Where have I been, well I haven't been in France which is always bad news. Ive been having a bit of a surf crisis, as in not managing to do it! Lack of waves/money/time/work/will... Have all been conspiring in a downward spiral towards middle age and SUP-ing.
This is the first summer I have not spent in France since my soon to be 6 year old son was born, don't worry I wont be making this mistake again. Hopefully some nice autumn waves will be hitting our shores soon and normal service will resume.
Now where is that SUP?
Tuesday 14 August 2012
Sunday 13 May 2012
Best Laid Plans
It's been a while, do I still have any readers? I'll start off by stating the obvious, how rubbish has the weather been? After our freaky warm and sunny March I think every day in April it's rained and May so far hasn't been much better, ironically this wet weather coincided with councils announcing hosepipe bans due to drought.... yeah yeah yeah one month of rain doesn't make up for 18 months of relative dry.... bla bla bla we've heard it all before, but 'Mister Council Water Man' WAKE UP! Nobody is hosing the lawns, they are frigging soaking wet! This shite weather has even lead me to checking the extremely unpredictable longer term reports, Apparently we will have a warmer and dryer June, July and August, I bloody hope so, especially as my usual French trip is now looking very unlikely this year.... I know.... I don't really want to talk about it...
So what have I been doing since my last Blog, well I haven't been surfing, my last surf was on the 27th of March in Woolacombe with Spencer I've written about it below, but other than that I have been working, starting a new business and being ill with sickness, cough and cold, my fitness is now the worst it has been in years and I am becoming desperate for a surf.
The chance of me making my 100 surfs before my usual French trip (which probably isn't happening) is not looking good but I need to try.
--------
The 2 weeks from the 17th March to 31st March had a lovely constant flow of great waves and great weather in the west, I was desperate to go west, every day I would tease myself by looking at the web cams and watching lovely unridden waves go by, then there looked to be a chance to get some waves at K but I got sick and missed the best of them.... So I had to go west.
49/84 Sat night 24th March
I had a lovely and surprisingly good evening session at K, I bumped into Spencer out back and we felt pretty stoked to be in warm mellow glassy 2ft waves with a wicked sunset.
I felt really excited about the morning session, with a building swell and sunny calm conditions things were looking perfect.
50/85 Sun night 25th March
I was sick in the night and couldn't get up for the morning session, so gutted as I heard it was a good one... I made it out for a late evening session but the swell had gone and I was pretty gutted.
51/86 Tue first 27th March
I was now so desperate to get some quality waves everyone seemed to be getting good waves except me, The conditions looked perfect for the west country, I thought I had to go no matter what! I put the text out and Spencer replied, I found a friend woho!
We decided on Woolacombe during the trip journey, I always seem to end up there, it has its advantages with the ability to park along the sea front and chill out on the grass in-between sessions, not as crowded as Croyde and quick to get too.
As I pulled up the sun was glissening off 3ft perfect looking waves it looked fantastic. It was about now I received a text from Dan Magee letting me know he had just coughed up blood! It did put a bit of a downer on things, I text him back with sympathy and didn't let him know where I was!
First session started in the middle of the bay and I got out at Combes! over 3 hours and was I was ready to go home but we battled on!
52/87 Tue second 27th March
Second session at least another couple of hours extremely knacked and pretty chuffed. Sunny days will hopefully be back again soon!
So what have I been doing since my last Blog, well I haven't been surfing, my last surf was on the 27th of March in Woolacombe with Spencer I've written about it below, but other than that I have been working, starting a new business and being ill with sickness, cough and cold, my fitness is now the worst it has been in years and I am becoming desperate for a surf.
The chance of me making my 100 surfs before my usual French trip (which probably isn't happening) is not looking good but I need to try.
--------
The 2 weeks from the 17th March to 31st March had a lovely constant flow of great waves and great weather in the west, I was desperate to go west, every day I would tease myself by looking at the web cams and watching lovely unridden waves go by, then there looked to be a chance to get some waves at K but I got sick and missed the best of them.... So I had to go west.
49/84 Sat night 24th March
I had a lovely and surprisingly good evening session at K, I bumped into Spencer out back and we felt pretty stoked to be in warm mellow glassy 2ft waves with a wicked sunset.
I felt really excited about the morning session, with a building swell and sunny calm conditions things were looking perfect.
50/85 Sun night 25th March
I was sick in the night and couldn't get up for the morning session, so gutted as I heard it was a good one... I made it out for a late evening session but the swell had gone and I was pretty gutted.
51/86 Tue first 27th March
I was now so desperate to get some quality waves everyone seemed to be getting good waves except me, The conditions looked perfect for the west country, I thought I had to go no matter what! I put the text out and Spencer replied, I found a friend woho!
We decided on Woolacombe during the trip journey, I always seem to end up there, it has its advantages with the ability to park along the sea front and chill out on the grass in-between sessions, not as crowded as Croyde and quick to get too.
As I pulled up the sun was glissening off 3ft perfect looking waves it looked fantastic. It was about now I received a text from Dan Magee letting me know he had just coughed up blood! It did put a bit of a downer on things, I text him back with sympathy and didn't let him know where I was!
First session started in the middle of the bay and I got out at Combes! over 3 hours and was I was ready to go home but we battled on!
52/87 Tue second 27th March
Second session at least another couple of hours extremely knacked and pretty chuffed. Sunny days will hopefully be back again soon!
Wooly
 |
Spencer
Bonzer
Tuesday 13 March 2012
Spring Is In The Air
I love spring it is my favourite time of year, full of hope, light and life, yes the water is at its coldest but with longer days and a warmer sun and all that anticipation for lazy summery warmth. I get so excited remembering long days spent surfing and chilling.
The week just gone looked exceptional for the west country again but work and general life commitments got in the way of me taking full advantage. I spent 3 days in Belgium one day was spent waiting to work which then consisted of eating bad kebabs, shopping trips for shorts, and eventually chilling in a swimming pool and sauna area.
After finding out our job was delayed Dan, Daryl and I decided to go for a lovely drive in the Belgium countryside.. 3 hours later we were bored senseless, amelessly driving with no real direction, flat blandness all around, Belgium seemed very unappealing and the city of Antwerp was calling us back. We decided to upgrade our hotel for one with at least a swimming pool, but then came the problem of no swim shorts, we spent about an hour scouring the town for shorts, we found some woho... 90euro for quicksilver... I don't think so... we looked on... we need a really jippy shop, was the call, but in the most expensive town in Europe where do you find jippy, eventually we did... C&A woho shorts for 9euros, happy days... it has to be matching shorts, but Dan chickened out and went for blue while Daryl and I had a lovely brown pair.
The Hotel was lovely and the the Swimming/Gym/Sauna area was amazing if not a little weird. Strange masked model heads guarded the entrance while legs hung from the ceiling, the black infinite pool was trippy. A swim and a Sauna chilled us out before beer and whisky were drunk in the hotel bar later.
Surf 47/82 8th March
I think I was too late, the tide was exceptionally low and a pitiful weak 1/2ft of cleaned up wind swell which gave me very little fun surfing. Guy seemed to be doing alright, riding his famous purple Bonzer gun, you may have thought not the obvious choice of boards for such a slack day, but he sat in the corner off the end of the pier taking right after right after right. I think he definitely had the last laugh. Guns are where it is at, especially at the pier! The only thing going for this surf was the exceptional warmth and lovely sun. I was roasting in my snug, I might have to downgrade and break out the Xcel.
Surf 48/83 11th March
Back from an unexpectedly long job in Belgium, surfing was always going to be an issue for me on this Sunday. I had actually written it off, I thought nope, I must be a good husband/dad and do the family thing. But then Gary had to give me a call, and with the sun shinning, the buoys bobbing and the wind not blowing. The thought of risking not surfing seemed more dangerous than the consequences of surfing. As I left the house I knew I was in big trouble but the call of the waves was just too much for me to resist.
Turning up at K Gary announced "It's flat" And it did look pretty small, the odd fat line would come through and break on the rocks, The only other people looking at the Ledges was Daryl, who I'd been working with for the last 3 days, and his mate. "its bound to get better as the tide drops" I suggested and "we've already paid a fiver so we have to go in!". We all agreed and 10 minutes later we were all enjoying the mellow summery waves. 4 out was just about enough but as the tide dropped more people turned up and before we new it we were surrounded by about 20 groms making the 2ft waves look overhead. The waves actually got better and better as the tide dropped out but Gary and I agreed it's was best not to milk it and as the crowds got even bigger we decided to get out. Not before I had one miracle moment, a lovely looking peaky wave jacked up in front of me, I was quite late and the wrong side but went anyway, the next thing I new I was completed slotted seeing the lip throw fully over my head I came out onto the shoulder wooping myself. Gary witnessed the whole thing and said he wished he had a camera. Not as much as I wished he had a camera!
The week just gone looked exceptional for the west country again but work and general life commitments got in the way of me taking full advantage. I spent 3 days in Belgium one day was spent waiting to work which then consisted of eating bad kebabs, shopping trips for shorts, and eventually chilling in a swimming pool and sauna area.
After finding out our job was delayed Dan, Daryl and I decided to go for a lovely drive in the Belgium countryside.. 3 hours later we were bored senseless, amelessly driving with no real direction, flat blandness all around, Belgium seemed very unappealing and the city of Antwerp was calling us back. We decided to upgrade our hotel for one with at least a swimming pool, but then came the problem of no swim shorts, we spent about an hour scouring the town for shorts, we found some woho... 90euro for quicksilver... I don't think so... we looked on... we need a really jippy shop, was the call, but in the most expensive town in Europe where do you find jippy, eventually we did... C&A woho shorts for 9euros, happy days... it has to be matching shorts, but Dan chickened out and went for blue while Daryl and I had a lovely brown pair.
The Hotel was lovely and the the Swimming/Gym/Sauna area was amazing if not a little weird. Strange masked model heads guarded the entrance while legs hung from the ceiling, the black infinite pool was trippy. A swim and a Sauna chilled us out before beer and whisky were drunk in the hotel bar later.
No Barrels but maybe a couple of Barry's!
Surf 47/82 8th March
I think I was too late, the tide was exceptionally low and a pitiful weak 1/2ft of cleaned up wind swell which gave me very little fun surfing. Guy seemed to be doing alright, riding his famous purple Bonzer gun, you may have thought not the obvious choice of boards for such a slack day, but he sat in the corner off the end of the pier taking right after right after right. I think he definitely had the last laugh. Guns are where it is at, especially at the pier! The only thing going for this surf was the exceptional warmth and lovely sun. I was roasting in my snug, I might have to downgrade and break out the Xcel.
Surf 48/83 11th March
Back from an unexpectedly long job in Belgium, surfing was always going to be an issue for me on this Sunday. I had actually written it off, I thought nope, I must be a good husband/dad and do the family thing. But then Gary had to give me a call, and with the sun shinning, the buoys bobbing and the wind not blowing. The thought of risking not surfing seemed more dangerous than the consequences of surfing. As I left the house I knew I was in big trouble but the call of the waves was just too much for me to resist.
Turning up at K Gary announced "It's flat" And it did look pretty small, the odd fat line would come through and break on the rocks, The only other people looking at the Ledges was Daryl, who I'd been working with for the last 3 days, and his mate. "its bound to get better as the tide drops" I suggested and "we've already paid a fiver so we have to go in!". We all agreed and 10 minutes later we were all enjoying the mellow summery waves. 4 out was just about enough but as the tide dropped more people turned up and before we new it we were surrounded by about 20 groms making the 2ft waves look overhead. The waves actually got better and better as the tide dropped out but Gary and I agreed it's was best not to milk it and as the crowds got even bigger we decided to get out. Not before I had one miracle moment, a lovely looking peaky wave jacked up in front of me, I was quite late and the wrong side but went anyway, the next thing I new I was completed slotted seeing the lip throw fully over my head I came out onto the shoulder wooping myself. Gary witnessed the whole thing and said he wished he had a camera. Not as much as I wished he had a camera!
Tuesday 6 March 2012
Surf Board SALE!!! Check The List!!! Make an offer!!!
I have over 30 boards that need to go quickly. If you like something make me an offer. Email benmottram1@yahoo.co.uk. I have put a load of photos up but not labelled them. Have fun trying to match board with photo. Also email me for any further details. Bags available with some boards.
| Surfboard Stock | New/Used | RRP |
| Adams Bod 5'10/ 20/ 2 1/2 | New | £ 399.00 |
| Adams P2 6'2 - 18 1/2 - 2 1/4 | New | £ 399.00 |
| Adams Slug 7'0 - 22 - 3 | Used | £ 399.00 |
| Adams YDMA P1 6'0 - 18 1/4 | Used | £ 399.00 |
| Fluid Juice twin 6'6 - 22 - 2 7/8 | New | £ 450.00 |
| Fluid Juice Gem 6'4 x 20.5 x | New | £ 450.00 |
| Fluid Juice Hull single fin 7'0 - 21 | Used | £ 450.00 |
| Campbell Bros Bonzer Russ short model 6'6 | Used | £ 600.00 |
| Campbell Bros Bonzer 9'4 Cambel Gun | New | £ 2,500.00 |
| Adiction Mini Simmons 5'6 - 23 - 3 Twin | Used | £ 650.00 |
| Original Nev 1987 6'3 - 19 1/2 | Used | |
| Original Bret Reed 70s single fin Austarilian 6'4 | Used | |
| Original Tris 70s single fin 6'6 - 19 | Used | |
| Original Tris 70s twin fin 6'1 x 20.5 | Used | |
| Original Creamed Honey 70s single fin. 7'5 x 19 1/4 | Used | |
| Original Jeff Townsley 70s single fin . 6'8 x 20 1/2 | Used |
Monday 5 March 2012
Nasty Rubbish K
Surf 46/81 4th March
Very strong wind, hellish north west cross off shore, swell disappointingly small and I got charged £5 for the experience! The session was memorable for its shitness. Ok so I had exceptionally over optimistic expectations for this session but after a rubbish week where my business partner randomly decided to stop funding our business, effectively stopping my income, I thought a little shinning light may be a session at K. The predictions were changing almost hourly but that didn't stop me, and even in the face of up to date wave buoy and wind data I still ignored all my instincts and made the long journey over. I had friends from a far who had decided to travel down, I thought at least I would be sociable but I barely managed that, brief barely heard chatting in-between rubbish waves, the howling wind and rubber covered ears made any meaningful conversation impossible and then I gave up, got out and drove home, not before a freezing change. I didn't even see my friends in the car park. I Chatted to Timo, he's got it sorted, as he pulled out a quiver of windsurf boards, surf when it's good, windsurf when it's windy and paddle board the rest of the time. Apparently the other week he got some hassle at K! I've rarely heard of hassle at K? I think Timo won the battle though!
Last week people were 'mostly' pissing me off, I'm by nature pretty easy going and very friendly and I rarely feel riled or angry or annoyed but sometimes things get to even the most mellow people. Yeah I know I may come across in this blog a bit grumpy at times RE: Christmas Rant! But actually I'm generally quite happy, optimistic and enthusiastic. After a bad week, turning up in the pissing rain in what I still consider to be winter and having to pay £5 to drive down a 400 metre road nearly tipped me! It doesn't rain it pours and it certainly poured on Sunday.
Very strong wind, hellish north west cross off shore, swell disappointingly small and I got charged £5 for the experience! The session was memorable for its shitness. Ok so I had exceptionally over optimistic expectations for this session but after a rubbish week where my business partner randomly decided to stop funding our business, effectively stopping my income, I thought a little shinning light may be a session at K. The predictions were changing almost hourly but that didn't stop me, and even in the face of up to date wave buoy and wind data I still ignored all my instincts and made the long journey over. I had friends from a far who had decided to travel down, I thought at least I would be sociable but I barely managed that, brief barely heard chatting in-between rubbish waves, the howling wind and rubber covered ears made any meaningful conversation impossible and then I gave up, got out and drove home, not before a freezing change. I didn't even see my friends in the car park. I Chatted to Timo, he's got it sorted, as he pulled out a quiver of windsurf boards, surf when it's good, windsurf when it's windy and paddle board the rest of the time. Apparently the other week he got some hassle at K! I've rarely heard of hassle at K? I think Timo won the battle though!
Last week people were 'mostly' pissing me off, I'm by nature pretty easy going and very friendly and I rarely feel riled or angry or annoyed but sometimes things get to even the most mellow people. Yeah I know I may come across in this blog a bit grumpy at times RE: Christmas Rant! But actually I'm generally quite happy, optimistic and enthusiastic. After a bad week, turning up in the pissing rain in what I still consider to be winter and having to pay £5 to drive down a 400 metre road nearly tipped me! It doesn't rain it pours and it certainly poured on Sunday.
Thursday 1 March 2012
Quality K!!! Amazing Ding Repair
Word up to Jeff.... He's a miracle worker , a magician, and artist..... and hmm.... a teller of bad jokes... He fixed my fish, not just a fixed it, you can't even see where the ding was. With out doubt the best ding repair job I've ever seen.
check the picks, follow his blog, and take all your board repair needs to him quickly... Contact him via his blog.
http://southcoastcustomsurfboards.wordpress.com/
February is the best month to be a south coast surfer. In years gone by there have been some stunning swells hitting our shores this time of year, with the best mostly in February. I would say it has mostly been a disappointing month so far although a few trips have been made to K they are often a little frustrating with long waits between sets. I have had to let some swells go by un-ridden due to working (I know I 'll try to stop), but at last we have had a proper quality swell hit, and with a nice swell building and peaking on the weekend of the 25th happy days were here again.
Surf 44 79 February 24th
I'd been recovering from a really nasty illness where puke and poo decided to excrete from my stomach at almost random moments and sometimes together, so the thought of surfing cold winter mush was a long way from my mind but as the weekend of the 25th got closer, enthusiastic texts started to bleep through, I couldn't put it off much longer. I had to surf!
Is it only me who has a weird sense of guilt when I don't surf if there is surf? It doesn't on the surface make any rational sense and I'm sure at least half my surfs were probably not worth the effort, the cost, the fitness benefits or even the 'stoke factor'. But often if there is even the slightest hint of a swell and I decide not to surf it, I have this weird sense of guilt like I'm letting myself (and the the surf god) down.
Turning up at K on Friday the waves were looking quite chunky with a large amount of water movement and looking quite rippy. The bay was full of waves, Kim was out there doing his bit, probably a good choice. I chose the ledges with 2 others and only about an hour passed before frustration and tiredness through lack of food and fitness kicked in and I gave up. I had a few good-ish waves, some big drops but the shape was lacking and positioning was hard.
I had taken my Lynch 6'6 out but it felt stiff and the and unresponsive, the size of the waves was deceptive as the lack of shape and power would have suited one of my quads.
I left feeling guilty for not trying harder.
Surf 45 80 February 25th K day of the year
oh oh oh... What can I say? When I think of K this is what I remember, everywhere was on, from the secrets, to the Bay hundreds of rubber clad bodies on every conceivable surfable craft spread out along the Jurassic coast surfing there favourite spots. I surfed my favourite spot and the less said about that the better! Clean head high beautifully shaped waves were had by all, if you missed this session I hope you had a good reason. I surfed until I couldn't surf any more, with virtually no waiting around between waves and sets. we had a few good K days in Autumn and a couple of weeks ago we had some nice but freezing waves. But I think today was the best that Autumn and Winter has had to offer us this year.
My one mistake was surfing my 6'1 quad, today the waves today felt a bit too powerful for this wide shortboard and I felt like I was hanging on a lot of the time and a bit out of control. Catching waves wasn't a problem as the shape was so good and predictable, the size of the waves although over head at times was perfectly manageable. I just think My lynch would have given me a bit more confidence to carve the big wally faces and push a bit harder off the lips.
I left thinking I'm done for a week now, but spending Sunday down at the beach hut with the kids I soon found myself watching the small ground swell rolling through and wanting to get right out there again. The desire never subsides for long.
check the picks, follow his blog, and take all your board repair needs to him quickly... Contact him via his blog.
http://southcoastcustomsurfboards.wordpress.com/
February is the best month to be a south coast surfer. In years gone by there have been some stunning swells hitting our shores this time of year, with the best mostly in February. I would say it has mostly been a disappointing month so far although a few trips have been made to K they are often a little frustrating with long waits between sets. I have had to let some swells go by un-ridden due to working (I know I 'll try to stop), but at last we have had a proper quality swell hit, and with a nice swell building and peaking on the weekend of the 25th happy days were here again.
Surf 44 79 February 24th
I'd been recovering from a really nasty illness where puke and poo decided to excrete from my stomach at almost random moments and sometimes together, so the thought of surfing cold winter mush was a long way from my mind but as the weekend of the 25th got closer, enthusiastic texts started to bleep through, I couldn't put it off much longer. I had to surf!
Is it only me who has a weird sense of guilt when I don't surf if there is surf? It doesn't on the surface make any rational sense and I'm sure at least half my surfs were probably not worth the effort, the cost, the fitness benefits or even the 'stoke factor'. But often if there is even the slightest hint of a swell and I decide not to surf it, I have this weird sense of guilt like I'm letting myself (and the the surf god) down.
Turning up at K on Friday the waves were looking quite chunky with a large amount of water movement and looking quite rippy. The bay was full of waves, Kim was out there doing his bit, probably a good choice. I chose the ledges with 2 others and only about an hour passed before frustration and tiredness through lack of food and fitness kicked in and I gave up. I had a few good-ish waves, some big drops but the shape was lacking and positioning was hard.
I had taken my Lynch 6'6 out but it felt stiff and the and unresponsive, the size of the waves was deceptive as the lack of shape and power would have suited one of my quads.
I left feeling guilty for not trying harder.
Surf 45 80 February 25th K day of the year
oh oh oh... What can I say? When I think of K this is what I remember, everywhere was on, from the secrets, to the Bay hundreds of rubber clad bodies on every conceivable surfable craft spread out along the Jurassic coast surfing there favourite spots. I surfed my favourite spot and the less said about that the better! Clean head high beautifully shaped waves were had by all, if you missed this session I hope you had a good reason. I surfed until I couldn't surf any more, with virtually no waiting around between waves and sets. we had a few good K days in Autumn and a couple of weeks ago we had some nice but freezing waves. But I think today was the best that Autumn and Winter has had to offer us this year.
My one mistake was surfing my 6'1 quad, today the waves today felt a bit too powerful for this wide shortboard and I felt like I was hanging on a lot of the time and a bit out of control. Catching waves wasn't a problem as the shape was so good and predictable, the size of the waves although over head at times was perfectly manageable. I just think My lynch would have given me a bit more confidence to carve the big wally faces and push a bit harder off the lips.
I left thinking I'm done for a week now, but spending Sunday down at the beach hut with the kids I soon found myself watching the small ground swell rolling through and wanting to get right out there again. The desire never subsides for long.
Wednesday 8 February 2012
Good to see classic K it's been some time.
So after yesterdays 'I'm giving up winter surfing' thoughts, I lasted little more than 12 hours. Checking the early buoys I new I had to go again and this time I wore all my warmest gear. I broke out the 7ml Xcel clumpy mittens which are so thick I can't even tuck them into my sleeve, I have customised an old 1ml thermal rash vest, chopped off the arms as I found them restricting, also the original hood has gone, and finally I wore 2 hoods, A 0.5ml Xcel scull cap and my usual Snug hood. My slightly too big Xcel 8ml boots have been on for a little while now and my Snug wetsuit is usually top dollar, but I think I've become a bit soft! Or maybe I always was!
Surf 43/78 Wednesday 8th February
It was freezing this morning, but with my flask of hot water, a box of flapjacks and more rubber than somebody with a strange rubber fetish would know what to do with, I felt confident of a little bit of warmth. The waves looked very tasty, The Bench was pumping, the Bay was full of lines and my first look at the Ledges showed a set of about 3 waves with the first just breaking in a perfect A frame, head high with long walls. I whooped and the excitement helped take my mind from the cold as I got changed. I started on the Ledges and finished on Yellows, lots of fun clean waves were had by all with the odd longish ride, although some of the lefts were closing down, I tended to sit on the inside trying to stay busy (and warm) rather than waiting for the bigger and better sets. I had one moment where I went for glory, tucking into an impossible to make barrel section, I managed to see a beautiful view for a split second before I punched through the white water, some how still staying on my feet.
It was a very fun and enjoyable session, lots of friendly faces were out and it felt like a while since surfing with locals at K in waves like this.
Another good pic from guys blog, not sure if this was today or yesterday? But you get the idea.
Tuesday 7 February 2012
Winter has arrived!
Bloody hell... I'll stop there... note to self... must rant less... but... no stop it....ok just one point... I HATE WINTER.. ok that's all. I missed the K Beach clean... Sorry... But I (and Dan) were stuck in Belgium in Arctic conditions... that blog to come...
Surf 41/76 Wednesday 1st February
A super clean small easterly provided me and 3 others with a surprising amount of fun... It was in the 2ft range but with nice shape and tiny barrels on the inside my little 6'1 quad (sorry Dan's 6'1 Quad) didn't let me down and apart from dropping in on the same guy on 2 occasions (very embarrassing and I emphatically apologised) I came away with a surprising amount of stoke.
Guy has plenty of pics from the Wednesday and Thursday easterly swells here..
http://houseofbonzer.blogspot.com/2012/02/jolly-cold-pier.html
http://houseofbonzer.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-cold-pier-today-ya-missed-it.html
Surf 42/77 Thursday 7th February
Cold cold cold, it felt really cold today out at K apparently according to Matt and Guy, we (Dan, Gary, Kim, Woody and others) missed the best of it in the morning, long long waits between sets only sped up my slump towards hypothermia but when the waves eventually came they were very pleasant. Over an hour of paddling between yellows and ledges (mostly to try and stay warm) and as my session was nearing the end due to the lack of feeling in my hands and feet, the waves started to improve but they became impossible for me to catch due to my coldness. I finished my session at the ledges mostly frustrated but admiring Timo's stunning display on an SUP, he surfed it like a fish and if surfing them was as easy as he made it look I might be more interested, but it isn't and that man has got some talent.
Getting changed was horrible, my tired, cold body was past shivering, when the cold North East wind blasted my wet skin it was very painful, with nowhere to hide I hopped and skipped around the car park desperately trying to pull my wetsuit off which seemed to be stuck on my shoulder. For a moment I considered getting into the car fully suited but with one mighty surge of energy I some how pulled one side of the suit over my shoulder. My hands were burning, white and almost useless but eventually I was able to jump into my car dressed. The journey home gave my hands time to thaw and as the blood returned to fingers I suffered severe and painful Pins and Needles. I managed to listen to the whole of 'Wish You Were Here' Album before I got home as the rush hour traffic was heavy, the mellow warm drive helped me recuperate and I laughed at some of the ironies in the music. Do you think you can tell, Heaven from Hell?
I vowed to give up surfing during winter, I really am not made for it.. I feel the cold more than most and I do surfer from Raynaud's.... I can't handle this..... but like a drunk who vows never to drink again I think my promise will last little more than 12 hours... Now how are those flapjacks getting on!
Again Check Guys Blog....
http://houseofbonzer.blogspot.com/2012/02/today-you-missed-it.html
Surf 41/76 Wednesday 1st February
A super clean small easterly provided me and 3 others with a surprising amount of fun... It was in the 2ft range but with nice shape and tiny barrels on the inside my little 6'1 quad (sorry Dan's 6'1 Quad) didn't let me down and apart from dropping in on the same guy on 2 occasions (very embarrassing and I emphatically apologised) I came away with a surprising amount of stoke.
Guy has plenty of pics from the Wednesday and Thursday easterly swells here..
http://houseofbonzer.blogspot.com/2012/02/jolly-cold-pier.html
http://houseofbonzer.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-cold-pier-today-ya-missed-it.html
Surf 42/77 Thursday 7th February
Cold cold cold, it felt really cold today out at K apparently according to Matt and Guy, we (Dan, Gary, Kim, Woody and others) missed the best of it in the morning, long long waits between sets only sped up my slump towards hypothermia but when the waves eventually came they were very pleasant. Over an hour of paddling between yellows and ledges (mostly to try and stay warm) and as my session was nearing the end due to the lack of feeling in my hands and feet, the waves started to improve but they became impossible for me to catch due to my coldness. I finished my session at the ledges mostly frustrated but admiring Timo's stunning display on an SUP, he surfed it like a fish and if surfing them was as easy as he made it look I might be more interested, but it isn't and that man has got some talent.
Getting changed was horrible, my tired, cold body was past shivering, when the cold North East wind blasted my wet skin it was very painful, with nowhere to hide I hopped and skipped around the car park desperately trying to pull my wetsuit off which seemed to be stuck on my shoulder. For a moment I considered getting into the car fully suited but with one mighty surge of energy I some how pulled one side of the suit over my shoulder. My hands were burning, white and almost useless but eventually I was able to jump into my car dressed. The journey home gave my hands time to thaw and as the blood returned to fingers I suffered severe and painful Pins and Needles. I managed to listen to the whole of 'Wish You Were Here' Album before I got home as the rush hour traffic was heavy, the mellow warm drive helped me recuperate and I laughed at some of the ironies in the music. Do you think you can tell, Heaven from Hell?
I vowed to give up surfing during winter, I really am not made for it.. I feel the cold more than most and I do surfer from Raynaud's.... I can't handle this..... but like a drunk who vows never to drink again I think my promise will last little more than 12 hours... Now how are those flapjacks getting on!
Again Check Guys Blog....
http://houseofbonzer.blogspot.com/2012/02/today-you-missed-it.html
Tuesday 31 January 2012
I can't get no satisfaction...
I am fed up, it's freezing cold and my wave count this winter is pitiful, yeah I have got in a few times although uncharacteristically for me I have managed to miss a few sessions, the weekend before last both Saturday and Sunday were showing a very rideable wave at the pier, but as I took my eye off the ball again, my wife seized the opportunity to get me fully embroiled in family life and by the time I'd noticed a wave the light and the tide had beaten me. Those tides were big, I noticed you could walk out dry to level with the main part of the pier.
What's going on? Am I losing it? My drive, enthusiasm, some may say fanaticism! I don't think so. It's just been so weak, a bit pathetic and a bit too small to get excited about. And with it being the middle of winter I kinda (foolishly) expected a little more. Dressing up like a gimp to ponce around in 2ft slop does feel a bit desperate even by my standards, so when the chance came to go west again at the weekend I initially was right up for it only to check the forecast and question will it be good enough to quench my thirst. In the end I thought not. So another week passes and only one measly surf at K just about keeps me going.
Surf 40/75 27th January
To be honest I wasn't expecting much but the desperation of the lack of surf still kept me just about enthusiastic enough to bother. When I got to K the wind was gently coming from the north-west and there was some signs of slight chop on the water. Matt (Hull Pig Dog Boy) was watching and waiting and only one person was in the water. The size looked 'alright' (go on Spanish tell me off for that one!) probably in the head high range, so I was quickly changed and out back. I had a few waves but it was hard to work out where best to sit, the swell was inconsistent and weak, but at least the sun was out and it started to feel warm. It wasn't long before a crowd of fellow desperado's had joined me and things were quite busy which only added to my frustration as I fell off yet another wave... I kept falling off, I originally put this down to weak waves and small board but then that little French dude Gordon Fontaine paddled out and the first wave I saw him take was a small right hander.... pump pump pump... bang.. 360 air... bloody hell he is good... And maybe these waves aren't so bad! I felt a little more frustrated.....
I hate winter, well do hate winter?... Actually yes, although it becomes a little more bearable when surfing a few big winter swells... Cmon February don't let me down..............
What's going on? Am I losing it? My drive, enthusiasm, some may say fanaticism! I don't think so. It's just been so weak, a bit pathetic and a bit too small to get excited about. And with it being the middle of winter I kinda (foolishly) expected a little more. Dressing up like a gimp to ponce around in 2ft slop does feel a bit desperate even by my standards, so when the chance came to go west again at the weekend I initially was right up for it only to check the forecast and question will it be good enough to quench my thirst. In the end I thought not. So another week passes and only one measly surf at K just about keeps me going.
Surf 40/75 27th January
To be honest I wasn't expecting much but the desperation of the lack of surf still kept me just about enthusiastic enough to bother. When I got to K the wind was gently coming from the north-west and there was some signs of slight chop on the water. Matt (Hull Pig Dog Boy) was watching and waiting and only one person was in the water. The size looked 'alright' (go on Spanish tell me off for that one!) probably in the head high range, so I was quickly changed and out back. I had a few waves but it was hard to work out where best to sit, the swell was inconsistent and weak, but at least the sun was out and it started to feel warm. It wasn't long before a crowd of fellow desperado's had joined me and things were quite busy which only added to my frustration as I fell off yet another wave... I kept falling off, I originally put this down to weak waves and small board but then that little French dude Gordon Fontaine paddled out and the first wave I saw him take was a small right hander.... pump pump pump... bang.. 360 air... bloody hell he is good... And maybe these waves aren't so bad! I felt a little more frustrated.....
I hate winter, well do hate winter?... Actually yes, although it becomes a little more bearable when surfing a few big winter swells... Cmon February don't let me down..............
Thursday 19 January 2012
Nice mellow clean day at the pier
Surf 39/74 19th January
I don't think it's been the best January for surf I've ever known, but there was a surprisingly clean mellow 2ft wave today at the pier and with crowds minimal, happy days were had by all who surfed it. Maybe the winterness is actually starting to put people off, the last week has felt pretty cold with that easterly wind, but today felt positively balmy! In my usual attire of full hood and mittens I actually felt hot and if anything I think it may have been slowing me down. Mason paddled out with no hood or gloves and said he felt fine and as he seemed to be catching impossibly fat waves with his skinny little board I felt more and more sluggish and old and found myself drooling over Dan's minimal as he took yet another long mellow right hander. The rights were long and mellow and the lefts were short but a bit more punchy, although not quite doing that sucky thing sadly. How long the banks will stay like this is anyone's guess but they are definitely producing a bit more consistency in the shape of the wave than is the norm.
I am definitely needing a bit more size and power and the thought of a nice long wall seems like a distant memory or hopeful dream, but I always say February is the best month down here, lets hope this Feb comes up with the goods.
I don't think it's been the best January for surf I've ever known, but there was a surprisingly clean mellow 2ft wave today at the pier and with crowds minimal, happy days were had by all who surfed it. Maybe the winterness is actually starting to put people off, the last week has felt pretty cold with that easterly wind, but today felt positively balmy! In my usual attire of full hood and mittens I actually felt hot and if anything I think it may have been slowing me down. Mason paddled out with no hood or gloves and said he felt fine and as he seemed to be catching impossibly fat waves with his skinny little board I felt more and more sluggish and old and found myself drooling over Dan's minimal as he took yet another long mellow right hander. The rights were long and mellow and the lefts were short but a bit more punchy, although not quite doing that sucky thing sadly. How long the banks will stay like this is anyone's guess but they are definitely producing a bit more consistency in the shape of the wave than is the norm.
I am definitely needing a bit more size and power and the thought of a nice long wall seems like a distant memory or hopeful dream, but I always say February is the best month down here, lets hope this Feb comes up with the goods.
Tuesday 17 January 2012
Horrible Messy Lumpy Cold Pier
Surf 38/73 Sunday 15th January
Saturday Dan called me, 'we're going to Croyde tomorrow make the flapjacks' The Sunday predictions were looking good with solid swell and offshore wind. I was getting pretty excited it felt like ages since I'd got stuck into some quality surf and with the strong offshore wind, surely there could be some fun little barrels to be had. About 9pm Saturday evening during my flapjack making my lovely wife did the unusual thing of making a fuss about me going off surfing for the day! Something about freezing weather, 3 kids, Billy poorly, young baby, 'what the hell am I going to do all day?' (My wife doesn't do staying in). And 'you said there were waves at the Pier tomorrow!' Hmmm it was obvious, my school boy error had been letting Char know that there 'might' be some 'crap' waves at the Pier tomorrow.
Now as wives of obsessive surfers go, mine is exceptionally understanding and accommodating to my surfing needs. Char seems happy to spend every holiday we have at a surf oriented destination and understands when K is on it is essential that I go and sometimes I spend the whole day there. Char will even change some of her own personal plans so I can go surfing. So you can imagine my shock when she was making a fuss about me going off to Devon for the day! So I thought I should do the right thing and let her know in no uncertain terms that I was going and she was not to make a fuss again...... Only joking... I called Dan and told him I should do the diplomatic thing and settle for the Pier.
Grimtastic was the pier, it was cold and cross onshore strong south easterly winds were making an already disorganised swell mostly unsurfable. Hugging the pier was the only way out back and once there the question of why I was bothering would regularly pop into my head. Generally the surf was unsatisfying, with constant paddling needed to stay or be in a good position. I had one wave of note, a steep peak near the pier popped up and I was bored of constantly taking the short rights towards the pier, as I came round the bottom of the peak I pushed hard up to the top of the wave and bashed off the foam ball of a lip which then catapulted me around the crumbly messy disorganised section, then the wave seemed to reform giving me a fast long ride all the way to the beach. I also managed to get a few more turns in. That 6'1 quad Dan has leant me really is becoming my go to board for every session. I should probably have got out the water on that wave but I foolishly thought I could get another like it, I didn't, that wave was a fluke! An our of mainly paddling felt like 3 and I was glad to be back in my clothes. An afternoon was spent walking through the Gardens, kids on bikes and wife happy. Not all bad.
Saturday Dan called me, 'we're going to Croyde tomorrow make the flapjacks' The Sunday predictions were looking good with solid swell and offshore wind. I was getting pretty excited it felt like ages since I'd got stuck into some quality surf and with the strong offshore wind, surely there could be some fun little barrels to be had. About 9pm Saturday evening during my flapjack making my lovely wife did the unusual thing of making a fuss about me going off surfing for the day! Something about freezing weather, 3 kids, Billy poorly, young baby, 'what the hell am I going to do all day?' (My wife doesn't do staying in). And 'you said there were waves at the Pier tomorrow!' Hmmm it was obvious, my school boy error had been letting Char know that there 'might' be some 'crap' waves at the Pier tomorrow.
Now as wives of obsessive surfers go, mine is exceptionally understanding and accommodating to my surfing needs. Char seems happy to spend every holiday we have at a surf oriented destination and understands when K is on it is essential that I go and sometimes I spend the whole day there. Char will even change some of her own personal plans so I can go surfing. So you can imagine my shock when she was making a fuss about me going off to Devon for the day! So I thought I should do the right thing and let her know in no uncertain terms that I was going and she was not to make a fuss again...... Only joking... I called Dan and told him I should do the diplomatic thing and settle for the Pier.
Grimtastic was the pier, it was cold and cross onshore strong south easterly winds were making an already disorganised swell mostly unsurfable. Hugging the pier was the only way out back and once there the question of why I was bothering would regularly pop into my head. Generally the surf was unsatisfying, with constant paddling needed to stay or be in a good position. I had one wave of note, a steep peak near the pier popped up and I was bored of constantly taking the short rights towards the pier, as I came round the bottom of the peak I pushed hard up to the top of the wave and bashed off the foam ball of a lip which then catapulted me around the crumbly messy disorganised section, then the wave seemed to reform giving me a fast long ride all the way to the beach. I also managed to get a few more turns in. That 6'1 quad Dan has leant me really is becoming my go to board for every session. I should probably have got out the water on that wave but I foolishly thought I could get another like it, I didn't, that wave was a fluke! An our of mainly paddling felt like 3 and I was glad to be back in my clothes. An afternoon was spent walking through the Gardens, kids on bikes and wife happy. Not all bad.
Thursday 12 January 2012
Xmas/New Year, lost passport tripping in Antwerp and a jolly at the Pier..
A Christmas Rant
Only now am I starting to count the cost for the gluttony and excess of my least favourite time of year... oh yeah yeah yeah 'Barr Humbug' that is me, and apparently it's now fashionable to be grumpy at Xmas but if so many of us hate it, can't we call an end to the madness? Ok what really gets me frustrated, apart from all the pointless amount of STUFF which changes hands for a reason I'm really not sure why, (seeing my children ripping open yet another present with a response which seems to suggest this is more of a chore than fun, as they eek out another 'thank you' to one of two hundred aunts who've given them yet another piece of pointless plastic crap which they didn't really want and I definitely didn't want, which usually takes more time for me to build, fix or put batteries in than the amount of time that is actually spent playing with said STUFF..) yes this annoys me... But not as much as the fact I have to do all this festive bollocks when I could be surfing... yes I've missed session, quite a few, and at a time when I was effectively on holiday!
I've been trying to think back to when my disillusionment with the festive period first started, I do remember my childhood excitement, but at what point did this dissolve into a pit of cynicism? What feels like another life, in my early 20s I worked for the BBC in transmission and my name was always first on the list to cover the Christmas period, double money, free food and drink and the perfect excuse not to travel to the family, it always seemed like a no-brainier. Or maybe it started when I first went to Uni, I was having such a good time, living away from home for the first time, cheap drinks and all the friends I could ever want was all suddenly interrupted by an annoying long winter break (I actually had maybe too much of a good time as I didn't make it to the second year!). Or maybe it was earlier than that, when I found out that the image of the big fat man in red was thought up by a very clever marketing executive for Cocacola cementing the commercialism of Christmas forever, making us all buy a shed load of plastic crap (STUFF). Or maybe it just gets in the way and that annoys me.
Last year I stayed in Bournemouth with just my wife and our kids, no fuss, no excess, no hassle and lots of fun, I also surfed Christmas eve at the pier and had one of my most memorable surfs ever on Boxing day at K with Gary. Now that was my best ever Christmas.
Forgotten Passport
After just about surviving Christmas with my family, I was happy to get a bit of extra work with Dan in the New Year period, fitting a boat cover in Rotterdam meant a bit of 'real work' for somebody who normally sits at a computer, it feels like a bit of relief to do something physical and there's always the promise of some lovely Belgium beer at our stop over in Antwerp the evening before the job. It meant missing some more surf but hey I wouldn't be the first person to miss a session due to working for once!
We left Dan's unit at around 2pm, the rain was hacking it down and the traffic was very heavy, we had barely driven 10 minutes and we were stuck in a jam on the Wessex Way, it wasn't the end of the world but I think Dan was struggling as he'd done about 48 hours without sleep and already driven several thousand miles in the past week. Anyway the banter was rife and we slowly moved on past a small accident, suddenly Dan decided to magically drop his phone out of his window, the crazy thing was the window was only slightly open with a gap so small it didn't appear possible to get a phone through, crazy panic issued and some how the phone was recovered in full working order.... So we drove on and the banter continued. It took us about an hour and a half to get to the Winchester services a journey which normally takes about 40 minutes, but the road was clearing and all was looking good, we could almost smell the beer..... It was about now I started to get a sick feeling, I'm not sure what made me think of it, and in some ways I was lucky I thought of it when I did, if we were at the tunnel there would have been no turning back. I had forgotten my Passport, Dan stayed relatively calm although I think I did see some steam coming out of his ears. After a short debate the only option seemed to be to turn around and it now meant there was no chance of a Belgium beer tonight.
We finally left for Rotterdam at 12.30am the banter and piss-take was now solely aimed at me and I had no comeback, also Dan now had to drive through the night to get us to the job on time, with no beer to look forward too, I was feeling like.... well the best description would be the opening lyric to the song 'Kill Rock n Roll' by System of A Down.
The job was completed and it was late, so the call was made to stay in Antwerp, our Belgium beer was at last coming... (24 hours late..) But hey it made it taste all the...er.. tastier....
Antwerp is a stunning looking city, fully cobbled stoned with beautiful well kept old buildings, (being an OCD surfer going somewhere with a bit of culture has never been high on my list of priorities). There appeared to be pubs and bars around every small road, alleyway and corner. The people all appear tall, well dressed and the women have an almost 'Parisian Chic' about them which looked out of the league to any scruffy hoody/combat clad Englishman. Even the young guys looked smart with their solicitor/accountant style casual attire, with long coats and scarfs being the standard uniform of choice.
The beer tasted very good, and being the light weight I am it wasn't long before my already loud voice was bellowing above the Jazz band playing in the background, as I commented on yet another beautiful woman who strolled passed me Dan was giving me the quiet down sign saying 'you know they can all speak perfect English!'. As we left the bars, adding to the surrealism of the night was the strange accented English chattering outside, it appears as though Belgium people when drunk speak English to each other... Or maybe I was so drunk I thought I could understand which ever language the Belgium people were deciding to speak that night and translating it into accented English, either way it all seemed very bizarre.
Maybe it was the alcohol or the lack of sleep or the people who spoke a strange drunken yet perfect English or even it was the hordes of beautiful tall slim women who were sending my mind into a tizzy, but I expect what was really tripping me out was the strangest nativity scene I have ever seen. At first glance all looks normal, I thought in a drunken moment 'arr my kids will love this' So I took a picture, but after closer examination like a strange analogy for Antwerp, all is not what it seems!
And so to the Surf
3 whole weeks of dryness for me... 'Oh Poor Ben' I hear you say in sarcastic tones, Yeah well as I earlier said I am OCD when it comes to surfing. I have a surprising amount of people ask me where has the blog gone, well it's here I've just not been surfing.
Surf 36/71 Thursay 5th January
So at last clean off shore lines were filling the bay and I was free... (well as free as I get)... to surf. Surprisingly the pier didn't look that busy when I arrived although the swell was infrequent and tended to have only 1 main take off point which exaggerated the crowd. As I paddled out I saw Geordie and Gary splitting the peak and thought this is going to be a great session. Slightly frustratingly for a short boarder the long borders were dominant and a bit of a tactical game of trying to nab a wave under the nose of a long boarder or trying to be the deepest out back when everyone else had gone and just hoping there was 1 more wave in a set coming through. Drop-ins were rife but to be honest I had my fill, I came out unscathed and I think I had some fun. The rights were holding up beautifully and I got some really long rides, The lefts were short and not quite as punchy as they've been lately, so I decided after a while to leave them to Maison and Oli who were dominant and putting on a show for the pier onlookers!
Guy has loads of pictures of the session http://houseofbonzer.blogspot.com/2012/01/carnage-at-pier-featuring-geordie.html
Surf 37/72 Friday 6th January
Had a little jolly to K with Gary, small and infrequent swell mainly left me frustrated although I got extremely lucky on 2 nice waves which walled up a bit for me.
Now I just need a little bit more.
Only now am I starting to count the cost for the gluttony and excess of my least favourite time of year... oh yeah yeah yeah 'Barr Humbug' that is me, and apparently it's now fashionable to be grumpy at Xmas but if so many of us hate it, can't we call an end to the madness? Ok what really gets me frustrated, apart from all the pointless amount of STUFF which changes hands for a reason I'm really not sure why, (seeing my children ripping open yet another present with a response which seems to suggest this is more of a chore than fun, as they eek out another 'thank you' to one of two hundred aunts who've given them yet another piece of pointless plastic crap which they didn't really want and I definitely didn't want, which usually takes more time for me to build, fix or put batteries in than the amount of time that is actually spent playing with said STUFF..) yes this annoys me... But not as much as the fact I have to do all this festive bollocks when I could be surfing... yes I've missed session, quite a few, and at a time when I was effectively on holiday!
I've been trying to think back to when my disillusionment with the festive period first started, I do remember my childhood excitement, but at what point did this dissolve into a pit of cynicism? What feels like another life, in my early 20s I worked for the BBC in transmission and my name was always first on the list to cover the Christmas period, double money, free food and drink and the perfect excuse not to travel to the family, it always seemed like a no-brainier. Or maybe it started when I first went to Uni, I was having such a good time, living away from home for the first time, cheap drinks and all the friends I could ever want was all suddenly interrupted by an annoying long winter break (I actually had maybe too much of a good time as I didn't make it to the second year!). Or maybe it was earlier than that, when I found out that the image of the big fat man in red was thought up by a very clever marketing executive for Cocacola cementing the commercialism of Christmas forever, making us all buy a shed load of plastic crap (STUFF). Or maybe it just gets in the way and that annoys me.
Last year I stayed in Bournemouth with just my wife and our kids, no fuss, no excess, no hassle and lots of fun, I also surfed Christmas eve at the pier and had one of my most memorable surfs ever on Boxing day at K with Gary. Now that was my best ever Christmas.
Forgotten Passport
After just about surviving Christmas with my family, I was happy to get a bit of extra work with Dan in the New Year period, fitting a boat cover in Rotterdam meant a bit of 'real work' for somebody who normally sits at a computer, it feels like a bit of relief to do something physical and there's always the promise of some lovely Belgium beer at our stop over in Antwerp the evening before the job. It meant missing some more surf but hey I wouldn't be the first person to miss a session due to working for once!
We left Dan's unit at around 2pm, the rain was hacking it down and the traffic was very heavy, we had barely driven 10 minutes and we were stuck in a jam on the Wessex Way, it wasn't the end of the world but I think Dan was struggling as he'd done about 48 hours without sleep and already driven several thousand miles in the past week. Anyway the banter was rife and we slowly moved on past a small accident, suddenly Dan decided to magically drop his phone out of his window, the crazy thing was the window was only slightly open with a gap so small it didn't appear possible to get a phone through, crazy panic issued and some how the phone was recovered in full working order.... So we drove on and the banter continued. It took us about an hour and a half to get to the Winchester services a journey which normally takes about 40 minutes, but the road was clearing and all was looking good, we could almost smell the beer..... It was about now I started to get a sick feeling, I'm not sure what made me think of it, and in some ways I was lucky I thought of it when I did, if we were at the tunnel there would have been no turning back. I had forgotten my Passport, Dan stayed relatively calm although I think I did see some steam coming out of his ears. After a short debate the only option seemed to be to turn around and it now meant there was no chance of a Belgium beer tonight.
We finally left for Rotterdam at 12.30am the banter and piss-take was now solely aimed at me and I had no comeback, also Dan now had to drive through the night to get us to the job on time, with no beer to look forward too, I was feeling like.... well the best description would be the opening lyric to the song 'Kill Rock n Roll' by System of A Down.
The massive industry at the huge port of Rotterdam. A lot of STUFF
The job was completed and it was late, so the call was made to stay in Antwerp, our Belgium beer was at last coming... (24 hours late..) But hey it made it taste all the...er.. tastier....
Somebodies million pound boat being carefully loaded onto the Ship
It's just more stuff
Danny Boy
Antwerp is a stunning looking city, fully cobbled stoned with beautiful well kept old buildings, (being an OCD surfer going somewhere with a bit of culture has never been high on my list of priorities). There appeared to be pubs and bars around every small road, alleyway and corner. The people all appear tall, well dressed and the women have an almost 'Parisian Chic' about them which looked out of the league to any scruffy hoody/combat clad Englishman. Even the young guys looked smart with their solicitor/accountant style casual attire, with long coats and scarfs being the standard uniform of choice.
The Stunning 130 Metre High Cathedral in Antwerp
Maybe it was the alcohol or the lack of sleep or the people who spoke a strange drunken yet perfect English or even it was the hordes of beautiful tall slim women who were sending my mind into a tizzy, but I expect what was really tripping me out was the strangest nativity scene I have ever seen. At first glance all looks normal, I thought in a drunken moment 'arr my kids will love this' So I took a picture, but after closer examination like a strange analogy for Antwerp, all is not what it seems!
Antwerp Nativity!?!?
3 whole weeks of dryness for me... 'Oh Poor Ben' I hear you say in sarcastic tones, Yeah well as I earlier said I am OCD when it comes to surfing. I have a surprising amount of people ask me where has the blog gone, well it's here I've just not been surfing.
(pic sent to me by a friend) another session missed!
Surf 36/71 Thursay 5th January
So at last clean off shore lines were filling the bay and I was free... (well as free as I get)... to surf. Surprisingly the pier didn't look that busy when I arrived although the swell was infrequent and tended to have only 1 main take off point which exaggerated the crowd. As I paddled out I saw Geordie and Gary splitting the peak and thought this is going to be a great session. Slightly frustratingly for a short boarder the long borders were dominant and a bit of a tactical game of trying to nab a wave under the nose of a long boarder or trying to be the deepest out back when everyone else had gone and just hoping there was 1 more wave in a set coming through. Drop-ins were rife but to be honest I had my fill, I came out unscathed and I think I had some fun. The rights were holding up beautifully and I got some really long rides, The lefts were short and not quite as punchy as they've been lately, so I decided after a while to leave them to Maison and Oli who were dominant and putting on a show for the pier onlookers!
Guy has loads of pictures of the session http://houseofbonzer.blogspot.com/2012/01/carnage-at-pier-featuring-geordie.html
Surf 37/72 Friday 6th January
Had a little jolly to K with Gary, small and infrequent swell mainly left me frustrated although I got extremely lucky on 2 nice waves which walled up a bit for me.
Now I just need a little bit more.
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