing. I went with the latter! The forecast wasnt up to much and as I arrived at the beach it looked pretty disappointing. Still, it was a chance to try out my new Ezzy Panther Limited sails so I rigged a 5.8 and chanced it.

It's been a week of firsts, after my first South Easterly trip to Kimmeridge earlier in the week, Saturday brought about my first trip down to Gwithian. And what an opener, logo+, cross-off, 4.7 weather but with a lack of wind just where you needed it to get out through the impact zone.