More from the South West

After a relaxing lunch combined with a couple pints of Doom Bar, I think I was a little too sedated to get the best out of today. Rigged my 5.2, got to the waters edge only to realise everyone else was on 4.5. Still getting to grips with this wind direction, but it was a great little workout (if somewhat short) and some nice ramps for gybing and jumping. Fortunately Ed and Dan were out and getting the best of it, so thankfully we have some decent shots ! Apologies to Ed for missing his Vulcan and various other moves - see you on the water tomorrow (4pm onwards)

Windy Weekend.

This week has seen such a range of conditions, and I must say I was literally amazed at the cross off conditions at the start of it. However there is nothing like some real anger winds, and today was as about as gnarly as it gets(in summer). Winds were gusting almost to a Force 8, which even for England is a little unusual in mid May. On that note, today was not to be my day, and when I first turned up it was great to see so many guys out charging. By the time I returned, both Tim and Ed were still out and Ed was getting out past some monster sets. Tim true to his Weston roots was laying down the loops in between squalls. I of course will be atoning for my poor performance (being flattened by the squalls and then left floundering when the wind dropped back to a timid Force 4/5), and hope to see you tomorrow!

Trouble at the beach.

I just had to write this down, as it really made me smile tonight. After a rather flat couple of days, the swell has started to build with some medium size sets pushing through. I ran down to the beach to catch some left handers before last light, and it felt great to get out on the Fish. My confidence has really improved in the water, so I had a nice buzz walking home.

As I crossed the road to walk out of the burrows, my smile quickly faded. I noticed some old people looking hassled. A small group of 'yoofs' were sampling the local mead and were being pretty obnoxious. The old timers shuffled past, and it looked like a classic Daily Mail moment - 'Drunken teens torment OAP's.' As the kids rolled on through I could see them making a beeline for me, and I just stared ahead. Expecting the worst and waiting for a tyrade to unfold the kids simply parted and the ring leader clenched his fist, beat his chest and cocked his head toward me. It was both the most ridiculous 'Lord of the Flies' moment' but so very poignant. I tried not to smile, and kept on looking ahead. Suffice to say I didn't repay the mark of respect, but was strangely bemused that at least the kids have respect for something here.

Knackered !

Yesterday has caught up with me - and a solid day of the hobbit-sitting has finished me off. The best I could manage was to crawl off the sofa and catch this sunset. Forecast looks good all week for swell and light offshores. This could impact my job hunting.

Ps - I love Westward !!

Punta san Westward

In the immortal words of my dear friend Michel - 'training is the clue'. As a homage, I hit the beach for an early morning run, then went swimming with Hector over lunch, and by the time I was due to start job hunting - I got the text.

'Strong cross-off , short brd 5m'

The winds were howling and the skies without cloud, making temperatures (just about) comfortable for a shorty. I wasn't quite sure what to expect on this direction, and despite limited swell forecast; the potential was amazing. Even without any real swell we still had a small wave to chase down the line. In the end we sailed for too long, my eyes are bloodshot from too much wind and sun, and apologies to Laura (and various employers) for losing all track of time. Tomorrows forecast looks more of the same, and I can't remember when I had so much fun.

Dawn Patrol

First light and I couldn't wait to sail, absolutely no one down at the Burrows and a squall ripped through gusting over 30 knots. By some strange coincidence my new board arrived in the post (see photo) - hence clearance was granted to sail.

Conditions were perfect and the board felt like an old friend (probably because I used to own its predecessor). The RRD Wave Cult 80 is the perfect Westward board. It handled the onshore really easily and was very precise on jumping. It still felt throw around and albeit a little bit looser on the wave. Thanks RRD for all your support this board really should be the staple in a lot of peoples' quivers.

Perfect sunset.

Sunsets at our quiet little hideaway(view from the backdoor), and still homeless and desperately looking for that special place to call home. Forecast is just perfect tomorrow, and will hopefully get some more pictures up between the house hunting. Long range forecast is suggesting offshore, so stand by for a return of the surf.

PS - Thanks to the kind folks of RRD, a new care package arrived today.

Bye bye Twin Fin....

Like a break-up of a relationship just about to blossom, it is with regret that I say goodbye to the Twin fin. Rob has promised to take good care of her and treat her to down the line wave conditions in Donnegal. The wave fin has been a total blast, the 'Laura Ashley' of modern day windsurfing graphics leaves me with a sadness. However, its a bit like having a big dog in a small apartment, and it was not fair to subject this beauty to full-on onshore. It was great to jump, and just amazing in the waves, but I am not so sure its intended use is Westward Ho !

Enjoy this little beauty - Jem Hall is going to kill me !

May 5th

Westerly is in full swing, and I really need my RRD Wave Cult (80litre) for the onshore. Winds were a little gusty between the sets, and by the time the twin fin was fired - the camera battery died. Here are some shots before things really got going.

Sacrificial Lamb

I have finally realised what caused the wind drought over the past weeks(feels like months). A lack of ritual has been evident and it was only by sheer luck that the curse was lifted. Like some dark pagan ceremony, I slung the freshly slain lamb onto the altar (BBQ actually). Literally as the flesh burned - the clouds seemed to scud across the sky and something very dark lingered on the horizon. Winds notched up to just about Force 5 and despite the pictures (usual excuse, but thanks Matt for holding the camera!) the wave out back was big. Thank you to whoever you are for making my weekend !

Another year older !

True to form, May 2nd always delivers either swell or wind. This has been the case for as long as I can remember but sadly both came at the same time. Just enough wind to spoil the 3-5ft swell, but not enough wind to get out for a windsurf. Instead Hector and Rosa cheered me on from the beach. Wind has been 'iffy' all week, and the Westerly looks set to hang around and no doubt tempt me to get the kite flying. Kitesurf - yes the dark side. A good alternative to windsurfing but never a replacement ! Those of you thinking of travelling to the North coast this week, better either pack your big sails, or pick a different week to visit. Hope to see you out there...

Baby Sitting

Laura's first day back at school, and I feel so drained looking after the little people. Predictably the surf was on this morning, so Rosa and I watched from the pebbles and reflected on whether we could ever leave this perfect spot, despite not having a home. The perfect house has turned up for us, but its on the wrong coast and we can't move back to South Devon - any thoughts would be appreicated.

PS - Please get in touch with Edge watersports if you are looking for any windsurfing gear. They have a massive sale going on as all the windsurf kit must go. Follow the link.

Windandsea

Blue skies and a Westerly breeze got me on the water for a few hours this afternoon. It was just nice to be on the water, even if the wind wasn't really playing ball. Apologies for being lazy with the camera of late, but sometimes it's more important to get out there - hence the Webcam image (from Saunton - courtesy of eyeball)

Beer Festival

Sadly Newton Abbot Beer festival has come and gone, and I didn't get a drop to drink. Due to 'other commitments' I was restrained from this mid devon drink-a-thon. Apologies for not making my one yearly commitment to the Teignmouth contingent and the Grand master Ben Thompy. Driven by the fear of further emasculation that evening - I paddled out solo and had a great little surf on my 6'8 fish. No photos - Sorry.

San Clemente SurfBoards & Art: Custom painted wood boards & Surfboards by Paul Carter

San Clemente SurfBoards & Art: Custom painted wood boards & Surfboards by Paul Carter

Summer is coming

First week in a shorty, and water temps have risen to just about comfortable. Managed to sneak out for a surf, between the house hunting. No clear sign of potential new home, but a very good forecast for wind/surf this weekend. Swell also looks to be improving, although tomorrow I head south under the watchful eye of Steph and Eric @ Edgewatersports.com . Expert kite surf tuition from the team (wind permitting) to renew my confidence. Many thanks guys !

Point Guard

After the Big Tuesday swell dropped away, I sat down to review some of the other photos. What really impressed me about that day was how different spots started working at different stages of the tide, and I just had to post these pictures of the lone surfer who really left no margin for error. He was the only one out at the point, and the bigger sets he left alone. Smart guy !

If you made any mistake you would end up directly on the rocks, and when the bigger waves pushed through the rocks started to appear in the wave face.

Apart from having large cajones, do you reckon he has some secret talisman to ward off the darker forces of the cliff ?

Big Tuesday

(Click to enlarge) WindGuru.cz gave it 4 out of 5 stars, and all the forecasts suggest it should be 4-6ft. However after a busy Easter and a stinker of a cold - the reality for me was to stay on land. A good walk on the beach and photographing from the ridge, actually had me buzzing. The set waves pushing through were huge, and the ground shook when some of these waves broke. The outer reefs should be working at low tide. Stand by for more pictures.

Holy Saturday

Had been up since 5am and couldn't sleep, so went for a stroll down to the beach. I felt so tired and have a stinking cold, but after watching these guys I raced back home to grab my board. Justin and Keith were on fire this morning - thanks for inspiring me.

Southerly strikes

I have been really interested to see what happens when the Southerly blows at Westward. It should be crosshore, but it seemed more cross off so I stayed in the car park, as I wasn't sure I could sail. Andy attempted to get out, but the wind seemed so gusty as it blew off the land, by the time I finally got round to pulling on my wetsuit, I just grabbed the surfboard and headed out. Hope you enjoy todays shots.

After the weekend.

After the masses return to the grind, the sun goes in and the wave height drops. Or at least that's what it felt like today. I was dragged to the city this weekend and had to leave a beautifully clean 2-4 ft wave. When I returned last night I promised myself whatever the wave, I would make it out tonight. As you can see the sky was dark, the rain poured and it all felt a bit lonely. So when I saw this little clique sat on the horizon, they captured my interest. They sat waiting for the set waves and seemed to have something 'not of this world'. After I took the picture, I paddled out and it felt like the wave seemed to double in height, the guys knew just when to paddle, and picked off wave after wave. However when the next set pushed through, and it was my time to paddle, I looked round and they had vanished.

What the f&*k !?!

After five years of posting on a friends website I have had to cut out all surf pictures. It seems that with all the shots of North Devon, I could be setting a precedent for other surfers to start posting pictures of other wave breaks. Apparently due to localism and protection of wave spots (in B.C.) they want to avoid sharing information on locations. In essence, celebrating nice waves at a good spot, could lead to too much notoriety. Reminds me of why I never really got into surfing at other spots before. Either bad waves or bad attitude - or a combination of both. Here are some shots of todays action - enjoy and get out there and maybe say 'Hi' to other surfers. Share the love : )

North by North West

Cold and bright - Should've Could've Would've . Instead I Sailed overpowered on my 5.2 but really should have been on the 4.5. It was a real soul session as I was only one out at the sign of first light. Waves were great and super crisp and clean, but its never quite the same not sharing with a friend. Still getting my confidence with this spot, although it seems almost nurturing. So different from the southern shores of Bigbury bay.

I need to sort out my Loops !

None other than Boards tester - Ian Leonard. Ian is a great sailor to watch ! Not to mention his forward loops looked so easy - you wondered why you weren't throwing them on every tack.

Boiling Sea

(click on picture) Its not stopped blowing all week, and the boys have been ripping it up. My body aches so much and I am looking out the window wondering if I want to do it all again. Blue skies and cold peircing North Westerly today. Swell has increased over night and MAgic seawood suggests it could be several meters. More updates to follow.

Corduroy Lines

This was the first view I had on my stroll to buy fish and chips for the family.

I was so weary from packing and moving but this all seemed to put things into perspective.

Settling in at Westward Ho !

Its almost been three weeks since moving here, and the waves have been a real joy. I have scored some beautiful days already despite a cold grey February. Sadly the forecast looks perfect for the weekend but we are travelling !!!

January 23rd - 7 days to go !

Woke up this morning, with big knot in my stomach. 7 days to go before our big move, and we still haven't really got our packing sorted. Not 100% sure why and where we are moving to, the only real guarantee is that it is both windy and has waves - http://www.eyeball-surfcheck.co.uk/westward-ho.html?

Ok - none of which are playing ball today - but I can't wait.

My job also ends on the day of our move, and I am hoping to keep a blog of our time in North Devon.