I had to share this, Merry Christmas!
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Austerity Board: (SUP) Part 1
In these austere, bleak-winter times, when the path to the water’s edge is ice-encrusted, and the local MP stands before the latest Closing Down Sale, the shelves picked clean,shouting, ‘You’ve never had it so good!’ – many surfers thumb longingly through surf-magazines, and trawl the pages of the inter-web, drooling over boards they can no longer afford.
And have you noticed lately, to match the falls in ozone stock, or the high street banks that melt into the sea, the price of boards? They’re up. Is there a squeeze on resin? Or has the price of sandpaper soared, to match? And all this when the neighbours are chopping up furniture for firewood, or opening tins of Kitty-Cat for the kids.
So say, ‘No more gate-crashing the Christmas party, in the hope of a square meal! The solution is nigh – the Hollow Wood Austerity Board!’ You can have any board you want…you just have to make it.
I woke up on the beach
Sunday morning – about 6:30 a.m., I opened my eyes on a lounge floor; and that’s another story. But the August light was filtering in through the blinds and I knew it was low tide at Preston. The thought went through my head: Just leave it, now. Go back to sleep. But I knew I’d regret that: it would get to half-past shopping-time and I’d be in a regretful queue for the tills. So I dragged myself clear and out the door to the sound of waves breaking in the distance. The easterlies had shut off and the forecast lights had left a smoothly groomed a wave-playground to end a SUP drought with only windsurfing to show for it. And by seven, I’d surfed perfect waves before a breath of air could even ruffle a line. So here are some pics I took….as I woke up on the beach.
National trust wooden board making
A fantastic little short doc about James Otter who crafts a beautiful hollow wooden surfboard from a fallen cupressus macrocarpa tree from the Trelissick garden in Cornwall owned by the National trust.
Russian wakeboarding…..and surfing!
A Russian taking hydrodynamics to an all new level!
Kitesurfing: Edge Race Cup 2012 BKSA
“Atass Energy sponsored, BKSA event in South Devon. Held by the reknowned Edge Watersports. The Edge cup has been run for the last 3 years and each year it becomes more popular and more contested.”
Surfing in North Devon – the guardian
“As a clean three foot swell hits the world class surfing beaches of Woolacombe, Saunton and Croyde, Alastair Sawday heads to North Devon to look at areas vibrant and ever growing surf culture through the eyes of the men that make it happen. He spends time at the local point break with Andrew Cotton, the Devon lifegaurd, boy turned big wave hero. He visits the Gulf Stream Surfboards factor and talks to founder Julian ‘Jools’ Matthews and spends some time with surfing historian Peter Robinson”.
Ghostryder Watermen Santa Cruz
The Ghostryder Watermen Club is a group of guys who created this Non Profit Organization benefiting the Santa Cruz City Junior Lifeguard Program. Great Cause. Great People. Great WATERMEN.
Olympic Torch 2012 passes through Torbay
Second day of the Olympic Torch Relay arrives at Torbay, Devon. This is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to see!
Portrait of a surfer
A beautiful video filmed on location in West Cornwall, Swami’s short film profiles multiple British and European longboard champion Sam Bleakley: surfer, explorer and writer.
An insightful glimpse into a surfer’s state of mind, travel wonder lust and the ultimate draw back home.