Was pretty shocked to see our session on the front cover of the times yesterday. MTC in full glory going for a suicide landing whilst pondering the merits of the RRD Wave Cult.  Today was a more mellow affair as my timings finally coincided with high tide at GS, and shared a wave or two with Jem, and the Team Lobato. Forecast looks even bigger for the upcoming weekend, so wonder how the media will cover this, or maybe they can actually report some news this time.

Another perfect session at the beach, winds a little gusty ranging I am guessing between 25-35mph and even a little sunshine thrown in.

Got out for a half hour or so, just to see what all the fuss was about. No real storm here yet, but the amount of water moving around was pretty unsettling as the sea seemed to be boiling. Slightly unnerving when no one else is out.

Its not so long ago that when I started this blog, the name wind addiction came to mind. Peculiarly, the past few years have seen a tail off in my obsession, but its with recent sell offs of climbing and cycling kit, that I can firmly say I am ready to re-dedicate myself as an addict. Crossing the bridge to day with fellow wind disciple; Mark and I head up the unique unit of the ginger brotherhood. Southerly winds, and lots of friendly faces made the dark foreboding skies, nothing more than a nice backdrop to a fun little wave. The next 24 hours will be the tell though as the swell starts to wind up. Massive thankyou to aussie Tim who brought down my newly acquired RRD WAVE Cult Quad 75, and the kind words of Jon Shaw.  

...and so it continues. Back to back swells, (with a lot of really great windsurfing in between) with a severe storm warning for Monday. The obvious point break will be the go for monday, but the severity of the storm is still in the balance. It's been hailed the 26 year storm, which makes you think this might have some bite. 

Just read the sad news of the passing of Chops Lascelles. Had the pleasure of working with him a few years back, and couldn't help but admire his magnetism and charisma. He has definitely touched a lot of peoples lives, and no doubt will be greatly missed by many.  

At 60+ Aussie Tony is one of the guys you will consistently find at the beach come rain or shine. As long as the swell is decent and the wind is offshore, he can be found waxing his beloved Mark Neville design in eager anticipation. Always happy to 'share' a wave, and an elder statesman advocating peace and diplomacy over aggression.

Picked up a 5'7 Channel Islands Sperm whale yesterday, and had one of the best surfs I have had in a long time. My journey with boards has been an interesting one, and whilst I try to avoid spending on fancy kit, sometimes buying quality really pays dividends. Obviously Al Merrick is one name synonymous with highly efficient surfboard design, so why has it taken me long to ride one of his boards ? The reasons are many fold, but after yesterday, today and no doubt the rest of this week, the affinity with this board will just grow. At c. 30 litres its fully submersed whilst I sit and wait out back, but when paddling the design is incredibly efficient, that it paddles like a board much bigger, yet still duck dives like a small short board.  In essence I would describe this as where mini simmons meets shortboard, and something so very different to a fish. Quite how is not so simple to articulate, but its five fin setup, and sharp rails seems progressive like so much about its design. Whilst I loved the 5'10 Bing mini simmons, this craft is a serious step on, and one I will be keeping for much longer. Whether I will successfully template this and copy will remain to be seen. Currently I just want to ride it till its dying day, and mine for that matter.