EN VACANCES

??? - there could be a mellow righthander breaking just around that corner...

We're off on holiday tomorrow - heading South.

(Google maps is awesome, n'est ce pas?)

BIRDY EYE?

???

Anyone recognise this famous right point break?

Clue: First exposure was in 1966 via a rather famous surf film.

SMILE

Smiling - an antidote to tussery.

Today there was a situation that mirrored the recent tussage incident but the outcome could not have been more different.

With the advantage of some flexi-time I had a couple of free hours and really wanted to get wet. I hooked up with D and we hit Godrevy for a quick sesh.

With only a handful out on the middle peak we opted to try the rights in the north corner, but a big tide was draining fast and dragging a rip through the waves. So we decided to paddle 100 metres across to the middle peak where some tasty waves were jacking up and peeling perfectly both left and right. The tide had dropped to expose the mid-tide banks and a fresh swell was just starting to fill in. The always-friendly Dave Barnwell was out getting a few and it was starting to look really good!

We got out to the peak during a lull between sets with 3 other guys already sitting outside. Almost immediately an overhead set started pulsing through. D found himself right in the perfect spot under the peak. Dave was already on the shoulder with D being slightly deeper, but as we were last to arrive in the line-up and not wanting to be seen as a snake he offered the wave to Dave.

‘No you go, there’ll be plenty more’ said Dave with his customary grin, and D dropped down into an absolute screamer that had him flying across the beach. As predicted we all got a wave each from the rest of the set. And when we’d all paddled back out to the peak, Dave was equally as stoked to see one of the ‘waves of the day’ being enjoyed, as D was to have caught it!

And sure enough there were plenty more waves on offer...

What a contrast to the same position I’d been in a week ago when Tuss had glared bitterly as I caught a set wave. Yet today D and Dave had doubled their stoke factor by simply acknowledging and respecting each other and sharing the waves.

BANKSY

Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock.

CRAZY CONTROL

Gou Miyagi.

DON'T BE JEALOUS

Old fave.

A tee that my friend Patrick Best gave to me many years ago - still a fave!

IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT

END OF THE LINE

Went west to Penzance for lunch and a browse...

Shimmery.

DJ Humph on the mix. (He invented the Davy Lamp)

Reflected.

The Admiral Benbow stalking seagulls.

View through.

TNLS.

Curves and angles.

BIRDSEYE?

???

Anyone recognise this world class setup?

Home to one of the best lefts in the Northern hemisphere.

And possibly due to host some major tubage quite soon...

TUSS!

TUSS - good old Cornish insult, all the better for not being used very often.

I had a fantastic surf today and I really wasn't expecting to.

I finished work an hour early and on an impulse decided to go to Gwith, knowing the tide was dropping and the wind was picking up, but thought I'd give it a punt anyway.

For the hour that I was in the water it just all came together, the sun came out, the wind dropped and the banks were absolutely flawless. Waves kept pouring through and peeling off for a hundred yards across the beach. Chest to shoulder high clean green walls, one after another. I took a left that stayed fast and open while I tucked into the pocket and the lip rained down on my shoulder.

Bissful, but as can often happen with these golden moments, it was marred…

There's a guy who surfs this spot all the time, he's fit and he's a good surfer, gets lots of waves. But he gives off a weird vibe I've noticed and despite being in the water regularly he's not one for sharing stoke, avoids eye contact, never smiles. And he's greedy. Wants every wave and will paddle all over the line-up to get them.

At one point I was right on the peak, in perfect position for a nice left, he was sitting directly under me and could see the wave was mine. But he didn't move and instead just watched me as I paddled for it, then he turned his back to me, but still made no effort to move away. Because the waves were walling up, angled take-offs were in order and as the wave lifted under me I took my final stroke into it and he was right in my path, no intention of giving me any space. I just missed the tail of his board by less than an inch and felt his legrope scrape across the underside of my board as I took off, in fact I felt a little tug as it briefly snagged my fins. But I had plenty of inertia and the wave flexed its muscle and squirted me out and onto the face for another beautifully fast carvey glide.

I tend not to get hung up with other people's trips in the water - 'Don't rent out space in your head' is one of the mottos I try to hold fast. But that little act of arrogance ticked me off! It was unnecessary - I can understand an attitude of being cool and in control and being experienced enough to behave nonchalantly out in the waves. That's fine, but if you're going to claim that position then you should also take the responsibility that goes with it. But underlying his refusal to budge even one inch was a total lack of respect for others.

So, regardless of your level of ability and experience, you can still be a kook when it comes to common courtesy.

REMEMBER STRAIGHTEDGE?