Roctober North Devon Session

Just back from another great weekend in Devon. The weather and waves were great.

In fact, I can't believe how good the weather was. We were shorts and t-shirts and sat out in the evening. Now we all know how chilly Nic gets - well, she was even out and only had a normal number of layers on - not the usual 4,400!

Nic & I arrived Friday morning, a bit ahead of Craig and Kerry. They had had an "alarm clock issue" and didn't quite get up at the right time - oops! We messed about a bit and then watched the Saunton waves peeling down the beach. C&K rocked up in what sounded like a B52 bomber. There had been exhaust issues. These issues raised their head again on the way home and they didn't get to leave Barnstaple until 5 in the evening when they set off at 1 in the afternoon.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were all great sea days (Monday was flat - checked Woolacombe area but still no joy). I think Magicseaweed must have been bigging up the conditions as it was packed! It was like a summers day out there. We ended up leaving it later and later each day. Fewer people about and to be honest the conditions were nicer.

Croyde was pretty big a couple of the days. Far too big for me! None the less, Craig and I went in very early on Sunday morning (or was it Saturday - can't remember). It was a bit boisterous so it was only a quick one...

Kerry had a few goes as well. This was her first time in quite a few years. The last time involved an incident with a board and her nose - ouch! But with a bit more time, she'll get the burn back ;)

Nic successfully managed to negotiate using my longboard again. She's getting on really well with it. Looks like I may be loosing that one in the near future - Gulfstream here I come :)

We had a nice surprise on Saturday when Steve & Nick (we met in Newquoi in September) popped by to say hello. They were at Oktoberfest near Cheddar. So cups of tea and a walk down to the pumping break at Croyde made for a relaxing afternoon.

The splitty ran well! hoohah! Having done a couple more tweaks, the overheating has stopped - finally! He's going to get tucked up now for winter, but he'll have a few Christmas presents to be added in the new year :)

So, yet another nice break :)

Sunny September in the South West

Not long back from our regular September run to Cornwall.Two weeks this time, as opposed to the usual one week. It was great doing the extra week and we managed to relax and chill out (I believe the new word on the streets is chillax - real hip!).

The week started off well with our visit to see Gavin at Finshack and the purchase of a sneaky new fin. What a beaut! I tried it out at Polzeath and wow what a difference it made :) Honestly, I didn't think I would notice the difference - but the first wave and the board felt completely different - really nice and very happy :) That was one of the few times I got to use my board - more on that later...

Polzeath was busy, so after a major rain storm we moved on and ended up in the dizzy heights of Newquoi. We'd planned to stay near Constantine, but we got major demotivated with the horrific weather, leaking van windows, soaked awning and the red flags at the beach (especially after having the sea so nice in Polzeath). So Newquoi it was.

One thing lead to another and all our plans of cruising around and going to different places never happened and we stayed at trusty old Trencreek the entire time. To be honest, the waves in Newquoi were really nice, so we didn't want to risk moving and not have suxh good conditions. We ventured to Crantock and Gwithian (saw Jo & Andy while we were there of course) and both times convinced us that staying was the way to go!

We met Steve and Nick, who are from Manchester, at the campsite. They had a nice pimped out T4 and a puck (which fared well on a couple of the cooler nights - especially with heating and what have ya!). We had a great time with them, several beverages and a couple of bad heads (mainly me!). No doubt we will be catching up with them very soon :)

(Nick is sporting a slight toe injury in this picture - no more said about that hey Steve!)

Nic spent most of the fortnight on my longboard and made some really good progress. There's no excuse now, she has to come out with me next time we go in. So she had better use out of the new fin than I did. But I can hand on heart say that I got my first real good controlled nose ride! I think that was on the Monday night of the second week. I was made up. The board locked in on the wave, I moved forward and was about 15 cm from the end, held it for a good few seconds and then moved back as the board became a little unstable. Poetry in motion ;)

How did the van go? Up and down really. Still having overheating problems, but we at least managed to get down and back at around 60mph. Which is good, but not good enough! So there's still some work to do there. That aside, he ran around town really well and served us excellently for the whole 2 weeks. Can't grumble.

As we are now getting to be creatures of habit, we did the usual of going via Devon on the way home. So managed to grab a sneaky session on Saturday evening at Saunton (I got on my longboard this time!) and Nic managed a good few waves at Puts, on Sunday, before heading home (on our wedding anniversary).

An excellent two weeks, surfing, sunning and meeting great people :) Roll on next September...

Some other piccies I took...

What a difference the angle made - Nic preparing

A couple there of Nic coming back up the beach - the sky was amazing that night!

Some rare footage of me in the sea - paddling out at Fistral

Spot Steve's T4 and our Split parked up at Pentire

Devon Lanes and Splitscreens

This weekend saw our first outing this year (in fact since September last year!) in the Splitty. It's amazing how time drifts by, but due to a sequence of upgrades and failures we haven't really had a chance to use it too much. So having just recently passed the MOT and had the starter motor replaced, we packed it up and headed down to Devon for fun packed VW and surf weekend.

Th trip down was good. The roads were pretty busy but we managed to keep a steady 65mph all the way (except for the vast amount of 50 zones all over the place of course). The Little Fella ran just fine and sounded great. I, of course, needed the obligatory wee stop after about an hour, but other than that it ran all the way non-stop. We did the usual stopping over at the services on Friday night. It was full of caravans! Hardly a truck in there.

Through Friday night and Saturday we had rain nearly constantly. The breaks in the rain on Saturday were nice allowing enough time to get dry and a coffee and chai at the Wild Thyme cafe in Braunton. And we really did get soaked!

There was no surf at all! One of the flattest days I've seen there in a long time. Ranging from 0ft to 1.5ft. Certainly not worth getting the boards of the roof for. None the less, while Nic was tucked up cosy in the van reading her book, we were treated to a nice stormy sunset and frequent torrential downpours.

Before setting off, we'd brought a sun canopy from Just Kampers. Although the instructions didn't quite match the equipment, once we'd worked out what to do, it went up reasonably quickly. It proved to be a god send and just like an awning makes the van so much bigger. There are a couple of things that aren't quite right with it, but with a bit of Nic pimping that can be put straight :)

Sunday was a whole different day. It was sunny and warm! So the canopy was laid out to dry while we packed up the gear to get ready and go. We were hoping for a sneaky surf... We probably weren't quite as efficient at de-camping as usual, but I suppose we were a little out of practice. None the less, managed to get the morning cuppa in :)

We headed off to check out the beaches. Parking is such a rip in the summer! £6 at Saunton. Sunday was by far the worst day ever for surfing. I thought Saturday was bad. It gave us 0ft to 0.5ft. There were still people getting all their gear and going in - mad! Although, there was an old guy on a SUP who just managed 2 or 3 "waves". We, none the less, paid our parking fees and chilled on the beach for a couple of hours before heading home. We chatted to a couple from Weymouth who had the most perfect bay window - really good condition. It made ours look like a bag of nails and lead to the usual discussions of what to do next on it - this time, we might have a plan!

The journey home was a slow one. We couldn't go any faster than 50mph without overheating and bellowing smoke - oops! Will need to investigate that before our September jaunt.

It was nice to get the Little Fella out again - I've missed driving it. could have done with bigger surf and 65mph on the way home, but there's always next time :)

Sun(ny) Holiday

Jo & Andy from Cornwall managed to arrange another super duper Tommy Cooper cheap Sun holiday again this year :) So for £17.10 each we had 3 nights and 4 days in a caravan at Ruda in Devon - bargain!

Now, normally we would have done the usual of heading down Thursday night, stopping in a lay-by and making sure we there first thing Friday morning. Not this time! Nic wanted to go via the Snowboard Asylum at the Snowdome in Tamworth to see if they had the new snowboarding jacket she was after. So Friday morning we headed off. And sure enough the jacket was there - and purchased! She also spotted a snowboard that was on sale (quite a bargain!) so she has her beady eye on that now - watch this space ;)

The journey down to Devon was a wet one. It rained all day until around 18:30 which is when Jo & Andy turned up. Perfect timing! We got the "B" going and made the most of the sun and the pear cider we had :)

Having not gone in the sea on Friday, we headed over to Saunton near enough first thing. It was pretty rainy on and off all day, but although the surf was pretty small we still had a great session. Nic, for the first time, paddled out with me and got some cleaner waves out back. It was a hard day and the waves were making you earn them! None the less, we both had some great surfs. Jo turned up after a while, having already been in and not seeing us. So she was further down the beach. She paddled out to us as well! Good work!

Once again by the evening, the weather got better. Even though it was a little chilly on the willy, we rigged up the "B" again and knocked a few ciders back.

Sunday was super sunny all day :) We headed into Braunton on the morning and had our usual Chai and Latte at the Wild Thyme Juice Cafe. I forced myself to not go into the Gulf Stream shop and put a deposit on a new board...Saunton was looking the best, although small again, so we suited and booted and had another nice session. It's kinda nice when it's small - you don't get smashed about so much and the sessions last longer - more energy.

Some big news here, as I did my first proper noseride! OK, so it was only for about 2 seconds, but none the less I did it! the board was positioned well and planted - hoohah :)

Jo & Andy left us Sunday night to go back to the depths of Cornwall. We stayed having wisely booked the Monday off work. We tidied the van up and scooted round, again, to Saunton. Puts wasn't happening at all and Croyde was just messy. It was sunny again so we both made sure we had plenty of cream on. Nic was already looking a bit rouge from the previous days - hehehe ;) I got Nic to use my longboard thinking that she would find it easier to catch the smaller waves. This meant that I was having a go on hers for the first time - eek! After a couple of nose dives, Nic was away and enjoying the relative ease of getting the wave and that extra stability. With some furious paddling I was getting the odd nice wave too :)

After our last outing (with Paul & Ivan), I'd had some kind of minor ear infection - I think. And this time, I'm feeling a little wierdy again. I think I'm going look at getting some earplugs...

Devon Lanes and Longboards

Just came across this little puppy. Think this is inline for a purchase :)

Annual April Croyde Run

We're back from our annual run to Croyde (busy month this month!) where we met up with a couple of friends we only get to see once or twice a year.

Paul & Ivan both have VW vans. Ivan sports a LWB T4 and Paul a mint splitty. Paul sold his split a few years ago and has had a combination of Beetles, Wedgies and splits in between, but recently bought back his original split when the chap he sold it to decided he needed to sell it - he's a crazy dude ;)

It seems that the summer season is really kicking in now. The beach, and more to the point the sea, was rammed on Saturday! At times, there were 15 to 20 people going for a wave - all of them near novices - so you can imagine the carnage!

Now, I'm not one for localism. Let's face it - I'm local to nowhere. But I can understand why locals do get pissed at the outsiders on days like that.

Needless to say, Saturday was a no surf day. So we tucked into our "B" and headed down the Thatch for a swift (and massively overpriced!) brewski. The place was full of mid-twenty Bristol peeps. You know the type, nice hair, trendy clothes and a very slight posh accent all trying not to be (another good argument for localism??).

We decided to get up early on Sunday, in an attempt to miss the crowds. It was a shame to have rain that morning after such a hot sunny day on Saturday - but we were getting wet in the sea anyway. The surf looked a lot nicer so by about 8:30 we were in getting a pasting. No wallys in today, but unfortunately, I was performing just like one :( Paddled for loads but just couldn't catch any...

My new rashy worked a treat, but I will be sending my winter for repair very soon. A load of the sticthing has come out, the neck has all torn and a lot of the inner seals have come loose. Adam in Overhead in Newquoi will sort me out there though :)

"Spot X & Spot Y with a little Spot Z"

Back from a weekend surfing in N. Devon.

Had a pretty good time :)
Went down on Thursday night and stopped over the usual truck stop for the night. We met up with our buddy Craig at 08:00 on Friday morning at the services - superb timing - so had a quick squirt and a bevvy and headed down to the beach.

Weather was pretty bad - almost constant rain and a chilly wind (I had a bit of the "chilli wind" on Saturday night much to the annoyance of Nic!). On the up side, we were greeted with some pretty sizeable waves. Croyde was real messy and breaking right on the beach - so we headed round to Puts. As always Puts treated us well :) I got me gun out (still need more practice on this puppy - but getting there) and we all knobbed about in the shallows - it was too boisterous to get out.

Having spent a fair time in the sea, fully gimped up (it was fooking freezing!), we headed back to the camp site. The field we were in was like a bog - well not like a bog - it was a bog! We moved to a drier patch the next day.

Friday night was fun and the first plans for our surf film were put into place. Obviously I can't go into massive detail just yet, but rest assured it will be special.

Saturday proved to be a bad day for me. Craig had broke his gun out and was having a good'un. Nic was popping out some good moves as well. Me - it looked like I'd never done it before :( I got major slammed, twice, trying to get out back so after a short session I headed to van for a cuppa with Craig in tow. Nic stayed out and was loving it. After moving to a drier spot on the camp site, night rolled in and we settled down for another night of rummy, biscuits and booze.

Croyde and Puts were both pretty weak on Sunday morning, so we headed to back towards Saunton. I'm so pleased we did. the conditions were sweeeet! Smaller, but real clean and a great period :) We suited and booted real quick (for a change!) and took the long walk to the sea (tide was out). A perfect longboard day today - so having spent a couple of minutes with Nic making sure she was applying the previous nights techniques that we had all discussed, I headed out back and rocked it up :) I managed to get some real clean waves and a bitta stylee with a few hang fives. Nic & Craig were both having a great session as well.

Sunday made the weekend for me :)

It was good to have Craig along for a change - our first official outing together. He just needs to convince his Mrs to don a suit and gimp mask, then we're laughing!

Roll on the next one...