Board lost at sea

The Gentlemen at Gulfstream surfboards crafted me another of their fine vessels. This time it was even more sexy than their previous efforts. A yellow (cos all surfboards should be yellow) 7'0'' semi gun quad. This board was going to take me to some challenging waves in the contrasting country's of Ireland and Indonesia and the odd big day a my local reefs. It was the board that represented perhaps my last hurrah in barrelling double overhead waves of consequence.

I surfed the board for the first time on Wednesday at a local reef. The conditions were ok but the waves were only head height or perhaps a little more. Not the conditions that this lady was built for. So this morning I headed out to Downend point (the reef break between Croyde and Saunton beahes. There were no other takers. The conditions were not great (tides too big, swell too fresh etc) however it was sizey and easily within my comfort zone. I paddled out via the back beach (not the gullies which I find too prone to dinging me or my boards) and made my way round to the peak that was breaking a fair distance out to sea. I fought the rip for a while and then waited for the first set of consequence. It came, but I was caught inside, I duck dived but got tumbled by the turbulence. By the standard of Downend Point nothing remarkable accept by brand new leash broke. When I surfaced and looked at my lady as she raced towards the gullies and the rocks perhaps 75 mteres inside. That was the last I saw of her. After a 10-15minute swim in to the back beach I scoured the gullies either side of the point. I walked from Croyde to the tip of Baggy point. I even took a look down at Saunton beach (desperation because the tide, rip and winds will have taken the board in the other direction). No sign. She has left me for who knows where (probably elsewhere in the Bristol Channel)

It's not the really the cost (though that's hard enough to bear) but the loss possibility of the future excitement that I could have had with her. Any similar experiences?

my condolencies are with you it'll most problly be found so put posts up and the surf forumns....might also be worth posting on the kiting ones as well ,kite crowd has a lost and found section....

A sad tale for sure there ben . But look on the bright side , it hapend at the start of the sesh while you were still fresh, a pisser maybe but you aint as young as you were an a ten to fifteen min swim at the end of a good sesh might have been more like half an hour , or worse. LOL ! condolences just the same .

Alan

yep true...snapping a leash can be scary stuff..it quickly becomes ovious how hard it is to swim in a wetsuit and in the surf better to have lost your board than your life eh

Thanks chaps

There is a postscript to this yarn. I got a call this morning from Skelly at the surf shop. A surfer noticed my board this morning. It had been thrown up atop of the rocks to the main transverse gulley at the point.It was not there yesterday..I looked...lots of times. As I thought it must have floated off into the Bristol channel (you mean Bideford bay ..Ed) and returned on the tide to almost exactly the place it started from (100 meters further actually..Ed). The surfer being the good guy he is took to Gulfstream.

I paid the patient a visit this afternoon but she was dead on arrival. No pulled in swallow tail left, huge dings all the way down both rails, a major crease and scores of minor dings and abraisions.....unrepairable. I left her there.

This winter continues to exert a toll on my pride and wallet.


We have been greeted by a run of clear skies, good winds and overhead swell for the next few days. I took myself off to Westward Ho! point this afternoon, rather than competing with the inevitable 70+ crowd that I anticipated at Lynmouth. I was greeted by two guys in , overhead waves and close to glassy conditions. Yipee! After climbing down the cliff. I jumped off the rocks into the sewer pipe gulley which is usually the best entry point. I timed it just right. A dry hair paddle out... but as I cleared the impact zone one of my fins contacted a submerged rock. Once out the back I checked the underside of my board. Sure enough the fcs socket had been ripped out and the trailing fin was gone! Again not one wave surfed.

This winter has been non stop waves but I seem to be unwittingly leaning on 'surfboard destroy button'. I have the next three days with four surfboards left.

I would just like to say f**********K

sorry to hear that ben.i was out at middle bay (anglessy) today.awesome waves,totally offshore...perfect! ....except for me..i just couldnt get it together,i was on my fish..probbly should have taken the longboard..hey ho

Thanks Gixer. Sometimes you have sessions that just do n't work out (or in my recent case a few of them). Its good to just sit out there in the fresh (very) air and take in your surroundings. This evening a bloody great Seal popped up to check out the few of us out at Downend point at dusk. It made the session for me.

I have never got to Anglesey. Must do sometime. I got the opportunity many years ago but failed to follow through.

Two days off and a heep of swell and good conditions are headed my way....so really life is good.

trust me on this one ben,if you surf angllessy you may very well follow through

Mark 2 arrived at the showrooms of Messr's Gulf Stream on Saturday. Similar in nearly every detail to Mark 1. Yellow (cos all surfboards should be yellow) but with an infinitesimally more pulled in swallow tail and Lokbox fins.

How will she perform, where will she visit, how long will she live (she better last longer than her sister. Ed.)? Probably the wrong questions given the appalling performance of her pilot this winter so far.

The good news is that Magicfungusbollox suggests a 7ft swell @ 14 seconds on Wednesday with off shore winds. The tide is low before work and dark tunnel of winter mornings are gradually receding. Downend Point here we come.

Very nice ben keep hold of this one tightly , did you get to macclesfield on your northern trip ?

Got back home in one piece. Maccelsfied was superb. Lots of fun with the over-vert but my legs gave out after 3/4 of an hour. I hope we can share a skate at Taunton soon.

The new semi gun has had one outing in small waves. I'll have to wait for some proper swell fora better test session. Its probably back to shorter boards for the next 6 months.

Yeah that will be great I'll keep you up to date when the opening do is or when the fence comes down .

....hows mark2 goin ben

S'good but I have only ridden it once. The waves (2-3 foot today) have been small for a while. I guess I will have to wait till Autumn for waves that will do it justice.

not been surfing much latley..but ive a balsa decked kite surfboard ready for glassing and a skimboard on the go,my first go at epoxy...

i was gonna go last saturday (scarborough) then on friday night i thought the forecast looked no more than a foot so i binned it.in work the next mornin (well about 11am )i put the cam on....it was about shoulder to head and clean as....dropped everythin...rushed home... ignored lynn and the kids ,totally blanked a neighbour and shot off....when i got there only cayton was workin..bout an hour past high tide....head high clean sets which where just closin out in one very long line,fookin frustratin ... suppose its all water time..

i no .. need to get with the reef thing

got home to a frosty atmoshere aswell

Jus got back from a late evening high tide surf at Croyde. Some early signs that my mojo is returning.

Those ultra weak swells can be a feature of the east coast. Staithes would have probably been overhead ,inconsistent and muscular.The beaches cannot do anything with these swells. You are right... go and look for the less popular reefs.

Family life and surfing can sometimes conflict.... they just do n't get the infantile obsession with waves.

high tide session at croyde.. memories of H pissin of the locals.....quality

as for the family....just got my 9yr old obsessed with kiting (already had her first taste of surfin at 7 @ croyde)......mmmm....wheres this one goin???