Friday, July 28, 2006

I have returned...

Well hello everybody!!! I'm back from my Holidays in Cornwall and Devon and was it good? Man I have to go to cornwall again! However next time I'm going as a sponger...I should explain some vocabulary:

Sponging: Bodyboarding, the art of riding waves on a 40-something inch sponge. A.k.a rifing riding waves on a bodyboard. However not on a piece of polystrene which most ppl think classes as a bodyboard, I real bodyboard is a piece of craftsmanship waiting to carry you into the next boost, barrel or turn...infact to show you what I mean...
This is not a bodyboard


But this really is a sponge...

Clean: when the waves are not pushed over by the wind instead the wind holds them up, that's the kind of waves you want to ride.
Muppets: idiots, who drop in on you.
Dropping in: when you start riding a wave which someone else is already riding, stopping them from riding it, Pretty much like cutting someone up in a car.
Portreath: one of the best surfing breaks I have ever been to!

Anyway I left for Cornwall at 5:30am a fortnight yesterday (thursday) and my dad must have been on fire cos we did the 340+miles in 6h30mins! which is flying! anyway we camped on the same site as my brother which was nice. The next day we went a absolutely beautiful beach, no surf tho so its a bit boring at times. however it was a really nice day. The next day we went to a place called Pra sands, which is where I got my first wave of the holiday. However it was small (waves) and crowded, so even if you caught a wave, there was 90% chance you would get dropped in on! So I gave up got out and chilled on the beach. Oh the same day our car got clamped cos the attendant couldn't see the ticket we had bought, but it got sorted out which is all good.

Anyway I can't remember whether it was the nxt day or not but its the next thing I remember doing so here goes. We went to a beach called Sennen Cove, now then Sennon cove is right at the end of England about a mile north of Land's end, so if there is any swell anywhere in cornwall Sennen will pick it up, so I was rather gutted when the surf turned out to only be about 2ft max. Also Sennon although a big beach gets very crowded, so there I was after patiently waiting my turn in the line-up (area just beyond the breaking waves) riding one of the better waves of the day, as im riding along the face of the wave just about to hit the lip of the wave, when a muppet on his muppet board drops in on me, and the worst thing was he looked me in the eye before he did it! I was so close to confronting him! Anyway what with the poor state of the waves and the crowds and everything, I was begining to get worried that this holiday was going to be pants surfing and everything was going to be rubbish, then I went to Portreath...if you read the latest issue of ThreeSixty the Bodyboarding mag you will read all about the spongers who really can sponge and this is their local break and if they were in the water I'd probably just watch and probably wouldn't even get a toe wet as I have so much respect for these guys as they can really shred it...anyway I was at portreath in the evening having a bbq. As I was eating I kept an eye on the sea, and as the tide came in the waves just got better amd better until they were peaking around 4ft with an offshore wind. So by the time I got into the water the sun was near the horizon. The waves were clean, very clean...with lines which can't be creased. And that evening was the best surf of my life. With the best wave coming half way through, imagin a 4ft wall of water to your right, completely unbroken. And as you ride infront of the breaking water along the face, the setting sun turns the crest of the wave, getting ready to chuck its self over you, to liquid gold. Now I could to describe the rest of the wave to you tell you about the amazing ride I had, however Im not, cos I'll never do it justice cos as my friend Jonathon said "The best sunsets are in your head" and the same applies to waves. I'll just leave you to imagin what you would do and the beauty of the ride.

Anyway after that We went to several other beaches. I had a great surf in the rain at one with 3-4ft waves. I also went to a beach where the swell was 6ft+ and coupled with the strong retreating made the conditions out of my league so instead of getting beat up in waves which I hadn't the experience to ride and just getting in the way of those who can surf I decided to get out and take photo's. So when I get the photo's off my camera I'll post the best up here.

After that we went up to Devon to camp near my brother, which was cool...I beat my brother at clay pigeon shooting...you have to do it its great! I went swimming in the river on his farm...its great he has a field on the edge of the Exe. So he has his own private bit of river to swim in. i rode about in tractors for an afternoon as they were collecting the silage (grass which is dried and stored to feed to cows in winter, for all you uneducated town folks) They collected alot f grass, then at the end of all that I came home. And had a horrible Journey up the M5/M6

Anyway when I get my pictures I'll post some up here!

Good night!

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