Surfladle

 

Ben Proffitt of Windsurfing-TV  fame,  has been having a very nice time during February, as he tootled down to Cape Town for a Family Holiday. It might be classed as a holiday but as is the norm with Ben, the camera is always out and you would swear he was at work. If you have not already seen it, he’s posted a great vid of windsurfing at Big Bay, which is one of the more friendly wave breaks in the region (the Sharks are very polite at Big Bay). There are other spots to view as well, but I quite like this one, as he does give you a good low down on the beach and its surroundings.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWV4RPRtc64

 

We have a very ‘rare’ board arriving next week and one that might be of interest to the lighter weight riders out there, looking for a small Freewave rather than a small wave board. It’s a Mk 3 75lt Severne Dyno, which was a special ‘Custom’ order with Severne International, as the 75lt is not a board that has ever been stocked in the UK (probably designed with the Japanese market in mind). Sadly, the customer who placed the order at the end of last year,  has since been diagnosed with a medical problem and has reluctantly had to cancel, so the board is now..  Available! I believe that the dimensions are 223 x 65cm and will be supplied as a tri fin set up (I can confirm the boards dimensions when we have the board at the shop).  The custom price for this rarity is £1699.00 and as there is no picture of a 75 anywhere on the net.. so I have made one! 

 

Have you checked the state of your paddle recently? Alloys, in particular, have a habit of corroding  when left over the winter in their joined two or three piece state but composites have also been known to become ‘welded’, when the aggressive salt water dries out inside. Not a sales pitch but just a thought, as nothing worse than the first day of Spring ‘proper’ arriving and you find your paddle or even your pump to be slightly unserviceable. A quick check over is always worth the time, whether inspecting kite depowers or linesets ( which if needed maybe a job for Chris at Sore Kites. Go on his website and book it in, as he is very busy at the moment) or your windsurfers ropes and joints (has the nut on the end of your deckplate or fin screw seized solid?) and do your foil screws and mountings all still ‘move’? Check your kit now and don’t mess up your first trip out of the year.

 

Think it’s time for the weekend weather, as the clock is moving on and I have a walk to do (at least it will be dry tonight.. it really has been a wet and muddy affair over the last few months). 

 

Saturday, we have The Devils Tack! It’s called that as the wind will be from the East’Sou’East, which is Port Tack on the South Coast . Starboard is the predominant direction, so when a Port comes along people always struggle with it,  as even when sailing, you do tend to get ‘handed’ (is that the right expression?) especially where jumps are concerned. You also tend to get a very short fetch or close ‘chop’ at times… hence the Devils Tack. Anyhow, 18 – 24Kts in the morning and then backing East 15-20kts during the afternoon. Temp is given as 11°C and the rain should not start until I close up at 5.30pm. Tide’s High at 10.26hrs on a 6.1m, so don’t oversleep if you are heading to the estuary for a quick wing or pump foil or paddling session.

 

Sunday is looking more of a messy day, with light Nor’East winds during the morning 6-9kt and then backing Nor’West 4-6kts from mid afternoon on. The rain is due to start at around the time I close up the shop (1pm on Sundays until the clocks change) and continues throughout the afternoon.. but perhaps that will change for the better, on behalf of all those Mothers out there who are hoping for a Lovely Day after a long ,wet winter. Tide hits High at 11.12hrs on a larger 6.5m, which means plenty of water in the estuary and the rivers for people to play around on. Do try to avoid ‘in’ , as the water is likely to be quite chilly! The winds are all over the place during next week but it currently looks as though another ‘blow’ may arrive for next weekend. We shall have to wait and see.

 

 

 

And that’s it for another week in Paradise. Please forgive typos and any poor use of the English language, cause I’ve been rushin!  I hope your weekend goes to plan and if you don’t have one (a plan or a weekend) then may it go well, whatever the craic is. One last thing.. Do not forget Your Mum!