Cornish Open

The Cornish Open was being held at Godrevy.  The day dawned cold yet fairly dry. There were rain clouds on the horizon but thankfully for the whole day it didn’t rain. There was a strong breeze blowing which wasn’t very nice. The surf was looking fairly big and powerful and looked like it had potential to be nice.

 

After the briefing we took the judging equipment down to the cliff and everyone who was in the first heat got changed. I was entered in the Junior Long, Junior Short and Open Long. My first heat was to be the Junior Long combined with a heat of the Open Long. The tide had gone right out and there was what looked like a quite strong current going along the beach so when one launched it took one quickly down the beach to the reef at the end!

After warming up and getting on the water I found out that the paddle out was just as hard as it had looked from the beach. When the heat started I took one wave in and then I couldn’t get out back again and I realized that I had better get an inside wave as ones best two waves out of ten are scored. I then managed to get out back just as the red flag went up signalling the end of the heat. I then had my best wave of the heat coming in. I came third which meant that I went through to the Open Long reps.

I had most of the day to wait for the Junior Short final so I had something to eat and watched all the other heats. There were some nice waves taken and as the tide came up the surf got a bit better. Finally the time for the Junior Short final arrived. I chose a place to launch as since the tide was now really high there was practically no beach, just lots of rocks! I had to wait for the right time and then jump into my boat quickly. The paddle out wasn’t too bad, I got back out and waited for the heat to begin. When it started I had one wave in. It wasn’t too bad and I was confident that I could do well in the heat and then while paddling out I found myself in the wrong place as a big wave came right at me. I decided to turn and run rather than take it on the head. It was a disaster, everything went wrong and I had to come out and I found myself swimming pretty far from the beach. Then Jack Barker, one of the other juniors in the heat, came over and gave me a tow in until I could touch the bottom with my feet and as the lifeguard paddled out on his board I waded/swam to the beach. I got my paddle and boat as quickly as possible intending to get out again and score at least one more wave but then found that all my foot rests had been washed out so sadly I had to sit out the rest of the heat.

I was on again in the next heat. This was the Open Long reps and I didn’t do very well as I was pretty tired out from my beating/swim. So afterwards I went and got changed and came back to the beach to watch and help judge the remaining heats. Then everything was taken back to the car park and everything was made ready for the prize giving. I came 2^nd in the Junior Long and 3^rd in the Junior Short. Well done to Glen Scott who won the Junior Short and for becoming the new England Junior Short Boat Champion and to Jack Bark who won the Junior Long and the Open Long becoming the new England Junior and Mens Long Boat Champion. Jon Mount came 2^nd in the Open Short claiming the Mens England Short Boat Championship title and Gary Adcock is now the England Masters Long and Short Boat Champion with Clare Eatock claiming the England Ladies Championship title.

The Final Competition for the year is the British Open which is on the 3^rd and 4^th of November but before that is the Home Internationals in Wales which starts next week. Until then goodbye!

 

 

JTG