[john horscroft]

I remember thinking I was a natural after standing up during my first lesson, only to later realise I'm crap and I wasn't surfing a board, it was a boat.

Me too.  First surfed in 1976, I was eighteen on a booze fuelled holiday with mates in Newquay. Guy in the hire shop saw us coming and gave us the worlds biggest mal.  Stood up first go.  Didn't mean a damn thing................... 

[john horscroft]

So board was 7'6"then? should be about right for a fit and healthy young male! I did a lot of my learning on a 8ish ft board, and it served me well for a long time.

Go home, regroup, head down again Sept Oct time. Crowds have gone home, air is cooler so water feels warmer, and you get the autumn / early winter swells start to pick up. And remember Hell's mouth and the N Yorkshire coast aren't that far away!

Fit and healthy young male!?  If only......

Already got September in the diary Chris................... 

[john horscroft]

Next stage for you, (once you can stand confidentally and straight line it in the whitewater), is taking off as the wave breaks, the 'bottom turn' and 'trimming' across the wave to stay in the green (or brown for you NE folk) water.  First time you do this and the wave stays open, will be a bigger buzz than standing up and will get you fully hooked.

Funny that. Had lessons 5 or 6 years ago and I remember the instructor getting all excited at one point, "Yeah, go John!" or something like that.  I asked him what had been so good about that run and he said, "You surfed blue water man!"

Trouble was, I was concentrating so hard on standing up, I hadn't noticed........ 

[SA Chris]

Already got September in the diary Chris................... 

Get down the local leisure centre and start the lenghts then! At first crawl crawl crawl, then work on doing lengths underwater, and sprints.

[john horscroft]

Already got September in the diary Chris................... 

Get down the local leisure centre and start the lenghts then! At first crawl crawl crawl, then work on doing lengths underwater, and sprints.

Local Leisure centre?  Goodness me Christopher, I live in posh Sheffield, I'll be off down my private gym then..... 

[Falling Down]

I'm over in Abersoch for a long weekend for Wakestock.  Looks like there'll be waves accompanied by onshore winds so I'll be in the water somewhere with Dave if anyone's around.

[dave lamacraft]

Enjoy it while you can Ben, things at the Mouth are set to change if certain people get their way.  200-car car park on a SSSI, charges, double yellows, access to Morfa removed, fenced-in path along the eroding cliff top all on the cards....certain people are pretty dead set on this and not overly willing to consider alternative views.  One of the first comments from a member [of the local community] at last nights meeting was 'why are there so many English in-comers here' or something along those lines......

Anyway, enough of that....a chance of some over-knee waves at last! 

[Aussiegav]

Enjoy it while you can Ben, things at the Mouth are set to change if certain people get their way. 

this happens across the world over, even in some climbing venues where land owners seen financial benefits from having access to crags.
unless you are prepared to fight it  with 120% commitment, you may as well start getting used to the impending changes. surfing will still be there, it will only come down to whether you can be bothered with the inconvienience of it all.

but at least the numbers should reduce slightly.

I told you there would a carpark coming along the way...

i am surprised that they are complaining about english folk coming down, as it adds 'foreign' income into the country. also allows the unemployed drug taking youth a steaady supply of cars to break into to steal shit to feed their habit.

[Johnny Brown]

They've been complaining about the english forever, and with fair reason - the native culture gets pushed into a minority and is slowly lost. Of course, though, there isn't a sensible solution. You can't stop outsiders buying holiday homes or youngsters leaving for the city. Local poet RS Thomas spent his life bemoaning the decline of his culture and resenting the incomers, but in the end he blamed the natives just as much.

I suspect there is a fair bit of nationalism tied up in these access discussions. Despite the area's AONB status and regional drive for coastal paths etc, fair chunks of the coast still have little access. I'm sure this is partly to keep the english contained, and access limited for those 'in the know'. I doubt this protectionist attitude is unfamiliar to the other group of potential landowners, either - the kind of monied 'everything-has-a-price' english businessmen who the locals resent.

Just have to make sure the quiet majority of folk get to have their say, no doubt harder since the change in government.

[gme]

In my experiance the Lleyn would by the new Knoydart if it wasnt for English people.

[Idol eyes]

Still pumping down here!!!

[SA Chris]

In my experiance the Lleyn would by the new Knoydart if it wasnt for English people.

What, no surf, full of midgies and boggy?

[gme]

What, no surf, full of midgies and boggy?
[/quote]

exactly

[Probes]

What they need to do is lure all the mr johnny b16 7wat in the personailsed range rovers, ive got a yacht and a house by the sea, down to the beach one night and nuec the f'in lot.
Ive spent many a year autumn through spring in abersoch having quiet pints in the sun after a few waves, with very amenable locals, friendly and helpful, chatty.... then rise the summer months and oh my god, welcome to hell. The invasion of cunts. I feel so sorry for these local people down there, theyre famililes are forced out of their own village, local industries are now defunct, earnings from tourism are mainly taken by new businesses run by those who've moved in.

[Falling Down]

I don't think it's that Black 'n White Probes.

[Probes]

From the outside it kind off does seem that it is? if im right most of the tourist development down there started through the boat yard, and this brought in the cheshire boat bridgade (for which some of my family were part off!) thus the expansion of the boat yard and town....

[Probes]

Although, no i guess its not black n white actually, im sure theres more too it. Its sad all the same. Id still like to blow up a few 4x4s tho.

[Johnny Brown]

I can vouch for most of the cheshire boat brigade being cunts. Most though, some are really sound. The best thing about the cunts is they're very easy to avoid -  never get further than the triangle bounded by The Warren, the Yacht club and Cae du. The rest of Lleyn gets away pretty much unscathed. Avoid the school holidays and its a cunt-free zone.

[Idol eyes]

Crazy sessions... The last four weeks has been surfable every day, some classic sessions ant some of the best breaks in the South West,
Wrestles, Lynmouth, Sennen, Croyde.... All have come through with some great out of season swells(?)... something to do with a shifting Gulf Stream? I thinks it's going to be a long summer...

[Adam Lincoln]

I thinks it's going to be a long summer...

Time for a trip south i think!

[granticus]

Has been pumping, unfortunately I will probably be out of the water for 6 weeks.  Fractured cheek bone in a wipe-out at Croyde on Thursday!

I hope you didn't just mention the L-word Idol!   

Question: How come with all your classic spots up (oop) North East everyone goes ballistic if you so much has hint as to their location, where as similar spots down this way seem to be mentioned without folk batting an eye lid?

Is it that Northern folk are grumpy/ scarey/ hard and therefore everyone's too scared to talk? 

[Aussiegav]

because when they are firing, that crap down south doesn't come close to being as good.
plus northerners hate you soft as shite southerners (so i've been told  )

the fractured cheek bone sounds painful, good luck on that.

how come you cant go in the water? is it close to the socket as well?

[Johnny Brown]

everyone goes ballistic if you so much has hint as to their location

I can't get my head round this protectionism bullshit at all. Strange how surfing seems to cultivate all these petty egos.

[Adam Lincoln]

I hope you didn't just mention the L-word Idol!   

Last time i checked it was in the stormrider guide?

[Aussiegav]

I can't get my head round this protectionism bullshit at all. Strange how surfing seems to cultivate all these petty egos.

imagine what Puttrell would do if he went out to Stanage nowdays....