It's been a tough week watching perfext swells rolling to porthcawl everyday and not being able to get on it but I took today off and finally got some salt water in my ears again!
Slightly hung over and lacking sleep I hooked with will, doc and mike at our local for some wintry feeling surf. The wind was dead E so bloody cold but I'd dusted off my winter rubber and mitts so was well armed.
It's never a nice feeling paddling out for the 1st time in all that rubber and feeling knackered and ung over from last night's pub quiz (we won btw!) didn't help!
The surf however looked nice, 3-4ft and a really nice shape with peaks galore and only a handful in.
Within about 30 mins of us getting in, the tide pushed in and the surf switched off :(
It was very strange as further down the beach it was still nice and hollow.
After a frustrating 45 mins or so though it gradually began to get good again. Phew!
One of my better waves today:
I saw mike snag a double cover up! Good to see the old boy laying down some moves! Doc was all over it as usual on big red and had one insanely long ride - it just kept on going and going as did doc!
Will was in a 10 yr old suit that he fought to get into in the carpark and had no hood so did well to last the distance but he bagged lots of waves and I think we might see him a bit more this winter. He's prob in hospital by now with hyperthermia though!
The waves kept rolling through, perfectly shaped and hollow and I did my best to pull under as many lips as I could find.
I had about 5 or 6 cover ups today, a couple of really nice ones but the fish eye lens has flattened all the waves out again so everything only looks about 1ft! :(
Shattered but stoked! I think I've earnt a chinese takeaway tonight!
Friday 11 December 2009
Monday 7 December 2009
Dim surfio
Apologies for my lack of surfing blogs recently but TBH I've not been in for nearly 3 weeks! I know...
This is not good but the surf has largely been big and onshore and Coney beach close-outs haven't inspired me lately.
Jnr has been putting in some serious training in the pool though, ready for the 'Under 1's Eddie Akaui' competition next year.
We've been working on his underwater skills, holding his breath and learning not to panic on big wave hold downs.
"Right, now listen son...Wait for the 3rd wave to pass over and look for the bubbles"
I'll hopefully have some more sensible surfing blog fodder this week. More big swells are set to hit over the next few days and then high pressure moves in just as another wee hit comes through towards the end of the week so hopefully the winds will be something other than SW!
Someone mentioned Xmas is coming too?
Gull
This is not good but the surf has largely been big and onshore and Coney beach close-outs haven't inspired me lately.
Jnr has been putting in some serious training in the pool though, ready for the 'Under 1's Eddie Akaui' competition next year.
We've been working on his underwater skills, holding his breath and learning not to panic on big wave hold downs.
"Right, now listen son...Wait for the 3rd wave to pass over and look for the bubbles"
I'll hopefully have some more sensible surfing blog fodder this week. More big swells are set to hit over the next few days and then high pressure moves in just as another wee hit comes through towards the end of the week so hopefully the winds will be something other than SW!
Someone mentioned Xmas is coming too?
Gull
Monday 23 November 2009
Noah's arc
We've been getting battered here in Wales recently with floods and some seriously big swells - 6-7m in fact so a lot of the quieter sheltered spots have been going off!
Pic by Adie from Sunday in West Wales:
Crowds have also been a factor as we're not blessed with a huge number of spots that are sheltered and can hold surf in strong SW winds.
This pic was posted on the OTL forum earlier and for anyone that knows this spot which is heavy at the best of times..you know not to surf here when it looks like this!
The barometer has been showing 993 recently
I did a dawnie on Saturday as the winds were offshore. Met up with Doc, Harv, Johhny Rainbow and Werg at first light.
It was a horrible, overcast (almost dark) day at times with a stiff SE wind so I was extra glad my new winter wetsuit boots arrived on Friday afternoon :)
Winter boots seem to sell out earlier every year. I'd been putting it off despite seeing a lot of people in hoods, gloves and winter boots but my summer reef slippers aren't comfortable any more as sea temps dip to around 13 degrees C.
As we arrived at the beach we were greeted with nice fast hollow 4-5ft surf and I was feeling pretty excited about the session.
Mounted the camer on the front again and filmed some of the boys getting some.
Doc and Harv had a few nice ones but didn't see the other fellas getting much although Werg was spending a lot of time inside paddling... so perhaps he was snagging some afterall!
Johhny was 'rusty' apparently - Well it is a week since his last surf! ;)
I didn't have a great surf. Caught some nice ones but nothing to write home about as far as length of ride goes.
Sadly, the surf wasn't as good as conditions initially made them out to be. Despite there being some lovely waves on offer, they were a bugger to catch mainly due to the wind blowing us off the peak, plus the rip and a fairly big tide.
Nevertheless we all snagged some and I had some nice wipe outs too, trying to go that little bit too late in the lip...
Doc on a nice right hander on 'big red':
The peaks were coming out of deep water and jacking up very quickly which meant positioning was very tricky. You were either right on it or it was right on you!
Also bumped in Aran who was out surfing on a new 'Santa Cruz' stick despite the fact that his wife only gave birth to their daughter, last week! LOL
I thought I was doing well in getting wet, just 2 weeks after Fin was born but he's set a new precedent here!
Ratter is also a new dad! 'Archy Evans' arrived last Thursday :) but I think it will be a little while before we see Ratter in the water.
Well done to him and wife Nicky though, it wasn't an easy birth but they're through the worst of it now :)
More storms, floods and no doubt rain on the way for Wales...Winter is well and truly here!
Gull
Pic by Adie from Sunday in West Wales:
Crowds have also been a factor as we're not blessed with a huge number of spots that are sheltered and can hold surf in strong SW winds.
This pic was posted on the OTL forum earlier and for anyone that knows this spot which is heavy at the best of times..you know not to surf here when it looks like this!
The barometer has been showing 993 recently
I did a dawnie on Saturday as the winds were offshore. Met up with Doc, Harv, Johhny Rainbow and Werg at first light.
It was a horrible, overcast (almost dark) day at times with a stiff SE wind so I was extra glad my new winter wetsuit boots arrived on Friday afternoon :)
Winter boots seem to sell out earlier every year. I'd been putting it off despite seeing a lot of people in hoods, gloves and winter boots but my summer reef slippers aren't comfortable any more as sea temps dip to around 13 degrees C.
As we arrived at the beach we were greeted with nice fast hollow 4-5ft surf and I was feeling pretty excited about the session.
Mounted the camer on the front again and filmed some of the boys getting some.
Doc and Harv had a few nice ones but didn't see the other fellas getting much although Werg was spending a lot of time inside paddling... so perhaps he was snagging some afterall!
Johhny was 'rusty' apparently - Well it is a week since his last surf! ;)
I didn't have a great surf. Caught some nice ones but nothing to write home about as far as length of ride goes.
Sadly, the surf wasn't as good as conditions initially made them out to be. Despite there being some lovely waves on offer, they were a bugger to catch mainly due to the wind blowing us off the peak, plus the rip and a fairly big tide.
Nevertheless we all snagged some and I had some nice wipe outs too, trying to go that little bit too late in the lip...
Doc on a nice right hander on 'big red':
The peaks were coming out of deep water and jacking up very quickly which meant positioning was very tricky. You were either right on it or it was right on you!
Also bumped in Aran who was out surfing on a new 'Santa Cruz' stick despite the fact that his wife only gave birth to their daughter, last week! LOL
I thought I was doing well in getting wet, just 2 weeks after Fin was born but he's set a new precedent here!
Ratter is also a new dad! 'Archy Evans' arrived last Thursday :) but I think it will be a little while before we see Ratter in the water.
Well done to him and wife Nicky though, it wasn't an easy birth but they're through the worst of it now :)
More storms, floods and no doubt rain on the way for Wales...Winter is well and truly here!
Gull
Sunday 8 November 2009
Sunday morning worship
6.30am, 2.6m, 8 seconds, mid tide, light NW winds.
Had a great little session today accompanied by ratter. We met up at 6.30am and paddled out under a moonlit sky. If it hadn't been for the 3-4ft hollow shorey then it might have been romantic! ;0
We paddled over to the point where we'd be surfing and waited...Glassy but not quite firing, some lovely waves were still coming through in the 3-4ft region. The big tides had pushed the surf off the reef altogether so it took a while to start working properly.
As it got lighter we were joined by one other and we enjoyed fairly glassy conditions for the next hour. The waves began to improve and the crowd grew but there was a good vibe out back and plenty to go round. I fell off two nice barrels, not quite exiting but good fun all the same and I was keen to see how the cam looked when mounted on the the front.
I saw JT and 'Gathy' sat out in the channel on their planks picking off the wide sets whilst the rest of us fought it out on the peak. Ratter had a nice little head dip earlier on but seemed to lose his way and opted for the inside slot away from all the jostling.
Had a great little session today accompanied by ratter. We met up at 6.30am and paddled out under a moonlit sky. If it hadn't been for the 3-4ft hollow shorey then it might have been romantic! ;0
John taking off followed by me on a right.
We paddled over to the point where we'd be surfing and waited...Glassy but not quite firing, some lovely waves were still coming through in the 3-4ft region. The big tides had pushed the surf off the reef altogether so it took a while to start working properly.
As it got lighter we were joined by one other and we enjoyed fairly glassy conditions for the next hour. The waves began to improve and the crowd grew but there was a good vibe out back and plenty to go round. I fell off two nice barrels, not quite exiting but good fun all the same and I was keen to see how the cam looked when mounted on the the front.
I saw JT and 'Gathy' sat out in the channel on their planks picking off the wide sets whilst the rest of us fought it out on the peak. Ratter had a nice little head dip earlier on but seemed to lose his way and opted for the inside slot away from all the jostling.
Heaven
I had some lovely rides today, really fast, long rights that had everything a surfer needs - speed, steep sections, bashable bits and tubey sections.
My last wave was lovely as I pulled into a nice keg, had a split second to realise I was fully engulfed and managed to squeak out the side door as it shut down around my ears - time to go in!
I got to shore and threw up after swallowing some sea water but was absolutely buzzing after a really good 2 hrs of surfing. Well and truly stoked!
Thursday 5 November 2009
Go pro meets coco pops for breakfast
Strong NW winds, big tides and a 3m swell.
First outing for my new toy and it had to be Coney beach...
For those of you who know me - I don't have a love affair with this place and rarely surf it.
Image from www.porthcawl surf.co.uk this morning:
I saw JT out back and he laughed and said "I can't believe it! You're actually here?!"
At least it was 3-4ft and offshore but closing out as usual...
Stupidly I just deleted my best wave (honest!) which consisted of an otl and a cuttie on a nice right which held up but that will teach me for being impatient when editing....damn
Ah well today was a test day anyway. I'm sure I'll get much better footage once those winter swells kick in properly.
I'll try the stills function next time and move the camera to face forwards and see how that looks.
I'm going to have stop being so damn lazy with my pop up though. Far too relaxed and slow. I put it down to it being early and Coney! ;)
Gull
First outing for my new toy and it had to be Coney beach...
For those of you who know me - I don't have a love affair with this place and rarely surf it.
Image from www.porthcawl surf.co.uk this morning:
I saw JT out back and he laughed and said "I can't believe it! You're actually here?!"
At least it was 3-4ft and offshore but closing out as usual...
Stupidly I just deleted my best wave (honest!) which consisted of an otl and a cuttie on a nice right which held up but that will teach me for being impatient when editing....damn
Ah well today was a test day anyway. I'm sure I'll get much better footage once those winter swells kick in properly.
I'll try the stills function next time and move the camera to face forwards and see how that looks.
I'm going to have stop being so damn lazy with my pop up though. Far too relaxed and slow. I put it down to it being early and Coney! ;)
Go Pro test session: the 2nd wave...
The water is surprisingly clear though considering it looks like hot chocolate when you paddle out!
The cam was great and a breeze to operate. I thought I had to leave it on for the whole session but you can easily switch it on and off, in between waves.
Chilly old NW wind out there today which felt very wintery by the end - my feet were numbed to the core.
I think my summer reef booties might be going into the shed after today's outing, to be replaced with something a bit thicker!
Gull
Friday 30 October 2009
Head dips and flying fish
6am: 1.2m, 11.9 secs (dominant wave period), 264 direction, 30 spread, 14.95 deg c
On the ground: 2ft+ and hollow
One of the best things about having a new baby is that you don't need to rely on an alarm clock and their batteries never run out!
4am start today, my fault I suggested picking him up...
By 5.30am he's finally drifted off again and with my alarm set for 5.45am I opted for some brekkie and checked the data at Gull HQ.
0.9M, 11 sec period and a healthy SE wind. Worth a punt! Two to three and I'd be happy.
I had some garbled message on my mobile from Doc who'd got lost but with larry as co pilot anything is possible ;) Phoned him back to explain where he had to go and met up with those guys and Harv in his brand new shiny ladies car. But at least it's red
Pleasantries done we stomped off down that long dirty track to the beach. The tide was 2 hrs back and the swell not huge but nice and hollow.
We spent a few mins running in different directions towards peaks and then changing our minds. To an onlooker we must have looked like escaped loons from the local secure unit.
Eventually we settled on a bank and paddled out. The waves were 2ft+ and hollow but prone to shutting down but we made the best of it. Docs long board was getting caught out by the wind and he got blown off a few.
H-man seemed to be happy and reported a few pits and larry got off to a good start, working his lines.
The waves seemed to die down slightly but after about 45 mins, dropped back onto a decent bank and we were in business with consistent sucky 2ft+ waves barrelling their way down the line.
Harv allowed me to surf 'his peak' and drop in on him which was nice - and all free of charge! :)
We then shared lefts and rights as more and more sets came our way.
Larry meanwhile was in no man's land and was waiting for something - what we'll never know but he was a long way out whilst we surfed what was basically a hollow shorey.
He kept signalling out to sea with both arms out stretched over his head? I've a feeling he was having 'nam flashbacks...
Larry finally caught a decent wave and I even saw the old boy float a nice section. Doc stepped up next with a really nice long right followed by a nice little head dip.
The fish were on fine form today. We should haveve taken a net...
Doc had 1 kamikazee bass fly straight at his back, narrowly missing him. I had another jump straight out of the water in front of me on a wave. Very bizarre to see them in action so early in the day.
As he took off I screamed the call of the day 'head dip!!!!'as he shot past me,dodging the 1st lip before tucking in at the end and making a nice exit.
Harv was pulling in and making a few and kept kissing his guns after each ride?! LOL and I was doing my hardest to try and get some cover after Tuesday's warm up session.
My last wave I got right inside the pigs eye and lived to tell the tale :)
Paddling back out after a very average wave, I spotted a set jacking up.
I decided to take a punt and swivelled around and into it quickly. It could have gone either way.
As luck would have it, I dropped down into a nice sand sucking barrel, completely engulfed and exited out the side curtain before it unloaded onto the shore - My wave in!
I was tempted to paddle out for one more as the sets were getting bigger but remembered what a wise man once said: "Always finish on a good one"
If only I'd had my go pro camera, set up....oh well, maybe next time
Time for work.
I bade larry a fond farewell to which he replied "larry's not here! He didn't turn up today...!"
The legend grows.
On the ground: 2ft+ and hollow
One of the best things about having a new baby is that you don't need to rely on an alarm clock and their batteries never run out!
4am start today, my fault I suggested picking him up...
By 5.30am he's finally drifted off again and with my alarm set for 5.45am I opted for some brekkie and checked the data at Gull HQ.
0.9M, 11 sec period and a healthy SE wind. Worth a punt! Two to three and I'd be happy.
I had some garbled message on my mobile from Doc who'd got lost but with larry as co pilot anything is possible ;) Phoned him back to explain where he had to go and met up with those guys and Harv in his brand new shiny ladies car. But at least it's red
Pleasantries done we stomped off down that long dirty track to the beach. The tide was 2 hrs back and the swell not huge but nice and hollow.
We spent a few mins running in different directions towards peaks and then changing our minds. To an onlooker we must have looked like escaped loons from the local secure unit.
Eventually we settled on a bank and paddled out. The waves were 2ft+ and hollow but prone to shutting down but we made the best of it. Docs long board was getting caught out by the wind and he got blown off a few.
H-man seemed to be happy and reported a few pits and larry got off to a good start, working his lines.
The waves seemed to die down slightly but after about 45 mins, dropped back onto a decent bank and we were in business with consistent sucky 2ft+ waves barrelling their way down the line.
Harv allowed me to surf 'his peak' and drop in on him which was nice - and all free of charge! :)
We then shared lefts and rights as more and more sets came our way.
Larry meanwhile was in no man's land and was waiting for something - what we'll never know but he was a long way out whilst we surfed what was basically a hollow shorey.
He kept signalling out to sea with both arms out stretched over his head? I've a feeling he was having 'nam flashbacks...
Larry finally caught a decent wave and I even saw the old boy float a nice section. Doc stepped up next with a really nice long right followed by a nice little head dip.
The fish were on fine form today. We should haveve taken a net...
Doc had 1 kamikazee bass fly straight at his back, narrowly missing him. I had another jump straight out of the water in front of me on a wave. Very bizarre to see them in action so early in the day.
As he took off I screamed the call of the day 'head dip!!!!'as he shot past me,dodging the 1st lip before tucking in at the end and making a nice exit.
Harv was pulling in and making a few and kept kissing his guns after each ride?! LOL and I was doing my hardest to try and get some cover after Tuesday's warm up session.
My last wave I got right inside the pigs eye and lived to tell the tale :)
Paddling back out after a very average wave, I spotted a set jacking up.
I decided to take a punt and swivelled around and into it quickly. It could have gone either way.
As luck would have it, I dropped down into a nice sand sucking barrel, completely engulfed and exited out the side curtain before it unloaded onto the shore - My wave in!
I was tempted to paddle out for one more as the sets were getting bigger but remembered what a wise man once said: "Always finish on a good one"
If only I'd had my go pro camera, set up....oh well, maybe next time
Time for work.
I bade larry a fond farewell to which he replied "larry's not here! He didn't turn up today...!"
The legend grows.
Salt water buddha takes a bite of the apple
Nothing new but some of you may not have come across these crazy Meyerhoffer shapes.
It all starts to make sense now...he's an old designer from the Apple stables!
A nice read though.
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Tick tock, tick tock
Me finding some early morning shade:
Who said the clocks going back was a bad thing?
For us insomniacs out there, it means one thing - more dawn patrols! For a little while longer anyway...
I'd arranged to meet up with Adie from frames photography for a few shots somewhere new for him and outside of Pembrokeshire.
He'd brought back up in the shape of his big buddy Reuben just in case we planned to rob him of his new fish eye lens. I'd given him instructions...drive down the dark wooded lane, dodge the potholes and park up.
Look at that lip...Mmmmmm
As it happened I was first to arrive and greeted by one other lone, mad surfer, who was busy texting away in his car waiting for 'dawn' to show her face.
She arrived and was beautiful with nice pink clouds bubbling around the smoke stacks of the nearby chocolate factory.
Reuben was probably the most unenthused surfer I'd ever met at 6am! LOL - Not really wanting to leave the comfort and warmth of the car but he seemed to perk up once he got wet! 'Just add water'
Reuben in action:
Eventually everyone had arrived and we marched off towards the beach.
The period was a whopping 17 seconds and we had lightish SSE winds and a 0.9m building swell. The outer buoys were all showing 2m+ so expectations were high.
The waves were around 3-4ft and nice and clean and hollow for the 1st hour but went a bit pair shaped later on. Nevertheless we made the best of it and ratter and I managed to get our beaks under the lip.
Ratter squeaked into a nice little cover up once he found his stride and I found a bit of shelter myself. Ed was out catching plenty and seemed to be enjoying himself but no sign of Adie or Reuben?
Ratter eyes up the hollow section ahead:
We began to wonder if they'd gone back to bed? About 30 mins later we spied them down the other end of the beach!
An hour passed and we enjoyed some really nice fast clean waves. Reuben and Adie joined us and for the next 30 mins we shared some nice waves.
Adie was copping plenty of white water on the inside and I felt quite sorry for him, having to swim out with all that cumbersome kit in tow.
Having a world famous photographer sat inside of me with his big flash gun protuding out of the sea like 'Nautilus' put me off my stride a little and I struggled to find any good waves.
Ratter snagged a few nice set waves and I was getting hungry!
Eventually I snagged a few but the surf had already begun to change.
Big ugly close outs had started to appear which spoilt an otherwise half decent session. After about 2 hours we all called it day and went about our respective business.
On another note - I used my surf plugs for the first time and they were excellent! I had a nightmare of a paddle out and they stayed fast and I came in with no water washing around my sinuses so they get a big thumbs up from me.
Read Adie's blog from this day
Who said the clocks going back was a bad thing?
For us insomniacs out there, it means one thing - more dawn patrols! For a little while longer anyway...
I'd arranged to meet up with Adie from frames photography for a few shots somewhere new for him and outside of Pembrokeshire.
He'd brought back up in the shape of his big buddy Reuben just in case we planned to rob him of his new fish eye lens. I'd given him instructions...drive down the dark wooded lane, dodge the potholes and park up.
Look at that lip...Mmmmmm
As it happened I was first to arrive and greeted by one other lone, mad surfer, who was busy texting away in his car waiting for 'dawn' to show her face.
She arrived and was beautiful with nice pink clouds bubbling around the smoke stacks of the nearby chocolate factory.
Reuben was probably the most unenthused surfer I'd ever met at 6am! LOL - Not really wanting to leave the comfort and warmth of the car but he seemed to perk up once he got wet! 'Just add water'
Reuben in action:
Eventually everyone had arrived and we marched off towards the beach.
The period was a whopping 17 seconds and we had lightish SSE winds and a 0.9m building swell. The outer buoys were all showing 2m+ so expectations were high.
The waves were around 3-4ft and nice and clean and hollow for the 1st hour but went a bit pair shaped later on. Nevertheless we made the best of it and ratter and I managed to get our beaks under the lip.
Ratter squeaked into a nice little cover up once he found his stride and I found a bit of shelter myself. Ed was out catching plenty and seemed to be enjoying himself but no sign of Adie or Reuben?
Ratter eyes up the hollow section ahead:
We began to wonder if they'd gone back to bed? About 30 mins later we spied them down the other end of the beach!
An hour passed and we enjoyed some really nice fast clean waves. Reuben and Adie joined us and for the next 30 mins we shared some nice waves.
Adie was copping plenty of white water on the inside and I felt quite sorry for him, having to swim out with all that cumbersome kit in tow.
Having a world famous photographer sat inside of me with his big flash gun protuding out of the sea like 'Nautilus' put me off my stride a little and I struggled to find any good waves.
Ratter snagged a few nice set waves and I was getting hungry!
Eventually I snagged a few but the surf had already begun to change.
Big ugly close outs had started to appear which spoilt an otherwise half decent session. After about 2 hours we all called it day and went about our respective business.
On another note - I used my surf plugs for the first time and they were excellent! I had a nightmare of a paddle out and they stayed fast and I came in with no water washing around my sinuses so they get a big thumbs up from me.
Read Adie's blog from this day
Thursday 22 October 2009
UK Pro Surf Tour coming to Porthcawl
Press release:
31st October – 1st November 2009, Rest Bay, Porthcawl Wales
www.ukprosurf.com
The Welsh leg of the UK Pro Surf Tour is fast approaching. The elite of UK Surfers will be making their way to Porthcawl for the biggest surfing event in Wales this year.
Winners from the past have included: Nathan Phillips (Llantwit) Mark Harris (Newquay), Matt Capel (S Devon) and Russell Winter (Newquay) all of which will be competing for this year’s title.
For the first time there will be an Under 16 Boys division. Current tour leader Leon Mansfield (Newquay) will be up against local favourite Max Tucker (Porthcawl) amongst many others vying for the inaugural title.
For further information please contact: Dave Reed 01637 854854 or visit the website: www.ukprosurf.com
31st October – 1st November 2009, Rest Bay, Porthcawl Wales
www.ukprosurf.com
The Welsh leg of the UK Pro Surf Tour is fast approaching. The elite of UK Surfers will be making their way to Porthcawl for the biggest surfing event in Wales this year.
Winners from the past have included: Nathan Phillips (Llantwit) Mark Harris (Newquay), Matt Capel (S Devon) and Russell Winter (Newquay) all of which will be competing for this year’s title.
For the first time there will be an Under 16 Boys division. Current tour leader Leon Mansfield (Newquay) will be up against local favourite Max Tucker (Porthcawl) amongst many others vying for the inaugural title.
For further information please contact: Dave Reed 01637 854854 or visit the website: www.ukprosurf.com
Wednesday 21 October 2009
Muddy waters
Swell: 1.6m
Period: 17 seconds!
Wind: Light SE
Tides: HT 8.48am, 9.7m
The alarm buzzed at 6am and a quick glance out of the window showed a nice SE breeze. the period was up but the swell size was not as big as predicted.
I'd arranged to meet Doc and Larry @ our local, well mine now I've moved and after quickly trawling through the 10+ messages from everyone asking where I was going, what was I having for brekkie, had I had a dump yet? I made my way out of the house.
New wetty in hand and my faithful single fin pintail under my arm, off I went.
Drove the 5 mins to the car park and proceeded to wait... It was pitch black and I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to show up?!
It turned out that Larry had the fear about wave size at x and Doc had opted to go silly @ Rhosilli instead? No comment.... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The clock was ticking so at 7.05am precisely I bailed for spot No deux as I didn't fancy x at probably overhead size in the dark, on my own.
I have a son now so have to be a little bit more responsible! ;)
It only took me 15 mins to get to spot 2, a nice set up which I'd watched over the years but always found to be a bit slow and crowded so never bothered with.
Good to see the 'beach' family once again - they don't seem to sleep either!
I'd hoped for a solid 6ft swell but clean 3-4ft lines were stroking through (on sets) and the tide was racing in so I joined squid lips and his posse for a quick paddle out.
It took a while to get into it mainly due to a wave hogging SUP rider who snagged every single set wave that came our way. The 'ancients' would not have approved of his spirit! Aloha my arse..
Once he'd buggered off I got into a few. Nice long, right handers, head high and clean as a whistle. I even tried to pull under a few lips...
The sun poked through and suddenly the world felt alright! Surprisingly warm there.
I was expecting it to be colder a but it was nice and snug and a new 5/3 wetty helped.
I saw guys out in full winter suits, boots and gloves today?
No idea what that is all about as the sea is still a good 15 degs.
Lefts and rights were coming through but tending to shut down in the middle sections so you had to be quite choosy but I slid into a couple of beauties eventually.
Had a couple of hrs in before it was time for work. I only had around 5 good waves but surfing somewhere new can often provide a stoke that you just don't get from surfing classic waves at your local break.
As I left I discovered the exit was a little more challenging than I'd expected and the main peak had become very crowded indeedy!
Harv sent this one in of Rest Bay on the drop at 1pm today:
Looked lovely as I left so hopefully claire beach has some nice pics I can link to shortly.
Drop in's galore and plenty of kooks but a few good rides to be had.
I'll def go back (groan from the locals) but only on a bigger swell! (hurray)
Tomorrow is another day...
Gull
Period: 17 seconds!
Wind: Light SE
Tides: HT 8.48am, 9.7m
The alarm buzzed at 6am and a quick glance out of the window showed a nice SE breeze. the period was up but the swell size was not as big as predicted.
I'd arranged to meet Doc and Larry @ our local, well mine now I've moved and after quickly trawling through the 10+ messages from everyone asking where I was going, what was I having for brekkie, had I had a dump yet? I made my way out of the house.
New wetty in hand and my faithful single fin pintail under my arm, off I went.
Drove the 5 mins to the car park and proceeded to wait... It was pitch black and I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to show up?!
It turned out that Larry had the fear about wave size at x and Doc had opted to go silly @ Rhosilli instead? No comment.... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The clock was ticking so at 7.05am precisely I bailed for spot No deux as I didn't fancy x at probably overhead size in the dark, on my own.
I have a son now so have to be a little bit more responsible! ;)
It only took me 15 mins to get to spot 2, a nice set up which I'd watched over the years but always found to be a bit slow and crowded so never bothered with.
Good to see the 'beach' family once again - they don't seem to sleep either!
I'd hoped for a solid 6ft swell but clean 3-4ft lines were stroking through (on sets) and the tide was racing in so I joined squid lips and his posse for a quick paddle out.
It took a while to get into it mainly due to a wave hogging SUP rider who snagged every single set wave that came our way. The 'ancients' would not have approved of his spirit! Aloha my arse..
Once he'd buggered off I got into a few. Nice long, right handers, head high and clean as a whistle. I even tried to pull under a few lips...
The sun poked through and suddenly the world felt alright! Surprisingly warm there.
I was expecting it to be colder a but it was nice and snug and a new 5/3 wetty helped.
I saw guys out in full winter suits, boots and gloves today?
No idea what that is all about as the sea is still a good 15 degs.
Lefts and rights were coming through but tending to shut down in the middle sections so you had to be quite choosy but I slid into a couple of beauties eventually.
Had a couple of hrs in before it was time for work. I only had around 5 good waves but surfing somewhere new can often provide a stoke that you just don't get from surfing classic waves at your local break.
As I left I discovered the exit was a little more challenging than I'd expected and the main peak had become very crowded indeedy!
Harv sent this one in of Rest Bay on the drop at 1pm today:
Looked lovely as I left so hopefully claire beach has some nice pics I can link to shortly.
Drop in's galore and plenty of kooks but a few good rides to be had.
I'll def go back (groan from the locals) but only on a bigger swell! (hurray)
Tomorrow is another day...
Gull
Monday 19 October 2009
Kong's island
A recent jaunt to a remote Gower reef. Photos courtesy of lensman, Bic.
It's a long old hike, followed by a steep climb down and a nice shallow set up. Amazing scenery though! I was joined by Mike and Harv on this trip.
As we neared the cliffs my heart sank...Nice clean swell lines but no real size. The tides were big, 12m+ and high pressure was pushing in rapidly.
We sat down and prayed to Huey to deliver us from evil...
The waves were unfortunately very small. Last time I surfed it, I had my ass handed back to me on a plate on more than one occasion so I was expecting more of the same.
I'd been telling Harv all about the steep sucky take off's and hollow heaving pits breaking over the slab for those daring enough to go deep.
'Sharing one' with mike 'laid back larry':
We waited and waited for the big tide to race back but as it did, it took the swell with it and we were left with at times dry reef and a 2ft+ wave on sets.
Pig dogging my way into a minuscule cover up:
I'd taken my single fin as I was expecting some gut wrenching drops into 'gaping pits of doom' so was a little over gunned for this particular day but it paddled into waves nicely.
Generating a wee bit of spray:
Getting a wave was one thing. Staying with it and getting a turn out of it was another but I gave it my best shot.
The long hike home:
All pics by Mark 'Bic' Evans
Friday 16 October 2009
Autumn treat
The clocks go back on 25 Oct but don't despair it's not winter yet!
This week we've had a small clean swell and a decent wave period for much of it. Things improve from around Sunday onwards but it's the next little low that is getting exciting:
To summarise - next week is set to pump!
And the winds should be fairly kind too with a good stiff measure of offshore thrown in.
The water is still warm, around 16 degs c but anything with a N or E in the wind and it can feel decidedly chilly now especially once the sun starts to get low in the sky.
I've come out shivering a little the last few surfs I've had.
As a result I invested in some warmth - last year's 5/3/ O'Neill Epic for £100 from Boardriders
I figured you can't go wrong for that price and it's a good fit so my gamble paid off. I just need to christen it now...
Off to get my ears moulded tomorrow for some surfplugs - £65 a pop but worth it as you can't really replace your hearing.
Check out the recent dolphin footie footage on my nature site.
That's it for now
Gull
This week we've had a small clean swell and a decent wave period for much of it. Things improve from around Sunday onwards but it's the next little low that is getting exciting:
To summarise - next week is set to pump!
And the winds should be fairly kind too with a good stiff measure of offshore thrown in.
The water is still warm, around 16 degs c but anything with a N or E in the wind and it can feel decidedly chilly now especially once the sun starts to get low in the sky.
I've come out shivering a little the last few surfs I've had.
As a result I invested in some warmth - last year's 5/3/ O'Neill Epic for £100 from Boardriders
I figured you can't go wrong for that price and it's a good fit so my gamble paid off. I just need to christen it now...
Off to get my ears moulded tomorrow for some surfplugs - £65 a pop but worth it as you can't really replace your hearing.
Check out the recent dolphin footie footage on my nature site.
That's it for now
Gull
Tuesday 13 October 2009
Friday 9 October 2009
Elusive Welsh Open this weekend
The Pro Tour is coming to town, so Rest Bay will be rammed this weekend.
Should have some decent swell too and the winds aren't too bad so should make for an entertaining comp.
Keep an eye out for car thieves, the local police have started a crack down but be vigilant all the same and don't leave keys under the car - 'they are watching you'.
All the info is on my BBC blog.
Saves me repeating myself!
Enjoy the comp if you head down and mail me some pics if you do: wales.surfing@bbc.co.uk
Goodluck to the Welsh guys entering!
Gull
Should have some decent swell too and the winds aren't too bad so should make for an entertaining comp.
Keep an eye out for car thieves, the local police have started a crack down but be vigilant all the same and don't leave keys under the car - 'they are watching you'.
All the info is on my BBC blog.
Saves me repeating myself!
Enjoy the comp if you head down and mail me some pics if you do: wales.surfing@bbc.co.uk
Goodluck to the Welsh guys entering!
Gull
Tuesday 6 October 2009
What next?
I was this '' close to ordering my new bonzer recently.
Malcolm Campbell was over in Cornwall shaping at Nigel Semmens factory.
I found out a bit late in the day and contacted UK rep Guy Penwarden.
After a long chat, I was given till the next day 'at the latest' to consider my options but they'd "def squeeze a board in for me". Great :)
Would it be a contemporary bonzer shape, something in the 6'3"x19x2/5/8 region taking me back to my thruster roots - heaven forbid!
But I do occasionally wonder how I'd go on a skinnier board once more...
Once you've learnt to generate speed and spray on a bumblebee stub, everything else feels like a toy with little effort required.
Then Guy began to wax lyrical about the new bumble bee with pulled in narrower tail and less volume...might be worth considering?
I'd make up my mind and made the call early on the following day.
No reply...
3 more calls, a voice message and 2 texts later I gave up.
There's only so much chasing a man can do!
So there we go - No new bonzer - A shame but at least it's saved me some money.
To say I was pissed off with Mr Penwarden would be an understatement ;)
You can't represent Bonzer vehicles UK - 'be mindful', 'be peaceful' and all that other gubbins and then piss off some of your more 'mindful' customers by ignoring their phone calls and board orders.
My last board took 2yrs to arrive and came with the wrong rear fin.
He then buggered off early on the very day I was due to collect the damn thing - A 4 hr drive for me, so I had to wait a further 3 weeks for it!
How are we supposed to order boards - using telepathy?!
Does this spell the end of my love affair with the bonzer concept - No.
Will I be ordering boards via Guy in the UK - probably not.
I think I'll take the hit and pay for import charges instead from now on.
What was I going to order? Time will tell
But I am beginning to realise now why the humble bonzer has not taken off in the way it should have done, 'globally'.
Malcolm Campbell was over in Cornwall shaping at Nigel Semmens factory.
I found out a bit late in the day and contacted UK rep Guy Penwarden.
After a long chat, I was given till the next day 'at the latest' to consider my options but they'd "def squeeze a board in for me". Great :)
Would it be a contemporary bonzer shape, something in the 6'3"x19x2/5/8 region taking me back to my thruster roots - heaven forbid!
But I do occasionally wonder how I'd go on a skinnier board once more...
Once you've learnt to generate speed and spray on a bumblebee stub, everything else feels like a toy with little effort required.
Then Guy began to wax lyrical about the new bumble bee with pulled in narrower tail and less volume...might be worth considering?
I'd make up my mind and made the call early on the following day.
No reply...
3 more calls, a voice message and 2 texts later I gave up.
There's only so much chasing a man can do!
So there we go - No new bonzer - A shame but at least it's saved me some money.
To say I was pissed off with Mr Penwarden would be an understatement ;)
You can't represent Bonzer vehicles UK - 'be mindful', 'be peaceful' and all that other gubbins and then piss off some of your more 'mindful' customers by ignoring their phone calls and board orders.
My last board took 2yrs to arrive and came with the wrong rear fin.
He then buggered off early on the very day I was due to collect the damn thing - A 4 hr drive for me, so I had to wait a further 3 weeks for it!
How are we supposed to order boards - using telepathy?!
Does this spell the end of my love affair with the bonzer concept - No.
Will I be ordering boards via Guy in the UK - probably not.
I think I'll take the hit and pay for import charges instead from now on.
What was I going to order? Time will tell
But I am beginning to realise now why the humble bonzer has not taken off in the way it should have done, 'globally'.
Monday 21 September 2009
Autumn swells and Baefest
Surf wise there's not been much to report - high pressure has been dominating our weather for the past fortnight - we've had blue skies and sun everyday...our Indian summer?
The Tsunami cup - a charity comp/ fundraiser at Porthcawl was postponed due to lack of swell but down the coast at Swansea - Baefest was kicking off once more!
I know a few otl'ers had some of their photography featured and others were selling their wares so hope it went well for everyone.
'Baefest' beach festival got under way on Saturday down in Swansea Bay and the guys were hoping for a new surfers chain world record attempt.
152 surfers turned up and there are some lovely shots floating around. Here's one from Alun Morris Jones:
You can see more on my BBC Wales Nature blog
Autumn is definitely here. My pears are dropping like flies now so if anyone has any good recipes - let me know!
Seems a shame to drive the lawn mower them so I'm picking as many as I can.
I woke up today to a lovely sunrise, not a breath of wind but you could definitely sense a change coming.
The clouds were stirring and there was a wintry light to the skies over the Bristol channel and as they say only a surfer knows the feeling...
The forecast is okay for the next few days with a decent NW swell tracking in over Ireland and 'lightish' onshore winds.
The low heads North up towards Bloody Forelands and over to Scotland fairly quickly so it will be a short window of opportunity for us surfers in South Wales.
On Saturday I managed to claim my bike back from the spiders living in my garage although the word 'garage' is probably a slight exaggeration.
It was a close run thing for a while - one man against such stiff opposition!
But eventually my stiff bristled broom got the better of the bigger arachnids and they slowly retreated back to the dark corners from where they came.
I saw one beast that was the circumference of my hand! scurrying away. It looked like a bloody huntsman spider!
So I'm guessing that's the big, bad one I have to have my final show down with at the end of the film...
If I can find a bike pump, I'll begin my sortis down to the beach using pedal power this week!
Which is not only greener but should equate to more more water time for me, as I won't be walking the 30 mins (there n back to the break)
That's it for now. There should be a few more updates from now on as we finally get some surf.
Gull
The Tsunami cup - a charity comp/ fundraiser at Porthcawl was postponed due to lack of swell but down the coast at Swansea - Baefest was kicking off once more!
I know a few otl'ers had some of their photography featured and others were selling their wares so hope it went well for everyone.
'Baefest' beach festival got under way on Saturday down in Swansea Bay and the guys were hoping for a new surfers chain world record attempt.
152 surfers turned up and there are some lovely shots floating around. Here's one from Alun Morris Jones:
You can see more on my BBC Wales Nature blog
Autumn is definitely here. My pears are dropping like flies now so if anyone has any good recipes - let me know!
Seems a shame to drive the lawn mower them so I'm picking as many as I can.
I woke up today to a lovely sunrise, not a breath of wind but you could definitely sense a change coming.
The clouds were stirring and there was a wintry light to the skies over the Bristol channel and as they say only a surfer knows the feeling...
The forecast is okay for the next few days with a decent NW swell tracking in over Ireland and 'lightish' onshore winds.
The low heads North up towards Bloody Forelands and over to Scotland fairly quickly so it will be a short window of opportunity for us surfers in South Wales.
On Saturday I managed to claim my bike back from the spiders living in my garage although the word 'garage' is probably a slight exaggeration.
It was a close run thing for a while - one man against such stiff opposition!
But eventually my stiff bristled broom got the better of the bigger arachnids and they slowly retreated back to the dark corners from where they came.
I saw one beast that was the circumference of my hand! scurrying away. It looked like a bloody huntsman spider!
So I'm guessing that's the big, bad one I have to have my final show down with at the end of the film...
If I can find a bike pump, I'll begin my sortis down to the beach using pedal power this week!
Which is not only greener but should equate to more more water time for me, as I won't be walking the 30 mins (there n back to the break)
That's it for now. There should be a few more updates from now on as we finally get some surf.
Gull
Tuesday 8 September 2009
Locals Only
Go home Haole - you don't belong!
Is that Ben Stiller?!
It's sad that the world has come to this
;0
Is that Ben Stiller?!
It's sad that the world has come to this
;0
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Danny Boy
First Bill and now his grandson Danny is coming our way! Tropical depression Danny should hit us on weds night and into Thursday and with any luck we'll be having some sick wedges like this one to pull into:
I expect the onshore winds will stuff it up as usual though!
More pics can be seen at Transworld surf
Next week is looking good for surf too, with a deep low tracking in. Not sure what that one is called though...
I expect the onshore winds will stuff it up as usual though!
More pics can be seen at Transworld surf
Next week is looking good for surf too, with a deep low tracking in. Not sure what that one is called though...
Thursday 20 August 2009
Hurricane season is upon us
At last, we have a reason to live again!
God Bless America - I even forgive George Bush.
Hurricane Bill is lining up and we're next in line.
The weekend is looking nice with offshore's and a decent swell forecast. You never know it might even be sunny!
Next week 'ist crankenhausen' as we say in Germany.
Wax up the rhino chasers, boys n girls
Thy will be gun.
Friday 14 August 2009
Break dance boogaloo
I couldn't just sit on a clip of this quality!
Since becoming a dad I've managed 2 surfs so I'm not doing too badly and the current flat spell has helped.
Looks like the weekend should bring something even it is onshore.
Enjoy the clip and pls warm up properly before attempting any of these moves!
I am currently looking into adopting this kid. I think he could slot nicely into Gull's dance troupe.
TTFN
Since becoming a dad I've managed 2 surfs so I'm not doing too badly and the current flat spell has helped.
Looks like the weekend should bring something even it is onshore.
Enjoy the clip and pls warm up properly before attempting any of these moves!
I am currently looking into adopting this kid. I think he could slot nicely into Gull's dance troupe.
TTFN
Monday 3 August 2009
Fin time
I've not been blogging lately, not since the day before my birthday...29 July when the next generation of surfer decided to come along, 10 days early!29 hrs of labour later and Fin Tyler Aaron popped out, after plenty of great work from mum. He certainly racked up some tube time and has plenty of stamina for those long evening glass offs....
So blog updates regarding surfing will be a bit limited but I can report that we both sat down yesterday and watched my newest surfng dvd - 'The Present', quite ironic really...as I received the ultimate present this year.
'Fin' particularly enjoyed the Africa segments with plenty of bongo drumming action and the Waimea surfing on the ancients boards - amazing to see them in action and making a few too!
The surf looks like it's been okay out there but nothing all time. Hopefully I'll have some energy this week for a quick dip in between the washing up, cooking, cleaning, nappy changing and baby cwtching ;)
Friday 24 July 2009
Big game hunting
Saturday:
The weekend is looking great for surf in South Wales.
Light winds and a medium to small swell for Saturday followed by something altogether more boisterous for Sunday and southerly winds for the morning before swinging more onshore.
Who cares if summer is over? Lets crack on with some autumnal swells!
Next week looks really promising too with some 2.5-3m swell on the horizon so I might have to take a day off work at this rate...
The weekend low - a 990 deepens and becomes nicely wedged between us and a high pressure sitting off the East coast.
I never get bored of seeing nicely packed isobars develop around a nice circular onion shape sitting off the coast.
It slowly drifts NNW and back towards Ireland before the next low rolls in for Tuesday night/Weds morning.
My low pressure 'big toe' is twitching like hell at the moment so we're in for a good run!
Big Wednesday:
The next low looks like another nice one, but the hit will fairly short n sweet.
Huey has given me the ultimate bitrhday present this year and he doesn't even need to gift wrap it :)
The low deepens rapidly into a 995 but drifts more NW with the epicentre being more over W Ireland but we'll get plenty off it.
It just won't deliver such a nice long period swell as the first. I think we're getting spoilt to be honest.
Wax up those rhino chasers boys and girls.
The weekend is looking great for surf in South Wales. Light winds and a medium to small swell for Saturday followed by something altogether more boisterous for Sunday and southerly winds for the morning before swinging more onshore.
Who cares if summer is over? Lets crack on with some autumnal swells!
Next week looks really promising too with some 2.5-3m swell on the horizon so I might have to take a day off work at this rate...
The weekend low - a 990 deepens and becomes nicely wedged between us and a high pressure sitting off the East coast.
I never get bored of seeing nicely packed isobars develop around a nice circular onion shape sitting off the coast.
It slowly drifts NNW and back towards Ireland before the next low rolls in for Tuesday night/Weds morning.
My low pressure 'big toe' is twitching like hell at the moment so we're in for a good run!
Big Wednesday:
The next low looks like another nice one, but the hit will fairly short n sweet. Huey has given me the ultimate bitrhday present this year and he doesn't even need to gift wrap it :)
The low deepens rapidly into a 995 but drifts more NW with the epicentre being more over W Ireland but we'll get plenty off it.
It just won't deliver such a nice long period swell as the first. I think we're getting spoilt to be honest.
Wax up those rhino chasers boys and girls.
Thursday 23 July 2009
J bay higfhlights
The Billabong comp was awesome this year with classic surf for most of the event.
Nice to see Tom Curren still going strong after all these years!
Here are some edited highlights:
Nice to see Tom Curren still going strong after all these years!
Here are some edited highlights:
J-Bay Goes Haywire from grindtvdotcom on Vimeo.
Thursday dawn patrol
Swell: 3-4ft+, cleanish but onshore and not much shape initially.
Tide: Big tides, 10m+ with HT around 8am
Winds: Moderate SW
Well I finally got into something bigger than 3ft today - Just!
The still air and blue skiesat 5am got my big toe wiggling in anticipation but a quick view of the Rest Bay cam put some doubt into my head...13kts onshore.
Oh well I was up anyway...and had arranged to meet werg, hooper and rattz at our usual.
The boys were already on it when I arrived and it looked much better than I'd expected, 3-4ft+ and clean on the face but quite windy and no definable lines.
The tide was racing in and the big tides meant there was plenty of water moving around out back.
Some nice late drops were on offer but it was tough trying to snag a really good one until about an hour before HT.
I had 2 nice long rights, connecting up at high speed all the way through to the inside but I was steering clear of manoeuvres and just trying to hang on!
Tried my 'Donavon' soul arch BT on one crumbly one, much to johnny Rainbow's amusement and the craic was high in the water today! :)
The inside cleaned up nicely and fast bowly rights and lefts pushed through, often reforming from larger set waves breaking out back.
A re-enactment of our wave in:
The death defying pebble bank was in full swing so we knew the exit would be fun as it involves riding a wave in as far as you dare - jumping off quickly into the air, landing and then running full pelt up a 10 ft bank of large moving pebbles.
These then suck you back downwards under foot and leave you stranded in No Man's Land ready for the next wave behind to crucify you.
No fatalities today although Hooper did take off way too late on one, not seeing the pebbles until he was on his feet leaving himself a millisecond to bail and take the pain.
I'm feeling warm, tired and have blocked sinuses from one too may face plants!
I've not gotten used to single fin surfing just yet...I think it will take a few more surfs before I find my mojo properly on my OP.
Gull
Wednesday 22 July 2009
Solar eclipse of the heart
We've got some serious tide at the moment here in Wales due to a new moon phase.
High tides are nudging 10-12m currently so this will effect things at your local spot and either make things alot better or alot worse!
They've also had an amazing solar eclipse over Asia too, although as usual it clouded over just before it all kicked off.
At least the weather is predictably bad where once in a lifetime 'events' are concerned...
I remember trying to see Hayley's Comey...maybe next year?
We're finally in for some surf that might be over 2ft providing the swell doesn't drop right off as the sw winds ease up. The low is pretty weak but at least it's in the right place.
My wetsuit is bone dry - never a good sign! and my lovely single fin board freshly waxed after some lovingly repaired ding work, courtesy of 'twts' on Gower.
Drop your damaged sticks into the On Board shop for collection and you'll not be disappointed.
I'll update once I finally get wet tomorrow morning (hopefully)
High tides are nudging 10-12m currently so this will effect things at your local spot and either make things alot better or alot worse!
They've also had an amazing solar eclipse over Asia too, although as usual it clouded over just before it all kicked off.
At least the weather is predictably bad where once in a lifetime 'events' are concerned...
I remember trying to see Hayley's Comey...maybe next year?
We're finally in for some surf that might be over 2ft providing the swell doesn't drop right off as the sw winds ease up. The low is pretty weak but at least it's in the right place.
My wetsuit is bone dry - never a good sign! and my lovely single fin board freshly waxed after some lovingly repaired ding work, courtesy of 'twts' on Gower.
Drop your damaged sticks into the On Board shop for collection and you'll not be disappointed.
I'll update once I finally get wet tomorrow morning (hopefully)
Tuesday 21 July 2009
Alternative boards
I'm spoiling you this week. Another great clip coming up from....I don't know what - a new film perhaps, perhaps not.
Those first few carving turns make me feel hot under the collar though.
I need a wave!
Currently waiting on The Present - the new Thomas Campbell movie to arrive safely through my letterbox.
Gull
Those first few carving turns make me feel hot under the collar though.
I need a wave!
Currently waiting on The Present - the new Thomas Campbell movie to arrive safely through my letterbox.
Gull
Monday 20 July 2009
Single fin 'tooob' riding in Africa
Looks like the sort of wave you draw on your text books as a kid and as an adult during dull meetings ;)
Sunday 19 July 2009
Coney beach
After last night's curry the only surfing I seem to be doing to today is 'toilet surfing' but I won't go into details!
Decent swell out there but as usual in Welsh summertime, we have plenty of wind to accompany it...and it's onshore south westerly :(
The weather seems to float from heavy rain to sunshine and blue skies at the moment?
I might have to take a dip at the dreaded 'cone house' later something I try and avoid at all costs normally due to the dirty water, hoards of longboarders and kooks not to mention a wave that generally just delivers a quick drop before exploding around your ears.
In it's favour it is one of the few beaches in S Wales that offers some shelter from an onshore and something vaguely rideable.
My yearly conehouse vists generally number around 1 or 2 so this will be no 2 of 2009.
Let's hope it's a good one. I might add a synopsis later.
One the plus side, it is quite an insane place to surf from a visual perspective with an outdated amusement park to the rear which has been going since about 1920 and due for demolition. I wish they'd get a move on!
To the right, is the harbour wall where on big days, the waves coming crashing into and over it while surfers sit underneath, blissfully unaware of the carnage happening on the other side.
which came first - coney island or coney beach?
Friday 17 July 2009
The Surfing Tribe
The lads chat up a local wahine in Ireland:
Some cracking pics in Roger Mansfield's new book about surfing in the UK.
The Surfing Tribe, is the first book to document the rise of surfing in Britain from the 1930s to modern day.
1960's dawn patrol in Pembrokshire - Nice single fin!
Buy the book at the Orca shop
Some cracking pics in Roger Mansfield's new book about surfing in the UK.
The Surfing Tribe, is the first book to document the rise of surfing in Britain from the 1930s to modern day.
1960's dawn patrol in Pembrokshire - Nice single fin!
Buy the book at the Orca shop
Surfing mobility
Could this be the future?
They say water resistant...does that mean it's shower proof and more importantly - does the darn thing float or come with a wrist leash or something as my hands get slippery when wet! ;)
It does look tasty though and the G-shock enthusiasts out there are bound to want one.
Imagine sitting out back..it's perfect and you're late home.
A call to your significant other might just keep you out of trouble and in the water for another hour...
"Hi, honey, look - it's 6ft and hollow and only one other guy out. I'm going to be an hour late for tea - okay?"
Well it might just work!
The flip side would be when the guy next to you takes out his phone and says:
"Hey, I'm down the reefs and it's pumping! - Just one other guy in. Tell the boys to get down here ASAP!"
I guess they'd come in handy for accident and emergency calls too as we all end up surfing some quite isolated places at some times in our lives and only heed the safety advice once something has already gone wrong!
I doubt there are many of us who take first aid kits with us when we traipse off somewhere on foot?
Don't get too excited though - it's only available in the U.S.A. at the moment!
Tuesday 14 July 2009
Billabong Pro @ J bay - live
Technology is amazing eh?
who'd have thought years ago, that in the future you'd be able to log onto your 'puter and watch guys getting slotted in perfect waves on the other side of the world in real time?
Now you can...
http://www.billabongpro.com/jbay09/live.php
who'd have thought years ago, that in the future you'd be able to log onto your 'puter and watch guys getting slotted in perfect waves on the other side of the world in real time?
Now you can...
http://www.billabongpro.com/jbay09/live.php
Flotsam and jetsam
A perfectly formed piece of twisted twine I found and photographed on a beach at low tide:
I was sat thinking about all the things I've seen, over the years in various oceans drifting past me as I sit waiting for a wave...
It's a funny old expression so I googled it and this is what arrived:
“Flotsam,” goods found floating on the sea after a a wreck.
“Jetson,” or Jetsam, things thrown out of a ship to lighten it. (Anglo-Saxon, flotan, to float; French, jeter, to throw out.)
I've seen dead animals - cows, sheep, a baby dolphin, a minke whale, a dog, various jellyfish in all shapes and sizes..
beer barrels, crates, rope, fishing lines, wood in all shapes and sizes, plastics, flip flops, sunscreen bottles, car seats, toilet lids...
It never fails to amaze me what people throw away and throw overboard from ships.
Seen anything weird floating out there?
I was sat thinking about all the things I've seen, over the years in various oceans drifting past me as I sit waiting for a wave...
It's a funny old expression so I googled it and this is what arrived:
“Flotsam,” goods found floating on the sea after a a wreck.
“Jetson,” or Jetsam, things thrown out of a ship to lighten it. (Anglo-Saxon, flotan, to float; French, jeter, to throw out.)
I've seen dead animals - cows, sheep, a baby dolphin, a minke whale, a dog, various jellyfish in all shapes and sizes..
beer barrels, crates, rope, fishing lines, wood in all shapes and sizes, plastics, flip flops, sunscreen bottles, car seats, toilet lids...
It never fails to amaze me what people throw away and throw overboard from ships.
Seen anything weird floating out there?
Wednesday 1 July 2009
Super Pod
A 'super pod' of of dolphins has been captured on film off the Pembrokeshire coast.
We're talking hundreds of our flippery friends here, not just one or two.
Great to see and know they're out there among us :)
Find out more about Dolphins and watch some great clips on my BBC Wales Nature portal
Gull
We're talking hundreds of our flippery friends here, not just one or two.
Great to see and know they're out there among us :)
Find out more about Dolphins and watch some great clips on my BBC Wales Nature portal
Gull
Wave drought over
well as predicted the swell has finally shown it's colours and the weekend is shaping up nicely :)
Off to a wedding on Saturday so will have to organise and early dip or make the most of it on Sunday...
The last few days have been small and clean in the SE with bigger waves out West towards Gower and Pembrokeshire with reports coming in off 3-4ft + and clean.
It's really warm here too currently with temps in the mid to high 20's - yes that's warm for us!
Off to a wedding on Saturday so will have to organise and early dip or make the most of it on Sunday...
The last few days have been small and clean in the SE with bigger waves out West towards Gower and Pembrokeshire with reports coming in off 3-4ft + and clean.
It's really warm here too currently with temps in the mid to high 20's - yes that's warm for us!
Tuesday 23 June 2009
Eggs give you 'Eagle Power'
Derek Brockway has recently joined our team of bloggers on BBC Wales Nature so there are at least 2 of us now! ;)
We're a bit like the two wrestlers in Nacho Libre - Nacho & Skeletor ;)
Nacho: "Those eggs were a lie, Esqueleto. A LIE! They give me no eagle powers! They give me no nutrients!"
Derek will keep the nation up to date with the latest weather forecasts, geeky weather news such as how to tell the difference between a cumulonimbus and a cirrocumulus?
As well as other outdoors news when he goes off trekking around Wales for his new TV/Radio series - 'weatherman walking'
I'll continue to cover nature news and wear daring wrestling leotards.
My imagination has now run riot so it's time to end this one.
Don't try this at home kids! Only do this at work...That's got you worried hasn't it? ;0
Google 'Eagle Power' and see what you get!
Surf movies for surf trips
Not a new story but not everyone will have heard about it, so though it worth a mention.
You can now download a whole load of great surf movies to your mobile, ipod or 'pooter which is pretty cool.
You can now download a whole load of great surf movies to your mobile, ipod or 'pooter which is pretty cool.
Thursday 18 June 2009
Summer time highs
Well, the prospects are not looking good for surf after Friday, so grab every chance you can over the next 24hrs to surf yourself into the ground.High pressure is looming and apart from a few mid week lows drifting through next week, surf prospects are zero.
Could this be the remainder of our summer?! I might have to break open the bbq at this rate.
Infact I've already done the breaking part...I picked up the wooden edge of my bbq the other day. It's covered by a tarp protecting it from the elements but something came away in my hand. I've been too afraid to look underneath...
Maybe it was just an old burger snapping off in my hand?
So it might be time for some bbq repair instead.
Whilst on the subject of bbq's:
Now for the science:
"The bbq donut is part lounge, part restaurant table, part BBQ, and part water activity platform"
This has all the makings of a bbq disaster movie!
Can you imagine setting off down river in an inflatable donut with friends and merrily cooking and drinking as you go?
I know exactly what would happen if I attempted this kind of venture with any of my friends!
Someone would be shoved overboard within 10 mins of being on it.
A fire would probably break out, blistering the rubber and causing the donut to sink.
Blokes would laugh out loud. Wives and girlfriends would not be amused ;)
Tuesday 16 June 2009
Killers visit Whales
Like what I did there?
Yeah? No?
Okay...
Well it's pretty exciting to know that we have Orcas swimming offshore ready to pounce on cute, cuddly unsuspecting tourists...
I meant seals. Yes, seals but I'm sure they eat fish too, but not too many as I'm out there trying to catch bass this summer and I find it hard enough already.
You can find out more in my other blog @ BBC Wales Nature
I remember years ago an ASP event in Reunion Island being postponed due to Killer Whales cruising through the lineup.
Imagine that...not really knowing if they're going to accidentally mistake you for food.
There's also a great video of our old favourite - the kayak being nailed by a breaching Killer Whale.
I could never work out if it was real or fake but apparently it's an old Powerade commercial.
It's fun all the same and no whales were injured during the making of this film:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1557955768987457727
Border control challenge
The WCSC take on Aberavon in the ultimate show down.
There's a new format of surf comp coming to Rest Bay this weekend...Brad Gerlach's THE GAME format.
Don't ask me... look it up! ;0
It's spectator friendly and much better suited to team surf comps and only lasts about an hour.
The teams (14 guys/gals in total) are being finalised as we speak.
There will be a bash in the Jolly Sailor afterwards with some 'red hot' live music from a local Aberavon band.
Comp starts at 10am at Rest Bay. Party starts at 7.30pm
Contact Tom Anderson or Matt Hapgood for further details.
There's a new format of surf comp coming to Rest Bay this weekend...Brad Gerlach's THE GAME format.
Don't ask me... look it up! ;0
It's spectator friendly and much better suited to team surf comps and only lasts about an hour.
The teams (14 guys/gals in total) are being finalised as we speak.
There will be a bash in the Jolly Sailor afterwards with some 'red hot' live music from a local Aberavon band.
Comp starts at 10am at Rest Bay. Party starts at 7.30pm
Contact Tom Anderson or Matt Hapgood for further details.
Monday 15 June 2009
Surfing in the danger zone
Nice little slide show here from BBC News Online on surfing in Liberia - one of the poorest countries on the planet.
Previously war torn, the place looks to be on the up and surf tourism is a way out for a lot of the kids over there.
I'm guessing it's cheap as chips too but before I pack my toothbrush...I'm just going to read up on the local shark populations ;)
Previously war torn, the place looks to be on the up and surf tourism is a way out for a lot of the kids over there.
I'm guessing it's cheap as chips too but before I pack my toothbrush...I'm just going to read up on the local shark populations ;)
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Gull v tern!
I lost :) I am currently preparing for a battering when we leave as thousands of birds will mob us. Already been pecked and it drew blood. Lol this should be fun..
The skerries
Off here shortly. A small group of islands off the coast of anglesey to the north west. Access is norm restricted so i am very lucky to be going to film tern colonies :) should be an adventure heading out there in a rib!
Monday 1 June 2009
Summer flatness?
Morning pop pickers, apologies for my recent absence but I'm away with Springwatch for 2 weeks blogging on the bbc wales nature blog.
Currently in Lake Vyrnwy but then we head to the coast, Angelsey to be precise so I'll hopefully have salt water running through my veins again fairly soon.
I'm planning on going for a paddle in the sea every night after work to keep my fitness levels up so I can be on form for my return and if Huey is feeling generous he might jst send some swell up into Treaddur Bay...
I returned home to the nest for the weekend and noticed a small weak summer pulse hitting rest bay but didn't get to surf as I was too busy preparing things for the new generation of gull and getting the family home in order.
High pressure seems to be in the air at the moment so I guess we can expect to see flat seas fairly fairly regularly from now on.
June 1st today! That's come around quick.
Currently in Lake Vyrnwy but then we head to the coast, Angelsey to be precise so I'll hopefully have salt water running through my veins again fairly soon.
I'm planning on going for a paddle in the sea every night after work to keep my fitness levels up so I can be on form for my return and if Huey is feeling generous he might jst send some swell up into Treaddur Bay...
I returned home to the nest for the weekend and noticed a small weak summer pulse hitting rest bay but didn't get to surf as I was too busy preparing things for the new generation of gull and getting the family home in order.
High pressure seems to be in the air at the moment so I guess we can expect to see flat seas fairly fairly regularly from now on.
June 1st today! That's come around quick.
Friday 22 May 2009
Red kite feeding centre
Down here at gigrin farm with the crew. Amazing to see 100 kites swirling around above me!
Goshawk in slo mo
Up in deepest darkest mid wales at the mo with springwatch and simon king. We filmed gelert a juv goshawk with a high speed camera and got some amazing footage so keep an eye out for that next week on tv. You can keep up to date on the bbc wales nature Blog.
Tuesday 19 May 2009
The motorised surfboard...
Motorized Surfboard, 1948 - image courtesy of Getty Images
Hollywood inventor Joe Gilpin riding his motorized surfboard.
http://www.life.com/image/50451002/in-gallery/25371/30-dumb-inventions
Imagine gliding along on that to work, reading the paper and slurping on a nice cup of tea, chatting to passers by.
Life was so sedate back then.
And now for the modern take on it... 'sans bowler hat'
Hollywood inventor Joe Gilpin riding his motorized surfboard.
http://www.life.com/image/50451002/in-gallery/25371/30-dumb-inventions
Imagine gliding along on that to work, reading the paper and slurping on a nice cup of tea, chatting to passers by.
Life was so sedate back then.
And now for the modern take on it... 'sans bowler hat'
Sunday 17 May 2009
Thy will be done
swell: 2m
wind: 33kmph SE easing around 9.30am
period: 10.5 seconds
tide: mid tide, incoming
I was awoken at 5am by my wife's gentle coughing in my ear, so decided to get up and make some breakfast.
As I was up it felt only proper, that I woke up some friends and shared this lovely morning with them...only 2 managed to answer their phones and I could hear a girlfriend in the background sounding less than impressed...but like the old proverb says - you'll die in bed one day, so the less time spent in it, the better!
The wind was absolutely howling this morning but at least it was SE. After copious amounts of tea to keep my now tired mind and body going it got near enough to 9am to make a trip to the beach worth while.
I met up with Doc and just as we were leaving for the walk down, met johnny raincloud and harv looking beaten.
They spoke of heavy dark waves, 1.5 x times overhead and near death experiences and wished us luck....Doc and I just smiled and remarked "we're the anka point crew, 12ft is nothing!" ;)
At this point Doc revealed his secret weapon (no, not that) This was something else - dark black, wellington boots. Winter rubber is now officially out, so Doc had the next best thing. Besides giving excellent warmth, they had a lovely chunky grip and you could leave them on, and do some gardening straight after surfing.
It's a win, win situation and I'm pretty sure we're going going to see alot more of this in winter lineups as people catch onto the idea. The only thing you must remember to do is gaffa tape up the tops of each boot - this is important!
We arrived at the beach to find a despondent looking sven pacing up and down the beach looking very down trodden. I asked if he was collecting shells but he wasn't. The waves had beaten him into submission and there was nothing more I could do for him.
Doc and I paddled out into seemingly heavy 5-6ft but the paddle out was surprisingly simple apart from a few heavy sets.
Out back we were greeted by some fairly hefty looking sets, easily 6ft+ and hollow. Alot of the waves were spitting air out of the barrel but catching them was another matter altogether...
It felt great to be out there, dak grey seas, holwing offshore and rain with rogue set waves to keep you on your toes. This is why we do it!
Doc eventually broke the mould and stroked into an absolute peach for his first wave, a 6ft+ left hand wedge that seemed to rear up and add a few feet to it's height. The takeoff was late and steep and then the whole thing walled up perfectly for him.
Wilky and I were positioned in the channel alongside and screamed our lungs out as he took off, made the turn and then flew along the face before aiming slightly too high up the face, being grabbed by the wind and then unceremniously slammed off the front of the board...crunch!
But Doc surfaced shrieking like some sort of demented howler monkey with a grin from ear to ear.
We opted to sit deep after that and wait for the bombs and they came, not often but they came and we both had some lovely drops into big meaty lefts.
I had one beautiful right hander, took off left, faded towards the lip and then corrected as the wave broke too early so ended up with an almost 'glassy' overhead right, as consolation.
Wilks and sven sat way inside so not sure what was happening there but they seemed to pick off waves now and then.
Doc had a lovely forward roll off the end of his mal at one point - on a wave of consequence. I screamed him in and he paddled like a banchee, jumped to his feet to take the drop and rolled off head first down the face ;) Luckily for him the wave moved on without him and he was left unscathed.
The session continued for around 2hrs and we were pleasantly surprised by the wave height and cleanliness considering the strong winds and forecast.
wind: 33kmph SE easing around 9.30am
period: 10.5 seconds
tide: mid tide, incoming
I was awoken at 5am by my wife's gentle coughing in my ear, so decided to get up and make some breakfast.
As I was up it felt only proper, that I woke up some friends and shared this lovely morning with them...only 2 managed to answer their phones and I could hear a girlfriend in the background sounding less than impressed...but like the old proverb says - you'll die in bed one day, so the less time spent in it, the better!
The wind was absolutely howling this morning but at least it was SE. After copious amounts of tea to keep my now tired mind and body going it got near enough to 9am to make a trip to the beach worth while.
I met up with Doc and just as we were leaving for the walk down, met johnny raincloud and harv looking beaten.
They spoke of heavy dark waves, 1.5 x times overhead and near death experiences and wished us luck....Doc and I just smiled and remarked "we're the anka point crew, 12ft is nothing!" ;)
At this point Doc revealed his secret weapon (no, not that) This was something else - dark black, wellington boots. Winter rubber is now officially out, so Doc had the next best thing. Besides giving excellent warmth, they had a lovely chunky grip and you could leave them on, and do some gardening straight after surfing.
It's a win, win situation and I'm pretty sure we're going going to see alot more of this in winter lineups as people catch onto the idea. The only thing you must remember to do is gaffa tape up the tops of each boot - this is important!
We arrived at the beach to find a despondent looking sven pacing up and down the beach looking very down trodden. I asked if he was collecting shells but he wasn't. The waves had beaten him into submission and there was nothing more I could do for him.
Doc and I paddled out into seemingly heavy 5-6ft but the paddle out was surprisingly simple apart from a few heavy sets.
Out back we were greeted by some fairly hefty looking sets, easily 6ft+ and hollow. Alot of the waves were spitting air out of the barrel but catching them was another matter altogether...
It felt great to be out there, dak grey seas, holwing offshore and rain with rogue set waves to keep you on your toes. This is why we do it!
Doc eventually broke the mould and stroked into an absolute peach for his first wave, a 6ft+ left hand wedge that seemed to rear up and add a few feet to it's height. The takeoff was late and steep and then the whole thing walled up perfectly for him.
Wilky and I were positioned in the channel alongside and screamed our lungs out as he took off, made the turn and then flew along the face before aiming slightly too high up the face, being grabbed by the wind and then unceremniously slammed off the front of the board...crunch!
But Doc surfaced shrieking like some sort of demented howler monkey with a grin from ear to ear.
We opted to sit deep after that and wait for the bombs and they came, not often but they came and we both had some lovely drops into big meaty lefts.
I had one beautiful right hander, took off left, faded towards the lip and then corrected as the wave broke too early so ended up with an almost 'glassy' overhead right, as consolation.
Wilks and sven sat way inside so not sure what was happening there but they seemed to pick off waves now and then.
Doc had a lovely forward roll off the end of his mal at one point - on a wave of consequence. I screamed him in and he paddled like a banchee, jumped to his feet to take the drop and rolled off head first down the face ;) Luckily for him the wave moved on without him and he was left unscathed.
The session continued for around 2hrs and we were pleasantly surprised by the wave height and cleanliness considering the strong winds and forecast.
Friday 15 May 2009
Gull watch in spring?
I've got an exciting 3 week assignment coming up > following the O.B.(Outside broadcast) unit and the legendary wildlife presenter/camera-man Simon King around wild destinations in Wales for Springwatch 2009.
I'll be in Mid and North Wales blogging and filming for BBC Wales Nature and Springwatch, in a joint venture.
So can't wait for that!
Keep an eye on my other blog for all my updates and who knows - you might even catch a glimpse of me on TV, falling over tripods in the background whilst wrestling an otter...
Some locations I'll be visiting:
Lake Vyrnwy,Bardsey Island,Anglesey.
BBC Wales Nature website
BKSA National Freestyle Tour 09
I know it's not surfing in it's purist form but it's a close relation and we do have the current World Wave Kitesurfing Champion representing us, in the shape of Kirsty Jones.
The action is kicking off all weekend down at Swansea Bay where round one of the tour begins.
All the top UK pros are in town for this event and the wind forecast is excellent, so expect plenty of action from the freestylers.
Also happening:
Course Racing Kitesurfing, Freestyle Kitelandboarding and Freestyle Kitebuggy racing
+ an opportunity to have a free go at power kiting so if you're not surfing, get yourselves down there.
Wednesday 13 May 2009
Weekend wave warriors
We've had a bit of a wave drought on our hands this week. An early morning dip on Sunday delivered fairly gutless, yet clean 2-3ft with some fun head dips and cover ups but nothing to get your teeth into.
Windguru is promising better things to come for friday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Saturday and Sunday don't look too shabby either with SE (offshore winds) predicted and the water has warmed up nicely.
The debate is still out on whether 'one' should still be wearing a winter suit, boots, gloves. I for one, am staying firmly in the 'winter rubber with boots' camp for the time being.
Sea temperatures are currently a barmy 11.25c so it's almost time for buckets and spades...
Sunday looks very promising with a nice 996 > 992 deepening fairly rapidly down in the bay of Biscay so we should have a decent hit off that in South Wales.
The latest from BBC Wales weatherman - Derek Brockway:
"Weather wise the weekend doesn't look great. A little sunshine in places but with further showers or longer spells of rain at times.
Some places could get a good soaking with a risk of thunder.
Breezy on Saturday and feeling cool. Lighter winds on Sunday."
Windguru is promising better things to come for friday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Saturday and Sunday don't look too shabby either with SE (offshore winds) predicted and the water has warmed up nicely.The debate is still out on whether 'one' should still be wearing a winter suit, boots, gloves. I for one, am staying firmly in the 'winter rubber with boots' camp for the time being.
Sea temperatures are currently a barmy 11.25c so it's almost time for buckets and spades...
Sunday looks very promising with a nice 996 > 992 deepening fairly rapidly down in the bay of Biscay so we should have a decent hit off that in South Wales.
The latest from BBC Wales weatherman - Derek Brockway:
"Weather wise the weekend doesn't look great. A little sunshine in places but with further showers or longer spells of rain at times.
Some places could get a good soaking with a risk of thunder.
Breezy on Saturday and feeling cool. Lighter winds on Sunday."
Tuesday 12 May 2009
The father of British surfing dies
A few weeks ago I blogged about UK surf history and Bilbo surfboards.
I acquired an original Bilbo 1970's single fin a few years ago and a friend has recently just got his hand on one too - in much better nick than mine I might add!
Sadly the man behind them and the Bilbo surfing empire - Bill Bailey, died a few weeks ago (28 April 2009) aged 75.
Bill pretty much invented the UK surf scene and set us on the path we now follow so his influence should never be underestimated.
I acquired an original Bilbo 1970's single fin a few years ago and a friend has recently just got his hand on one too - in much better nick than mine I might add!
Sadly the man behind them and the Bilbo surfing empire - Bill Bailey, died a few weeks ago (28 April 2009) aged 75.
Bill pretty much invented the UK surf scene and set us on the path we now follow so his influence should never be underestimated.
Thomas Meyerhoffer’s board revolution
Surfing has always been about pushing boundaries whether they be personal or functional/innovative changes in board design.
This is what helps our sport progress and remain fresh.
It doesn't get much more innovative than these new Thomas Meyerhoffer shapes that resemble a doodle a kid might draw during double maths.
I just wish his name was easier to spell!
Cheers JT for the link.
This is what helps our sport progress and remain fresh.
It doesn't get much more innovative than these new Thomas Meyerhoffer shapes that resemble a doodle a kid might draw during double maths.
I just wish his name was easier to spell!
Cheers JT for the link.
Monday 11 May 2009
Billabong Pro Teahupoo - Tahiti
The world's heaviest 'contest wave' is currently under performing so the event is on hold at the moment, but there's plenty of action to check out from earlier heats.
Good to see Luke Egan running the show too - an all time favourite of mine from the Jack McCoy 90's film era.
Sunday 10 May 2009
Robin Hood - men in tights
Wanted: Physically fit men, aged 18-60yrs
The day of the Robin Hood auditions dawned and I got up early and headed down to Pembs.
I was meeting up with a couple of friends - carlos and dusty and we arrived at the location 30 mins ahead of time to find around 200 people had already beaten us to it.
We queued for around an hour before we eventually squeezed in through the door to join another queue and fill in the all important forms.
The form included a section where we could list any 'extra skills' we had.
This included: archery, sword fighting/fencing and professional stunt training/combat!
I figured that all the hours spent shooting arrows at cardboard boxes with an old archery kit in my garden would hold me in good stead as an archer, so I ticked. I figured it would also put me into the 'outlaw category' where I'd feel more at home. ;)
Some of the guys there were ticking all three boxes so it will be interesting to see how they filter out the wheat from the chaff, although 'chav' would be a more accurate description in some cases...
A handful of hopefuls had gone the whole hog and dressed up in character.
I spotted a few Robin Hood/outlaw types, some knights and some pretty strange types who I'm convinced dress like that normally and live in Narbeth...
This guy wandered past, looking like he was just back from the crusades:
Once inside, we were measured up - chest and waist, and of course I protested at the measurement - 34.5" waist?!
Carlos, standing in the queue opposite found this highly amusing until he discovered that he'd come in at a gut busting, 35"...But as we all know, soldiers come in all shapes and sizes and there's no been no mention yet, as to who will play 'Friar Tuck'.
The nice lady then informed me that this was a 'medieval measurement' taken from higher up the waist than normal, so if we're picked, I've a feeling we'll be wearing Simon Cowell trousers on set.
After that we had a quick mug shot taken. We even got to hold up a piece of paper with our number on it and I began to realise how Hugh Grant must've felt.
As we left, the queue outside had swelled to around 800 people and it was still only 10.20am. The auditions were due to last until 3pm so I think the organisers were in for a busy day.
Now, we just have to wait and see if we're one of the 'chosen' 600 extras needed.
I was meeting up with a couple of friends - carlos and dusty and we arrived at the location 30 mins ahead of time to find around 200 people had already beaten us to it.
We queued for around an hour before we eventually squeezed in through the door to join another queue and fill in the all important forms.
The form included a section where we could list any 'extra skills' we had.
This included: archery, sword fighting/fencing and professional stunt training/combat!
I figured that all the hours spent shooting arrows at cardboard boxes with an old archery kit in my garden would hold me in good stead as an archer, so I ticked. I figured it would also put me into the 'outlaw category' where I'd feel more at home. ;)
Some of the guys there were ticking all three boxes so it will be interesting to see how they filter out the wheat from the chaff, although 'chav' would be a more accurate description in some cases...
A handful of hopefuls had gone the whole hog and dressed up in character.
I spotted a few Robin Hood/outlaw types, some knights and some pretty strange types who I'm convinced dress like that normally and live in Narbeth...
This guy wandered past, looking like he was just back from the crusades:
Carlos, standing in the queue opposite found this highly amusing until he discovered that he'd come in at a gut busting, 35"...But as we all know, soldiers come in all shapes and sizes and there's no been no mention yet, as to who will play 'Friar Tuck'.
The nice lady then informed me that this was a 'medieval measurement' taken from higher up the waist than normal, so if we're picked, I've a feeling we'll be wearing Simon Cowell trousers on set.
After that we had a quick mug shot taken. We even got to hold up a piece of paper with our number on it and I began to realise how Hugh Grant must've felt.
As we left, the queue outside had swelled to around 800 people and it was still only 10.20am. The auditions were due to last until 3pm so I think the organisers were in for a busy day.
Now, we just have to wait and see if we're one of the 'chosen' 600 extras needed.
Shell Cottage
I popped down to see the beach elf, now living at 'shell cottage' at Freshwater West on Saturday.
Here's a brief video tour. The first view shows the garden they've recently added onto the back complete with palms and a hedge.
The old wooden path at the North end has now disappeared under a blanket of sand, so it looks 'au naturel' and the largest dune appears to have more sand on top.
I'm not sure whether this is down to JCB construction or nature gaining a foothold again due to the restricted access?
The house itself looks amazing though, decked from head to toe in giant clam shells.
It's a shame it can't become a permanent fixture really and has a view that most surfers would die for:
Here's a brief video tour. The first view shows the garden they've recently added onto the back complete with palms and a hedge.
The old wooden path at the North end has now disappeared under a blanket of sand, so it looks 'au naturel' and the largest dune appears to have more sand on top.
I'm not sure whether this is down to JCB construction or nature gaining a foothold again due to the restricted access?
The house itself looks amazing though, decked from head to toe in giant clam shells.
It's a shame it can't become a permanent fixture really and has a view that most surfers would die for:
Friday 8 May 2009
Robin in da hood
Wish me luck. I'm off to find fame and fortune in my old manor of Pembrokeshire on Saturday to try and gain a part in the new Ridley Scott movie - Robin Hood.
I've just been informed that the main role has been taken by some guy called Russell whose got crows feet?
so I'm a wee bit disappointed about that so I guess there may be some minor 'arrow fodder' roles going and I'm good at lying down.
Anyway I've been practising my sword lunges, staff fighting and forward rolls and I used to have a bow & arrow as a kid so we'll see...
I hear quite a few of my surfing brethren are turning out for the film auditions as we consider ourselves to be 'fit and below the age of 60' and it's being filmed at a lovely surf beach, so I might see some of you there.
Why, we may even end up sword fighting each another so don't take it personally.
Remember a sword cut to the groin can result in instant death as there are some major arteries situated down there, so it's a good way to quickly dispatch the enemy.
The things we do for money, eh?
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