Saturday, 27 October 2012

Latest Board

Building a custom 10'6" single fin low rocker glider at the moment. The customer wants to use it on the bore but I think it will be great for somewhere like Saunton on a small crowded days or at mid tide when the waves are sometimes hard to get onto on a smaller board. I will post a photo as soon as I can find my camera battery charger.

Saturday, 7 July 2012

SURFING THE SEVERN BORE


After forty five years of surfing in the sea and six years of surfing the Severn Bore I still find the act of riding a wave through the countryside many miles from the coast a unique and fascinating experience. One moment I am waiting knee deep in water gazing towards the Severn Bridge. The next moment I am flying along on roaring white water past sand banks, green fields and grazing cows. Then as the tree-lined river banks narrow towards Gloucester, the city cathedral looms in the distance. It is a unique experience whether I am surfing alone or sharing the wave with fellow surfers. To be a bore rider is to be part of not only a special community but a heritage that stretches back to 1955 when Colonel Jack Churchill first surfed the bore at Stonebench; and further back to when primitive river dwellers paid homage to Sabrina, the goddess of the Bore; and even further back to when the moon first tugged upon the waters to create this unique wave. And so it will continue long after I am gone. And to be part of that cycle I feel uniquely privileged.
(Photo courtesy of Andy Sharpe)

Fins


Wednesday, 4 July 2012

9' 2" Single Fin

Latest board - 9' 2" x 18.5" x 23" x 15.5" x 3 1/8". I am amazed how well it goes with a  small 7.5" fin so far forward. Stable even in the white water yet turns beautifully.

Sunday, 1 July 2012

Paipo







Work in Progress - a paipo/alaia/bellyboard shaped from a piece of XPS insulation foam from local hardware store. £5. Lovely stuff to shape. 48" long, 19" wide and 2" thick. Inspired by Tom Wegener and the ancient Hawaaians. Basically a rectangular piece of foam with a concave and chines on the bottom. No fins. Plan to try it out on the bore this week. I'll wait to see how it goes before I glass it. The foam is completely waterproof and has great compression strength. Designed to sneak at speed through the super shallow sections. These type of boards open many possiblities on the river and in the sea.