Stoked

A colder day but bright and sunny. The waves are really pumping-head high, fast and clean. A bit scary today as surfing on my own but other dudes around.

Great sesh -not much wind and only a very slight rip. Felt had made progress even if couldn’t manage the biggest out back!

Beautiful pastel sky like pink chiffon wafting down to meet the lace patterns of the sea as the white water weaves amongst the grey.

I had company to drive back so dozed  a little after the exercise and the cold and then watched the long burnt orange fingers of sunset stretching across the dusky sky following us home. A good day!

A Good Grey Day

Forecast better today and always eager for more we set off around lunchtime to catch the tide at its best.

What a great sesh! The surf was clean, 3 footers rolling in 2 hours from high tide in a windless bay, waves whispering gently in the still November air.

Everything visible was grey, but a soft, caressing grey like the feathers on a pigeon’s breast. We lost ourselves in the feathery mix of sky and sea and rode some sick waves till dusk darkened the clouds and the surf was difficult to judge as it sank into the twilight.

We ate our (very) late lunch in the car, watching the night creeping ever onwards and swallowing the sea with just the occasional flashes of white water breaking the black. Very atmospheric- we wished we could stay and watch in the dark for longer, content with buzz that a good surf always brings and reluctant to return to life’s more mundane duties!

Remembrance Sunday 13-11-11

A dismal, damp and misty morn – but on Remembrance Sunday we have no wish to complain about the weather.

We have held our 2 minutes silence and now we enjoy an hour and a half chasing clean 2-3′ waves and indulging our passion for surfing.

We are lucky to have the freedom to spend our Sunday as we choose with friends and family. It came at a price. So many gave their lives-a generation lost their freedom, their careers, their education, their plans for the future, their partners, their homes. We owe it to them to use our freedom wisely.

What better way to honour them than by pursuing strength and skill and being at one with the elements, encapsulating both the physical and the spiritual which are equally important in our sport.

May we never forget.

Sea, surf and sludgy skies on Monday November7th.

The forecast was not encouraging! It had changed overnight from 3.5′ to 1.5′. What to do? Car packed sarnies made and all psyched up to go! What the hell- just go and make the best of it! Have a day out and maybe even a swim!

Tide on the push just 2 hours from high. A grey and drizzly day , short bursts of squally rain and a near deserted beach. But as we checked it out over a coffee the waves built in front of our eyes to a respectable 2-3′! A bit messy to be sure- but rides guaranteed.

The water shocked us initially with an icy grasp. There was a frost last night and it certainly seemed that winter had fired a cold blast through the sea.

We were joined by 2 or 3 other dudes and the waves kept us busy and happy till they hit the wall and upset our balance with the backwash.

Was it worth the trip? You bet it was!

A Good Friday

 Grey skies heavy

 Rain blanketing the land

Car splashing through mini lakes at the road side.

At last we arrived

To a sea  full of welcome

Rolling out clean surf as clouds drifted away

Enticing us to ride waves

Share the fun.

A lovely November day

Mild and still; the sun

Sparkling caravan roofs on the cliff tops.

We chop and chase,

Paddle and plunge

Till the tide backs off

And we hurry back before dark.

Windmills weave the sun’s last beams

Winding the red and gold

Into a web of darkening twilight.

The new night folds its charcoal cloak

Around the lingering rays

As orange turrets blaze a last stand.

The rooks flock to roost,

And a quiet calm slips over the fields

Bringing pockets of mist and silence. 

 

 

Wet, Wild and Windy!

Not the best day for surf, but one has to take the opportunity when it arises so here we are, ready to give it a go! The wind is very strong with mad gusts whipping up the waves which are all over the place.  They are big and messy with walls of white foaming and frothing towards the beach. Mid tide on the push as we strike out. Paddling against the rip is a feat in itself, so strong it takes your legs away if you attempt to stand.

We have to content ourselves with catching mostly white water but the sun is shining and the wind warmish so we are lucky. It is good fun trying to achieve some mastery over the elements even with limited success!

Later on at high tide we watch the breakers crashing over the sea wall onto the prom. A great day out and a real lift to the spirits before the clocks go back next weekend and reduce our surf choices as the nights draw in and winter begins to dabble icy fingers in the sea.

Thursday Oct 13th.

Struggling a bit with a troublesome bump from last week so not able to give it everything today! Some massive waves out back but not for me-I couldn’t take the risk of being wiped out! Great to get in -a lovely light grey afternoon ,such a welcome change from the depressing rain and drizzle of the last two days.

Almost 40 surfers in the sea with tide on the push, just a bit messy. Looked like a winter wonderland staircase of foam with white water tumbling down towards us. Reminiscentof a notable day some years ago at Watergate Bay! Nice strong waves so easy take offs and fast rides! Cleaned up nicely later on and we were well pleased we made the trip.

Lucky Seven (Oct)

‘When did you last surf here with me

At dusk upon a glassy sea

Where rainbows touch the ocean’s face

And lead us to another place.’

It just seems like so long ago since waves like this. We’ve had a wonderful warm Autumn spell-better than our so called summer so we shouldn’t complain-but oh, it has been so flat for so long, we forgot what waves looked like! Even the 4th. leg of the UKPRO surf tour cancelled!

Tonight though we snuck in after work to catch the last of the sun’s rays and enjoy an hour and a half before dark.

The tide had been high at 2.15 but it was only small, unlike the massive tides of the previous weekend which revealed acres of sea bed we had only imagined. We got in just after 5.30 and the waves were perfect. Clean, glassy, 3-4′-just what we needed!

The atmosphere was breathtaking as the moon  slowly rose hiding one cheek from us but still casting her spell over the sea, a pathway to another world shining across the water, a bridge from the late afternoon sunshine to the mists of evening.

The clouds gathered like balls of sooty cotton wool with rose topping as the sun asserted its authority over the proceedings with a final blast of colour. Pink and purple spilled into the sky and as the roosting seabirds flew across the moon, we felt priviledged to be sharing the sea with such wonders.

We watched the gradual change in awe. Like a young girl in pink for a party, the sky stretched strips of ribbon over the bay. As we surfed, the pink slipped under a pale grey mantle and with blue and silver elegance the girl became a woman.

The waves were so clean that as we surfed and the night closed in we could barely see them. The blue and silver made way for grey and so an old lady emerged to keep us company a few minutes longer before her time ran out and the blackness of night finally enveloped the sea taking with it the colours from the sky. We turned to leave, guided by the waxing moon.

Such an evening will not happen again this year, it will be too dark, the tide not right-but what a memory to cherish through the cold winter months!

 

 

Stoked on Sept 17th 2011

A brilliant day-one of those that makes your soul sing, gives you confidence, chases worries away and makes you glad to be alive!

After a pretty flat couple of weeks the best sesh for ages! Pumping waves, a good size and clean too. Must have been 3′ plus with a medium off shore wind stacking up the surf. Sets not too quick  coming through, time to paddle out back and pick your wave.

Quite a few dudes out there-so dropping in was a factor to be considered, but you couldn’t say it was crowded. We hit the tide just right, on the push an hour and a half up so not dumpy but plenty to go at till backwash from the wall curtailed our fun just before 5.

The sky was bright from some late sunshine which scattered rainbows in the spray backing off the waves  including a rare full circle one hovering for a second above the surf! A magical day.

Surfing September

Today we caught the last of this present spell of surf. Lovely clean 3-4 footers for the beginning of September.

The light was full of magic; not dull and cloudy, nor bright and sunny but somewhere in between with a serene radiance all its own. Through the spray I almost glimpsed a mermaid brushing  her honey -coloured tresses, it was that kind of day!

The tide was backing off`pushing away from the shore leaving wet sand smooth as glass with shimmery water reflecting the patchy sunshine-an artist’s dream!

We drifted a little on the rip-nothing like the last surf- and tried to padde out back avoiding the biggest lips crashing  on top of us! The rides were pretty fast, if a bit bumpy due to the cross currents. The wind was light but although the day was warm, the water was cold. I think it’s right what they say-this spot is the coldest in the UK! Our last surf only 30 miles away was much warmer despite a cool and blustery wind!

It was a great day though, a sick sesh, sandwiches on the beach again and a real holiday feel.

En route home the adjacent beach reminded us the schools are not yet back, with beach tents, life guards, sand pies and surf lessons all in evidence. The life guards had marked out the red/yellow swimming area but no-one was taking the plunge. Felt quite smug that I had already had 2 swims -in costume only-already this year. Keep it hardcore even on flat days!!