Low Tide	04:06 (0.60m)
High Tide	10:36 (2.40m)
Low Tide	16:26 (0.80m)
High Tide	22:32 (2.40m)

Sea temperature: some discussion here as I took my thermometer in and couldn't believe it so DK tried his, which did actually show a 0.2 difference, but even so we were amazed that it had risen to 11.2/11.4 overnight
Sea conditions: calm
Weather: weird
Joined by: Sara, The Poet, The Artist and The Light Entertainment
Topics of conversation: 

The Weather - a thick sea fret was enveloping us as we arrived and had brought the temperature down. I'd been out and about at 5am and there had been a beautiful sunrise, with a white sky but no mist or fog to speak of. The marsh had been teeming with birds and 2 swans were circling the harbour as I walked down to the grazing - by the time I'd left for the beach at around 7 the fret was rolling in though. We discussed the wind direction and the sea temperature and speculated about the forecast change in wind direction or the rise in water temperature causing the fret. Sometimes you can be approaching the village from the water tower, where it's clear and sunny, and see the fret rolling in across the common, as it does over San Francisco. A friend is a regular visitor to SF and sends me pictures, but I found this wonderful time-lapse from a webcam in 2008, which shows the fog at sunrise: http://hd-sf.com/gallery/fogrise/player.html
The seal was with us again today and seemed to be playing, flicking it's tail and diving, only to resurface closer. Watching Sara watching it was spooky, I'm sure it must think she's a seal in her black wetsuit and sleek hood and her smooth swimming style. I called to her to say I thought he might be flirting with her, to which The Poet shouted "She's MINE!" So romantic.
The wound had suffered again overnight, so we are off to the surgery for more seaweed today but Mertz had been well enough to come down to the hut in Wolfie's beast of a car yesterday evening to raise a glass by way of hut christening. We'd tried to call The Pirate over, when we spotted him walking the dogs back from the beach, but he'd been preoccupied by Alf.

A friend, who was part of our 2011 Arctic team, is entering the Marathon de Sable and we discussed the horrendous conditions he will be contending with. The group joked that I would only last about 2 hours before I'd need marinading. Here's the article we've been putting together to help him raise awareness, and a link to his fundraising website, any support would be gratefully received, and he's looking for a commercial sponsor:

Press release May 7^th, 2013:

Fitness Instructor pushes himself to the extremes.

Having braved Arctic temperatures in 2011, now Mark Nussey is heating things up to raise funds for MENCAP by racing across the Sahara.

Nussey, 44, lives and works in Lowestoft as a fitness consultant and sports massage therapist. He has already run 3 London Marathons and trekked across Northern Scandinavia for charity, but this is his biggest undertaking yet. In April 2015 he will be competing in the 30^th anniversary of the Marathon de Sables, the toughest footrace on earth. According to the official MDS literature The race is a gruelling multi-stage adventure trough a formidable landscape in one of the worlds most inhospitable climates.

He will fly to Morocco 2 days before the event in order to acclimatise, then travel by bus and cattle truck to the start where the temperatures will be in the region of 50 degrees centigrade, a stark contrast to the – 44 experienced in the Arctic. Regardless of the dangers, places in the race are much sought after and Mark is not only committed to training his body and mind to endure the baking heat and huge distance of 156 miles in 5 days but he has also signed up to raise £10,000 for MENCAP, a charity close to his heart.  His stepdaughter Ella, who is 20, was born with Downs Syndrome and her mother Paula Lambert has worked for, as well as being supported by MENCAP through Ella’s life and she is in turn supporting Mark in his challenging undertaking.

Once the race starts he’s on his own though, he will have to carry everything he needs to survive on his back, the only support in the desert will be the checkpoint and the end of stage tents. The mental strain on a race like this, with the intense heat and nothing but sand and dust for mile upon mile, cannot be underestimated. It is not unusual for competitors to hallucinate whilst running and many are withdrawn due to dehydration.  Having started his career in the RAF and worked in the fitness and motivation business for the last 15 years Mark is well placed to cope with the long distances, the scorching Moroccan sun and desert mountains, even the occasional sand storm should not break his stride - but the most challenging aspect of his target is the fundraising.

£10,000 is a lot of money for one man to raise but he’s already started by setting up a fundraising page on Just Giving: http://www.justgiving.com/Mark-Nussey and his programme of events so far includes a 12 hour endurance run on June 29^th and a ‘Spinathon’ at The Waterlane Leisure Centre, in Lowestoft on September 28^th. He is actively searching for sponsorship from local businesses and his blog will chart his physical and fundraising progress over the next 2 years as well as sharing his fitness and endurance tips: http://markshottotrot.blogspot.co.uk

For further information on the Marathon de Sables: http://www.marathondessables.co.uk

To contact Mark Nussey: mark.nussey@btinternet.com Mobile: 07973 511250