OH SHIT !

Well here we go again. With a 5m plus at 18 sec swell coming tomorrow I'm quietly shitting myself. Time to dig out the tools of the trade, the magic Bilbo 6'0" quad tow board and my new Rhino PFD (thank you Rhino, I think I love you !) and the balls that I think I left somewhere at the back of the garage.

At least this time we're looking a little more prepared. Meeting this morning with Joff Owen, Sven Grossenbacher, Eric Rebiere and Pato Teixeira we decided to have a warm up session at the beach this afternoon and then check out the conditions at first light tomorrow.

To be honest I'm a little nervous 'cause it's going to be a big swell and I'm sure that the Brazilian boys are going to charge. For my money Eric is one of the hardest charging surfers in Europe today and Pato is an elite big wave surfer by anyone's measuring stick. Looks like we'll have to up our game somewhat !!!

With N swell and light following winds there could be lots of possibilities: Outside Caleta Caballo, El Barco Hundido in Famara and even Las Bajas could all be the go. Quite frankly I'd rather not think about it right at this moment.

So for now it's a spot of lunch and then a quick trial run through the pick ups and other tow techniques before the swell hits tomorrow.

Julie is charging her cameras and we're getting prepared for tomorrow... watch this space !

Rob.

Joys Of Spring

Hello there me hearties,

bit victory a sea today after some very pleasant weather and surf for a few days. Must be the el niño or something because the trades haven't really been blowing and the water's still trunkable if you're keen. Haven't needed to put a full suit on and when I got all wimpy and tried it was sweatier than Reedy's underpants after he's struggled up the South Fistral stairs. Still who's complaining ? I certainly feel for those of you weathering the harshest winter in years... not to worry spring is on it's way !

With the season starting to turn I'm starting to wonder about what I'm going to ride this summer during my annual Cornish stay, the expected conditions being at the other end of the spectrum from those which we get here.... and correspondingly slightly problematic for a 40 year bloke who finds plenty of room to move on a 6 footer at Ghost Town but slightly vexed by average Cornish surf. This year however I'm feeling pretty good due to some interesting trends in boards.

I'm going to stick my neck out here suggest, no in fact I'll insist that Tunnel Vision and more recently Bilbo have always been a couple of steps ahead of the general UK trend. I think the bump wing, heavy single concaves developed by Andy, Mac, Aussie Paul and myself back in the mid 90s were possibly the most radical shortboards produced domestically during that era. I know that Bilbo embraced the second coming of the quad before many and we still see a significant percentage of boards with 4 fins. I've noticed in the last 12 months a movement towards shorter and wider, not retro but a re-distribution of volume whilst retaining performance .... Dane Reynolds and Slater point in case. Well guess what, we've had that stuff in the rack for some years already. Check out the photos of the beaten up 6'0".... best shortboard I've ever had to date, fuller template, wider tail, increased thickness and already 3 years old ! This summer I'm thinking the same but 2 or 3 inches shorter and thicker round the middle... might even put the small wave spring back in step like it has for so many others!

I hear through the grapevine (Rich at Bilbo and Bilbo head honcho Steve Kitt) that there's some exciting stuff coming in for 2010. Great models like the Bilbo Hollywood and Island Series staying but complimented with all sorts of other boards from a variety of brands...... I'm almost looking forward to leaving the land of sun and reefbreaks, blagging a groveller from the shop and getting back to my 80s roots with some Currenesque (sort of) head flick re-entries in our glorious summer slop. Bring it on.... never too old to dream !!!

Check the mixed bag of photos.. there's THE BOARD, a photo to show I can still get to me feet and some surf just to make you jealous !!!

Saludos,

Rob.

Bit more Lanza fun.

Hello all and Happy Christmas!

 

Well the glorious winter sunshine we’ve been blessed with has finally broken with a couple of drizzly days and a full on lightening storm. Won’t be long though, you can always be surf that the sun comes out to play in the happy islands!

There seems to have been loads and loads of pretty good surf, maybe just lacking a few world class days but all in all right on! On the 10^th we got another tow day out at La Santa… nothing like as big and heavy as the October tow day but still great to get out there and have a couple of fun ones. The regular tow monkeys (Sven, Gonzaque, Joff and yours truly) met up down in La Santa and were greeted with some good solid 10-15ft waves at the Point.  El Quemao was looking very, very solid too, with just the local sponge chargers and La Santa hellman Marquitos taking it on. With some north in the swell the infamous inside death section was nasty. No one in our group was in the slightest bit interested and focus stayed on the right. With work and family commitments keeping the other guys out of the water until the afternoon I opted for a paddle.

Coming out from the harbour (to avoid getting clipped sneaking out in the usual channel) I skirted past the El Quemao madness and headed out to the La San Cristia peak out the back of the Point. After about an hour of playing cat and mouse with some fairly hefty chunks (and a beating, of course) I gave up and caught a little one in.  Better save some energy for the pm session.

Gonzi had just got his ski up and running again so we launched from Ghost Town and made the run to La Santa. Over lunchtime it had looked like the swell had jumped a bit and with the stiff offshore there’d been some big barrels. However by the time we got out there I think the swell had eased off bit and the wind had changed to a light south.  Ok it wasn’t quite what we’d expected but it certainly wasn’t too shabby either. Gonzaque put me into a couple before we found a good one. Once again my tow board went great, really good in fact…. Something I’m stoked about, as it’s hard to get ‘em right! Still it wasn’t all-good, kicking out of me last wave I got caught by the next one and had the mandatory Smally beating. Still it was like a gentle caress compared to the last one and Gonzaque came and picked me tout suite! Cheers buddy! Out the back again I saw that I’d blown a footstrap and that it was over for me for the day. I was relegated to spectator, along with Sven who was hanging out with his kid Marlon while Gonz towed Joff into a few mini bombs.

With a small window this week there’s a chance of some bigger stuff this week, hopefully we’ll be on it and able to enjoy Santa’s seasonal pressies!

Happy Crimble, Rob.

SWELL !!!!

Hi all,

well the phone rings this morning at 7.00 am and it's Joff Owen and the crew saying that the surf was on for a tow. Julie, Gally the visla and I raced down the hill from Casa Penelope and hooked up with Joff anf the other team of Sven and Gonzi..... there were waves everywhere and certainly some size. Light winds, warm water, PWCs ready so it was a green light for a warm up session and then on to something more serious.

After launching at one of the local tow spots we hooked into some fun shoulders and got used to the feel of the day. Being the first session of the year we played it pretty cautious and really just water skied a few .... all good fun though !!!

A quick drink of water, a refuel and it was off to La Santa Right.. the direction was good but it's a dangerous place at size and it took us an hour or so to get into our stride and finally get some bombs. Not huge but not too small either. After a little tiff (tow surfing can be like that!) and some motor hiccups I settled into driving and managed to put Joff in a couple of beauts. Sven and Gonzi had their thing down too and were getting some beautiful waves. After over an hour of driving we swopped over and I was firing to get me Bilbo special tow-board going. I'd just sorted the straps and wanted to see how it felt. Joffy whipped me into a medium one to started with and it was a dream, smooth, powerful, la crema colega! After this I'm amping for a big one and Joff straight away puts me deep on a set. I see it standing up and can't resist a little fade. Board's good and I come around the bottom to see  it standing up across the bay. I go up a little a try and get around the section but have to straighten out. I know it's coming so I get low and try to ride as far as possible in the white water before it sledgehammers me and I'm getting royally fu**ed. I come up ok but there's another big one and Joffy can't get to me so I wear it on the head. This happens another 3 or 4 times and now I'm getting tired and don't really know how close I am to the Slab death zone. Joff comes to get me and gets hit by a 10ft wall of foam and has to bail the ski.... the ski goes past me and now we're both getting hit by white water but we're inside and pretty much safe. Joff goes after the ski which is inside and OK whilst two local guys are in the water and coming to see if I'm ok.... I am but it felt great to have a little help... THANKS GUYS !!!!

I get out and try to find out boards... I'm so pissed 'cause I just felt the best I ever did on a tow board and it might be gone.... luckily they both turn up and again the local guys get them for us. Joff spends 20 mins waiting for a lull while Sven and Gonzi have come inside to help. Gionzi comes to the beach with me and Sven takes his PWC back to the ramp with Joff.

All in all a good day, stoked with my board but not too keen on getting hit like that too many times !!!!!!

We'll keep you informed .

Cheers,

Smally.

Bali Blog 2

Bali Blog 2

Hello,

well, well who’d have thought it ? Rainy and small in September.... Ho hum Bintang time ! No really it’s been a bit dull up until yesterday when the sun came out and the swell came back, still funky winds had everyone wondering what was up and scuttling about for waves. I lucked in with a slightly cross-shore session at Sanur. What an incredible wave that is !!!! With a pushing tide and winds unseasonably SW there were a few 4 or 5ft sets and after waiting for the (slightly less than welcoming) local crew get theirs, plenty of waves. Of course, even after a warning from my Brazilian mate Marcos , I tried to go right through the end section and ended up bouncing of almost dry reef. Thankfully minimum damage to both me and equipment..... should’ve listened ! Ended up catching some great waves away from the masses.... about bloody time !!

Today dawned clear again and with more swell.... straight off to Uluwatu to see what was up. The last time I was there was 20 years ago..... like all of Bali it’s changed beyond recognition. There’s a full scene from the top of the cave to the parking lot (!!!!!) up top. The warungs are still there but added are the surf shops, photographers documenting everyone and charging a fortune (one guy wanted US$300 for a disc of photos) and surf shops selling everything. Thankfully the wave remains the same and today it was growling away in a very not clean and perfect Indo dream-wave way. 6ft plus sets, occasional bombs, loads of water moving and plenty of beatings.

Of course I got nailed paddling out. In fact just in time to see Aussie legend Jim Banks stylishly fly past in timeless fashion(good pairing those two, Banks and Ulus) before the mandatory trip down towards Padang. After a couple of trips around I finally got into a few waves wishing that my 7’0” Island series Bilbo pintail was a little bigger... Dodging the biggest sets (except for one screamer that went all the way through... ye-ha!!!) I went about getting a few beautiful waves and having fun on a difficult day at one of the surfing’s iconic waves. A bit bumpy, a bit heavy but a total joy. The 7’0” handled it well and made me think that we’ve got it right in the travel board department.... good clean, versatile shapes that go in the difficult demanding surf as well as the picture perfect days. Cheers Bilbo !!!

Talking of difficult days I saw Batty’s Kandui tube on youtube the other day, HEAVY !... and heard an Aussie bloke talking about him in the water at Ulu’s today !!! Good to see they’re getting the message !

Hope all well with everyone, stay tuned.

Rob.

Hi all,

here we are in Bali getting some sun and plenty of surf, it’s good to have warm water and consistent surf again after another patchy summer !!!

Staying in Tuban and mostly surfing the reefs out the front although the whole place has been firing. Crowds of locals, Japanese, Aussies, Euros and every other type of surfer you can think off!!!

Been trying out a couple of new Bilbo boards, 6’4” and a 7’0”. Haven’t really got to grips with the bigger one yet but the 6’4” is great. It’s 6’4” x 18 3/4” and 2 3/8” more foiled than my Lanzarote boards and about as small as I can get away with.... however with no wetsuit to worry about and clean conditions it’s proving to be a peach. Works really well with the Future Fins Vector Foils, good stiff fins that seem to push through the turns especially when there’s a bit of power.

We snuck of to a spot west of Canngu a couple of days ago and got some fun little walls. Thanks to local Brazilian Marcos for showing us the spot away from the Bukit crowds! No problem anyway as his two visiting mates, Rodrigo and Luciano are Gracie JuJitSu instructors.... Seriously though a couple of very mellow guys that it was a pleasure to surf with.

Anyhow check out the sequence, it’s a bit distant but you can see that a good bit of fibreglass can make an old (ish) man quite happy. I think this model is going to be a good all round travel board for the slightly more mature and slightly heavier guys who still like to give it a bash !

Speaking of older guys, Scotty Duddings ex Rip Curl UK is over from NZ and ripping... like the Sultan of Speed in reverse !

Had a beer with Jack Nicholson too !

Cheers all,

Rob.

Young fella smiles, old fella smiles (and rants!).

Hello, hello from sunny Cornwall again. Not a ripple but more clear skies and warm breezes. It's great how a bit of summer gets people smiling isn't it ?!

Whilst I'm waffling on about smiles I have to say I've seen I've seen a couple of beauts in the shop today. The first was from up and coming Bude longboarder Lewis Stitch. He came in to pick up his new 9'1" Bilbo quad mal. Mark Neville had made an absolute cracker for the young fella, who at only 15 and currently 5th in the UK junior longboard rankings is looking to be a real threat in the next few years... watch out chaps!!!!

Lewis surfs with a progressive style but likes to noseride when in smaller surf, so if you see aclassic looking blonde kid thowing some cool turns and cross stepping to the nose at Crooklets in Bude this summer you can bet it's Lewis. Check out his new stick above. And Check out this footage on youtube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP1qsWwJXQE

The other smile was from KB....... there I was chatting to him about Bali yesterday and this morning he's in here with photos (of himself of course), waving his arms around and hand surfing his way around the Bukit Peninsula. Generally being the most enthusiastic surfer over about 21 I've ever met, which is bloody brilliant. Here's a little photo of Keith at Ulus Outside Corner on a meaty one........ you can see why the bloke gets worked up ! And another of Padang Padang looking sweeeeet!!!

Enjoy,

Smally.