Just testing a bit of blue sky thinking today, wondering if its gonna work

It’s a long way from North Devon to Scarborough, especially if you’re crammed into the back of a van like an illegal immigrant. We were heading North for the next stop on the UK pro surf tour and the forecast said waves.

Heading North

It was an early 6am start and we passed the time watching the Quicky Pro on the iPhone, abusing each other or watching old series 1 episodes of “the fresh prince of Bel-Air”.

We got the Quiksilver on the iPhone

I’ve never been to Scarborough and I didn’t have high hopes, but the place really impressed, maybe it was the sun and friendly smiles that helped. The contest was held in the natural amphitheater that is North Bay. The surf was small on the Saturday but steadily built until on Sunday for the semis and finals it was hitting 4ft+.

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The standard of surfing was excellent and it looked like everyone relished getting their teeth into some really quality North Sea waves.

In the end there were winners and loser: see below but I had a blast. The sun shone there were so many angles to try and explore as the tide ebbed and flowed. I did walk a long way trying to get the cross shots from either end. Although I did my best to frame stuff well it was ultimately down to the surfers for putting on such a competitive show, cheers!

High tide at North Bay, Scarborough

Can’t wait to visit again, in the mean time looking forward to the next stop, Thurso on Scotland’s Northern tip.

www.ukprosurf.com

Scarborough Results:
OPEN
1. Gordon Fontaine
2. Harry Timson
3. Stu Campbell
4. Jonny Fryer

PRO JUNIOR
1. Jobe Harriss
2. Luis Eyre
3. Jimmy Pearson
4. Will Bailey

U18 WOMEN
1. Jaide Lowe
2. Lucy Campbell
3. Laura Crane
4. Emily Currie

U18 MEN
1. Jobe Harriss
2. Harry Timson
3. Miles Lee Hargreaves
4. Dale Foster

It’s that time of year again as the Goldcoast Oceanfest family meets in a field overlooking the beach for a weekend of sport, music, fun and friends. Looking through this years program has jogged memories of years gone by, and the expectation for the weekend ahead no matter what the weather decides to do. Looks like an epic line-up of music for all three days and not just the big-name headline acts, there’s going to be lots of local noise to.

You’ll see me and the team snapping away all weekend so don’t forget to say hi and “smile for the camera “. Photos from Goldcoast will be available to view post event (once we’ve got over the fuzziness)  Hope to see you there……

Pete Robinson centre with Museum Trustees Kevin Cook, Hugo Tagholm,  Andrew Coleman and Richard Gregory

It was real pleasure to join the great and the good on Thursday night for the official launch of the British Museum of Surfing. Following years of tireless work  a small band of surfing friends, led by founder Pete Robinson, finally got to to open the doors of Europe’s first surf museum, with the  official ribbon cutting performed by Andrew Cotton and Ben Skinner.   With music from Neil Halstead and beer from Skinners brewery the night was a fantastic celebration of the work done by so many volunteers and organisations and the realisation of a dream for Pete Robinson. Well Done!

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The museums first exhibition is the The Art of Surf’’ is created from the museums collection of surfboards and artwork dating back more than two centuries. From sketches of surfers made by early explorers, via photo film and boards to the flourishing British art scene inspired by surfing. The exhibition runs from April 6 to December 24

TWO North Devon surfers have claimed titles at the British National Surfing Championships last week.

Woolacombe’s Stuart Campbell put in a powerhouse performance to win the open division in challenging surf at Newquay’s Fistral beach on Saturday.

With the lead changing constantly throughout the heat, it was Campbell’s final wave that secured the title, making him the first Devon winner since Croyde’s Richard Carter in 1984.

It was a Croyde one-two in the under-14 girls, which was surfed at the more sheltered Towan beach on Sunday.

Flora Lawton put in an impressive display to take the British crown, getting the pick of the rights and avoiding the close-outs in a tough final that saw Peony Knight finish second.

In the under-18 girls, North Devon duo Lucy Campbell and Laura Crane surfed well to make the paddle-fest final that saw competitors ripped all over the beach by the strong currents. They could not catch the in-form Tassy Swallow, finishing second and third respectively, but impressed GB coach Joey Buran.

Gabriel Ley, the 10-year-old Croyde grom, took two heat wins on the way to the final of the under-12s and showed real strength of character to lead until he was shaken by a near miss with a stray longboarder and finished third.

The championships seemed doomed not to happen until they were saved by people power. Organised by surfers and supported by the industry and volunteers, the contest was a roaring success.

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Redwood Masters

1^st Mark Vaughan, 2^nd Lee Bartlett, 3^rd Chris Harris, 4^th Greg Owen

Protest Open

1^st Stuart Campbell, 2^nd Jayce Robinson, 3^rd Gordon Fontaine, 4^th Oli Adams

Nalu Beads Women’s Open

1^st Sarah Beardmore, 2^nd Hannah Harding, 3^rd Anne Marie LeTallec,4^th Joanne Dennison

Ripcurl Under 18 Boys

1^st Harry Timson, 2^nd Luke Dillon, 3^rd Ben Bennett, 4^th Tom Good

Ripcurl Under 18 Girls

1^st Tassy Swallow, 2^nd Lucy Campbell, 3^rd Laura Crane, 4^th Gabi Rowe

Xcel Under 16 Boys

1^st Jobe Harriss, 2^nd Simon Trebilcock, 3^rd Paddy Daniels, 4^th Miles Lee Hargreaves

Calypso Surfers Under 14 Boys

1^st Harry De Roth, 2^nd Max Payne, 3^rd Rhys Barfield, 4^th Angus Scotney

Calypso Surfers Under 14 Girls

1^st Flora Lawton, 2^nd Peony Knight, 3^rd Isobell Evans, 4^th Emily Williams

Calypso Under 12′s

1^st Liam Murray Strout, 2^nd Joe Harding ,3^rd Gabriel Ley, 4^th Cieran Hughes

Reubyn Ash

HISTORY was made on Tuesday when the country’s top 28 surfers rocked up for the first contest to be held at Lynmouth.

The Relentless Evolution Series was dreamed up with the idea of taking the best surfers to the best spots in the UK on the best day.

With a £5,000 prize purse the stakes were high at the invitation-only event.

Three local riders joined the lineup with wildcard entries – Charlie Charlesworth of Croyde, Jordan Reed of Westward Ho! and Neil Clifton of Woolacombe.

As the tide pushed up to the high-water mark the contest team set up overlooking the car-park peak, giving visitors to the picture postcard village a perfect vantage point from which to catch the action.

The peeling 3ft left-handers had all the guys frothing and as the heats kicked off they set about them with a flurry of hacks and slashes.

Both Charlesworth and Reed put in impressive performances, progressing as far as the quarter-finals, as did Croyde’s Lyndon Wake.

Following a break to let the tide turn and move across to Blacklands, the final got under way.

It was an electric affair that turned into a two-horse race between former World Tour rider Russell Winter and aerial freak Reubyn Ash.

With the reeling lefts offering up so many hittable sections it was a job to remember how many turns the riders managed to fit it.

Ash, from Bude, posted close to a perfect heat score with a perfect ten for not one but two alley oops, assorted cutties, floaters and a few turns followed by a 9.7, giving the crowd a vivid memory of how Lynmouth could be surfed and earning him the £2,000 winner’s cheque.

That will probably come in useful as he is off to Indo for winter training tomorrow.

Ester Spears, the head judge, said: “Watching that final put the hairs up on the back of my neck.”

Organiser Dave Read thanked Lynton and Lynmouth town council for the help in holding the event as well as the Esplanade Fish Bar for opening at 7am to keep the contestants and crew in bacon sandwiches and coffee.

Relentless Evolution Series – Lynmouth: 1 Reubyn Ash, 2 Russell Winter, 3 Jayce Robinson, 4 Toby Donachie.

Follow the tour:  www.ukprosurf.com

The Camp

The Redbull Break 5 contest drew teams of 5 surfers from across the country to the beautiful National Trust owned Sandymouth beach over the weekend. The event, now in its second year, was billed as aiming to recapture the legendary good times and camaraderie of the surf events from back in the day, and they achieved just that and then some.

Representing their beaches and clubs the teams of 5 arrived to find an amazing camp with a huge teepee as the social hub.  Each team had to include a Pro as well as surfers from a mix of divisions including junior, womens, seniors, masters and longboards, competing with a handicap system that gave additional points allowing combined and fair heats throughout the first day of competition with the fresh groundswell providing plenty of room for expression despite the onshore wind.

The Saturday heats done and dusted it was on to the expression session which was claimed outright with a stunning display from Croyde team captain Andrew Cotton who dazzled the assembled crowd & judges with his range of moves and balance.

Steve & Andrew have a mellow chat

An evening of sensible drinking and quiet chatter followed as the athletes, judges and assembled media prepared for day two.

A quiet drink….

As the fuzziness cleared and the heats kicked off, things were looking good for a number of teams but with the cunning use of the double-whammy joker cards it became a 3 way battle between Woolacombe’s Ass Bandits, Putsborough A and team Rip Shred from Newquay.

It came down to the last heat of the day where all rested on Boardriders chairman Archie Willis who did enough by scrapping a 3rd to force a dramatic surf-off against the Newquay boys.

Woolacombe make the play-off against Rip-Shred

Neil Clifton and Stuart Campbell were selected to ride for Woolacombe and had just 15 minutes to catch one scoring wave each which they had to claim. Clifton grabbed the first wave smashing three hefty hacks cheered by the crowd, the joy was short lived as Oli Adams cancelled out the advantage but the handicap system meant it was down to the final pair.

there was a bit of surfing

The storm that had been brewing all morning hit and torrential conditions ensued but that didn’t dampen the fever pitch atmosphere as Rip Shreds Tom Good grabbed a left to score a 7 leaving Campbell alone in the lineup trying to find something special. With the clock showing less than 2 minutes to go, Campbell hooked into a left and smashed it for all he was worth, covering so much ground the crowd ran from the shelter of the camp into the downpour to make sure they caught the end of a historic ride that finally earned the Woolacombe boardriders a national title.

The winners: Woolacombe

Archie Willis, Neil Clifton, Stuart Campbell, Nick Thorn, Josh Witts

As Neil Clifton, Josh Witts, Stuart Campbell, Nick Thorn and Archie Willis stood on the podium the cheering from all assembled showed the popularity of the team and their victory. which also wins the team an all expenses paid surf trip with Carve magazine later this year, possibly to the Galapagos Islands and the final icing on the cake was when 10 times world champ Kelly Slater gave the team a mention on Twitter. Well done to Jamie and all the crew who made it happen….what a weekend!

You know where you stand with WBSC

There’s so much still to tell: the waves that were ridden,the friends met, and drinks drunk: along with the hospitality, food, and more drink plus the good times had …….you’ll hear the stories or maybe even glimpse a picture, but nothing can do justice to the Redbull Break 5. Bring on 2012

When a smart gent about town is looking for a new suit he’s got a number of options: leg it to Burton’s or River Island, or maybe grab a bargain at Primark…but for real comfort, something that fits perfectly and is totally in tune with YOU, the smartest choice is getting a bespoke suit made by an artisan. Its a similar situation when it comes to surfboards, its easy to reach for an off the shelf solution, the bargain-basement mass produced machine shaped direct from the internet lump that arrives on your doorstep only a bit crumpled courtesy of a miserable van driver wearing a brown suit. However there is another path, and you don’t have to pay a Saville Row premium to get a one off creation tailored to the most exacting of demands.

Gulfstream surfboards have over the years have built a reputation amongst those that know(or have been lucky enough to stumble upon them)  for producing amazing boards built to amazing tolerances by skilled foam mower and Mr Gulfstream – Jools. So if you’re looking for a high performance new stick, a classic Mal or pretty much anything in-between I’d have no hesitation in recommending them.  Tell them what sort of waves you ride, your style of riding, describe what you want out of a board and with their years of skill and innovation you’ll assured of a quality wave-riding craft.

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These images have been shot over the last couple of years and reflect some of the ethos and escapism that I feel Gulfstream somehow embody. Hopefully this doesn’t read like too much of a blatant plug, but they are a bunch of really great local fellas who I got to know when I rented space out the back of the factory many years ago and we surprisingly have stayed friends since despite my best efforts………..

Goldcoast Galleries

Croyde Surf Club are a hardy bunch and they proved that in spades on Sunday with the running of the Eyeball Surf Classic.

The first challenge of the morning was to get the marquee up and secured against the howling Westerly gale buffeting the bay, a feat that required greater number of heavy duty anchors than at any time in the clubs history, job done the BBQ was fired up the hot drinks flowed.

“It was one of those weekends where it wasn’t that easy to make the call: small and weak Saturday or maxed out on Sunday, so in keeping with true CSC tradition we opted for the testing conditions of the Sunday on the basis that anyone willing to paddle out in those sorts of conditions deserves to carry a CSC membership card!” said contest director Matt Knight

Messy, heaving 6ft+onshore waves battered the beach the whole day through, but the enthusiasm of the frothing groms wasn’t dampened. With places on the Devon surf team for the Atlantic watersports games up for grabs, there was strong competition in all divisions.

“Not so blue now” Open winner Jordan Reed

It proved impossible for the groms to make it out back, though it didn’t stop them trying, but they still put in strong showings picking off reforms and still bashing out the turns. Will Bailey claimed first in the U14 while Peony Knight picked up her third win of the weekend. Jack Hough obviously wanted to retain his Devon team spot and surfed hard to grab the victory.

A first for club was the addition of a longboard division, and despite the horrific conditions 3 brave challengers stepped up to be counted. Although he sounded confident beforehand even Greg “Santander” Robinson failed to make it out through the relentless walls of white water. Alex Maddocks caught a number of tricky reforms halfway out to grab first.

In the end it was left to the Open contestants to make it out and ride some bombs. Even big wave hellman Andrew Cotton struggled, he blamed having to use a girls board which he borrowed following an undisclosed technical malfunction, others muttered that maybe he’d gone soft in Ireland!

Rannochan getting chased

In the end it was a battle between Jordan Reed and Scott Rannochan as rogue lumps broke and walls of white white rumbled through. RNLI lifeguard Jordan looked right at home in the big stuff and picked off 2 scoring waves to take the Open title ahead of Scott.

The Atlantic games Devon team selection is now being considered by the Panel consisting of representatives from Westward.Ho, Croyde and Woolacombe surf clubs and a team is set to be announced in 2 weeks time.

“The enthusiasm from everyone in such hard conditions was amazing. It would be unfair to select a team from just this event n such terrible conditions but it helps us see who’s keen and gives us something to go on.” said Andrew Cottton.

Eyeball Surf Classic results

Open

1 Jordan Reed

2 Scott Rannochan

3 Andrew cotton

4 Matt Knight

Womens

1 Andrea Lawrence

2 Jemima Knight

Longboard Open

1 Alex Maddocks

2 Pete West

3 Greg Robinson

U18

1 Jack Hough

2 Cory Lawson

3 Cameron Maddox

4 Jack Middleton

U18 Girls

1 Harriet Knight

U14′s

1 Will Bailey

2 Alex Gibson

3 Samson Yeo

U14 Girls

Peony Knight

U12′s

1 Garin Clay

2 Storm Wall

U10′s

1 Gabe Ley

2 Freedom Wall