Once again we were welcomed to a sweet September morning, as captioned to our blog last week! Seventy plus kids turned up to enjoy the fruits of this late-season swell. Today’s banner picture shows the Dolphins group and some of our coaches about to hit the water for their session – I hope you weren’t led to the site expecting to see their cetacean cousins as they don’t appear this week! There are dolphins and some surfers belonging to other fishy-named groups in our gallery below.
So we move into the final month of the Kids Club season and September brings a very surfable wave on a blustery Saturday morning. As so often this summer, conditions were favourable for our most advanced surfers, the Dolphins, and there were twenty of them checked in for the ride! Conversely, the second session saw the tide filling in rapidly and the Nemos found themselves bodyboarding in deepening water instead of the Swelly rides they might have expected. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all as evidenced below. Our banner picture today has instructor Burger resolving his choice of craft mid-ride after initial indecision. Or something like that!
It’s the last day of August, the last Kids Club before the school year begins and there is a distinct chill in the early morning air. An Autumn swell is rolling in to Porthmeor offering some chest-high waves out back as well as the long runners that we find inside on the falling tide. Both the Nemos and the Dorys are given a brisk warm-up to get the muscles ready and the minds psyched before launching. Out on the green waves, the Dolphins, reduced in number by the absence of those members contesting the Rip Curl Gromsearch in Newquay, are battling heavy paddle-outs to earn the right to ride those bigger waves back in. It’s a challenge, and it’s fun!
Well, we are suddenly blessed with some swell, and while it brings a few problems of rips and washes for the most junior surfers on the inside, the guys out back are having their fill of some meaty waves. Here’s a flavour of the morning:
The first weekend of the school summer holiday! We can’t remember if it’s ever rained here, we have a welcoming wave at Porthmeor, all is truly sitting right in this world. There was another good turnout of eager surfers, some of whom can be seen doing their thing below. And here’s hoping that summer vibe goes on and on and…
Coach John posted an advisory on our Facebook page on Friday evening that conditions for Saturday club could be tricky with a forecast of strong onshore winds bringing choppy steep waves. Some of our youngest novices heeded the advice and gave the session a miss, but we still had over 70 kids tackling the waves on the day. The Dolphins, in particular, had a good workout and are well featured in our gallery of the day. There’s also a bonus picture showing St. Ives surfer Joe Greenaway’s new mural for Foxholes At West, just completed for the weekend. Enjoy!
It has been an on – off start to the summer season for the Kids Club as the tides have caused a few blank Saturdays in the calendar so far. Then when we did get a favourable morning, the waves were offering only a little help when we got in the water. However, there were over 80 eager beavers jumping in and making the best of the conditions. Here’s how.
Here’s hoping for bigger waves at the next session!
It was a great thrill to have the Kids Club sign-up in the new clubhouse a couple of weeks ago, and our first session of the 2019 season kicked off on June 1st with over 130 eager surfers getting into action over the two sessions. There were new faces among the coaches as well as the juniors – here’s how we got on!
Meanwhile, our more advanced surfers were out back dealing with some chunky waist-high waves which offered a challenging paddle out to earn a thrilling ride back in. And in between, there was a group of improvers who were working toward their first shortboard experience. So, something for everyone on our first day back – and it feels great!
As the club grows stronger, so does the Christmas Day novelty surf gathering also grow more popular. We met at 10.30 to find friendly conditions and a willing crew, so here it is! As usual, my apologies to those I didn’t catch on camera – I should make it a New Years Resolution to improve my photography skills, or encourage someone more clued-up to bring a camera. Happy New Year to all our members , sponsors and supporters. May it bring you health, wealth and happiness!
We’re always keen to dig in the wardrobe and get the gear out in saints boardriders, just give us a reason – the Swellboard Shootout, the Surf Instructors staff day out, or in this particular case, the Surfers Ball 2018. So it was off to Tregenna Castle in our finest rags for our principal fundraiser and big night out of the year. The blueprint was pretty much set last year with a very successful evening, and so it flowed again from a welcome in the lobby by Tom Quirke’s jazz piano, Andre Otto’s red carpet photographs and a quick flutter in the casino, to a formal welcome to members and our guests as we took our seats for a three-course feast. Some of our red carpet pics below ; many more can be found on our Facebook page!
Steve Hewlett introduced a short film by Greg Dennis which highlighted the club’s work in teaching our young members in the Saturday Club, and he brought us up to date on the clubhouse construction.
We were then honoured to be presented with a cheque by Sherry from Bid St. Ives in support of the construction of new public toilets incorporated in the clubhouse project. Whew!! ( See our headline photo )
As the coffee was served at the end of dinner, auctioneer Paul Le Bas got down to the nitty gritty of wringing some loose change from our assembly. On offer were some magnificent artworks from artists Iona Sanders, Dan Fox, Norm Hewlett , photographer Nick Pumphrey and ceramicist Jo Downs. We had vacations with Primrose Hotel, Sandy Acres Lodge and Tregenna Castle. There was a surfboard from Diplock, a medley of water sports activities for eight people from St. Ives Surf School, a bespoke private surf lesson and lunch at the Brewhouse with Harry De Roth, a VIP night at the Eden Session of your choice next summer with dinner and wine included from Hubbox, who also offered a valuable Christmas hamper of organic meats for auction as well. England rugby star, Jack Nowell sent a signed ball and there were also signed shirts from premiership rugby clubs in the package. And, a novelty item of Giacomo Tilli, the Italian Stallion – yours for the day – which was one of two lots which inspired some telephone bids! Business was brisk, and we offer our heartfelt gratitude to both the donors of those prizes and the winning bidders for their generosity in supporting saints boardriders.
And then it was faites vos jeux, or hoist up your skirt and boogie as we took to the casino or the dance floor and let it all hang out. The music was again brought to us by the incomparable Sandy Acres Seven, and when they had got everyone good and greasy DJ Chewy took over and saw us into the early hours with some more banging tunes! What a Night! Some of our gamblers can be seen in the gallery below – my apologies for the absence of the dance floor action!
I conclude by offering saints boardriders thanks to Tregenna Castle, Sandy Acres Seven, DJ Chewy, Tom Quirke, Paul Le Bas, Andre Otto, Greg Dennis and to all our generous benefactors who donated those auction items. Many thanks also to everyone who bought tickets and came out on the night to share in the fun. Before we do this again we should have a clubhouse home to be proud of, and you will all have helped us realise that dream!
