Thanks for dropping by, hope to see you on the new blog.

Big ‘uns,

Dom

You’ll probably know Boscombe as the site of the UK’s first artificial surf reef. Way before the project was even completed in October ’09, it had its fair share of naysayers all claiming that the area didn’t receive enough swell or have enough fetch for the reef to produce the promised barrelling waves.

Since the reef has been completed, the naysayers are now claiming that the reef is the wrong shape: too short, too steep, too shallow and thus it doesn’t produce surfable waves, but a short, slabbing dump instead.

Credit where it’s due, all these objections are fair enough and so far the reef hasn’t produced ‘double the amount of surfable waves’, or ‘waves rated 5 stars, if Pipeline is rated 8 stars’. The rest of the world meanwhile watches to see what effect improvements to the Boscombe Surf Reef will bring, and how it will settle in over time.

So after a few days in Boscombe whereupon it has been totally flat and there has been no action on the reef, I’ve been greatly amused, and not by any failings of the Surf Reef, but more like because of its undeniable successes.

Where I live in Newquay, we are facing what many feel is a crisis as the standard of living in town is at it its worst point in living memory. The papers and Facebook discussion forums are full of chatter about the ongoing demise of Newquay at the hands of the bars and businesses that attract binge drinkers, stags, hens, under age drinkers and general ball bags of all descriptions. Shop owners are complaining of cleaning up vomit and other secretions from their store fronts of a morning, despairing residents formed a protest march to the Town Hall in Truro, and meanwhile the town looks like it’s been bombed in places with all the abandoned hotels and developments. Something is very wrong with Newquay and know one has a clear vision of how to fix it.

Rewind ten years, and you couldn’t mention Boscombe without an instant drug association. The town was so run down that it would have made present day Newquay look like The Hamptons. Graffiti, vandalism, rubbish, drunks, druggies; Boscombe had it all.

Now though as I sit outside on the beach at Boscombe, behind me are luxury beach huts selling for £90,000 a piece (they used to be derelict with every window smashed), the Boscombe Pier (which has just won pier of the year), and gentle waterfront restaurants and bars. Deliberately absent are gaudy ‘fun pubs’ and arcades. The place is spotless, everything is intact.

The regeneration is down to the Surf Reef. If you are unaware how it has transformed Boscombe for the better, the £3million price tag may sound steep. But as a two year project that has spurred so much re growth and positive redirection of this town, it’s an incredible win.

It doesn’t matter that barrelling waves aren’t reeling across the bay, because it wasn’t the surf that attracted the developers in the first place but instead the confidence the surf reef has given investors. It’s put Boscombe on the map. Sitting here, it may be flat today but the relaxed and tranquil atmosphere reminds me of beaches in Orange County I visited years ago, or even a cool surf resort somewhere up the Eastern Coast of Oz.

The residents I’ve spoken to are all really pleased with the way things have turned out; they haven’t lost anything and have inherited a lovely beach town. I used to think that Newquay didn’t need. a surf reef as that would have been an insult to the natural resources already there, but now I can’t think of anything that would steer the town towards and beyond the world class surf resort it should have been as of years ago.

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Luxury water front pads in Boscombe

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Stand up paddle under Boscombe Pier

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Pier of the year: Great because there are no cheesy businesses spoilling it

Light offshore wind blighted the competition yestersay, and all competitors got a lift home in the race boat (which had a couple of minor running issues itself heh heh), but today with a few more knots we’re seeing conestable conditions.

It’s picked up to about 8knots max, and comptetitors such as Jason McCaffrey are using 16m kites and 50m lines to get the advantage over the field.

Denzil Williams from Cornwall took the first win though under the F One Bandit III and his Escape custom race board. I have just heard that Jason McCafffrey has won the second race so he and Denz are tying first at the moment.

It’s looking like we’ll see at least one more race today and tomorrow is still looking more favourable.

Denzil Williams chewing a kite bar

The sea is still cold enough that five duck dives in a row will give you an ice cream headache, but find a sheltered spot inland and it’s lovely, and you can get burnt now too. As all kiters know, this differential adds up to a sea breeze, or thermal wind, and we’ve been getting some very good ones in Newquay over the last few days.

It’s not just the temperature difference that’s driving these thermals though; an important local factor is in effect all week and that’s what’s making the real difference, and that it is Northerly Winds.

North winds in Cornwall mean sunshine, which in itself is good for thermal wind generation, but perhaps more importantly, the thermal wind direction is also from the North. Thus, when at around 1pm – 4pm the sun is shining strong, the land is at its warmest and the sea is still just as cold, the thermal kicks in.

We don’t get much in the way of strength with our thermic winds down here but if you’ve got a light wind of 8knots or so blowing, a further 5-8knots on top will make all the difference.

I went to the beach today on the 8knots forecast, anticipating this. I got it a little wrong however as I took a 12m when I could have used a 9m no problem. I’ll be going again tomorrow, taking the 9m as well as the 12m, because you never know. Here is a little video to show you the conditions we had today; not great for surfing but it would have been perfect for course racing and I was making long reaches out to sea.

So I think the BKSA Watergate event could be a lot of fun this weekend.

1. How to carve a surfboard.

2. Gybing a strapless surfboard.

Since the whole point of video is that you don’t have to read as much, there’s no need to go through a step by step of it here. Hopefully, if you’re thinking of getting into the old strapless lark but wondering as to the practicalities of it, this might be of some benefit.

I personally still prefer strapless on lighter wind days and smaller waves, because that’s when I can use my bigger board. On windier days with bouncier seas, or more dangerous conditions I much prefer straps, the extra connection does undoubtedly give you more freedom on the wave.

I don’t really see the point in going strapless on a board less than 6′ myself, since I weigh around 14stone my feet are usually planted for good on a small board. The board I’m using here is 6’5″ and riding without straps makes all the difference with getting weight over a rail or stamping on the tail for a tighter turn.

Anyway, in case you got the email, here are the contents.

Hello

I represent a large international company where I work as a manager of its personnel recruitment department. Our enterprise is connected with a great number of various activities, like:
- real estate
- companies setting-up and winding-up
- bank accounts opening and maintenance
- logistics
- private undertaking services
- etc.

We are looking for staff in Europe at the moment:
- salary 2.300 euro + bonus
- part-time job
- optimal timetable

If you are interested in this job send us the necessary information on the following e-mail address: Raymond@west-europen.net
First Name:
Last name:
Country of living:
City
E-mail:
Phone:

Attention! We need European residents only

Please, write your Telephone Number and our manager will contact you to conduct an interview.

—————

So that’s the message; it came to me as though it was sent from my own email address, never a good start. So my advice is that if you receive this email, just delete it and do not send Raymond your information.

]]> http://skyhooked.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/bacl-from-the-brink/feed/ 0 skyhooked Celebrating with a barrel at Fistral. Not me, but I took the photo. http://skyhooked.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/dakhla-aerial-view/ http://skyhooked.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/dakhla-aerial-view/#comments Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:22:15 +0000 skyhooked http://skyhooked.wordpress.com/?p=43 ]]> In part to atone for my attack on Morocco’s natural heritage, and partly to just show three photos that I am proud of taking, here are er three photos of the lagoon in Dakhla, Morocco. I took these shots during the Best Kiteboarding Sahara Days dealer meet; I climbed up onto the plateau that overlooks the lagoon one breezy afternoon. You’ll be able to read a full run down of the Dakhla experience in the next issue of Kitesurf; the article is called A Place To Bury Strangers.

I like this shot of a common or garden railey

Heading for the Dakhla speed track

Like vapour trails aren't they?

A simple test of this would be to imagine how you’d feel if you were dropped into Morocco on a hot day compared to how you’d feel if you were dropped into the Fort William area of Scotland on a spring day. To help you imagine this, I’ve put two photos of each location below. One has an abundance of chlorophyll, one has a lot of dust and men.

The sun on its own will kill you, you cannot live off Prana, or light rays alone. You’ll die within two to three days of dehydration. The presence of greenery is good for us because it shows that water is nearby, and food, since we can eat the plants and the animals that also live off of the plants.

Greenery is good for you. That's why we love rain so much.

The rooftop of the British Isles

Loading lorries in the desert is cruel.

Lugging things in Morocco. Morocco luggings.