Gullane Goes off

 

What a start to the year, after a terrible Autumn and a land locked Christmas I drove home via a day of great waves in both England and Scotland then this weekend a big swell (13ft@11Sec) trucked up the Firth of Forth and lined up on the most fickle of things, the village’s resident right hand point break. 2 or 3 days of good waves were predicted too. Could it really happen?

This is how it went.

Saturday: Light winds and the very start of the swell gave an excuse to get out on the new SUP. A generally flat water paddle was rounded off with a nice waste high wave to the shore – my first proper SUP wave, something that felt very unnatural.

 Sunday: Get down to the beach early for a sighter and two things had happened:

1) The huge swell had arrived as promised and was wheeling down the point, the waves starting small and increasing in size as they came into the open bay. Huge bomb sets were moving down beyond the bay with clean waves breaking a mile offshore.

2) The Scottish surf circus had arrived. A car park usually occupied by dog walkers was rammed full of vans surrounded by a detritus of boards and bags. No one it seemed had a mind to miss this one. After some negotiation with the Mrs I got in for the drop after lunch. 6.6 fish. What a session, long cruisy rights down the point and finally thirty mins in the middle chasing some bigger set waves. Last wave of the day may hold position for wave of 2016 for some time. Big, chunky and down the line before a clouting from the lip and a dodgy exit through the rocks.

Monday: I have to work so get up early to get that done and make a two hour slot in the day. Decide on late afternoon on the drop. Longboard. The swell had eased back and the wind was still hard offshore but the waves were linking all the way down the point. It never took more than two waves before I had to get out and walk the 500 yards or so back up the beach. Again one of the last waves was the best, all the way down the point, it never sectioned once and stayed chest high till it closed out in the middle of the bay. At speed on the nose for 50-100 yards -  Magic. Got out when the light faded.

Tuesday: Sadly the swell had dropped and the wind had come round but some more waves were had and again the final wave was the best – found a rare set wave which had some shape so rode it through, straightened out and called it day.

And now back to waiting