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.