surfing weekend

3 days of surfing, not much more to be said! me and moby walking up from the surf!

surf stuff

last friday was a good sunny day (at home in cornwall). carol (mrs g) along with sue, & claire finally were abe to get things sorted out and arrange a full 2 plus hours of surf training/lesson. so good to see people enjoying something that is so important to me. even though I wasn't feeling too well that day (dodgy fish & chips a couple of days previous) I had a great day watching from the beach. impressed with their efforts in a dropping swell with still a bit of strength left.

sunday - sunshine - surfing

I was able to get every one up and out really early this morning. the sun was been shinning (as still is). a short drive to the north coast parked up on the beach. in the water early and out the back into half decent waves before it was even nearly crowded. at a beach that is famous for over crowding.

we where already on the back on the beach and drinking coffee before the lifeguards started work and heading home against the massive flow of traffic beachwards before midday. love this chance photo taken today while my youngest was playing with a tennis ball, throwing it in the air.

facebook oh dear

I am sure if you have ever read any of the blog posts or even published web/magazine articles I have written through the the past years. at some time I will have complained about facebook or the many other social networking web sites there are, even twitter! that I have to say, I use quite a lot, has a real love - hate relationship with my time and thoughts.

any-way in a weak moment a week or so ago I did one of those annoying what kind of * are you? this one happened to be 'writer'. so I filled out the questions answering as honestly as possible, and it turned out that I was 'shakespeare'. yes I know they mean nothing, are a waste of time. realistically all I may have in common with the great bard is the fact I often make spelling mistakes writing in haste.

I was surprised to see that the surfing article I had written the month before for Go2 magazine had a strange connection to shakespeare (corny I know). the title was was added by the editorial team viv and rachel not me!

just in case you might have thought otherwise | I have no influence on the design / type-setting of the magazine. I write 1000 words a month for Go2, which usually goes in with out re-writes or edits. I am am happy with that.

new year

had to put these two pictures up even though it is saturday. the first was drawn late last night by my youngest son while we were looking at the lego website deciding whether to buy star wars lego, as well as looking at the batman stuff on line or wait to go to the shops.
the other is taken from a web cam of the beach break in west cornwall this morning, I was supposed to be going to a surf competition today near home but haven't gone as the swell direction is easterly, so weakish and cold but further down the coast it is looking good!

at some point >> no surprises

no surprise really but at some point during the christmas break I hope to be able to get in the water.

yes the waters cold and it is winter. but winter often bring the best conditions so I will be looking for something like the picture above, taken a couple of winters ago.

after all as the saying goes 'there is nothing a good surf can't cure'. (if only it were true).

rip curl boardmasters 08 >>

I am normally excited around this time of year I am either on the way on foreign surf trip (as last year) or at minimum on my way over to the board-masters in newquay. as a surfer and a writer about surfing I usually drive over (it is quite close to where I live). but I am not planning to go over this time well not unless the surf picks up a huge amount. strange really but I am beginning to feel that its a bit like the two weeks of wimbledon you know when every one in the uk plays tennis for two weeks. only to forget about it three weeks later. perhaps I am a miserable old git but surfing is a year round thing and much as it is very important to cornish surfing and the local surfing industry. it is more than ever full of people who are there to be seen rather than to actually watching the surfing. but who am I to criticise I will probably go later in the week, perhaps I am just wishing that I had been asked to judge some of the heats then I would be over there like a shot. all that said if you are over at fistral hope you enjoy it. 

local surfing >> south east cornwall

I could not let this week go by without mentioning the very exciting news that local surfer and daughter of a work colleague of mine; gabi rowe won the newquay leg of the girls quiksilver king of the groms (surfing competition), at fistral beach yesterday. for more info and find the other results check the bbc surfing pages. I am really pleased with this result not just because I know gabi and her family or that she lives near where I call home, but because she is one of a growing number of surfers based on the south cornish coast who are challenging and sometimes matching the largely newquay centric uk surfing world. the north coast of cornwall does get (better) well I prefer to call it more consistent waves, but the south creates a particular kind of surfer who for the most part never takes the supply of waves for granted, and will surf in conditions that others would over look. well done gabi.

about time

as usual when I get the time the surf is nowhere to be seen. this week I as it is half term I am away from my day job. so I fancy some extra water time. rather than the crammed time amongst all the other stuff. earlier in the year on a pre-planned surf trip, (against all odds) the north east coast decided to go flat for the week I was there (usually the average wave height for february is 7ft). hopefully this week will see a better surfing outcome for me that is, I would love a couple of hours or longer in the water with some quality surf.

photo (courtesy) moby.

beach time

pleased that orange did deliver my replacement blackberry as promised on saturday, we ventured to the beach on sunday. lucky as we are to live in cornwall, so close to so many amazing beaches we often take for granted. the normal camera I take to the beach is off with friend and collegue on the inca trial in peru. so I used the phone to take a few pictures yesterday it's not bad for a phone. I know the picture here is a bit obvious but I like the place the sand and the sea meet. even managed a surf, can't complain.

the surf directory >>

with so many new web sites every day (especially surfing sites) many do not last. or to be honest aren't very good. in the last month or so a new site the surf directory has gone live. I never see a new surf web site as a threat to my surf site (of 10 years already) surf98 in fact it simply increases the flow of web traffic to all of us. any way if you are so inclined have a look, I think it is a really good interactive site with loads of information as well as the usual surf reports and beach info.

art or information? you decide >>

so often when you see a surfing photo, a postcard or a beach scene with a sunset. corny and cliched will often spring to mind. so thought I would provide you with another. though this picture (another taken by moby in morocco) fits this in a number of ways. it also supplies a surfer with a number of other things as for a surfer it is a great photo. rather than thinking of colour, design and composition and all 'arty' type of things you probably are. a surfer will see clean lines of swell a good size wave and a car roof to lean on when you are watching or checking the surf. 

I like this >>

I like this sign not necessarily because of the type face or the colours, more the sentiment. it kind of sums up the surf for this coming weekend as well as the lack of my surfing activity of late. have a good weekend.
king surf is a surf school in mawgan porth, cornwall.

seafever movie >> ireland

just had to post this from the film sea fever really uplifting (for me any way) piece of film.



sea fever is ken o’sullivan’s first production and was produced without funding.

more morocco >> from moby

with such a good reaction to yesterdays post I have found some more morocco pictures from moby to bring to you.
they look so good that its make the dull february weather in the UK so much easier to cope with.

bit late back >> happy new year

just a short post to let you know I am back, from a holiday I suppose.
I didn't get in the water as I had planned but still I did get as far as the beach and it looked good. the picture below taken by my good friend moby, on the north coast yesterday morning.


I was down west after watching ben play rugby, sorting out the correct size for a new set of fins (for kneeboarding) thanks to the guys at the surf shop at portreath. excellent service and friendly as well.

photos >> surf & more

I think I am very lucky, I see many pictures of surfing and surfers as well as beaches and seascapes sent to me as the owner of the surf site surf98.
moby one of the sur98 team, he has posted hundreds of surfing pictures through in the last 10 or so years. very grateful I am too. I am looking forward to seeing the photos of his next trip to morocco at the end of this month. as he is experimenting with a water camera with which he has already taken and sent through some excellent pictures. I will make sure to add some moroccan picture to this blog when they come through

more great pictures have been provided by lelia maffey see pictures below and here. it is so good to have many different views of the same thing.

surfing please...>>

it has been just one of those days when I have seem to have been very busy, but achieved very little. amongst the time spent trying to do stuff I rushed back in the hope that the weather would bring perhaps a change in the swell patterns in order to at least make plans to get in the water this weekend, but the chances of clean waves are slim in cornwall, well lots of waves but the wrong kind, looking cold and very choppy.