The End Of Term

The last day of September and the last day of term for the Kids Club. The morning followed the usual awards day format with the youngest groups completing a normal session while the older ones competed for a prize under international judging rules. Here’s some of the action:

Porthmeor Beach takeaway served up a complimentary dish of hot food, a hot chocolate and a bag of sweets for each competitor before we gathered for the prize giving. The junior groups saw three awards per group: Most Improved Surfer, Most Enthusiastic Surfer and Surfer Of The Summer, while the seniors’ awards went to the winners of the day’s competition. Pictures below! Our thanks to Porthmeor Beach, St. Ives Surf School, Porthmeor RNLI Lifeguards and the many volunteers who give their time freely at every surf club event. Further thanks are due to Tregenna Castle and The Balcony Bar for their sponsorship and support. We have boogied to Sandy Acres Seven and The Mosquitoes on fundraising nights, and rattled our collecting tins at Tescos in following our grand vision of building a clubhouse. Our thanks to them too! Next up is our Surfers Ball at Tregenna Castle on the 20th of October. Tickets are still available, but they’re going fast. Buy early to avoid disappointment. And so to the awards;

: Tara, girls champion

: Matt, boys champion

A Precautionary Tale

by Nog General Club News Groms Surf Club Events

We have missed several Saturday morning sessions this season due to high tides around our 9 o’ clock meeting time, but this week’s unforeseen cancellation was for a different reason. Thursday morning saw a menacing deposit of Portuguese man o’ war on the high tide strand line. These were carefully collected and disposed of by the lifeguards, who continued to gather more as they came ashore throughout the day. Portuguese man’o’war is a colony of separate creatures co-existing like a single organism. They can give a particularly painful sting from their long trailing tentacles. Friday saw an even greater haul of strandings, and head coach John Navin, in conjunction with Porthmeor’s head lifeguard, James Symons, felt it prudent to cancel our Saturday morning Kids Club as swell conditions and wind direction were expected to be similar for the weekend. The wisdom of this call was demonstrated on Saturday morning when the fall of man o’ wars was greater than both previous days. We hope to renew our normal service next weekend! Some pictures of the offending articles below.

On a warm September morn

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While local surfers were eagerly anticipating the remnants of Hurricane Harvey bringing a storm swell to our coasts, we were perfectly happy with our waist-high dreamers for Kids Club on Saturday. And taking advantage of these Swellboard friendly conditions we had a great morning stroking in to some clean Porthmeor pearlers under a sunny September sky. See evidence below:

Thumbs up for Oliver

by Nog General Club News Groms Surf Club Events Wave Of The Day

Pretty tricky conditions with a lot of water moving on the inside for Surf Club on Saturday, but a rewarding day nonetheless for those who tackled the conditions. Our banner picture shows Oliver Brunnock earning a ‘wave of the day’ accolade for a ride out back which started as a lumpy right-hander before he re-directed off the bottom to smash the lip a second time going left ( see him again in the gallery below).My pictures do not do him justice, but they may serve to remind him of this beaut again. There were fun waves ridden on the inside too; see the gallery below for some of those efforts!

: Oliver finishing his wave on the back side.

Enthusiasm!

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I think most participants on Saturday morning would have shared my thoughts on seeing Mother Meor from the top of Porthmeor Hill on arrival: “pretty small today”. And, like me, they would have been surprised and then delighted that the waves were bigger than expected when we got down to the water, and grew during our sessions into a punchy chest-high out back during the morning. Our junior surfers took to their tasks with great enthusiasm and displayed no little skill. Well done everyone!

School’s Out!

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That’s another school year done and a dreamy summer ahead of our junior members! The first Kids Club of the holidays saw 79 attendees tackling some pretty good waves and a couple of torrential downpours. There was an opportunity to study and identify a rip in the water during the warm-up and talk before the groups took to the water. It was satisfying to see the youngest groups ( ages 4 to 7 years ) practising trimming, speeding-up and slowing down exactly as taught. There are some very quick learners in those groups! Here’s a selection of shots from the day:

Dreamin’

by Nog General Club News Groms Surf Club Events

After a Saturday lost to high tides, we returned on 8th July to dreamy conditions. A mild day and a regular supply of waves meant that all surfers had their fill of rides, and it proved to be a morning of outstanding performances. It was a real pleasure to witness the skills our young surfers displayed and an indication that our coaches’ lessons are being delivered clearly. Here’s a few pictures from the session!

Kids Club 24th June 2017

by Nog General Club News Groms Surf Club Events

Sadly, the hot spell of weather had broken and a damp windy morning greeted us as we set up camp for Kids Club on Saturday morning. Would the parents fancy it? Would the kids fancy it? Well a heartening turnout of 89 kids gave coaches and helpers cause for good cheer, and the waves were between ‘about right’ and ‘a bit on the big side” as the 9 o’clock groups set off down the beach. It proved to be a fun session, reinforcing the motto on the St. Ives Surf School hat ” No bad days”. Here’s a gallery of the morning.

Swellboard Shootout 2017: In Conclusion

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So, it only remains to thank everyone who helped make this extravaganza happen! Harris and the crew of St. Ives Surf School are both the brains and the heavy lifting behind the event. Friday evening came courtesy of Porthmeor Beach West’s fish tacos, Frankie Davies and Ben Warner. Saturday’s show was hosted by Cohort Hostel, films by Red Bull and curries by Ruby Murrays. Sunday was organised by St. Ives Surf School, lifeguarded by the RNLI, marshalled by Pete Mitchell, fed by Captain Carlos of Porthmeor Beach Takeaway, entertained by the music of the Red Bull truck and filmed by Senara of On The Beach Productions. See Here!

Proceeds raised over the weekend will go to Surfers Against Sewage, the RNLI and saints boardriders clubhouse fund.

Many many thanks to each and everyone of the above for bringing about another great edition of the Swellboard Shootout. Let’s do it again next year! Here’s a miscellany of portraits from Sunday. Cheers!

: Camouflaged Giraffes

: Outstanding surfer, Mike Lay

: Marshall Mitchell

: Dom Ferris of Surfers Against Sewage

: Ace lensman Pumps

Swellboard Shootout 2017: part 4 – The After Party

by Nog Competition news Fundraiser General Club News St. Ives Surf School events Surf Club Events

And so to the Balcony for the prize-giving and the partying! First up, Dom Ferris of Surfers Against Sewage gave a rallying speech reminding us of the great work his organisation does on behalf of all of us who use and value our oceans. Then The Giraffes were awarded first prize for their artfully realised costumes. The judges were impressed by the craft element and home-made endeavour in their choice – a pointer to next years entrants that store-bought is short of the mark. Next, an award for outstanding surfer of the day, taken, to popular acclaim, by Mike Lay. His longboard prowess transferred very well to the lengthy rides that a swellboard can offer and we were treated to a masterclass all day long. Finally, the St. Ives Surf School Circus Team collected the winners trophy for their success in the grand final. A strong costume element and a bag-of-tricks surfing element brought the trophy home to Porthmeor again. We were delighted to have the Sandy Acres Seven on stage to bring the evening to a climax, and the crowd had filled the dance floor to capacity before the first number was half way through! Watermelon Man, into Nothing But A Houseparty then Osibisa’s anthemic Sunshine Day and the joint was jumpin’. Great times as always to see out another Swellboard Shootout weekend.