race

BGA,five over, racing the section.

The last couple of weekends have had fun clean waves but the onshores are back today. Funnily enough it's the start of the contest season at saunton too. No doubt people in vests are enjoying the paddle workout of 4 foot onshore mushy beachbreak right now. I, meanwhile, have coffee and a smug feeling i'm not missing much!

behind the wire

greyscale...

As the winter sets in and the colours of summer are long gone, it's easy to sink into reverie and dreams of warmer climes, but maybe there's still happiness to be found within the montone seascape.

For many of us there's no escape from the cold and we must greet the winter face on, the gloom, the damp, the light so flat the horizon is lost in the sky. Endlessly watching the forecast hoping for the prevailing southwesterlies to abate for the bittersweet triumph of stolen moments in offshores.  Freezing wind from the east  blowing the mess to corduroy and then to ironed cloth.

You could send yourself mad with the longing but it's better to embrace the dark mornings, the frost on the inside of the windscreen that never clears quick enough, the teeth of the wind biting into exposed flesh as you struggle into the wetsuit that never quite dries, the shock of the first duck dive as you struggle through lines of whitewater, battling current and wind beyond the break.

Because if you look, through the waiting, the discomfort, the grey light, the grimace as your suit fills with 6 degree water for the first time, there's still that little spark of fun and stoke that keeps you coming back. Still the need to grasp that elusive sliding feeling we are all addicted to. Still the afterglow that warms you and has nothing to do with the van heater on full as you drive home, reliving the waves of the day.

It's still surfing and it still makes me smile...............

a ghost in the machine

Happy New Year Everyone!

I was looking back at my new year post from last year and remembered that the surfer forums had a "best 3 boards of 09" thread running. Although a year has passed, two of my top three haven't changed!

I'm still in love with my 5'8 larry mabile keel fish, i've still yet to have a bad surf on it. In fact on the day the waiting" post picture was taken i think i had my best two shortboard turns ever, on the same righthander on this board.

Longboard wise, the 9'6 jai lee is still the board to beat, just like last year, and it's the log i've ridden most often. Honorable mentions go to the Dano i brought back from Ca and the bing NR2 i've acquired. Both have given some great trips to the tip on their day

The third board does change though....... Having been gifted a 5'8 mini simmons a few months ago, it's been in heavy rotation ever since. So much fun in junk, such a smooth feeling racing down the line. I think it's responsible for more surf related smiles than anything else over the last few months. Although they are very fashionable right now, if you can live with some lateral speed in your surfing instead of vertical ripping i'd wholeheartedly recomend getting on the program!

bring back summer

Finally a few little lines to slide yesterday. Nineplus 4/3 is plenty warm still, especially with the sun in your face. After logging a few i broke out the mini sim on a whim. Once again big smiles in waist high waves, i'm seriously addicted to the smooth lateral bar of soap feel!

the waiting...

I think this was the last time we had a proper fun little swell up here, feels like months ago.

swoop..

Jack (i think) looking to punish the whitewater.

going, going, gone!

For one week only, your chance to get you hands on the last UK boards from If6was9. These boards are brand new and the last ones made before the label goes back to it's australian home permanently. Shaped by Neil Randall, main shaper for classic malibu in noosa for a couple of years and a true surfboard craftsman, they are stunning looking boards and speaking from personal experience, his shapes work really well!

Starting today there will be a mini auction on their blog, finishing on saturday. Check here for pictures of the three boards and more details.

woodie

elliot

Elliot is one of the few British surfers i would cite as an influence on my own surfing, one of the few i would say that inspired me as i started out on a longboard. Although he's a few years younger than me , he was already one of the best longboarders in the country by the time i met him. He has super competitive skills, you don't win a european championship without them, but he also has a really smooth style with nimble footwork and great noseriding ability. He has the ability to adapt his riding style to whatever board he's surfing, short or long, traditional or progressive and flat out rips on pretty much anything. He's a super nice guy and has a quiver that makes me jealous!

He's still one of my favorite surfers to watch

This diana pic was snapped midway through the day at the hotdoggers stylemasters vintage board comp, which he went on to win.

young greg

i'd love to give some bethany hamiltonesque tale of greg's struggle to paddle in a straight line despite losing part of his arm to a particularly pissed off local crab but it would all be lies!

f in good news!

One of Randall's stock boards already has a new home, inside the vintage splitty owned by Pete from the British Surfing Museum, along with a bespoke surfing museum pivot fin to finish it off perfectly.

Understandably Pete is stoked, not least because the Museum of British Surfing is officially happening. As of last week, there is funding guaranteed and the paperwork is being signed to give a permenent exhibition and event space in the centre of Braunton, North Devon. Official opening is set for summer 2011 and the team have lots of exciting plans to go with it. All pretty exciting news and full credit to Pete and B for slogging through the hoops to get it done.

click here for the official word

old faithful

Even though i have a few different longboards to choose from, some from the hands (or is that computer mouse) of some of the worlds foremost longboard shapers, over the last couple of days i was in the mood for something old and familiar. Like putting on an old comfortable pair of slippers, stepping onto my 9'4 Gulfstream log is just like coming home. This shape is pretty much what is now their saunton foil model but was a board i custom ordered 5 years ago, drawing on a few boards i'd had and liked before.

Its a magic board that requires almost no mental effort for me to get the best from and for small saunton this goes as well as anything else i own. I think anyone who's ever ridden it has loved it (eh thos?)

summer reality

 With the sun and the waves come the crowds and the frustration of not being able to get a parking space in the lot or a wave unmolested by kooks. Marlow has the right idea perhaps having just invested in a 10 foot Bic. Unhampered by a nice gloss coat he's prepared to mow them down!

I'm thinking a padded paddle and an SUP, then i could evolve some kind of medieval jousting moves!

7 waves....

The song is "59" from Brian Setzer's ignition album

cp in 7 from Chris Preston on Vimeo.

heading home

twinkling toes

I tell myself my hooked toes are an evolutionary advantage to aid my control while hanging five or ten but really i'm just deformed!

With the forecast looking promising, hopefully today's wind allows just a temporary rest between the fun waves of the last week and what lies in store for next.

I've had plenty of hull related stoke recently, culminating in probably my best session on the slippery wee thing on Tuesday. I know i've said before but the feeling of smooth drivey projection off the bottom and the knife through butter high line trim are just awesome. It's also kind of fun lending it to friends who are good surfers and watching it confuse them. Trying to surf hulls off the back foot just doesn't work (eh Ben?)

There's a Isaac organised surf jumble in St Merryn tomorrow, in the village hall i think. He'd love it if lots of you stopped by. I wish I could!

fun things in small packages

First off, if you are near Bristol today, Andy Haworth is showing (and selling) his "for charridy mate" surf film "Devon Lanes and Longboards" at the surf show. Not sure what time but it's today at the Anson Rooms, check the link for details, check the post below for a little about the film.

 Obviously it's not cool to froth about tiny surf (is it Ramon :-), nor is it currently cool to ride an SUP but i have to admit to enjoying both on occasion. The last couple of days the waves have been barely rideable at the stage of tide i've been free and probably with just a longboard i might not have bothered but the trusty, fantastic plastic popout takayama sup has yielded some much needed fun for a couple of hours. At least it's helped wash some of that volcanic ash off & the travel stress it caused us.

I hope anyone else that got stuck is on their way back soon.

The pics are with our new little waterproof pentax optio digital compact. I'm still struggling a little with the settings but it's been a fun experiment so far.

Devon Lanes and longboards

There's a new British longboard movie out as you read this, made by father of Ben, Andy Haworth. It's a loving look at the longboard scene in our corner of the world and well worth getting a copy, especially as all profits are being donated to cancer charities.

There's more rumination about the film and Andy himself over on drift here. For more on the film or to order a copy go here

jus lookin

They say procrastination is the thief of time (i've always loved that phrase) and they are probably right. Most of us always look at the surf when we get to the beach (despite often having spent a fair amount of time checking a variety of webcams beforehand) but i think sometimes you can look too long. Especially  if it is small or cold or massive or onshore, too much time looking can just allow that element of doubt to creep in, is it rideable? is it too big a paddle? am i feeling a bit tired? Usually you are actually better off just changing and going in anyway, if you're like me you will rarely regret it. Take this pair for example, watching a succession of (admittedly occasional) very loggable sets come through before going home again.
The next few days were flat. Moral of the story, make the most of what you've got and never drive away from clean waves without getting wet first!