Today

The world of JSD

Dropped in to see Justin (of the elusive JSD surfboards) on my way back from the guys at Homeblown. Great to see such an impressive shaping room, and the new biofoam blanks are just about to be put in to action. Will post up when we have some consistent looking shapes in the coming weeks.

Solo session.

It was a funny old session as I was the only one out - Paul reckoned he was waiting in for a boiler service, Andy somewhere in central China, and Dan complaining of a sore knee (so acting photog). Very gusty at the start but smallish clean sets pushed through, and pretty 'warm' for Jan.


Despite this and being overly finned (and board for that matter) I only just squeezed my boots into the footstraps, but didn't want to come in to correct. When Dan left shortly after, and the camera firmly put away, I reset the footstraps making it SO much easier to wave ride. The second session felt so much better and really dialled and just as I started to relax, I took a set on the head and a board straight to my nose. Not sure if its broken, but my new Ezzy 5.2 is covered in blood : )

Not quite the christening I had in mind, but a lovely sail considering it was gusting between 17-30 mph (according to XC weather).

The whimper

Today, I have to be straight and tell you that it wasn't my best day. The forecast as usual had me a touch nervous with the thought that the reef would be eating me for breakfast. And on that note, it is without my weetabix that I entered the water, a grave mistake.

In my case, empty stomach means low confidence. I just don't feel strong and my inner lion, feels more like an inner lamb. With that I whimpered as Luke kindly showed me the channel and I made it out back. However each time the set loomed I paddled further out and found myself avoiding the sets rather than chanrging them. No bad thing, as sometimes its best to sit and wait your turn both emotionally as well as physically. Eventually I admitted defeat and waited for a lull in the sets to paddle back in, convinced that a hollow monster was about to chase me down and send me over the falls.

But just as my kind hearted mentors advised 'keep to the right and it will be alright'. I did actually catch something rideable on the way in and of course when I was back on dry land - i REALLY wondered what all the fuss was about.

Thanks guys.

God Save the Wind

Thanks to the guys at God Save the Wind for this.
Watch it for so many reasons; Massive waves at Reunion, technical moves almost unfathomable, or maybe just because Windsurfing holds its pride of place alongside the sport of kings!

Guava Jelly

Found this site through a friend and its really worth checking out. What really is amazing is that all of these shots are in England. Seeing the images of Spot X (the Tab on his website - not the shot above) reminds me of all the reasons I fell in love with windsurfing almost 20 years ago.
http://www.guavajelly.co.uk

The wrong break

Nice swell, but a really long paddle and I felt worn out from too much training. Thirty minutes of duck diving and paddling made me turn around and head back in, however this is where I should have been !

New things

Many thanks to Edge Watersports who are having a blow out sale, and are seliing off lots of windsurf kit cheap - check them at www.edgewaterpsorts.com
Very good prices !!!
Meanwhile my New Ezzy Wave Panthers have arrived and are just itching to sail in the Southerly forecast for the weekend. Another equally inspiring addition, is Bend to Baja - as recommended on the Adventures in Trim blog (see blog links). This book has already got me planning a climb/surf trip on our own North Devon cliffs (3 day hike as soon as things warm up).

Got tangled up with too much other than surfing today, but still managed to steal 5 minutes to watch the action.

Pete Devries

I recently found this in Huck magazine and had to post. Pete Devries won the Oneill cold Water classic in Tofino, Vancouver Island. Maybe not particularly interesting, until you realise he wasn't a pro, didn't have a sponsor, and was down on his luck with iminent duties of fatherhood approaching. Hence when he defeated numerous World class pro surfers, he not only won the event, but won Canada's first ever Pro surf contest, instantly becoming a national hero. Go Pete !

Guilty Pleasures

I hate to admit that I that I found this site a little while ago...and was surprised to see it in the Times list (apologies but it is Sunday and flat) of things going up. I hate to think that humour should come at the expense of others, but somethings are too good to miss.
Go visit The peopleofWalmart, although you might have to click through a few pages to get the full effect.

Oscar rips !

Didn't really get the best of yesterday, so dusted off the long board for some classic trim moments today. Meanwhile Oscar took his Dad's 7'2 and I paddled out alongside. It was just nice being in the water, despite the cold, but really good to see Oscar getting the best out the small stuff. I think he has a bright future for only twelve years young.



Meanwhile I was still getting to grips with a the difference between surfing a 6'2 fish and a 9'2 pig.

Couple of cold ones

with friends has been the perfect tonic for cabin fever. The waves could not have been cleaner, but its definitely hood weather. Enjoy the weekend, more waves to follow this week, and am loving the space in the water.

Physics...

was never my favourite subject, but with this guy as my teacher, I might have got a better grade. Mr. J conducts a dry land tow-in experiment during a rare flat spell. Nice job.

Save Bowmont

and wear Finisterre. Finisterre clothing have recently been striving to source all the Merino wool for their clothing within North Devon. The Bowmont sheep have been close to extinction for some time, and it was only after creating a demand for this wool, and Finisterre's eye for detail; that the Bowmont might be on the rise once again.

Westward Sno

No wind other than cold cold Northerly winds, mediocre swell, and a small blizzard this morning. Will be swapping the board for some Telemark skiis tomorrow.

Happy New Year

Wishing each and everyone of you, wind and waves for 2010.

Just one..

wave was all it took today. The forecast was pretty much accurate with strong offshores making the the 3-5 ft wave standup pretty nicely. As a result, I think I got my first ever beach break barrel, or perhaps it was more of an over head closeout. Either way it was incredible to feel the power, not far off what you might expect at low tide Croyde. Great to see Carl in the water, and check out Dan in this months copy of Boards (as guest tester). Welcome back team Excel !

Magic Lie

Yes indeed. Magic Seaweed lured the masses with tales of three/four feet and 8 second interval. However it was more like 1ft and an interval of 90 seconds. Still it was great just to get in and work my tiny fish against the longboarders.

The return of a legend.

Hanging with an old friend today made me think of the last time he graced our shores. I have never met anyone quite as at peace with themself, and his serenity and kind heartedness remain unmatched. Come back soon Ben, you are very much missed.

Cold and Windy

North Westerly was in full swing and a great session for an hour or so. Here's a shot of MTC who was suffering from some serious numb hands.

Trail of the Lonesome Pine

New sails are set to arrive any day, and the wind and wave forecast is due to return from tomorrow. In the meantime I have been hot on the trail of attempting to classify one remaining pine at the bottom of the garden. It seems it may be the Monterey pine (first borught here in the 1830's from California), and I am going to try and search out some replacements of this magnificent tree. Apparently they love wind blown coasts and have a taste for salt air, guess they aren't alone.

The next trip.

Since I found this video on YouTube, this place has been high on the agenda for a visit. Check out the sets towards the end fo the film.

and on that same trip...

I found this old video that I put together a few years back. Thanks to Laura for the camera work.

Escapism

When it just gets too cold to get in the water, I tend to drift off to places I have been before. One such place was Moledo on the West coast of Portugal and a lesser known spot to surf/wsurf. Just by chance, when I first drove past this amazing beach, it was cranking a Force 8. Three hours later, I scored my best sail of the year on a great little reef working half a kilometre offshore. Found this video to share the spot -

Das Cribbar

Looks like the Cribbar has been acting up again, and the weather looks to be travelling up the coast. South Westerlies for Monday, hopefully a few degrees warmer too.

All mixed up

Temperatures seem to have dropped and so has the swell, wind and everything else. Feel a little bit green (with envy) as friends head off to the mountains and my wife resolutely says 'no' to Heli skiing or ANY other mountain trip. So for the forseeable, its watching the forecasts, attending interviews and generally tending to the house and kids. Many thanks to Luke for helping us to progress with our plans for the new home, and sad to say I missed organising a proper christmas send off for Steve 'the beer'. In the meantime for any of you who can be bothered to make the trek, please drop by for a sample of the christmas home brew.

PS - check out a very local chilling tale .

Random acts of kindness

Many thanks to Matt from Columbia Beach, Vancouver Island. Last week Matt sent me an email, saying he enjoyed the pictures on the blog and wanted to send something he couldn't use in Canada. I have never met the guy before but and it all seemed very random, but true to his word, a little parcel arrived today. What a great surprise to unwrap an electric boot warmer/drier, so am waiting for the forecast to change so I can test on my wetsuit booties.
Thanks again and I will endeavour to pass on the random act !

Grrrrrrr

Season of giving is near and if I had my way, I would be buying each and every friend a quiver of some of these puppies. Sadly these don't come cheap but they are the ultimate investment, and if you get the chance, see if you can get a 2009 for cheap. You won't be disappointed.
Happy sailing !

No kids !

Today was really great just to get back in the water. Nothing like a surf to make you feel alive again, and glad it was on the small side to ease me in gently. Hate to wish the sun away, but can't wait for the return of some monster conditions : )