3 Weeks..

Getting back to life at home.  

Photo Nick Bier.

More Nick Bier Gold.

Fun size 3 Peaks, Ireland.

 

 

14 from 20 days in the water, 2 trips to Brechfa, one to Betws-Y-Coed on the bike and work in there somewhere..

3 weeks doesn't get much better.

The Freedom Of Isolation..

Competition was never really a place where i wanted to take my sailing. I sail to bang waves where and when conditions are to my liking, where the only timing i need is to hit the section in such position as not to get consumed or project into a new direction.  

Last year chance, luck, skulduggery and a small hand full of skills i got myself into a position of promotion from the Am fleet into the Pro side of the draw on the 4 stop cyclone that is the British Wave Tour.

Scribe bending one round.

As the 2012 season rolled in i was starting to question why id put the pressure of competition back into my life. Competition sailing can be a pretty humbling experience, half the year i sail in my little west wales bubble pushing turns into what i believe is perfection. 8 minute heats in 2 foot hack tend to send a pretty big needle deep into that bubble.

However......

When Jim at Puravida suggested i join his British escapade as a team sailor and tour around competing the 4 corners of the country my mind reverted back to the 13 year old reading tales of Coomes, Farrel and Seals battling it out. They were heros to me at the time, pictures lined my room walls. Tiree was my Hawaii, Ireland my Indo.

Competition has turned into something a little different this year. Last season confirmed to me that the UK has the potential to rival wavesailing anywhere in the world. This year im keen to experience that amongst good friends.

Certain characters stand out to me. My travel partners Alf Hart and Coxy, i dont think ive talked more bollocks or laughed so hard for a long time, travel with personalities of this calibre is like gold to me. Rob Jones living a dream existence on the shores of Brandon. Jack Hunt a style i can appreciate, Tom Bennit coming through, Jeff Scott, Ian 'Chucky' Ross, Nigel Tracy all in it for the love as well as the world tour elite such as Proffit who treat each man as a friend.

Alf Hart Eagle King..

The whole Ireland trip this year was a classic. Stena Lines hooked us up with a faultless travel experience so a huge thank you to them. Some times i forget how close west coast Ireland and its conditions is. If you have never been.... GO....... Ive fallen in love with that place.

As i rolled away from Rd2 i think im sitting 11th and pretty happy with that as a fresh man to the Pro field. A big thanks to all the crew who helped me out. Puravida, No Limitz, Simmer, Fanatic, Patagonia and Stena Line.. Couldn't do it without you. Diolch.

Line this up...

Rise of the Egomaniac...

Strange few weeks, there has been good surf and pretty good wind but i just seem to either miss it with work or not really get on it when its there.. Not sure whats going on with the sailing but i just havent been feeling it. I think it might have been something to do with a day at the races on a stag with a bus full of social hand grenades where i seem to have sacrificed my brain. Alf has had his magic camera out working on a project so that made me link a few things together but something wasnt right. One week latter and she seems to have rebooted abit and I'm starting to feel the fire again.


Water wise a couple of things have stood out.

No Limitz Masts. Im not one for yelling 'this the best bit of kit ever' but I was put onto these by Jim at Puravida after a heavy few sessions that were hammering my bank account. I know i have some affiliation with these carbon pole manufactures but i  tell you. These new Sumo series are something else. I swear down i bent one of those things in half last week on a slight miss timing on a rather hefty lump. I dont know what they are doing with these modern masts but they are pretty special.

Sumo convert.

Steve Stubbs on his kite has been on fire. Full rail gauges knocking waves flat. Hats off to you Stubbs, taking the kites to the next level there sir. Even made me think of getting the old strings out again. Another man who is on the charge is Gareth Mogsy Morgan. He can lay down the power on tap. One of the most committed water men down here.

Mogs on one.

To windsurf waves with style is a hard thing to do Angulo brothers Levi, Kauli and Pat Redman are a few that stand out to me. Campello can do it all but he looks ugly with it. Alfie Hart is a man you associate being the land side of the camera however put him in good conditions and the man can ride with effortless style. At  Newgale he was pretty faultless last week. BWA Ams title this year?

Alf at work.

Steve North is also back on the radar. All over it mate. Check him out. http://pembswindsurfing.blogspot.co.uk/





To finish i saw this video the other night.. Kauli is in a different league..

edit embed not working.. ? Here she is http://t.co/PkpuoXzr

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Ahh, dont touch it like that..

Its been a month or so since my last ramblings which in the blogging world is a seen as being too long. I don't know why its taken this extended period of time as it been quite busy, maybe that's the reason..

Rich Livock went on to charge this place. 8 stitches worth of barrels for him.

In that month this has happened,

1. I'm going to be a father. I'm very happy about that. This will not effect my play time, yes it will.
2. Patagonia have agreed that I'm never going to be famous or world champion but given me a sponsorship none the less. Thanks very much.
3. Ive come to the conclusion that there is no other place in the world that id rather live. We have had days this month of near perfect down the line sailing and some of the best surf Ive ever seen here. When your home spots are working there is nothing that can come close.
4. As good as the good days were there has been nothing much either side so Ive filled in with 1 trip to Chamonix, endless days up the downhill track, looped the trail centers of Wales,  road biked abit and spent time at the gym looking at various weights but not really doing much.
5. Got my dates to have my ears drilled out. Hopefully set me up for another 20 years in the water.

Grainy but that is one hell of a lump there..

5 days straight down the line glass.. Fanatic quad 94 is an absolute weapon in these conditions.

That will do me for my first day back in the keys.

I feel faint.

My Hands Are Colder Than Yours...

One hell paddle, 4 waves in 2 and a half hours and i forgot my gloves.

Still could have been worse..

If you ever read this Nick, cheers for the photos.

Banks are back........ Cant wait for the north winds.

Some news coming up but ill save that for another post...

Im off to chop some wood..

Life in Mono..

Life in mono is a frustrating time, music doesnt sound right and general comunication difficult .Two weeks back i told myself i wouldn't go back in the water until i had my ears sorted out.

It didnt really go like that....

Last week i could barely get on the water quick enough but i put that down to near perfect cross off Freshwest.

This week it's back to grovelling about in sub par condions at a unproven right hand reef that looked just about sailable.

Long walks holding hands, days at the downhill track, long loops on the road bike. As much as i enjoy it all nothing  alleviates the addiction. I dont know what it is with windsurfing but if i can't do it when conditions allow it drives me to distraction.

Freshwest looked perfect last week. Cross off 4.7 head to logo and glass clean.

Long range..

I sailed upto the outside reef and had a few long lefts. I rigged small as it was super offshore but that proved my undoing in the end as the wind died out. Still worth the gamble as when its good here its insane.

I also sailed a place that ive been wanting to for a while now but conditions havent quite worked. A right hand reef break  just up the road from my house. I sailed it about 10 years back and got hammered and never really sailed it since, probably due to tricky access and other spots working in the same direction. It was small and gusty but the wave lines up well and its got the potential to be pretty special.

Time will tell.

Cheers to my wife for putting up with my deafness and taking photos in the cold. Your tops.

Inside swimming championships.. Days 8 & 9

Day 8
Pendine
Cross shore 3 foot
Fanatic quad 94 with Black Project 15 & 8's
Simmer Icon 5.9 with No Limits Sumo

I could string out a few sentences on it but it wasn't epic, so i wont.. Boiled down to a few high lights.

Emile Knotts back loops. Big and seemingly effortless.

One particular off the top from Northy i liked the look of.

Alfie Harts's local beach, he is pretty untouchable on the riding here. His timing is perfect. Nailed every section i saw him line up for.

I had a few pretty big forwards and some clean waves to drive about on. Ive been trying Cheese rolls too. I saw John Skye do a real whippy sideways one once that i liked. Mine didn't quite look like that yet but they will in time.


Day 9
Amroth
Cross off head to logo

Fanatic quad 94 with Black Project 15 & 8's
Simmer Icon 4.7 with No Limits Sumo

Ive never seen a place look so good and yet be so bad. We intended to to some filming for a project Alf is working on. Myself and Will Barett spent 2 hours swimming in a current running like a river getting washed.. 4 waves for me and similar score for Will.

To top it off its given me a double ear infection. Ive had work done on my ears before due to dreaded Surfers Ear and it now looks like ill be having another op to get it sorted.. Gutted, 6 weeks off the water.

Musical Internet highlight of the week..

If i could sail like Mark Angulo and get a section in a dvd this would be the music..Yes..