TW Blog :: Entries for Surfing
Motives are causes experienced from withinArthur Schopenhauer
Seven Wonders of the West
Also relates to Peregrinations
A couple of weeks ago I was pleased to hear that our local surf break had been shortlisted for the forthcoming BBC's Seven Wonders of the West. Of course, the Severn Bore is more than just a surf break, it is the spiritual soul of the local area and the most impressive of many tidal bores scattered around the British Isles. As a surfer I always feel very priveleged to have the opportunity to ride on the bore tide.
With the river almost swollen to bursting point at Gloucester,
our expectations had been low until the impending change in weather was predicted early
this week. So, with Steve's usual boat skipper unavailable I chose to substitute my
board for the helm to guide the film crew around the Severn Horseshoe Bend while Steve
rode the most powerful tide of the year, propelled by the surge created from the intense
depression off Ireland - my barometer had fallen by 30 millibars in 24 hours.
Over an inaccessible stretch of the river we captured footage of the bore ranging from three to six feet, while I managed to keep the cameraman, Joules, and presenter, Amanda, relatively dry - even when we got trapped behind the head of the tide with a looming 4 foot whelp close to breaching the stern!
I followed up the next morning with a relaxing two and half mile surf to wrap up what has been a surprisingly good year of tidal bore surfing in which I may have come close (or possible breached - no logs to confirm this) the 100 mile mark for the first time in 8 years! The current form suggests there may be further tides in November, but from experience this is the flooded month. Still, there is plenty to look forward to in 2005 as the confluence between perigee and syzygy get back on track.
The Severn Wonders of the West will be going out on regional television on Sunday November 28th.
Posted on Oct 30, 2004 at 20:50:29. [Comments for Seven Wonders of the West- 0]
My Magic Carpet
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Finally got hold of a photo of my custom Magic Carpet which was shapped by Mike at Atlantic Surfboards. At 7'1" it is going to be quite a change from my volan glassed Nine Plus 9'6" and Guts 10 footer. But as Mike describes the board himself -
…a carpet is a longboard with about 2ft taken out of the middle… Mike Peet, Atlantic Surfboards
This board is a beauty, lightweight yet with plenty of volume for paddle power. It has a rounded pin tail, well rounded nose with adequate rocker for nose riding, and, is finished with a deep red resin tint. The only dilemma I have now is catching a quality swell at the right time to give it a test run.
When I picked the board up at the end of August, North Devon was unfortunately under attack from persistant onshore winds. On surf-ari with Goop and the Wave Selector we made the most of a bad lot, and were rewarded on our last day with an easing wind at Putsborough. I still didn't feel the conditions were good enough to wax up the new stick, and settled for a few waves on my Nine Plus instead.
Congratulations to Dan who after much perserverance and arduous paddling over four days got his short board take-off wired on the last two waves. And of course Goop for taking the biggest wave of the day, a rogue 6' wall that wiped out the bay, and surfing it all the way to the bar!!
Posted on Oct 17, 2004 at 20:42:00. [Comments for My Magic Carpet- 4]
Surfing with the Beeb
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Just completed the first set of building Autumn tides on the Severn Bore. Although we are currently on the downturn of most significant lunar cycles for the equilibrium tides, the sporadic rains through August produced a reasonable level of fresh water and reopened some major channels. This provided plenty of mileage on waves from 2 to 4'.
An unusual addition to our troop of muddy river riders was a collective BBC film crew capturing the experience of bore surfing with our local river guru, Steve. The outcome of the filming will be in BBC Midlands Inside Out on 11th October. There may even be a cut of me driving Steve's boat!
The programme will now be shown as part of the final episode of the current Inside Out series on Monday 25th October. A number of other regional channels have shown interest in the segment so it may broadcast nationally.
The programme has now been postponed until January 2005 due to more pressing current affairs! Hope it will be worth the wait…
Posted on Sep 04, 2004 at 01:39:27. [Comments for Surfing with the Beeb- 0]
Bore-tastic!
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I have got to just boast quickly about one of the greatest weeks of river surfing I have ever experienced! I can't really say when or where I surfed, since I am sworn to secrecy, suffice to say that thanks to the mighty Wizard, and our legendary Skipper, I possibly surfed a wave previously unridden (not something many surfers can say nowadays), and over six tides clocked the best part of 15 miles (24 km), much of it carving on open faces - that's more than a half marathon!
This weekend the legs are aching…!
Posted on May 09, 2004 at 16:06:15. [Comments for Bore-tastic!- 0]
Return To The Severn
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Just come off a weekend of eventful bore surfing back on home turf in the River Severn. The four days of large spring tides were made all the more enjoyable by the presence of two of our French counterparts, Fabrice and Bruno, from the Gironde Mascaret surfers. The bore was not at its best, with the estuary, my preferred playground, out of action besides several ankle snappers. But the river itself offered some long rides, with a number of the local crew breaking the 2 mile mark for the first time. Our one regular female surfer, Irene, showed river surfing is not just for the men, by setting what we believe to be an unofficial Women's World Record for distance surfing with approximately 4km. While Fabrice set his own personal best of 6km, and Bruno narrowly missed breaking the French Mascaret record with a ride of 7.5km - unfortunately there were just too many Englishmen on the tightest bend, and a boat pick-up was called for mid-distance!
This may have been the last major action we see from the river for a couple of years as nearly all the lunar cycles (which determine the equilibrium tides) reach a coincidental slump. But I am hoping with a bit of rainfall, the estuary might fire up one last time before the year is out.
Posted on Oct 28, 2003 at 18:56:12. [Comments for Return To The Severn- 0]
