The Wall

Sometime there is far more depth to a good wave

its about:

waiting

monitoring the forecast

reviewing the diary and lining it up

good warm up sessions and being ready

shuffling work into the evenings to cover the time

getting up and out in the middle of the night

getting to the beach at the right time

and knowing the tides and the nature of the wave

its about

talking yourself into going out

the cold change in the wet car park

pushing your limits a bit

getting into the spot in the line up

and when the time comes and the big one approaches

its about having the nuts to turn and go for it

to give the extra paddle

and then you are up and in the moment

that big drop

that wall

the turns

the escape or the fall

that sensory overload on your brain

and the way it captures snapshots of the moment for later

then its over

just a bloke in a wetsuit

sitting

smiling

waiting again

 

 Left home 3.30 am and was in Yorkshire before sun up, called it to perfection and they were rolling in. Last wave was on one of the larger sets of the day - we figured after it was maybe the best we had seen through- what a fricken drop, the biggest thing I have caught on the east coast no question - I made it no question too, I think that's what I am so stoked about. I'll not forget that wall for a long time either. funny thing was the shear drama of the moment eclipsed the wave before which was right up there in my all time list of waves. when the big ones drew the water off the reef it got so f*cking good.

what a run, if I went for bath now i'd probably find waves.

what a fricken surf - magic.

40 Mins in at the Shallow End

Called it perfect, low tide home in Scotland and had 40mins of heaven before the swell lost the bottom. Head high at best and a-framing to allow two or three good turns before hitting the channel, which conveyed me back to the line up perfect.
 Just me and a seal too, it went to crap just as the next guy paddled out. felt a bit smug.

Oops I got in again.

I played on the reef, got lost in the swell

Oh baby, baby

Oops!...I think I'm in love

When the swell gives a shove

I'm not that innocent

...Small reef nothing too exiting surfed quite badly but got the exercise. No photos taken so here is bass rock last week.

Stick a fork in me

I am done:)

Another day another dollar, some lovely fast ones on the reef. Straight off shore and Single fin loving all the way. Just a quick one as its a work day so was being made up at 6am!!!

I did a sort of floater too, could have stayed out forever.

Hell in a kelp bed

Got up for a dawny down on one of the local reefs. One out, me, and it looked very good. Decided to take my short board which turned out to be a big mistake, The wave was running fast and I was just struggling to find the spot back hand so decided to go in for my single fin which would be more forgiving on the take-off and give me time to get into the excellent waves that were coming though.

About 1/4 of a mile away

Got back out in the line-up and caught a couple but it was getting really low as was my mood. The kelp was showing in the line-up which was not helping.

The next reef over had been looking big all morning and I talked myself into paddling over just for a quick look before coming in. A right too so front side for me, looked like big lumps hitting the reef and running into the channel.

I sat in the channel and had a look for a while and most were coming in big n fat but a few had real picture postcard 1.5 to 2 overhead shape and were running down the point – East Coast goes Indo – wtf! If I could just get one. I pushed in to the peak a bit and chased around for a while not wanting to get mown down by a big one, the inside on the rocks did not look a nice place to be. It was deep and nice on the shoulder. I sniffed at one and pulled back – what lay below was not in my comfort zone.

Then a wide one with my name on rolled in, I was in position, now or never, time to turn a shit surf around, paddle hard. The take-off was easy but the view on the drop was from hell, the impact zone was a field of kelp heads and that reef did look rather close. Coming off the bottom and heading for that friendly shoulder became a growing concern as I realised that I was too deep, way to bloody deep - how the fuck did I catch the only wave I wasn’t going to make. Drove ahead of the lip and ejected arse first to the bottom as my world exploded. Somewhere mid tumble the leash snapped (enjoy the swim sunshine) which at least took my mind off hitting the reef.

Surfaced near my board and was given a respite to retrieve it and get back the channel, where I sat, laughed, shook and giggled my adrenaline levels back to normal – then went in for a coffee knowing sleep would be harder to find that night.

My Biggest wave? Maybe - I once surfed third reef runny on a silly day. Ugliest and most critical? No doubt. I want more.

Some fat ones at Saltburn

Nipped over to salty on my way home and caught a nice swell before lights out.

Was getting a bit fat at high tide but got some good lumpy ones on the single fin. Despite being north of the pier I managed to have to avoid two others on my best waves :( other than that a nice evening and the wind held off till getting out time. 

Got a good working on a dumper too.

 

Clubman works well as a surf car too.

Midnight on the A708 - first test of the Mini..

Its 12:30am and I am rolling out of Moffatt onto one of the best roads in the country, a personal top five road, thirty perfect miles, the A702 St Mary’s Loch special. My Elise and I know this road very well indeed. In fact one summer evening a few years ago I had my perfect night drive along here, roof down and in the pitch black I got absorbed in giving it everything. But I am not in the Lotus tonight, no between here and Selkirk it is judgement time for my new company car, my little ugly/girls/gay (delete as appropriate) Mini Clubman D.

I chose this car against everyone else’s better judgement. Since ordering it my sexuality and my eyesight have both been brought into question and some think I have lost my mind, but my criteria for this latest choice was simple, It had to be cheap to run, spec’d nicely (leather, nav etc.) and I wanted something to make me smile on nights like this, i.e. at midnight, when the roads are empty and its just me and the car. So I chose a mini, rumour had it they handled quite nicely.

Back to the present, mood lighting is set to blue, sat nav is glowing, full beam is on, sport button is pushed, time to put some rubber on the road and find out if I have gone crazy…

Well the next thirty miles gets split into four parts, 1) the first few miles are very poorly surfaced, undulating and quite narrow. The mini struggles with the surface and I have to hold on tight, we are airborne on a couple of occasions but the narrowness of the car and the fact it is dark means I can push on a bit, any enjoyment being countered by misery if I am in the wrong gear exiting a corner – as expected there is not enough power to be lazy.

the run up to the county line.

Part two starts around the Great mare’s tail car park with the great section of road up the narrow valley (think hill on one side and Armco on the other) to the country line. I fly up here and over the top to the long winding section down to and by the loch itself. Done mainly in 4^th and 5^th the car feels really good along here, excellent steering and nicely balanced through the long corners, and the engine is keeping up no probs.

Then into the more twisty section (part three) and I start to get frustrated, I am struggling to make smooth progress and corner entry to exit is not done in one fluid motion – I am struggling to put my finger on the issue.. so I start to push on harder and really hustle the car. Things now get really entertaining and it feels like it can handle the abuse, standing it on its nose, launching it into tight forested bends, and burying the engine down the next straight. Huge fun but this isn’t turning in to a top ten night drive of my life scenario.

Part four, I reach the last few miles into Selkirk and there are a few properties around so I ease down and suddenly realise how tired I am, I have been presenting at work all day, been to an evening do in Liverpool and am on the arse end of a 200mile drive.. –there’s a dodgy humpback bridge up ahead somewhere and I can’t quite remember where - a foggy mind has arrived. The roads are also wet and leafy so I cruise and consider what I have learned about this car. Handling is great, steering is great, but those downshifts need something.. hmm perhaps heal and toe is required. Next week in Wales should give some answers.